Kickin’ Rocks by Marianne K Martin is a heartwarming romance that portrays the cruel situations that LGBT people have dealt with in the past and the issues we are still facing today. It also highlights the fact that we have always been here living and loving from one generation to another.
Even though Jada Baker is a millennial, she worries about everything—her mom’s health, her performance on the job, the number of neglected animals she meets on her route and the brewing discontent and malice in her country that is threatening to undermine everything she once took for granted. Jada still wants to believe that things have a way of working out despite the depressing events that play out in the news every day. She believes that she will meet her soulmate and have the same unconditional and abiding love that her parents have found many years ago. Amie Luca is a veterinarian and she has a passion for going beyond the call of duty to help abused animals and Jada loses her heart to Amie because she has never met anyone who loves animals as much as she does.
When the system that Jada and Amie once relied on and believed in fails them and their well-being as a couple is threatened by blatant homophobia, they turn to a woman who has seen and experienced it all and that woman is none other than Dusty Logan. Dusty has spent the majority of her life fighting. She has fought for the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), the right to love and live with another woman and she has felt the numbing pain of losing dear friends during the AIDS crisis but after many years of fighting, Dusty is just worn out and fed up. When Dusty sees that Jada and Amie are facing the same never ending challenges she once endured, her warrior spirit is awakened and she is ready to jump into battle mode to smoothen the path for the younger LGBT generation.
Will Dusty be able to help Jada and Amie find the peace of mind and the sense of belonging they are seeking especially when they live in a society that is determined to censure every move they make in the public domain?
The Characters
Jada Baker is a well-known FedEx driver who dishes out treats and cuddles to the dogs and cats on her route. She can’t stop herself from worrying about the state of affairs in her country and she is always rushing through her work day to meet the required time limits for each delivery. Amie Luca is a veterinarian with a heart of gold and she treats her clients and their beloved fur babies like family. Jada and Amie are firm believers in doing what is right instead of choosing the easier option or doing what is profitable and those qualities made them all the more endearing to me.
Dusty Logan has opened her home and her heart to animals in need of refuge. She is willing to do whatever it takes to help abused or abandoned animals and she is not afraid of using unorthodox methods in order to save their lives. I have so much love for Dusty because she has loved and lost and she is still willing to stand up and fight the good fight in order for the younger LGBT generation to have the quality of life they deserve. Our scientists need to hurry up and create a machine that would allow me to go through my kindle so that I could meet the fictional characters that I adore because I would love to be able to go to the ERA rallies with Dusty and her wonderful friends.
The Writing Style
I think I’ve found a new favorite author and it’s definitely going to be Marianne K. Martin! This awesome story is told through Dusty and Jada’s point of view and it goes from the past to the present time until an animal in need bridges the gap and these phenomenal women become the best of friends. Marianne K. Martin has captured my attention and won my heart with her emphasis on fighting for our right to have the respect and the equality we deserve. I’m bestowing the coffee cup honor on this superb author because her flawless writing kept me anchored to my couch and the entertaining dialogue between her delightful characters made me wish that they were real because I would have loved to meet them.
The Pros
Don’t you just love it when an author gives you a compelling novel that you just can’t stop reading because the story goes back and forth between different periods in time? Well, I am not ashamed to admit that I cherish stories like this one because Marianne K. Martin has brought to life many of the heartbreaking issues that a lot of LGBT people faced from the 1960’s to this present day. I really felt the rebellious energy pouring out of my kindle as I tagged along with Dusty, Jada and Amie as they fought for their right to live and love without shame in a society that constantly tried to silence and suppress the Women’s Rights movement and the LGBT community.
The Cons
I really wanted this story to be much longer because I couldn’t get enough of Dusty, Jada and Amie!
The Conclusion
This story has taken me through a gamut of emotions and I’ve experienced unbridled joy during Dusty’s triumphant moments and I’ve felt such a deep, aching sorrow when Dusty had to endure some things that would have left me emotionally paralyzed for life. After devouring this story, I believe this book deserves to be read by every LGBT person because it will take you on an emotional rollercoaster ride and leave you shaken to the core. This story is like a call to action; it is our call to stand tall and be seen for who we truly are.
Excerpt from Kickin’ Rocks by Marianne K Martin
The signs ran the gamut; the resistance covered so many fronts. “1968 is Calling—Don’t Answer,” “Power To The Pussy,” “I Am German, I’ve Seen This Before,” “90 years A Nasty Woman,” “The ACA Saved My Life.”
Thousands of signs, homemade, heart-made, by thousands of women and men uniting in resistance. The streets of Lansing were packed, shoulder to shoulder, with ten thousand plus, by an early count.
Jada couldn’t describe what it was that she was feeling, but she loved it. She loved being part of the slow-moving mass as it filled the veins of the capital. There was a power to it, to so many people uniting and speaking as one. Knowing that what she believed was being held up and demanded by all those people surrounding her was the most powerful thing she had ever felt. She stepped with determination and chanted confidently. It was exhilarating. A high that lifted her above the fog that had fallen over everything. And she was sharing it with a woman who was becoming more important to her by the day.
Amie hooked her arm with Jada’s and chanted with her. “This is what democracy looks like!” Each time the woman with the bullhorn asked, “What does democracy look like?” the throng answered. And each time Jada said the words, the more she believed them, the more she believed in them. In so many ways she did not want this day to end. She wanted to carry this feeling with her, to allow its power to overcome the stress of her workday, to ease the concerns that kept her awake at night.
For now, though, for today she was part of a bigger power, allowing the mass of energy and strength to carry her hope for things to get better.
All the way home she shared the energy and sense of inclusion with Amie and the hospital staff Sharon and Mary. They all felt it, and all vowed to find ways to contribute, to do their part to resist, and to keep the feeling of hope that today had given them.
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Bits and Bobs
- ISBN number: 9781612941547
- Publisher: Bywater Books
- Marianne K Martin Online
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