Behind the Mask by Marianne Petit Book Tour and Giveaway :)
Behind
the Mask
by
Marianne Petit
Genre:
Historical Romance
Author
Marianne Petit mixes true life experiences with fiction to create a
suspenseful tale of intrigue and romance set in the early days of
war-torn France.
In
1940's Paris, both rich and poor are thrust together, a mixed society
struggling to survive. American born Yvette Matikunas, one of the
privileged few, goes underground with a deathbed promise to her
grandfather that has her roaming the streets of France with a
dangerous message. She quickly learns that no one is who they seem to
be and trust is a thing of the past.
Injured
in battle while trying to save the life of one of his men, Colonial
André Rinaldo is disillusioned by a shell-shocked country and a weak
government. Persuaded to go underground and unite his fellow
compatriots by forming resistance groups, he meets a beautiful
blonde, whose determination to free France from foreign dictatorship
is as strong as his.
In
the middle of espionage and clandestine rendezvous, they form a
partnership that deepens under the ever-present threat of arrest. But
with America’s interest in the war building in the background all
Americans are ordered to leave.
Will
Yvette return to the States, or will André persuade her to stay and
fight for love?
Lord in heaven, the minute André saw Yvette bathed in the warm glow
of the setting sun like an angel in white, the sun shining on her
hair like a halo, his anger vanished. He glanced at her shoeless feet. She had changed in the months since
they’d first met. Gone was the spoiled girl who cared more about
her appearance than what happened around her, who had blinders on her
eyes. Now, sat a woman whose beauty shined more brilliantly by her
spirited passion to fight for justice; who, despite her fears, fought
him on every step, though he tried to keep her safe. He didn’t want
to fight. Didn’t want to feel… anything. But damned if he didn’t
feel lonely after she’d walked out, despite a cellar full of people
and noise. “You can’t stop me from going. I know the time and the location.”
Yvette looked very pleased with herself and he knew there would be no
stopping her. She wore her hair down and it curled, under resting on her
collarbone. The tresses were held back from her face with two combs.
He felt the urge to take the combs out and run his fingers through
the golden mass, letting those silken strands run wild. “And besides, how do we know the message isn’t rubbish. How well
do you know Le Fleur?” Yvette’s question oozed with smoky
jealousy. Straight-faced, André hid his amusement and jab of pleasure as
though he wasn’t in the least affected. “It’s not false.” “How do you know? Can her story be verified?” she said
indignantly, her polished red lips pursed. The lively animation in her eyes lit a fire in his belly. She was
positively radiant when jealous. Did those lips taste as luscious as
they looked? “You doubt me?” he asked a little more gruffly than he meant to.
“Do you really believe I wouldn’t verify the information?” “Well… I guess…” She shrugged. “No. You are quite efficient
in your endeavors.” She crossed her arms in front of her chest and
he remembered how it felt when those arms had been wrapped around
him. He casually stepped closer and she didn’t seem to mind. “Are you
cold?’ he asked, despite the building heat he felt surging between
them. Did she feel it? She did. She had to; or was it just his
imagination, his foolish hope there was something tangible between
them? “I am fine. Thank you for the jacket.” She handed him a sketch of
a young woman. “Have you seen her?” Whatever was happening to him was happening to her. He noticed the
flustered movement of her hand twirling a strand of hair in her
fingers, the way her eyes darted from his face to the ground, into
the air and her erratic breathing. Beneath the hesitance in her eyes,
he saw desire, stirring in their depths, the same desire, stirring
his body in ways that would be hard to suppress. “No. Sorry,” he handed her the drawing, “Who is she?” “My cousin.” A cool breeze rustled the leaves and tossed a lock of her hair across
her eye. He gently brushed the strand away, his fingers caressing her
soft cheek, “You look beautiful tonight.” “I… that is very kind of you to say.” She gnawed her bottom lip
and he wanted to lean in and taste those tempting lips begging to be
kissed. “I only tell the truth.” She frowned and he figured she knew he’d
told many fibs undercover, so he guessed he earned
that. “Ok, so maybe I’ve spoken some mistruths when--” “Well, occasionally you do fib.” She blushed with embarrassment.
“But it’s understandable.” So, he hadn’t lost his knack for reading a person, despite that his
emotions were zinging like a ball on a string being hit with a bat.
“I meant what I said. You look...” Her skin in the warm light
seemed to shine. “... fabulous.” A throbbing need seemed to resonate throughout his body. Did she have
this effect on all men? An image of Géry came to mind and annoyance
tightened his stance. Did she like kissing Géry? Will she like
kissing me? André’s mouth thinned. He knew his thoughts were
unreasonable, but his want for her was driving him crazy and denying
his desires wasn’t going to make them go away. Maybe he’d just
find out for himself. His arm closed around her waist and before she could protest, he drew
her toward him. Once I kiss her, it’ll be done. I can put her
out of my mind. Once and for all. Her name fell from his
lips moments before he kissed her. Her body melted against his, soft
and curvy and he heard a small sigh of pleasure. Then her body
stiffened, and she jerked away. Wide-eyed panic replaced the dreamy
desire of moments ago.
Marianne
Petit is a past President of the Long Island Chapter of the Romance
Writers Of America. Her love of writing stems back to high school.
She spent hours reading Nancy Drew, Alfred Hitchcock and poetry. At
the age of fifteen she wrote a short story for children, as well as
numerous works of poetry. Her love of history stems from her father,
Roger, a Frenchman, whose love of American history greatly influenced
her writing interests .
She
is a past President of the Melville Lions club, a service
organization that raises money for the less fortunate - especially
the sight and hearing impaired.
Newsday
and several local newspapers have written articles on Ms. Petit and
she was recently interviewed on TV for her time travel.
Marianne
loves to ski, white water raft, horseback ride, and enjoys the
theater. She lives on Long Island is happily married for over 30
years.
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