An Original Work of Fiction - A Battle Lost and Won

A battle lost and won

I’ve loved and lost

I’ve loved and won

Such is the conclusion I came to in my battle in this simple but 

complicated feelings called love.

Going back in time to more than twenty odd years ago seems like a lifetime away 

but yet, feels also just like yesterday

I’ve loved hard and deep and when I let go of that love,

I thought my world ended

Well, I was wrong.  My world didn’t end. 

It was a chapter of my life that came to an end and since then I

 have written many more chapters.

But time and again, I find myself revisiting that time

The time when I thought I’ve loved and lost

I was twenty four and he was thirty one

I was young and naïve and he was the man of the world

I was intrigued by him, he was captivated by me

The girl who drank Jack Daniels and knew about war aircrafts 

and read about espionages.

He introduced me to stuff unknown to me and taught me golf and

how to have confidence in myself

The girl who never wanted anything else from him 

except he himself.

But it came to an end.

I ended it because he wasn’t mine to have and certainly wasn’t mine to keep.

Time and again when I revisit that time

I ask myself what if I said yes instead of no, what if I had agreed, 

would I have won the battle or would I have lost the war?

And much as I wanted the outcome to be different, 

I knew that it was the right decision made.

For at the end of the day, I need to be able to face the girl in the mirror.

Cutting ties and saying good bye and wishing that you have a good life, 

left a scar in my heart.

The scar that has since healed but will always be there.  

The connection severed but the lingering fragmented feelings hovers on

Just as the memory of the girl who drank Jack Daniels 

with her dreams and hopes.

I’ve loved and lost. I’ve loved and won.

Disclamer : 

This is a work of fiction.

copyright purplequeenfairyread.blogspot.com

Happy New Year 2023

 

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Wishing everyone a 

Happy and Blessed New Year 2023.

May year 2023 be good to us all.

Happy New Year!

Reflections 2022

The ceiling lights in a huge restaurant in town

Year 2022 is coming to and end. It's been quite a challenging and eventful year in all aspects with it's high ups and lowest downs....

My dad passed away end of April. I left my job of 8 years also in April. Joined 2 new organisations since and have been blessed with my current work position. And for the first time since this blog started, I posted very few posts and that's also because I read very little this year. 

I gave away a lot of my collections and sold off (rather cheaply) some of my collections too with more to be sold and decluttered away. 

 My TBR pile is not growing as I didn't purchase any new books this year but neither are they reducing as I only read  about 15 titles this year. That's about 1 title 1 month whereas it certainly was much more in previous years.

I really hope I can get back my reading habits again for year 2023.

I only posted of 2 travels but in actual I travelled 3 times for work and 3 times for leisure and all trips are to the capital city.

Purple Queen Fairy Reads will embarassingly end the year with 21 posts.

I am quite sad to say good by to 2022 but I am looking forward to 2023 as well....so Good bye 2022.  I won't be meeting you again but I will always remember you for you hold a special place in my heart.  Love you.

Merry Christmas 2022

 

Image from web

I haven't forgotten about this blog

It's still very much in my heart

But I have been bad

Not been reading much this year

Will vow to do better next year

So Santa, don't forget my presents please

Merry Christmas everyone

Image from web

The Tides of Memory by Tilly Bagshawe writing as Sidney Sheldon

 Synopsis :

The members of the formidable and captivating De Vere family of London live enviable lives in the world’s most powerful and desirable places, from London’s poshest neighborhoods to influential boardrooms. 

But when old secrets begin to unravel and threaten everything the De Veres have worked for, the ramifications are deadly.

This is what I say :

I know, I know...it's too soon for another Tilly Bagshawe title. Especially one that she wrote as Sidney Sheldon but what can I say, I got hold of another copy and if I dont read it now, I will probably forget to read it.

While not that original, the characters in The Tides of Memory was quite refreshing. There's Alexia De Verve, Home Secretary with more than one secrets.  Hubbie Teddy and son Michael and daughter Rozie. British.

On the other hand, there's daughter Summer, mum Lucy and dad Arnie. American.

The focus are more on Alexia and Summer.  And someone from Alexia's past named Billie.  All characters are connected one way or another...the way it's written, it's like it's all ready for a movie or tv version. Very clear and visual like.

I must confess that I made a guess as to how the story twist would be like and I am snobbishly pleased that I was right!

Anyway, I think I will stay clear from Tilly Bagshawe writing as Sidney Sheldon for now but then you never know.  

