A Beggar’s Bargain

A Beggar’s Bargain makes my heart feel so very good! It’s not just the wonderful storyline, but it’s also the way author Jan Sikes presents the story. In a world like we have today, this tale offers some respite from problems and reminds us just how courageous and wonderful people can actually be.

The story follows the plight of Layken Martin, who recently returned to Missouri from fighting in World War II, to find his family farm in foreclosure. His parents were both gone, and without any siblings, it was up to him to save the farm. The banker wasn’t interested in giving him additional time to bring the mortgage up to date, but he did make Layken a proposition: marry his daughter Sara Beth and he’d extend the time. Layken didn’t see that he had much choice.

For such a seemingly mild premise, we have to add in that neither Layken nor Sara Beth wanted to get married. Further, Sara Beth was pretty much a city girl and never lived on a farm. She missed her deceased mother and only had relationships with Uncle Seymour (an older black man her mother had hired years earlier) and her pet rabbit, Cuddles.

“Live for today—plan for tomorrow.”

I think author Jan Sikes did a tremendous job of adding some conflict to the situation. Beyond that, Sikes developed the characters of Layken and Sara Beth very well, indeed. Even their at-first clumsy relationship was quite well developed by the end of the story.

If you’ve ever wondered how you can fit a square peg in a round hole, you need to read how this author developed this story. It’s perfect.

Emphasizing again this author’s talent in developing characters, I think Sikes created one of the sleaziest antagonists I’ve ever read. That’s quite a statement, but it’s true!

Her description was top notch. At one point, when Layken was “talking” to his deceased parents, Sikes wrote, “His throat clogged with unshed tears.” With that single sentence, any reader would know exactly how Layken was feeling.

A lot of readers seem to put a lot of stock in the first sentence in a story. There’s even a common hashtag representing it. Well, in my opinion, this book has the best last sentence I’ve ever read. Now, don’t be skipping back there to see what it says! Savor the chapters and the sentences before it, and let Jan Sikes lead you there all in her time. You’ll be glad you did!

A Beggar’s Bargain is indeed a “Bargain” – Jan Sikes really delivers!