Cats, Gondolas and Valentines

By Maria Grazia Swan

It’s Valentine’s Day Eve and Mina is in Las Vegas for a conference about shelters and refuges for abandoned cats. And the conference is at The Venetian Hotel. Love is in the air. Unfortunately so is the love of her life, Diego, who is flying to a distant meeting. Or is he?
Cats, lovers, gondolas on and off the tracks. A bride, definitely off the tracks, and Sin City, the perfect blend for a Valentine's Day read.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Maria Grazia Swan
• Release date: Feb 4, 2016
• ISBN: 9781310270635

Maria Grazia Swan

Best selling author Maria Grazia Swan was born in Italy, but this rolling stone has definitely gathered no moss. She lived in Belgium, France, Germany, in beautiful Orange County, California where she raised her family, and is currently at home in Phoenix, Arizona--but stay tuned for weekly updates of Where in the World is Maria Grazia Swan?As a young girl, her vivid imagination predestined her to be a writer. She won her first literary award at the age of fourteen while living in Belgium. As a young woman Maria returned to Italy to design for--ooh-la-la--haute couture. Once in the U.S. and after years of concentrating on family, she tackled real estate. These days her time is devoted to her deepest passions: writing and helping people find happiness.Maria loves travel, opera, good books, hiking, and intelligent movies (if she can find one, that is). When asked about her idea of a perfect evening, she favors stimulating conversation, Northern Italian food and perfectly chilled Prosecco--but then, who doesn't?And then there is her latest attempt at conquering the world of readers-who-love-Italy-and-anything- Italian. Yes, she has a new series out thanks to Gemma Halliday Publishing. The Lella York’s series has released 2 books to date;Murder under the Italian Moon and the newest addition, Death Under the Venice Moon

Book preview

CATS, GONDOLAS AND VALENTINES

the Smashwords edition

Maria Grazia Swan

To give the reader more of a sample, the front matter appears at the end.

We’re taking a red-eye flight because it was the only way to get the lowest fare. Jo Anne sipped her frothy cappuccino.

How about you, Mina? Amy asked. I know you’re not leaving tonight. When are you going home?

Mina sighed. "In the morning—early. Apparently everyone is flying into Vegas on Valentine’s Day, not the other way around, so I was able to get a discounted price."

"Hey, it was a blessing for us to be able to park our luggage in your room after checking out earlier. I hate having to ask the front desk and all that. But not so good for you, I guess. By the time you add the extra hotel night I doubt the lower fare has you coming out ahead."

"I cashed in some reward points from my American Express business account. It’s my first time to Las Vegas alone as a grown-up, and that the conference happened to be here at the Venetian was an added bonus. You do know I’m from the real Venezia, right? She smiled. I cannot fathom how anyone could come up with all these replicas of the real thing. I mean, Rialto Bridge? And the gondolas? It’s amazing in a cheesy sort of way. How is your cappuccino, Amy? Taste Italian?"

Yummy, I can’t find anything like this in Odessa, Texas. That’s for sure. The three of them sat people-watching at an almost quiet table at the Cafe Press just outside the Sands Convention Center. With the fake, painted skies set to change from day to night in matter of hours and tourists dressed in anything from sequined gowns and tuxedos to shorts and T-shirts, it was hard to tell the weather or the time of the day from inside The Venetian.

This was such an interesting conference. I loved the closing presentation. Mina felt like a traitor, sucking