To Win at Romance You Need a Basic Strategy of Love -- Cruise Quarters on sale for $.99 at Amazon and on KU

 

RAY AND I ENJOYING A DAY OFF IN THE CARIBBEAN

I love reality shows like 90 Day Fiancé, Love Is Blind and my all-time favorite, Married at First Sight. I will watch anything if the goal of the show is a good relationship, love or marriage. I call myself The Hopeful Romantic, because I met Ray and married him four months later. We could have qualified for 90 Day Fiancé because he was from Scotland. So, I hold these shows close to my heart.

On Married at Frist Sight couples meet at the altar. They have never seen their person before and don’t know anything about them except for the fact that they have been matched by experts. If one of the partners doesn’t like the looks of the other one there is almost no chance that the marriage will survive. Chemistry can make or break the relationship. In Nashville when Gina told Clint that she didn’t like gingers my heart broke for him. I thought he was really cute. Then the next day he said she wasn't as slender as the girls he usually dated. I see divorce in their future. The dynamics of how couples do or don’t make things work fascinates me. Especially if I can watch their stories safely from the comfort of my living room.

The show brings back that terrifying time after college when life was full of possibilities and fraught with loose connections. I dated guys when I didn't know if they were my boyfriend or not, but I was too afraid to ask. I also dated guys who I promptly dumped because they were too nice. Sometimes a bad haircut was all it would take and once a guy got dumped for bringing me a single rose, a very nice gesture. I would have happily signed up for the show because my picker was definitely broken. The experts had to do a better job than me.

In my twenties I was teaching high school and though I loved my students, why wouldn't I, we were about the same age! But the thought of staying in my hometown and teaching for the next forty years filled me with torschlusskpanik, the German word for the fear of missing the boat. I left for California, got a job dealing in a casino and never looked back. My job was sorted out but I still kept dating the bad boy, the elusive, uncommitted one I was going to make fall in love with me.

It took me a long time to sort myself out get married and live happily ever after, but I finally met my Mr. Right, while working on a cruise ship. We decided to tell our story in Cruise Quarters - A Novel About Casinos and Cruise Ships. Stand behind a blackjack table for years, deal to thousands of couples and you learn a thing or two about people. Gamblers know that to win at blackjack you have to play basic strategy. In our novel Sarah (my alter-ego) learns from her past mistakes to write her own basic strategy of love. Maybe hers can help you take some shortcuts, but probably not, we all have to suffer our own heart breaks. Everyone needs to throw away the self-help book they are reading and write their own.

Below is Sarah's, if you come up with a new strategy leave a comment here or e-mail me at carabertoia@yahoo.com. I have put Cruise Quarters on sale for $.99 this week (Feb 10 to 17) to celebrate Valentine’s Day.

                           SARAH SELDON’S BASIC STRATEGY OF LOVE

 1. It’s a sure bet that if someone doesn’t introduce you to his family, he thinks there is something wrong with you -- or his family.

 2. It is a mistake to fall for a strong silent type; you will get tired of doing all the talking, and he will get tired of doing all the listening.

 3. Don’t fall in love with someone who is a challenge; if you want a challenge, go climb Mt. Everest.

 4. It is not important that you share all the same interests, only that you are both open to new and different things.

 5. Some people think a relationship has to include drama; without drama it can’t be love. Drama is just drama, not love. If you want drama, go see a play.

 6. The first time someone cheats is never the last time someone cheats; it is just the first time someone cheats.

 7. Never get involved with someone who blames all his problems on others; you will soon be one of the others.

 8. If there is something wrong in a relationship, you know it. He stops looking you in the eye, he doesn’t call every day. People always have a tell. They always leave a clue, you just have to look for it.

9. In love as in cards, it's hard to walk away from a winning streak, even harder to leave the table when you're on a losing one. Always know when to give up the dream and walk away.

 10. The golden rule of love is this: always be with someone who likes you just the way you are, quirks and all. Always love someone just the way they are. You can change sheets, not people.

