Visit Venice #RomanticTravel and spotlight on The New York Saga by @DianaLRubino

Photo credit: Drachenfels castle in Koenigswinter, Germany,
Depositphotos.com Image #74467597 c2016 by :jurajkovac,
Meme c2016 by Linda McLaughlin.

Visit Venice with author Diana Rubino!

In Diana's words:

I believe the most romantic spot on earth is Venice, Italy. When you get off the train, walk through the station, and open the doors, it’s like stepping into a fairy tale. The streets are all canals, and ornate ancient bridges span the canals, including the famous Bridge of Sighs, where prisoners gazed upon the city for the last time on their way to be locked up. On our last trip to Venice, I planned the trip to coincide with the full moon. When darkness fell, my husband and I had dinner and walked around. No moon yet. We stopped at a café and had gelato and cappuccino. No moon yet. We crossed a bridge and strolled some more. Still no moon. Finally, at 11:30, it rose, glowing and sending shimmering moonbeams over the canals. So I hadn’t figured what time that full moon was supposed to appear!

The New York Saga

Genre: Historical romance

Poverty, prejudice, and murder won't stand in the way of true love.

The New York Saga spans three generations of the McGlory family, starting in 1894 amidst the poverty and crime on New York’s Lower East Side, through the wild, boozy years of Prohibition, and ending in 1963 as the country mourned President Kennedy’s assassination.

In Book One, FROM HERE TO FOURTEENTH STREET, it's 1894 on New York’s Lower East Side. Irish cop Tom McGlory and Italian immigrant Vita Caputo fall in love despite their different upbringings. While Tom works undercover to help Ted Roosevelt purge police corruption, Vita's father arranges a marriage between her and a man she despises. When Tom’s cousin is murdered, Vita’s father and brother languish in jail, charged with the crime. Can Vita and Tom’s love survive poverty, hatred, and corruption?

In Book Two, BOOTLEG BROADWAY, it’s 1932. Prohibition rages, the Depression ravages, and Billy McGlory comes of age whether he wants to or not. Musical and adventurous, Billy dreams of having his own ritzy supper club and big band. On the eve of his marriage to the pregnant Prudence, the shifty “businessman” Rosario Ingovito offers him all that and more: fame, fortune, his own Broadway musical.


Can anything go wrong for Billy? Only when he gets in way over his head does he stop to wonder how his business partner really makes his millions, but by then it’s far too late…

THE END OF CAMELOT begins on the day Camelot truly ended—November 22, 1963. The assassination of a president devastates America. But a phone call brings even more tragic news to Vikki Ward—her TV reporter husband was found dead in his Dallas hotel room that morning.

Finding his notes, Vikki realizes her husband was embroiled in the plot to kill JFK—but his mission was to prevent it. When the Dallas police rule his death accidental, Vikki sets out to find out who was behind the murders of JFK and her husband.


Vikki falls in love with Aldobrandi Po, the bodyguard her godfather hired to protect her. But he's engaged to be married, and she’s still mourning her husband. Can they find happiness in the wake of all this tragedy?

An Excerpt from FROM HERE TO FOURTEENTH STREET

As Vita gathered her soap and towel, Madame Branchard tapped on her door. “You have a gentleman caller, Vita. A policeman.”

“Tom?” His name lingered on her lips as she repeated it. She dropped her things and crossed the room.

“No, hon. Another policeman. Theodore something.”

No. There can't be anything wrong. “Thanks,” she whispered, descending the steps, gripping the banister to support her wobbly legs. Stay calm! she warned herself. But of course it was no use; staying calm just wasn't her nature.

“Theodore something” stood before the closed parlor door. He’s a policeman? Tall and hefty, a bold pink shirt peeking out of a buttoned waistcoat and fitted jacket, he looked way out of place against the dainty patterned wallpaper.

He removed his hat. “Miss Caputo.” He strained to keep his voice soft as he held out a piece of paper. “I’m police commissioner Theodore Roosevelt.”

“Yes?” Her voice shook.

“I have a summons for you.” He held it out to her. But she stood rooted to that spot.

He stepped closer and she took it from him, unfolding it with icy fingers. Why would she be served with a summons? Was someone arresting her now for something she didn't do?

A shot of anger tore through her at this system, at everything she wanted to change. She flipped it open and saw the word SUMMONS in fancy script at the top. Her eyes widened with each sentence as she read. “I can’t believe what I’m seeing.”

I hereby order Miss Vita Caputo to enter into holy matrimony with Mr. Thomas McGlory immediately following service of this summons.

