Protecting What's Mine

Not at all what I expected, but it was an ok read. I had this title on my review list for some time now, but did not get the chance to pick it up before now. The synopsis piqued my interest, and I eagerly jumped into the story. After all, it is a story of love and friendship and I can never seem to resist stories such as these. However, the story did not wow me in the manner I expected and instead I ended up have mixed feelings about the story. Grains of Truth introduces Sarah and Zoe two best friends who work in a family-owned feed store. Sarah is in love with Tom, the store owner's son but her lowly background disqualifies her as an appropriate wife for the heir apparent. Zoe is a single mum and is not in the running for falling in love, but that was until she met the gorgeous Dr. Greenland. I liked the concept behind the story. However, the story itself proved to be confusing. The first half of the book was fine, but by the beginning of the second half, I became a bit confused. An event occurred in the first half of the story to which I had no idea of the outcome. It was not until near the end of the second half of the story which occurred one year later that I found out what happened. I must admit I figured out what happened before it was revealed as such it came as no surprise to me. What made it confusing was the manner in which the author portrayed the events leading up to the big reveal. There were instances where the story dragged, which I contribute to unnecessary details. The aspect of the story I enjoyed most was the friendship that existed between Zoe and Sarah. Without a doubt, they cared for each other. They had each other’s back through good and bad times. I also enjoyed the romance, which developed between Zoe and Dr. Green. It had its share of challenges, but I was glad to see how it all worked out in the end. I had a difficult time with the characters as I disconnected from them and this disconnection bled over into the story. Of all the characters, Tom proved to be a big disappointment. I found him to be weak as he lacked the guts to stand up to his father when it came to his personal life. He preferred to stand aside and allow him to choose for him all in the name of the business. His weakness led to him breaking Sarah’s heart. Tom’s father was a hateful man. I disliked his persona. Chauvinistic and arrogant and he was women as inferior. He spoke about them in a disrespectful and belittling manner. My feelings about Sarah were mixed. Initially, I admired her efforts to rise above the stigma surrounding her family. She did not allow her parents’ bad choices define her. However, I disliked it when she chose to follow a destructive path after things between her and Tom went south. It was then I realised she was not as strong as I had first believed. I did sympathise with her on some levels, because having your heart broken by the man you love is not a wonderful experience. Zoe proved to be a wonderful mother and friend. However, when it came to affairs of the heart she was wary, which was understandable, given what transpired with her past relationship. This was said to be an emotional read, but unfortunately, it failed to peak on my emotions chart. I almost did not finish reading the book, but I kept reading, as I needed to satisfy my curiosity. In the end, I am satisfied that I had completed the story as the many questions I had were answered. Conclusion/Recommendation To close, the story did not deliver the intensity and passion as promised based on the synopsis. Neither did it move me to tears. Despite not meeting my expectations, I still found some aspects of the story entertaining.