Cara Bertoia is the author of Cruise Quarters - A Novel About Casinos and Cruise Ships. Her novel is really a travelogue, a narrative, a romance, a self-help manual for gambling and cruising, and a real-life story all rolled into one funny, obsessive, and entertaining story of two people whose separate life journeys meet at a crossroads. Kindle Fire Dept. says, "This novel is a gem that is nothing short of a vacation in a book!" She would be happy to do an online chat with any book club reading her novels. Contact her at carabertoia@yahoo.com

Cara Bertoia is the author of Cruise Quarters - A Novel About Casinos and Cruise Ships. Her novel is really a travelogue, a narrative, a romance, a self-help manual for gambling and cruising, and a real-life story all rolled into one funny, obsessive, and entertaining story of two people whose separate life journeys meet at a crossroads. Kindle Fire Dept. says, "This novel is a gem that is nothing short of a vacation in a book!"She would be happy to do an online chat with any book club reading her novels. Contact her at carabertoia@yahoo.com

Below is the links to Cruise Quarters - A Novel About Casinos and Cruise Ships

Click the link to find at Amazon.com
Click here to find at Amazon Canada

Her second novel, Casino Queen is based on the many true stories she lived through in her many years in the casino industry, although the names have been changed to protect the guilty. 

"Glitter, grifters and greed collide with high stakes mystery and suspense in Casino Queen. With her in-depth knowledge of the casino world, Cara Bertoia takes readers on a wild ride through the High Desert that leaves you hungry for more." - Rob Samborn, author The Prisoner of Paradise

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 and 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 town of Joshua Tree. There, she is responsible for managing multicultural team members, satisfying the demands of challenging guests, growing revenue while rooting out corruption.

In the process of rediscovering her inner strength. With her life on the line can she pull out a win?

Click the link below to order at Amazon

Casino Queen (Night Hawk Casino Series Book 1) - Kindle edition by Bertoia, Cara. Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

Click the link below to order at Barnes and Noble 

Casino Queen by Cara Bertoia | NOOK Book (eBook) | Barnes & Noble® 

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How To Travel the World and Fall in Love Without Leaving Your Couch

I used to be a great traveler, but now like the rest of the world Covid anxiety has kept me at home, although I still need to escape from my everyday world. I still love to go places, but now I mostly do it through my imagination. We can all travel the world from the comfort of our couches. To decide where to go, I scour the lists on my Newsfeeds and I search the streaming services we subscribe to. I have probably watched thousands of trailers in the last two years. I want to find shows that will entertain me and teach me about the countries they are filmed in. I can’t even put my process into words, but as the Hopeful Romantic I want something that grabs and inspires me. Today I will share a few of my favorites but only a short synopsis, no spoilers just enough to pique your interest. Please e-mail me at carabertoia@yahoo.com and share your top picks with me.  

 

Midnight Diner

My husband works nights and this winter our ritual every evening before he went to work was to watch an episode of Midnight Diner. I was won over the first time I watched the intro about a wonderful show set in a diner in Tokyo that opens at midnight. This is a place where the dreamers and the losers come to share their sorrows and their joys with the Master. Every episode tells a new story about one of the patrons of the diner. Listening to their stories you learn so much about life in Japan. I was so sad by the end of the last season that I wouldn’t be able to spend any more time with my friends at the diner. And for those of us that love Japanese food, at the end of the episode they demonstrate the proper way to cook the dishes on the show. Watch on Netflix

Tokyo Girl

For me this series is Japan’s answer to Sex and the City. The story is about Aya a woman who moves from her town of Akita to Tokyo hoping to make a new life in the big city. You won’t find a fairy tale here just a realistic look at the life a single girl faces trying to navigate a city filled with its own prejudices. The name of each episode relates to the neighborhood she lives in. Through the years she moves around the city in her search for a better life, a magazine life. What I loved about the series was its insight into the dating life of a modern career woman in a big city. I really felt for Aya as she traversed the years from eighteen to forty-five always in search of that perfect Tokyo life. Watch on Amazon

 

 

The first series that grabbed my heart was The Baker and the Beauty from Israel. I know that they tried to make an American version of the show but nothing compares to the original. The premise of the show is pure Hollywood but the execution is pure Israeli. Noa a famous supermodel falls in love with Amos who bakes pita bread in his parents’ small grocery store. It’s all about the family and Amos’s family will win your heart. It also highlights cultural differences in Israeli society. The characters in this show are fully developed. There are no villains here, they all suffer from their own insecurities. I watched it on Amazon Prime, it is unavailable now but I am sure it will come back.