An Excerpt from BOOTLEG BROADWAY (my favorite passage, which made my aunt cringe)

Pru had kept closemouthed all day about what she was giving him for his birthday. He badgered and hounded her, but she wouldn’t give in.

As Ma began divvying up the rum cake, the doorbell rang, and Da came back with a long box. “This thing’s heavy. What’s in here, Pru? Billy’s tombstone?”

Billy cut the ribbon with the cake knife and slid the lid off. Wads of tissue paper filled the box. As he removed the last layer of covering and revealed what was inside, they all gasped—a sculpture of a naked man, in all his masculine glory—and fully aroused. He had one hand on his hip and one foot upon a pedestal on which was inscribed in bold letters, “BILLY.”

“Oh, crap.” His face turned red hot.

An Excerpt from THE END OF CAMELOT

Billy came down the stairs for a nightcap and glanced into the living room. He noticed the glow in the fireplace, Vikki’s eyeglasses and the anisette bottle on the table. The couch faced the other way, but nobody was sitting on it. “Where’d they go?” Then he realized they hadn’t gone anywhere—and they were on the couch, but not sitting. Before he got out of their way, he placed a long-playing record on the phonograph. Jackie Gleason’s “For Lovers Only.”

Purchase THE NEW YORK SAGA via Amazon Kindle

Amazon Kindle | The Wild Rose Press |

About Diana
I'm a self-confessed history nut, my favorite eras being Medieval and Renaissance England, and all American history. I've written several novels set in England and the U.S., two time travel romances, a vampire romance, and an urban fantasy, FAKIN’ IT which received a Top Pick award from Romantic Times. I'm a longtime member of Romance Writers of America and the Richard III Society. In my spare time, I bicycle, golf, play my piano and devour books of any genre.

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MOVIE REVIEW: The Patriot (Mel Gibson, Heath Ledger, 2000)

From turn-of-the-13th century Braveheart, Mel Gibson advances more than five centuries to examine another hero reluctantly drawn into a fight for independence from England, America's favorite national villain.
 
Retired French and Indian War hero Benjamin Martin, widower and father of seven children, found a measure of peace as a South Carolina plantation owner. Then the Revolutionary War comes to call. Benjamin's oldest, 17-year-old Gabriel, enlists in the fight for independence against his father's wishes. The war hits even closer to home when a battle erupts on Martin's land, leaving Gabriel wounded and turning the plantation house into a field hospital.

Enter the inhumane villain, Colonel Tavington (Jason Isaacs), a British cavalry commander of colossal arrogance obsessed with advancing his career, even at the expense of non-combatant civilians. When Tavington shoots Gabriel's 15-year-old brother for trying to rescue Gabriel from hanging, the war becomes personal for the anguished Benjamin.

Will Benjamin and Tavington duke it out during the final battle of the film? You bet. Three guesses as to who wins, and the first two don't count.

However, Benjamin Martin's journey to that final confrontation proves emotionally fascinating as he battles not only the British but himself. Benjamin's previous combat experiences against the French and Cherokee pushed him beyond the brink of humanity. The love of Benjamin's wife redeemed him then, but who will save Benjamin now that she's dead? Will Benjamin's faith in God be enough to restore his humanity a second time? Can "The Cause" -- the great fight for independence -- serve as turning point and salvation for Benjamin as well as England's American colonies?

Other characters face their own issues. The personal story of each man, woman and child poignantly intertwines with Benjamin's. Rene Auberjoinois (Odo of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) deserves particular praise for his portrayal of a minister-cum-militiaman ("Someone has to tend the flock--and fight off the wolves.")

Naturally, some stories receive more attention than others. For instance, I would have preferred to see Benjamin do more "processing" with his youngest sons, who early in the film witness Benjamin's grief-induced battle frenzy against the unit detailed to transport Gabriel to the gallows.

The failure to provide an on-screen closure for Benjamin's youngest sons, plus Tavington's one-dimensional character and some minor logic disconnects make me wish I could knock a quarter-point from my rating. I give The Patriot full marks, however, because its excellence far outweighs its flaws. Amazingly accurate details abound, including Benjamin's guerilla exploits, based upon those of Sir Francis "Swamp Fox" Marion and other renowned freedom fighters. Mel Gibson also deserves a hearty "bravo" for delivering the first non-animated film I've seen in decades that doesn't rely on profanity and sexuality to titillate the audience. Nevertheless, I strongly caution parents to preview The Patriot to decide whether they wish to expose underage children to its extreme violence.

As a viewer I look askance at anything labeled a "must-see." Therefore, as a reviewer I rarely dole out such distinctions. But if you consider yourself a history or warfare buff, a parent or a patriot you must see this film.

(Originally published in Crescent Blues. Reprinted with permission.)