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A Rock for Remembrance by Ali Vali aka A. Valdivia

What makes you happy? Is it the little things in life – like a walk on the beach one Sunday morning under a clear blue sky with a cool wind tossing your hair around, is it going to sleep holding the hand of your loved one – yet again? Maybe it’s something like reaching a goal you’ve set for yourself like doing your five miles run faster than last year or getting the job, the house, the girlfriend or something else that you’ve set your eyes on?

I’m quite sure that there isn’t one thing that makes every one of us happy, but rather millions of different things that can make different people happy. Anyway – if we are to believe the typical alt romantic storyline – we can rest assured that money and prestigious positions won’t guarantee a life of happiness. That’s great since we can’t all be billionaires! There isn’t enough money to go around – at least not after the last couple of years of bank crises.

If you don’t believe me go look up some of these stories to see for yourself! The writers can’t all be wrong – can they?

In “A Rock for Remembrance” by Ali Vali you’ll meet the 35-year-old Julian Lowe the current head tuna (I never heard that one before!) of the Lowe Company – a vast shipping empire. Julian is filthy rich with a job she loves and a grandmother and a loyal staff that loves her to pieces, but as you might have guessed – she is not happy. Julian is missing something in her life that a good friend can’t provide.

It might be a coincident, it might be luck or maybe there really is someone who listens in on our prayers? Anyway when Julian’s friend JJ sends out a late night prayer for someone to come by and love Julian – preferably someone short, blonde and cute – the answer is immediately provided in the form of Summer a little blond – 4-year-old girl! Well if you’re not too specific in you request the delivery might get a bit messed up! You shouldn’t worry though, Summer is a great start to a turn around for Julian, she is cute and lovable, and she will help Julian strike up a connection with another slightly older blond – the lovely kindergarten teacher Kiki who works in the Lowe company’s daycare facility.

Kiki is all you ever wanted; beautiful; warm-hearted, fun and mother to a lovely young boy by the name of Tiger, and if the adults won’t admit that they take an instant liking to each other nothing will hold back the children – Summer and Tiger become best friends in a heartbeat.

If you like to peek into the lives of the filthy rich or how Ali Vali presume that they live their lives, then look no further for your fun.

**SPOILER ALERT** This is a Valentines’ story so rest assured that the women will find a happy ending in each others arms even if they take their time. If you want the living happily ever after ending you’ll have to read both “A Rock for Remembrance” and “..and A Canopy For Happy Endings” and should you want to know even more about the family life of Kiki and Julian you can go for the sequel “Skipping stones“.

I found the stories to have a bit of a humorous tone, but a not too exciting storyline. I’ll give a few points extra though because of the kids. They might be too wise for their age, but they are a nice addition to the storyline as are a number of other supporting characters. It’s nice for once to see the protagonist having a meaningful relationship with someone beside their love interest.

I’ll leave you with a list of stories with likewise riche or successful female protagonists who seems to have a spot of trouble with finding happiness in their lives, but as you know – love conquers all! Most of the stories have been reviewed at this site at an earlier time, so if you want to know a bit about the storylines go look up the reviews.

– “Sheridans Fate” a short story by G. Brooke(review)
– “True Colours” a novel by Karen A. Surtees and PruferBlue (review)
– “Noemi” a novel by Katia N. Ruiz (review)
– “Turning Tides” a novel by A. K. Naten (review)

I also remember a couple of stories by Alex Tryst with filthy rich female protagonists:

– “Adventures of a Super Dyke” (The story is posted in several parts)
– “Love in Photograhps”

http://xenafiction.net/scrolls/ali_vali_arfr1.html

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Something I Said by Denic

A few weeks ago I reviewed “True Colours“ by Karen A. Surtees and PruferBlue as part of a list on stories with a less than physically perfect protagonist. I’ve been adding to the list since then, so here is an update.

