**** Hate and Jealousy Undermine Living Review by Rox Burkey
Author Maretha Botha has a flair for fiction that gives a lesson. Miranda and Marisa are sisters, but their personalities and approaches are vastly different. One is caring, and one is self-centered. Marisa and Jonah have their wedding the next day.
When the wedding planner is delayed for the referral, Miranda steps in to help coordinate that activity. Clearly, she has her sights set on Jonah.
“Before her sister could respond, Miranda subtly dropped her hand on to Jonah’s forearm and said, ‘Stand over here, Jonah, next to Marisa, and then let’s get everyone else in position too.’ Miranda’s eyes caught his and he held her stare, only pushing her hand off his arm when Marisa coughed.
She looked at him with her eyebrows lifted into two question marks and, turning to her sister, she said, ‘Miranda, I’m glad you didn’t pull out Jonah’s hair, twirling it like that. I can’t imagine what he would look like with a bald spot, but the last time I checked, he’s still engaged to me. Let’s not give people reason to talk behind our backs.’”
The journey to the rehearsal dinner continued to reveal the focus of Miranda on Jonas despite her sister. The venomous jealousy continues to show. The history between Jonah and the sisters is shared as a conversation. It is unbelievable the lengths she is willing to go to get what she wants.
Choices that are made by these characters have a lasting impact on all their lives. This is a good story, with good character development, though the shifts in perspective caught me unaware.
This is a short story that I liked although the theme was troubling. You might enjoy a love story with an interesting twist that I applauded.
About the Author
Author/Illustrator Maretha Botha admits to being addicted to black coffee and chocolate. She and her family love the outdoors and hike on the moors whenever possible. Gardening and bird watching are favourite past-times. She has written and illustrated a series of Middle Grade children’s books called “Fauna Park Tales”. Books 1-4 are available in Kindle as well as black and white illustrated paperbacks, approximately 20,000 words each.
She also writes poetry and short stories. One of her poems, “The Fisher Girl” appears in an anthology published by 4WillsPublishing, “Rave Soup For The Writer’s Soul” 2017/18 Edition.
FIND AND FOLLOW MARETHA BOTHA
