#Review #4stars Flowers and Stone, by Jan Sikes

MY REVIEW:

Jan Sikes is an extremely talented writer. With a slow build up to character building, she’s able to truly capture the essence of Darlina, the young girl with strong dedication and a sense of belonging with the one and only Luke Stone. Luke is a bit older than Darlina with a history of womanizing, drugs and everything else that being a musician entails… plus some! I’m still on the fence with Luke. After reading this first book in the series, I’m curious to see how much Luke changes and grows along side Darlina as their story progresses. So far he’s showed hints to improvement, and has really lucked out in finding such a patient and dedicated woman.

Darlina is young, and a talented go-go dancer making her independence a priority. She’s doing a stand up job at taking care of herself apart from the conformities of her traditional and fairly closed minded parents. Luke is a country musician who is married yet separated and has four kids who are only allowed to see him hit and miss. His Ex wife is temperamental and his traveling lifestyle really put a strain on his relationship with his children. He’s also a ladies man, with quite the reputation for his lack of settling to only one. However, Darlina could care less about his baggage and/or reputation. She has a soft spot for Luke and could tell from unexpected restriction in her chest as love leapt from her heart upon the very first time they met that Luke was meant to be hers, and she was meant to be his.

Together they grow as a couple despite all the hardships that come their way. From meddling onlookers, to family disapprovals, to physical health and incarceration… Even when apart Darlina is determined to stand by Luke’s side. She stands up for him to everyone with anything ugly to say, and although she makes an effort to fill his void – she’s unable to separate her heart from his. Luke, makes some clear mistakes throughout the story, yet his love for Darlina is absolutely undeniable. They’re steamy, and fun and and wonderful fit for one another. Luke is given quite the twist of fate when bad luck and timing work against him. His sentence is heartbreaking, but he’s holding his head high and now has the time needed to really reflect on his life as well as his future with Darlina… if he’s able to gain back his freedom that is. This book ends with less than high hopes for the two, yet there are more books in the series which really renews my hope for them.

I look forward to finding out what happens with Darlina and Luke — and if Luke is able to catch some sort of lucky break that may reverse the fate that’s been placed on his lap. I have no doubt that Darlina will wait for Luke, and will do everything she can to help him out of the situation he’s twisted himself into. 4 stars for me and I look forward to reading more of their story!

DESCRIPTION:

The epic love story begins here!
A hot Texas summer, dim-lit honky-tonk bars, a young naïve fledgling go-go dancer and a wild rebel Texas musician set the stage for this story.
1970 in Abilene, Texas finds young Darlina Flowers trying to figure out how to fit into the world she is most attracted to – the nightlife, live music and go-go dancing. Luke Stone, a veteran Texas Musician believes he’s lost all reason to care about his music career, his health and most especially his heart. A chance meeting with Darlina changes everything. But, is it too late? Has fate already determined the outcome? Join Luke and Darlina on a passion-filled journey up and down Texas roads while Luke and his band entertain crowds along the way.

Can Darlina Flowers ever hope to fit in to this strange new world and even more important, can she trust Luke Stone with her heart?

Luke Stone, a good man who has made a career of bad decisions, falls as completely in love with Darlina as she does with him. But is it too late?

Will their eternal unyielding love survive the test of time, distance and iron bars?