Rosa Mystica of Neretva

By John Peric

A letter arrives from southern France rekindles memories and feelings for Hercule, a mercenary turned Franciscan, living a quiet life on the coastal city-state of Ragusa on the Dalmatian coast. The past was anything but quiet as his life was intertwined with Katherine, an apothecary from Montpellier on the southern French coast. This letter from the Abbess brings an earnestness that Hercule cannot ignore. His beloved Katherine is dying and she has a secret to tell him. Will she be able to handle the ramifications if he does not find out her secret?

Is the past coming to haunt him?

His memories return to inflict torment on him. A time of long ago. A time of dreams and adventure. A time of love, war, blood, and death. A wagon of gold. Janissaries on a mission to apprehend that gold—even if they have to kill to get it. And they have, for the sultan. The Ottoman Empire is awaiting its tribute from the West. The question is, who will get to the gold first? It is a race against time as Hercule, his friend and confidant Hasan, and Katherine must reach for the safety within the fortress walls of Ragusa before the Turks can steal the gold.

Can Hercule amend for his past transgressions?

In his debut novel, John Peric brings to life a story of unsuspecting lives and forbidden love that have been brought together by the powers that be in the mountains and valleys of Bosnia-Herzegovina, which lay between the two major empires of Europe and the Ottomans. Will Hercule and Katherine be able to survive the certain death waiting for them? Even worse, if they escape, will they survive the memories and the love they cannot forget?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Jul 5, 2022
• ISBN: 9781662429569