Saturday's Salacious Suggestions

LOVE'S SWEET WAGER

by Jannine Corti-Petska



She escapes a life of uncertainty…

After her gambler father is murdered over a card game, Rachel Garrett joins a wagon train West to be with her aunt and the fiancé she's never met. All she wants is to forget her life of performing on stage to earn the money her father gambled away and to settle down in one place. But along the trail she is helplessly drawn to a priest—forbidden fruit—and her faith is shattered.


He's running from a murder he did not commit…

With his life at stake, successful gambler Reno Hunter joins a wagon train West disguised as a priest. He is shocked to find aboard the woman he won when her father wagered her in that fateful card game, the same man Reno is accused of killing. Can he protect his identity as long as she doesn't know who he is, or will he give in to his desire for the woman and risk being apprehended by the law? 

Buy it now: Barnes and Noble, The Wild Rose Press, Amazon paperback

Visit Jannine at her website.

Saturday's Salacious Suggestions

CHARLOTTE AND THE GYPSY

by Jannine Corti Petska

Charlotte Nikolos keenly feels the difference between the dark coloring of the Gypsies who raised her and her own pale hair and skin. When she learns she has two sisters somewhere who share her looks and psychic powers, she's determined to search for her lost family and find answers about her past. But how?

For three years, Rafael Cazares has been away from the Gypsy camp and the woman who makes his blood boil. He's determined to win back Char's trust and recapture her heart. He insists on helping her to find her true family, but someone or something is determined to keep them apart. When a deep dark secret is revealed, Rafael will do everything in his power to keep the only women he has ever loved out of harm's way. Even if he must die.


Buy CHARLOTTE AND THE GYPSY now.


Jannine Corti Petska
Bringing History and Passion to Life


Coming in 2011:

CHARLOTTE AND THE GYPSY, book 2, The Sisters of Destiny trilogy, OUT NOW!!!


LOVE'S SWEET WAGER, love along the California Trail


THE LILY AND THE FALCON, book 1, Italian Medieval series


SURRENDER TO HONOR, book 2, Italian Medieval series


www.jcortipetska.com

Satruday's Salacious Suggestion

Her gambler father murdered, Rachel Garrett joins a wagon train west to be with her aunt and the fiancé she's never met. Her dream is to forget the life she led performing on stage to earn the money her father gambled away and settle down in one place. But along the trail, she is helplessly drawn to a priest--forbidden fruit--and her hopes are shattered.


Professional gambler Reno Hunter is wanted for the murder of James Garrett. His disguise as a priest on a wagon train is foolproof, until he discovers the woman the old gambler wagered in that fatal card game and Rachel Garrett are one and the same. Can he protect his identity and his heart, or will he surrender to his desire for Rachel and risk being apprehended by the law?

Jannine Corti Petska
Bringing History to Life - Feel the Passion
www.jcortipetska.com

Guest Blogger - Jannine Corti-Petska

My fascination with Gypsies began more than 20 years ago after I read a historical romance that had a hot Gypsy hero. The culture's dark mystique lured me into the Gypsy's independent and nomadic lifestyle. Although I own a dozen books on Gypsies, they were well-known for not documenting their history. Researching Gypsies in the medieval period was definitely a challenge.

I had planned much more for this article; however, I had knee surgery two days ago and am rather groggy from the pain meds. So I will leave you to the blurb and short excerpt and, hopefully, I'll return in the near future to talk about what I learned from the Gypsies.

Blurb:
Charlotte Nikolos keenly feels the difference between the dark coloring of the Gypsies who raised her and her own pale hair and skin. When she learns she has two sisters somewhere who share her looks and psychic powers, she's determined to search for her lost family and find answers about her past. But how?

For three years, Rafael Cazares has been away from the Gypsy camp and the woman who makes his blood boil. He's determined to win back Char's trust and recapture her heart. He insists on helping her to find her true family, but someone or something is determined to keep them apart. When a deep dark secret is revealed, Rafael would do everything in his power to keep the only women he has ever loved out of harm’s way. Even if he must die.

Excerpt:

“Return me to my father at once.”
Rafael planted his hands on his hips and gazed down at her with a long-reaching light of amusement. A light that brought clarity to Char.
“You wouldn’t dare!”
“But I did.”
“I’ll not be your wife by abduction.”
“You have no say in this, Char. I’ve paid the bride price. Your sire gave his blessing for our union.” He handed her a kerchief to wear.
Char refused to tie it around her head to show her acceptance. “You’ll not touch me.”
His raised brows mocked her.
Char straightened her shoulders. Rafael ignored her stubborn stance and gripped her upper arms, dragging her up his length.
“In time, you will beg me to take you to my bed.”
His mouth quashed her protest. No matter how much she abhorred Rafael, she succumbed to his meaningless kiss.

