Book Blast Giveaway: Baked Alaska by Josi S. Kilpack

Baked Alaska by Josi S. Kilpack

An Alaskan cruise is the setting for amateur detective Sadie Hoffmillers latest adventure. Sadie plans to spend time relaxing with her two grown children, Breanna and Shawn, and her boyfriend, Pete, while enjoying the luxury and cuisine of an elegant cruise ship and helping to plan her daughters upcoming wedding. But even as the crew prepares to leave port, Sadie has suspicions about the voyage ahead and the relationship between her normally easygoing son and a mysterious female passenger he obviously knows but refuses to discuss. When the woman is discovered unconscious during the second night at sea, Sadies apprehension escalates. Over the last few years, Sadie has developed an extreme dislike for secrets and it would seem her son is keeping one from her. *Includes eight new mouthwatering recipes, tested and approved by the official bakers of Sadies Virtual Test Kitchen.




Praise for Baked Alaska
Josi Kilpack has done it again. You would think that all these events that occur in Sadie's life wouldn't be natural, but Josi Kilpack has a way of making you believe that it just "happens" and it is normal. I have grown to love Sadie's character, even if she is a busybody, you can't help but cheer for her as she attempts to solve a mystery or crime. One of my favorite series. :)
~Goodreads Reviewer Lacey McNeill

Purchase
Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Deseret Book

Sadie Hoffmiller Culinary Mystery Series

Author Josi S. Kilpack

Josi S. Kilpack grew up hating to read until she was thirteen and her mother handed her a copy of The Witch of Blackbird Pond. From that day forward, she read everything she could get her hands on and credits her writing “education” to the many novels she has “studied” since then. She began her first novel in 1998 and hasn’t stopped since. Her seventh novel, Sheep’s Clothing, won the 2007 Whitney Award for Mystery/Suspense, and Lemon Tart, her ninth novel, was a 2009 Whitney Award Finalist. Josi was the Best in State winner in literature for 2012 and currently has two books (Banana Split and Tres Leches Cupcakes) as finalists in the 2012 Whitney awards.

Josi currently lives in Willard, Utah, with her family.

Website * Twitter

Tour Schedule

Book Blast Giveaway
$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash
Ends 3/17/13

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://iamareader.com and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.



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Ghost Hand (PSS Chronicles #1) by: Ripley Patton

Goodreads Summary:

Olivia Black just discovered that her ghost hand, a rare birth defect, can do more than light up a room. It can reach into people and pull things out. Things from the darkest depths of the human psyche never meant to exist in this world.

Olivia can pickpocket the soul.

But she can’t control her ability, or the strange items it extracts, and the only thing between Olivia and the men bent on taking the power of her hand is a boy she barely knows and doesn't trust.

My Thoughts:

I was quickly pulled into this story. I found the characters compelling and I just had to know more about them. Marcus and Olivia are great together, I am really looking forward to reading more about them in future books.

The storyline was unique and well thought out. I was taken by surprise by the slight plot twist and I am very eager for book 2! Ripley Patton is certainly an author to watch for. I very highly recommend this book for any fans of the Paranormal Romance genre. Ghost hand is classified as a YA paranormal thriller, but I would say it is more toward New Adult due to some of the content. Either way it is an excellent read.

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5

Ghost Hand on Goodreads
Ghost Hand on Amazon

Author on Goodreads
Author's Website

The Dead and the Gone (The Last Survivors #2)

 My review of Life As We Knew It (The Last Survivors #1)

The timeline of this book runs parallel to the first, Life As We Knew It, so you don't really have to worry about spoilers if you read summaries and reviews for both books.

Goodreads Summary:

Susan Beth Pfeffer’s Life as We Knew It enthralled and devastated readers with its brutal but hopeful look at an apocalyptic event—an asteroid hitting the moon, setting off a tailspin of horrific climate changes. Now this harrowing companion novel examines the same events as they unfold in New York City, revealed through the eyes of seventeen-year-old Puerto Rican Alex Morales. When Alex’s parents disappear in the aftermath of tidal waves, he must care for his two younger sisters, even as Manhattan becomes a deadly wasteland, and food and aid dwindle.

With haunting themes of family, faith, personal change, and courage, this powerful new novel explores how a young man takes on unimaginable responsibilities.

My Thoughts:

It took a little longer for this one to hook me but it did happen. And although I was hooked and very much enjoyed the book, I don’t think liked it quite as much as the first in the series. I only rated it half a star lower than I did the first book so some of this is more nitpicking than anything.

This sequel tracks the same events as Life As We Knew It but with different people and in a different state, because of this you already have an idea of some of the things that will happen. I think this takes away a little of the shock factor…but I guess you could say that with a lot of sequels. Another thing that jumped out at me was the 3^rd person narration as compared to the 1^st person in the first book. I think the 3^rd person takes you away from the characters a little because that inner dialogue is missing.

Aside from those nitpicks, I really did enjoy this book. It’s what I’ll call a ‘thinker’ it really makes you think about the things that can happen and whether or not you’re prepared. In fact, Wendy at Wall-to-Wall Books and I were texting back and forth about things we want to stockpile since reading these books. I’m not saying that we will end up doing it, but these books definitely bring out the desire to become a prepper! Here’s the preliminary list we came up with.

-canned foods

-other non-perishables

-water

-batteries

-battery operated radio

-tampons

-aspirin and other medications

-toilet paper

-candles & matches

-blankets

-cat/dog food

-can openers

-kerosene for lanterns

-instant coffee

-my old glasses because contacts will cease to exist

-our book collections, of course

-yeast and flour

-alcohol to barter for supplies

-chapstick, soap, hand sanitizer

What would you stockpile in a post-apocalyptic world?

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5

Susan Beth Pfeffer’s Blog

The Dead and the Gone on Goodreads, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble