Tag: Drama
August 17, 1985 – Home At Last
Published on August 17, 2020 August 16, 2020 by Jan Sikes39 Comments
August 17th is a day I celebrate each year! It was such a HUGE day in my life, or start of my life with Rick Sikes.
Although we'd met and fallen in love in 1970, it wasn't until 1985 that we were able to begin a life together. As Rick used to say, "Courtesy of Uncle Sam." 🙂
On August 17, 1985, Rick stepped off a Greyhound bus and into our new life together. We'd waited a long fifteen years for that day.
I want to share a very short excerpt from "Home At Last," as it says it better than anything else I can come up with.
Here's a picture from that time and yes, it's a real picture of us both.
Excerpt – Chapter 2 – Home At Last
The air brakes brought the lumbering bus to a stop and the door flew open. Luke stood and gathered his meager belongings, consisting of a cheap cardboard case with a change of underwear, one change of clothes, a comb, toothbrush and the shaving razor he'd been issued when he left prison. In his pocket, he carried his parole papers, which he'd glanced at often since leaving Kansas.
When he spotted Darlina at the entrance of bus station, he swallowed hard.
He maneuvered his lanky frame to the front of the bus and stepped off. He dropped his case and wrapped his arms tightly around her when she ran forward. They stood quietly, barely breathing.
His chest tightened when big tears welled up in her blue eyes. He hated to see her cry, even if they were tears of joy.
"Oh Luke. You're finally home," her voice quivered.
He cleared his throat. "It's damned time too. Let's get out of here. All of these people make me a little more than nervous." Luke picked up his small case.
"Sorry, the air conditioner in the car doesn't work. It's damned hot," she chattered nervously.
Luke nestled his free hand in hers and let her guide him to the maroon Chevy.
"Honey, it wouldn't matter to me if you had to pick me up with a wagon and team of mules. God, it's good to be back in Texas. All the way here, I kept thinking to myself, 'Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore'."
Standing beside the car, Luke threw his case into the backseat and pulled Darlina into his arms. He kissed her waiting lips and slid his hands slowly down her back, savoring the feel of her beneath his trembling hands.
Darlina let out a long sigh. "I've waited so long for you to hold me, baby. I thought today would never get here."
Luke struggled to steady his voice. "Not nearly as long I have, sweetheart. Let's go home.
And so they did.
To celebrate, I've lowered the price of "Home At Last" in the Kindle store to 99 cents for three days! If you haven't grabbed a copy, this is a great time to do so!
And if you read it and are so inclined to, please leave a review so that other potential readers will see your thoughts about it!
Categories Writing and Music•Tags Author Jan Sikes, Biographical Fiction, Darlina Flowers, Drama, Home At Last, jansikes.com, Luke Stone, Starting Over, True Story
Sweet Temptation – Sarah Stuart #BookReview
Published on October 21, 2017 October 19, 2017 by Jan Sikes23 Comments
THE BLURB:
Evie Taylor is a career girl with no time for men, but she has a secret passion for Michael Marsh, the unattainable world-famous singer, The Diamond Superstar. Michael has been widowed for two years and the young detective who helped close the case on his wife's murder still haunts his dreams. He doesn't expect to find a deadly enemy in Evie's mother.
Teenage Greta, jealous of her adored father paying attention to Evie, makes a dangerous contact in an Internet chatroom. The Spy, a journalist hell-bent on destroying Michael, sets out to prove he has an incestuous relationship with his eldest daughter, he encourages his adult twins to sleep together, and he is responsible for appalling injuries inflicted on Greta.
Can Evie defeat the virus intent on her death, The Spy, and her mother, to win the heart of the man who's turned her life upside-down?
I have read all the books in Sarah Stuart's Royal Command Series, and until I read Sweet Temptation, my favorite of the series was the first book, Dangerous Liaisons.