Shtisel

Although Shtisel is also set in Israel the two series couldn’t be more different. This show is set in the Ultra-Orthodox Jewish community in Jerusalem. It is also a tale of romance; can anyone find a wife for Shulem Shtisel? It follows his story as he tries to make a living as an artist in a very strict community with a rule for almost everything. The show is also the story of the Shtisel family. This isn’t an anti-religious show, instead it shows you how people find strength and community in their faith. How do a people hold on to their beliefs while navigating the modern world? It will make you laugh and cry so please keep your tissues handy. Watch on Netflix

Married at First Sight - Australia

Okay, I admit a reality show might seem like weird choice but stay with me. Married at First Sight – Australia, a show about meeting your mate at the altar is a blast! It differs from the American show which I also love, because it is bigger, has more episodes and that means more drama! Ten couples, a diverse group whose ages range from twenty to the fifty, are pulled from all over Australia.  After the honeymoons they move to a beautiful apartment tower in Sydney as they negotiate the new marriages. Next, they all meet for a dinner party every week. During the season, they travel to each other homes, this is when you get to find out what its like when you match a city girl to a cowboy who lives in the back of beyond. This show is packed with drama, infidelity and a good amount of love at first sight stories. It also makes Australia seem like a wonderful place to live. But as always, the burning question is, will they stay married or will they get a divorce? Watch on Lifetime

Lovesick - Scotland

Whenever my husband gets homesick, we can always watch Lovesick then he can travel the streets of his hometown Glasgow, Scotland. It is a great city with a vibrant downtown, great transportation, and an historic university. The show Lovesick follows a group of ex-students as they live and work in the West End of Glasgow. The premise is that Dylan must let his previous sex partners know that he has chlamydia. Dylan has been a busy man so there are lots of women in his past. Part of the appeal of the show is the chemistry between the characters, and the witty British banter. Watch on Netflix.

Click the link below to order at Amazon

Casino Queen (Night Hawk Casino Series Book 1) - Kindle edition by Bertoia, Cara. Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

Click the link below to order at Barnes and Noble 

Casino Queen by Cara Bertoia | NOOK Book (eBook) | Barnes & Noble® (barnesandnoble.com)

Cara Bertoia is the author of Casino Queen a new mystery novel that will be published by the Wild Rose Press on March 16th. It is based on the many true stories she lived through in her many years in the casino industry although the names have been changed to protect the guilty. Read the blurb here.

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 and 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 town of Joshua Tree. There, she is responsible for managing multicultural team members, satisfying the demands of challenging guests, 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.

 

 

MARRIED AT FIRST SIGHT -- AMERICAN STYLE -- DECISION DAY

 

Now with decision day fast approaching on the Married at First Sight – Houston season, I have included an update to my original predictions.

Humans out there, I have a question for you. What would you try to find love? Wouldn't you love to take the guess work out of your hands and just have someone else pick your partner? I am a hopeful romantic who loves reality television but only the shows that help you find love, true love. So, I keep my screen tuned to the Bachelor, 90 Day Fiancée, and the ultimate challenge, Married at First Sight. I have followed this series faithfully since season one. I am sure most of you can figure out the plot by the title. It is a show where five strangers walk up to the altar, in front of their friends and family, and promise to love five other strangers the first time they lay eyes on them. A blind date that never ends. Now before you dismiss it as some creepy reality show meant to shock you, this show is really serious.

There are many things I love about this show. The thousands of singles who apply for the show are whittled down into a manageable list by the experts on the show, Dr. Pepper, Pastor Cal and Dr. Viviana. I don't know about you, but before I got married, dating was hard. If I were single, I would definitely try out for the show. I believe the experts couldn't do a worse job than I did choosing people to date. They cast people who seem relatable, not overly glamorous, and they have a good track record with diversity. At least they aren't going to set you up with a serial killer. They want the couples to succeed because success lends credibility to the show.

To keep the show from getting stale, every season they move to a new town. This season it filmed in Houston, last season in Atlanta. It moves around the country although they haven't gone out West yet, but next season they are going to San Diego. I can't wait. It has a pretty good success rate, twelve marriages and many children are products of this show. You can't fake babies for the camera. In contrast, only one Bachelor has married his Bachelorette, although sometimes they change their mind and go for the runner-up.

After the honeymoon, while the couples get adjusted to their new partners, they aren't sequestered, they keep up with their normal lives all while filming the show. They go to work every day, interact with their friends, and visit the family. To all you singles out there, this show is like a crash course in dating, you can learn about "what not to do" watching these couples navigate life with a new partner.