You’re probably already familiar with the very productive pen of Kim Pritekel, a number of her stories have already been reviewed at this site, but I don’t think anyone has mentioned “Eye of the Beholder”. In “Eye of the Beholder” we meet a young blind journalist, who has been assigned to do an article on a beautiful and rather bitchy former model. Kim Pritekel also penned the touching story “Again” about Laurel, who returns to Boston after 10 years, to see her former lover, Caden, who is suffering from brain cancer and wants to see Laurel again before she goes into surgery. This is one of those classic romances of young love that never dies, so rest assured – even if it’s a bit tragic at times – I guarantee a happy end.

In the short story “Sheridans Fate” by Gun Brooke, we meet Sheridan Ward as she opens the yearly stockholders’ convention of Ward Enterprises. This is Sheridans first public appearance after she contracted bacterial meningitis 11 months earlier, now she is bound to a wheelchair and dependent on her personal assistant and nurse – Lark. This is a short, but catching tale of a tough and bitchy executive with a heart longing for love. I understand that the story has been turned into a novel published by Bold Strokes Books.

While we are at it, I think I should also mention “Love’s Melody Lost” by Radclyffe, a novel sporting a concert pianist and composer, who has isolated herself in her home after a car accident that left her blind and without her former feel for music. Anna enters into this bleak house as a “house manager” for the pianist, and manages to put the spark back in her eyes, but love is something that Graham – the pianist – is not yet ready to embrace. Even though the story is well written, I’m not too keen on it, as Graham is portrayed a bit too transgendered for my taste, but it’s well rated on The Athenaeum so – surprise – not everyone agrees with me 🙂

The last story to be added to my list of stories with less than perfect protagonists is “Something I Said” by Denic, and this is really something else as the protagonist Conner suffers from Tourette’s syndrome. This is a neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by tics, but in the case of Conner, the tics are mostly vocal and take the form of exclamation of obscene words.

When we meet Conner, the Tourette’s has yet again caused her to lose a job, she is banned from shopping in the nearby grocery store, and virtually friendless. Wandering the streets, she encounters the neighbourhood toughs, who don’t take too kindly to her mouthing her thoughts on their mothers and that lands her with a bloodied lip and a black eye. You want me to go on, or do you get the idea ? Conner is at a low point in her life and this is when she starts a string of encounters with a beautiful blond who seems to be stalking her.

Conner’s life turns for the better when she strikes up a friendship with her neighbour, Elmer, an older man who doesn’t seem to take offence by her cuss words, and eventually the friendship with Elmer leads her to meet her blond stalker – Ellison.

Basically “Something I Said” is an ordinary romance, with two woman both reluctant to believe in love, but I must say that Denic has found an original setting for this one. I’ve no idea if the story is true to the plights of someone suffering from Tourette’s, but I hope that it won’t offend anyone. When you cut out all the cuss words, you’ve got a sweet romance and a number of episodes that can put a smile on your face. So don’t hesitate to look up this story even if it is a bit out of the ordinary.

http://www.academyofbards.org/fanfic/d/denic_somethingisaid1.html

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Finding shelter from the storm by Gun Brooke

Laura Carter is a fugitive arriving at the River Meadows motel, recommended by an acquaintance of hers. She has been on the run for years, and there’s no end in sight. The motel’s owner, Sunny Stewart, does not know much about Laura Carter, but understands enough not to ask. The attraction between the two women was something neither planned for. When Laura needs her, Sunny does not hesitate, and insists on helping her out against Laura’s wishes.

Doctor Dawn Morrison and Joan Tremayne are two FBI agents assigned to the same case for years: tracking down a mad scientist. They find out, the hard way, that they’d been manipulated for years.

This is the first story I read by G. Brooke and I really liked it. The plot is very well constructed, the writign itself would have benefitted from a beta reader, but it’s good enough to keep you interested in the goings-on of the story. The characters are well constructed and very likeable, and the different stories and personalities make for a very interesting cast.

Definitely recommend it, but you have to disregard a lot of small errors.

http://pdafiction.com/brooke.htm