CHARLOTTE AND THE GYPSY is available in print and ebook at http://www.moongypsypress.com/.

ISBN: 1449976786
EAN-13: 9781449976781


Jannine Corti Petska
Assapora la passione (Feel the Passion)
CHARLOTTE AND THE GYPSY, Moongypsy Press, January 2010
CARINA AND THE NOBLEMAN, Available at http://www.eternalpress.ca/
KNIGHT'S DESIRE, Available at http://www.thedarkcastlelords.com/reviews-knight
REBEL HEART, 2007 Aspen Gold Finalist
http://www.jcortipetska.com/

Guest Blogger - Jannine Corti-Petska

In honor of Women's History Month, I thought I'd shine the spotlight on an Italian woman who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1926. She is Grazia (Madesani) Deledda, born in Nuoro, a small, isolated village in Sardinia in 1871. She was a gifted writer who published her first work at the age of thirteen. Grazia wove stories about real places and people with real emotions. She painted a picture of reality interspersed with her vivid imagination based on the people and natural surroundings of her village.

She attended elementary school but completed her education under a private tutor. He gave her themed writing assignments and encouraged her to publish her stories in a newspaper. It was the start of an illustrious writing career for Grazia. She sold her first submission, Sangue Sardo (Sardinian Blood) a tragic short story, to a magazine. In 1892, she wrote and sold her first novel. Grazia's talent didn't stop with novels. She also wrote a three-act play and poems. Her novel Cenere was turned into a movie for a famous Italian actress.

In Grazia's time, as well as history in general, women were supposed to concern themselves with domestic duties only. She wasn't supposed to depict in writing what was regarded as a matter for men. Her work was not well-received by her village. But Grazia was a nonconformist. After she married and moved to Rome, she continued to write about Sardinia. Her writing was described as "eloquent and unpretentious." A famous Italian critic said, "Her style is that of the great masters of the narrative; it has the characteristic marks of all great novelists. No one in Italy today writes novels which have the vigor of style, the power of craftsmanship, the structure, or the social relevance which I found in some........works of Grazia Deledda........"

On December 10, 1927, Grazia Deledda was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. In his speech, Archbishop Nathan Soderblom (of the Swedish Academy) said, "Dear Madame. The proverb says, 'All roads lead to Rome.' In your literary work, all roads lead to the human heart........."

Grazia continued to write until her death in 1936. Only those who study Italian literature may know of her, but women of her determination have made strides in a world considered owned by men. And because I am an author, I admire her strength and talent.

I don't write Nobel Prize-worthy literature, but I do write stories from the heart. Stories of real life interwoven with the imagination in my mind and characters with emotion. My favorite backdrop is Medieval Italy where two of my books are set. My latest release is CARINA AND THE NOBLEMAN, the first book in my medieval psychic sisters trilogy. It takes place in Northern Italy and available in ebook and print.

The last thing Count Luciano Ruggero expected was to fall in love with a commoner. But Carina Gallo is the only woman to capture his interest and his heart. When he discovers she has psychic abilities, he is torn between keeping her secret and using her gift to locate his missing brother. Neither the count nor Carina know that her life is in danger until it's almost too late.

View the book trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rERylu_39XA

Also available is my ebook short story KNIGHT'S DESIRE, set in 14th century Piemonte, Italy.

Mariella Rizzoli seeks employment in Baron Romano DeSanto's castle, hoping to obtain the rights to her dead father's keep. When he bids her to seduce him for the keep, she will do whatever it takes to retain her home. But can she seduce the handsome knight without losing her heart to him?

View the book trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A49buJLXMQQ

And for a change of scenery, the following book, REBEL HEART, is a historical western romance set in Santa Fe in 1872.

When the woman he's sworn to protect finds herself in the middle of a range war, Beau Hamilton fights against losing his heart while defending Courtney Danning against the unscrupulous man fixing to run her out of town. But when their passion turns as hot as the Santa Fe sun, will their love in the untamed West prevail? Or will Beau's dark past tear them apart?

Information for purchasing Jannine's books:

CARINA AND THE NOBLEMAN, Available at www.eternalpress.caKNIGHT'S DESIRE, Available at http://www.thedarkcastlelords.com/reviews-knight's-desire.htmREBEL HEART, 2007 Aspen Gold Finalist, Available at
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Rebel-Heart/Jannine-Corti-Petska/e/9780974624983/?itm=1
and http://www.amazon.com/Rebel-Heart-Jannine-Corti-Petska/dp/0974624985/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1237155686&sr=1-2

Please visit my website at www.jcortipetska.com
I can be reached by email at info@jcortipetska.com