These were my predictions at the beginning of the season:

A new season is upon us, and it is now the time to decide, whether they will stay married or get a divorce. I will boldly make my predictions about the Houston couples after watching the matchmaking special. Rachel and Jose will go the distance, they seem like the perfect match. Brett and Ryan might have a shot, if he is ready to settle down with a real woman and not the imaginary one in his head. I don't give Johnny and Bao much hope because they are both perfectionists, and she has already met him and passed. I think Zack and Michaela will stay together, these two over achievers can achieve a lot together. Myrla and Gil make a beautiful couple, but her high maintenance ways will turn off firefighter Gil.

Update: Halfway to Decision Day

We are now at the point in the series when we have gotten to know these couples. They are real people to us now, we have had deep dives into their personalities, and we are finding out they are kind of like the rest of us, filled with lots of flaws and strengths. We know which couples suffer from a lack of chemistry the most important element of any relationship. Viewers hoped the older age of many of the couples would make them more mature and ready to make a commitment. It turns out age does not equal maturity.

Rachel and Jose were the perfect match for about the first week. They both rushed in before she realized he is a penny-pinching control freak, and he found out she is a spendthrift who does not like to be controlled. Last week Jose had an absolute freak out when she accidentally called him by the wrong name. Even I was shocked by the language coming out of his mouth. To make sure she got the point, he locked her out of the apartment. I’m pretty sure this couple will reconcile but it won’t last. I predict divorce.

Ryan is a serial dater who will probably keep on dating once the show is over. I hate it when the experts set the couples up with a partner who is hard to please. It is a sure-fire way to doom the relationship before it even starts. Brett is very pretty and she has a great personality her only fault, she is a human woman and not a Barbie doll. We’ve all dated guys like Ryan, it is an exercise in frustration knowing that you can never live up to the image in their head. Brett will be happier once this experiment is over.

In my first prediction I got it wrong. Bao didn’t pass on Johnny the first time, he passed on her. If I think Brett has high expectations Johnny’s are through the roof. If she is in a playful mood, he accuses her of being too giddy. Conversely, if she tries to paint a pretty picture, he tells her she is too intense. There is a reason these men are alone. I don’t know if there is a woman alive capable of making Bao happy. He is used to running when thing get real. I think the only reason he isn’t running now is because he is on television but he will. 

The next couple breaks my heart. Zack thinks Michaela is a hot head with a temper but I know she is just a broken woman who just lost her father. I also lost my father in my twenties and it killed me. For too many years I wandered the world looking to fill the hole in my heart, then I met my husband who always delivered what he promised. I never went crazy around him because he made me feel secure. Zack tells Michaela that he will be there for her but he really isn’t. He keeps gaslighting her every chance he gets. He can’t really understand what she is going through since he has both parents, and she can’t act rationally because she is in pain. I would love to see this couple make it but both of them aren’t ready.

Myrla and Gil both suffered through terrible traumas. They both lost their fathers in violent murders. It is a horrible thing to bond over but they can understand each other. The couple is very funny in the small doses we get on television. I’m not sure how her daily dose of negativity would play out in real life but Gil has the patience of a saint. I think a good-looking guy like him appreciates a challenge like Myrla. What happens when she falls in love with him? Will he lose interest? Please, let this couple make it, they are my last best hope.

I'm really excited to see if the rest of the season turns out to be train-wreck or heaven sent. Only time will tell. Meet you here at the end of the season!

DECISION DAY:

Now it is the end of the season. And I predict that Rachel and Jose will be the only couple to stay together at the end of the season, but they will break up soon after the show airs.

I can't believe how depressing this season was. Johnny, Zack, and Ryan are all looking for a superwoman. Ryan is looking  for a beauty queen who also wants to do everything he does. Zack wants a woman who never gets mad. I do admit Michaela is crazy, but I still think it is because of the death of her father. The loss of a  good parent leaves a person with such a pain body in their heart that it is hard to know what normal is. I don't  know what the hell Johnny wants because he keeps changing the parameters. I do think it is a shame that Myrla and Gil will probably break up over money because they are such a sweet couple.

I thought the older age of the contestants this season would make for happier couples, but I was wrong. It seems like with each year men's, and it was the men, expectations grow higher. The women were ready to do the work, but the men had such fairy tale expectations of marriage that no woman could measure up. 

