Casino Queen (Night Hawk Casino Series)
by Cara Bertoia
I must say this was quite a fun read. We meet Caroline who finds herself deep in debt and lonely. This forces her to seek employment which lands her in a casino. It was quite interesting to learn some of the things that go on behind the scenes of all that gambling. Add in some suspense, a little mystery, and some light romance to get an entertaining read.
~Books a Plenty Book Reviews
This is a deep dive into that culture. If you like casinos and want backstage access, Casino Queen is the perfect book for you!
~Diane Reviews Books
Casino Queen was not what I expected from reading the synopsis, it was so much more. I am really excited to see where the author takes Caroline next.
~Escape With Dollycas Into a Good Book
About Casino Queen
Casino Queen (Night Hawk Casino Series)
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting – California
Wild Rose Press (March 16, 2022)
Paperback : 260 pages
ISBN-10 : 1509240918
ISBN-13 : 978-1509240913
Digital ASIN : B09PJWMG9Z
Caroline Popov, alone, heartbroken, and deeply in debt ends up in glamorous Palm Springs, California where Native casinos have just opened, offering employment to thousands. She lands a job at the Palm Oasis Casino where she is mentored by the charismatic tribal chairman, John Tovar.
Embraced by casino culture, Caroline works her way up to casino manager of the Night Hawk, in the High Desert of Southern California. There, she is responsible for managing multicultural team members, satisfying the demands of often unique guests, and growing revenue while rooting out corruption.
In the process of rediscovering her inner strength, she learns, you have to gamble like your life depends on it. Because it often does.
About Cara Bertoia
Growing up in a strait-laced Southern family, I was always fascinated with casinos. In my twenties on a summer hiatus from teaching in North Carolina, I drove to California and became a dealer at Caesars in Lake Tahoe. Well, I can tell you that after teaching high school, handling an unruly gambler was a piece of cake. My mother highly disapproved of my working in a casino, “a place so bad it has ‘sin’ in the middle.”
Eventually, I succumbed to pressure from the family and returned east to take a high-tech job in Boston. I also began working on my MFA in writing at Emerson. I wanted to write the first realistic novel about casino life from the perspective of an experienced table games dealer. I am always amazed that normal and sometimes quite intelligent players become absolutely clueless in the casino. They repeat superstitious nonsense and no amount of logic can change their position, maybe my novel will.
While in Boston I was offered the opportunity to join Princess Cruises as a croupier. Jumping at the chance, I spent the next five years circling the globe. Sometimes life exceeds your dreams. I was awed by the wonders of Venice, the fjords of Norway, and the Northern Lights in Leningrad.
I returned from ships with a very special souvenir, my Scottish husband Ray. We went to work at the Spa Casino in Palm Springs. We now live in Hollywood, Florida, where I write about my casino years while wistfully gazing out at the ocean.
I love to see any of you out there reading Casino Queen. Send me a picture to carabertoia@yahoom.com and I will post it on social media.
Thank you, Cara B
Author Links
Cara Bertoia – Author (godaddysites.com)
Cara Bertoia (@carabertoia) • Instagram photos and videos
TikTok: tiktok.com/@carabertoia
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