 

Watching the Dark by Peter Robinson

 

Synopsis :

DCI Alan Banks reluctantly investigates DI Bill Quinn with Inspector Joanna Passero. Quinn, convalescing at St Peter’s Police Treatment Centre, was killed by a crossbow on the tranquil grounds, and left compromising photos. 

Quinn may be disreputable, linked to a vicious crime in Yorkshire and to a cold case – English Rachel Hewitt 19 vanished in Estonia six years ago.

This is What I Say :

I have not read any titles by this author prior to this title. Watching the Dark is the first title that I read but it's the 20th installment in the universe of Chief Inspector Banks.  

It's a murder/crime investigative title and it was quite good. Good enough for me to read right till the end although it took me quite a long time...over a period of months actually.  I am happy to complete it finally so that I can move on to other titles.

There's a couple of murders in this story and they are in a way related so reading Watching the Dark is like watching the investigation of these crime.  Can't say much about character development. The focus is on investigation development so if you like that you will like Watching he Dark.

Reckless (Tracy Whitney #3) by Tilly Bagshawe writing as Sidney Sheldon

 

Synopsis :

#1 New York Times bestselling author Sidney Sheldon’s most popular and enduring heroine—Tracy Whitney of If Tomorrow Comes and Sidney Sheldon’s Chasing Tomorrow—finds herself caught in a nefarious and far-reaching scheme involving international terrorism and corruption in this compelling thriller packed with heart-stopping twists and breathtaking action

Once upon a time, Tracy Whitney was one of the best thieves in the business. Then she settled down and had a child—a beautiful, bright, mischievous boy who was the center of her life. Tracy planned to spend the rest of her days quietly, living anonymously deep in the stunning Colorado mountains, devoted to raising her son. But tragedy forces her to face her greatest nightmare. Now, with nothing left to protect, this superb con artist, jewel thief, computer wizard, and cat burglar returns to the hunt, more dangerous, ruthless, and reckless than ever.

The world faces a new terror threat from Group 99, a diverse collection of global hackers intent on the
collapse of capitalism and private wealth and the creation of a new world order. When the group turns to violence—kidnapping an American investigative journalist, shooting a British military hostage, and blowing up an international industrialist—the mysterious woman pulling their strings, a wily and wealthy American known only as Althea, becomes the CIA’s most sought criminal.  But their only hope of finding her is a woman with a dark and dangerous past of her own. A woman who has also successfully evaded detection by the authorities around the world: Tracy.

Convinced that Althea is behind the deadly act that shattered her life, Tracy sets out on a global hunt to flush out her prey. But as she soon discovers, the truth is as elusive as her target. Hampered by corruption, lies, and enemies masked as allies, Tracy will be pushed to the brink, where she must face her darkest demons. All of her experience tells Tracy that the answers are right in front of her—if only she can look at the clues in the right way.

Propelled by an unquenchable thirst for revenge, and with the fate of so many resting in her hands, just how reckless will Tracy become when she has nothing left to lose?

This is what I say :

Make no mistake. This is written by Tilly Bagshawe. Not by Sidney Sheldon.  It's Tilly Bagshawe writing as Sidney Sheldon and continuing Sidney Sheldon's legacy and the universe of Tracy Whitney.

A bit of history. Sidney Sheldon wrote If Tomorrow Comes in the 80s. It's one of the best selling titles of Sidney Sheldon and it's one of my favourite titles.  I think I read more times than I can remember. I gave my thoughts on it 10 years ago here.

Sidney Sheldon passed away in 2007.  His estate then commissioned Tilly Bagshawe (a renowned author in her own right) to wrote a few sequel for his famous titles and Chasing Tomorrow which was a sequal for If Tomorrow Comes was one of them.  Like all businesses, potentials are there especially among fans of Sidney Sheldon and new fans, Tilly churned out more titles, some hits, some misses.

Reckless is the third title in the Tracy Whitney universe.  I read Chasing Tomorrow 5 years ago and I quite forgot about this third book and it was only recently that I came across it and a few new titles that Tilly wrote as Sidney Sheldon.

I quite like Reckless but at the same time I noticed a  lot of misses and also loopholes in storyline and plot.  I quite know how the story would take us but there's a bit of surprises also.  All in all while there's elements of Sidney Sheldon, it's just not the same if it was written by the master himself.  I kinda wish the estate will not continue Sidney's legacy as somehow whole the intention can be good, it can backfire as the it wasn't up to par.

I also wish that this would be the last of Tracy Whitney and they would just let her live her life in peace.