Cara Bertoia is the author of Cruise Quarters - A Novel About Casinos and Cruise Ships. Her novel is really a travelogue, a narrative, a romance, a self-help manual for gambling and cruising, and a real-life story all rolled into one funny, obsessive, and entertaining story of two people whose separate life journeys meet at a crossroads. Kindle Fire Dept. says, "This novel is a gem that is nothing short of a vacation in a book!"

Please check out her most popular posts at CaraBetoia.blogspot.com  to find more blogs about cruising, casinos and anything that catches her fancy.

Below are the links to Cruise Quarters - A Novel About Casinos and Cruise Ships

Click the link to find at Amazon.com
Click here to find at Amazon Canada
Click the link to find at Amazon United Kingdom
Click the link to find at Amazon Germany

Click the link to find at Amazon France

Click the link to find at Amazon Italy

Click the link to find at Amazon Spain 

Click the link to find at Amazon Brazil

 

MARRIED AT FIRST SIGHT - HOUSTON

Humans out there, I have a question for you. What would you try to find love? Wouldn't you love to take the guess work out of your hands and just have someone else pick your partner? I am a hopeful romantic who loves reality television but only the shows that help you find love, true love. So, I keep my screen tuned to the Bachelor, 90 Day Fiancée, and the ultimate challenge, Married at First Sight. I have followed this series faithfully since season one. I am sure most of you can figure out the plot by the title. It is a show where five strangers walk up to the altar, in front of their friends and family, and promise to love five other strangers the first time they lay eyes on them. A blind date that never ends. Now before you dismiss it as some creepy reality show meant to shock you, this show is really serious.

There are many things I love about this show. The thousands of singles who apply for the show are whittled down into a manageable list by the experts on the show, Dr. Pepper, Pastor Cal and Dr. Viviana. I don't know about you, but before I got married, dating was hard. If I were single, I would definitely try out for the show. I believe the experts couldn't do a worse job than I did choosing people to date. They cast people that seem relatable, not overly glamorous, and they have a good track record with diversity. At least they aren't going to set you up with a serial killer. They want the couples to succeed because that lends credibility to the show.

 To keep the show from getting stale, every season they move to a new town. This season it was filmed in Houston, last season in Atlanta. It moves around the country although they haven't gone out West yet.  It has a pretty good success rate, twelve marriages and many children are products of this show. You can't fake babies for the camera. In contrast, only one Bachelor has married his Bachelorette, although sometimes they change their mind and go for the runner-up.

After the honeymoon, while the couples get adjusted to their new partners, they aren't sequestered, they keep up with their normal lives all while filming the show. They go to work every day, interact with their friends, and visit the family. To all you singles out there, this show is like a crash course in dating, you can learn about "what not to do" watching these couples navigate life with a new partner.

But a new season is upon us, and it is now the time to decide, whether they will stay married or get a divorce. I will boldly make my predictions about the Houston couples after watching the matchmaking special. Rachel and Jose will go the distance, they seem like the perfect match. Brett and Ryan might have a shot, if he is ready to settle down with a real woman and not the imaginary one in his head. I don't give Johnny and Bao much hope because they are both perfectionists, and she has already met him and passed. I think Zack and Michaela will stay together, these two over achievers can achieve a lot together. Myrla and Gil make a beautiful couple, but her high maintenance ways will turn off firefighter Gil.

I'm really excited to see if the couples turn out to be train-wrecks or heaven sent. Only time will tell. Meet you here at the end of the season!

Cara Bertoia is the author of Cruise Quarters - A Novel About Casinos and Cruise Ships. Her novel is really a travelogue, a narrative, a romance, a self-help manual for gambling and cruising, and a real-life story all rolled into one funny, obsessive, and entertaining story of two people whose separate life journeys meet at a crossroads. Kindle Fire Dept. says, "This novel is a gem that is nothing short of a vacation in a book!"

Please check out her most popular posts at CaraBetoia.blogspot.com  to find more blogs about cruising, casinos and anything that catches her fancy.

Below are the links to Cruise Quarters - A Novel About Casinos and Cruise Ships

Click the link to find at Amazon.com
Click here to find at Amazon Canada
Click the link to find at Amazon United Kingdom
Click the link to find at Amazon Germany

Click the link to find at Amazon France

Click the link to find at Amazon Italy

Click the link to find at Amazon Spain 

Click the link to find at Amazon Brazil