Finding Forever
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
......She looked directly into his eyes and smiled, and in that instant, Adam's world fell apart and he knew - as if it was written in stone - that she was the one.
"I'm very pleased to meet you at last, Adam. Russell and Julia have told me much about you and your work."
She cast an appraising look over Adam's dark suit and white shirt, and, looking further, she could see that he was in fine physical condition. He was a fraction under six feet tall - a couple of inches taller than her - and he wore his sandy-coloured hair fashionably longer than most young men these days. He appeared to carry no spare flesh on his body and she gained the impression that he was fit and possessed good muscle tone.
Adam, in turn, who was usually so calm and collected and never found any challenge too daunting was, for the first time in his life, lost for words. This woman was simply gorgeous. Her skin was flawless and she had a long graceful neck, emphasised by the way she wore her hair piled up and secured with an ornate jewelled clasp. There were tendrils of it hanging down the sides of her face - just a few - but the effect was totally captivating - and those eyes! They were nearly black and he could see himself reflected in them.
After a few moments, he became aware that he was staring at her and he had not spoken yet for he was unable to think clearly. Most women he knew would have killed to look like that.
She had a slim waist but her hips flared out under the expensive black dress and she wore fashionable open-toed high heels. Hers were undoubtedly the most shapely legs he had ever seen on any woman, anywhere. The neckline on her dress was cut low enough to reveal a hint of what lay beneath and again his senses swayed.
Around her neck, she wore an interesting pendant on a gold chain. It was a faithful reproduction of Anubis, the Egyptian god of the underworld, also revered by the Romans, and had been lovingly carved in turquoise. In its real-gold surround, the head of the half-man, half-jackal, added a subtle air of mystery to this beautiful creature who now stood before him.
She was desirable beyond words and he felt his own body react to her presence......
......He leaned forward, and with his huge, muscular arms, cradled the frail and broken form of the man who had come to symbolise for him, the way forward, a bright star at the end of a long, dark tunnel.
"I will always remember you, Julius Quintus, and I will honour your memory in everything I do." There was a hint of a smile on the pain-ridden face as the old man relaxed in the attitude of death and closed his eyes for the last time. Fabius gently laid the body back down and covered the face with the bed sheet. His grief was terrible to behold and threatened to swamp his very reason until, once more, he remembered who had caused all of this.
Unknown to him before today, and alien in its very concept, his anger took over. It welled up inside him, deep and corrosive, and he felt his chest swell with the power of it as it threatened to consume him.
Roman justice was about to rob him of what he needed to do now, in order to purge himself of the anger that was in danger of overwhelming him. And then - a thought occurred to him. What if....? Just what if? It was the tiniest ray of hope in the darkness and despair that filled every part of his being and he held it to him, nurturing it like a flame in the night, and he voiced a silent prayer to Nemesis - goddess of chance, fortune and revenge......
......In this great place, full of all the wonders of the ancient world, and listening as the immense crowds outside finally fell silent for Russ as he began to speak, Tyra turned to face Adam, standing so close as to be touching him - and as he looked at her and saw once again her great beauty that had captured his heart and left him breathless all those years ago, he knew, without the slightest shadow of a doubt, that this was the high-point of his life.
They were alone together, for just a few minutes, and he savoured every second of her being here with him.
"I love you more than life itself," he told her, and it seemed to him that in this simple statement, was embodied the very essence of their existence again as a couple, and that by restating this declaration, he was further strenghthening their bond. "Next to you, the rest of the world shrinks into insignificance for your beauty is not of this world, and too great for the eyes of a mortal man such as I"
She could not speak - for she was beyond words, and felt that they would have choked her if she had tried to voice her thoughts. Instead, she closed her eyes and leaned towards him - kissing him softly with her warm mouth and pressing herself against him. Even through the material of his jacket, she was aware of his firm, muscular chest, while he, in turn, could only wonder at the heat emanating from her breasts as she continued to increase the pressure of their embrace.
She hoped to God that everyone else was outside listening to Russ's speech and that no one walked into the marquee and disturbed them, for perhaps, in a way, it was the wickedness of a stolen opportunity and the risk of discovery which heightened the moment for them both.
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
Adam Grant is a man with a troubled mind in an otherwise perfect marriage. A gifted architect with a passion for recreating monuments from the ancient world, he is searching for his true identity. As his past calls to him and he seeks to embrace it and learn the truth, inevitably, the lovely Tyra becomes drawn into the mystery. In an attempt to understand his torment and discover if, as she suspects, they both knew each other in a different time, Tyra must trust the intuition of their mutual friend, healer and spiritualist, and embark on an emotional and uncertain journey, 2,000 years into the past, to the glory that was Rome.
As a woman of the aristocracy whose father has high political aspirations, she falls irretrievably in love with Rome's new champion gladiator, but their class differences and the pain and suffering of others which brought them together, also threaten to tear them apart. When their secrecy is compromised and they must face up to a life apart, for the state will not permit their union, their lives end in different but equally tragic circumstances as they vow to meet again in another time.
In the sun-baked sands of the arena, she must witness, for the last time, the bloody spectacle of the gladiatorial games and, ultimately, the defeat and execution of the man who would, one day, in the far-distant future, become her husband.
About the Author
Garth Raynor is 54 years old and lives with his wife, Karla, in the cathedral city of Lincoln, England. With a love of Roman history as, indeed, for the English language itself, this is Garth's first attempt at serious writing and Finding Forever was completed in a little over six months. There was always a strong desire to write a love story with a difference and being able to combine it with a historical element was a real bonus. Karla was the driving force behind the characters of Tyra and Drusilla and must share the credit for any success which the book enjoys.
Garth has worked for many years in the quarrying industry and is currently employed by one of the world's largest producers of cement and aggregates. Being detached from the constant bustle of city life and working in the relative isolation of the country, is what Garth finds so appealing about the job and over the last year, when the book was taking shape, there were many moments spent contemplating various aspects of the story which would have been impossible in an office environment.
Standing on top of the tallest part of the plant, over sixty feet high, and watching the sun come up over the hills in a fiery display of orange and red is something the average city dweller misses but can also serve as a tremendous source of inspiration.
The sequel to Finding Forever has just been completed and will be submitted for publishing in the near future.There are also plans for a third title in the series which may possibly see the completion of the saga. Watch this space....!