Michael Marsh, the Diamond Superstar has millions of fans across the globe, but he's lonely. When his wife, Lizzie, was murdered in front of him, his world shattered. He didn't believe he could ever love again. That is until detective Evie Taylor, walked into his office. Thirty years his junior, it is a relationship destined to failure from the start. She's been a fan and star struck by him since she was a teenager. So, when he asks her to move into Mere House with him, she's ecstatic, but disillusioned when she is never invited to share his bed. She falls gravely ill and lies at death's door in the hospital for months. That is when Michael realizes he cannot live without her. A hasty marriage in the hospital puts a diamond ring on her finger, but still she is riddled with doubt. How can Michael love her when she is so near death and disgustingly thin? The many skeletons in Michael Marsh's closet come out and with the help of Evie's evil and jealous mother, she is convinced the marriage is only a farce and meant to take the heat off Michael when The Spy reports damaging lies about incest and physical abuse in the tabloids. Add Michael's teenage daughter, Greta, into the mix and the plot thickens. Greta allows herself to become a victim of a sex trafficking ring when she turns to a chat room to ease her own loneliness. She is jealous of Evie and the hours Michal spends at the hospital and convinces herself that her family doesn't love her. The author did a superb job of getting inside the mind of a typical teenager. But, the danger is real and if not for Greta's fierce determination, she would have been another statistic.
One of the reasons I loved this story so much is that Michael Marsh redeemed himself. By that I mean, that he had to, for once in his life, think of someone other than himself. The hours he spent with no food and no sleep to sit by Evie's bedside as she battled to live and fight incessant nightmares put him in a different light. It showed a compassionate caring side of the Diamond Superstar that we had not seen in the other books.
If you love dysfunctional family drama, suspense, and conflict, you are going to love Sweet Temptation. Sarah Stuart did an amazing job with all the characters, delving deep into their psyche. As a last word, I also have to give her kudos for the detailed way she depicted Evie's nightmares that haunted her as she lay in a coma. Only someone who had experienced these could write about them in such vivid detail.
Sarah Stuart is an award-winning author whose books are based on her show business experience, her concern for animals, the challenges of her Christian faith, and her passions for history and travel.
Sarah's hope is that readers will enjoy her novels as an escape from reality, but be left understanding that fame and fortune often comes at a high personal cost. Also, an increased perception of the threat to animals: those shot in the name of sport for trophy heads, endangered species, many poached for their fur and ivory, and tragically discarded pets.
Sarah appreciates reviews very much. Readers have already helped endangered species and discarded pets worldwide; she donates 100% of her royalties to help and reviews encourage others to buy and review for this globally worthwhile cause.
Connect with Sarah:
THE ROYAL COMMAND SERIES
Categories Writing and Music•Tags Contemporary, Drama, Indie Author, Mystery, Romance, Romantic Suspense, Sarah Stuart, Show Biz, Superstar, Suspense
Power, Lies, Deceit, Danger
Published on January 4, 2016 by Jan SikesLeave a comment
REKINDLE THE FLAME
BY MARC ESTES
This is the second book in Marc Estes' Vendicatori series. Having read the first one, Four Pieces for Power, I was primed and ready for the continuing story.
When young Andrew Correo finds himself the head of a secret underground but extremely powerful organization, he has no idea the layers of lies and deceit he will uncover. After he won the battle for the seat as head of the Vendicatori in book one, he thought the struggles were over and would settle into a nice comfortable role as leader of this organization. But, in Rekindle The Flame, a dangerous and deadly mission of epic proportion erupts when he discovers the woman he'd loved five years ago and believed dead is indeed still very much alive. Not only is she alive, but is being held captive by Esteban, the arch enemy of the Vendicatori. Who can he trust? Which story can he believe? He finds the faith and confidence he had in his number one man questioned.
I thought the storyline in this book was very solid. I did however, have some difficulty with the bouncing back and forth between the present day and five years ago as well as bouncing from scene to scene with different characters in various locations. The ending was a surprise to me and I believe that through the act Andrew was forced to commit, he grew into a more wary and ruthless man. The events in the story are eye-opening as far as the lengths the Vendicatori will to go to protect their organization.
All in all, it's a good read with plenty of action to keep the reader turning the pages. If you like suspense, action, drama and foreign travel, you'll like this story.
FOLLOW MARC ESTES: WEBSITE TWITTER
Marc Estes is a Rave Reviews Book Club member and is always supportive of other authors.
Categories Writing and Music•Tags Drama, Indie Authors, Marc Estes, Suspense, Vendicatori Series
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