Helpful Score: 2
I loved the beginning of this book, the strong independent Anjali Kapadia who in her late 30's is widowed with no children and lives with her parents in the Little India section of Edison, NJ.
When it becomes apparent that their boutique is in financial despair they call upon Jeevan, their very wealthy relative. Though feared for his abrupt manner and his no nonsense business style, they have no choice but to take him on as a business partner. When Jeevan arrives he is not alone, in walks a very charming Rishi Shah. And unfortunately, that is where the book changes - from a book about a strong Indian woman to a romance with Anjali left a weeping mass of indecision.
Though still a well written story, I would have much preferred Bantwal staying on the less traveled road and keeping Anjali independent. I understand the characters loneliness, but to have her character getting weak in the knees was not how she was presented in the beginning. I enjoy strong women characters, occasional romance, but to have a characters change so completely was a bit of a let down.
I will continue to read this author, but in the future, I will be researching a little bit more to see if Bantwal is really a romance writer, that way, I'll know what I am getting into.
When it becomes apparent that their boutique is in financial despair they call upon Jeevan, their very wealthy relative. Though feared for his abrupt manner and his no nonsense business style, they have no choice but to take him on as a business partner. When Jeevan arrives he is not alone, in walks a very charming Rishi Shah. And unfortunately, that is where the book changes - from a book about a strong Indian woman to a romance with Anjali left a weeping mass of indecision.
Though still a well written story, I would have much preferred Bantwal staying on the less traveled road and keeping Anjali independent. I understand the characters loneliness, but to have her character getting weak in the knees was not how she was presented in the beginning. I enjoy strong women characters, occasional romance, but to have a characters change so completely was a bit of a let down.
I will continue to read this author, but in the future, I will be researching a little bit more to see if Bantwal is really a romance writer, that way, I'll know what I am getting into.
Helpful Score: 1
I've read at least 25 novels set in India or in overseas Indian communities. This book, set in New Jersey, stands out because the heroine is refreshingly modern but not so rebellious that she's forgotten her family's Indian values. She's a good blend of East and West.
The hero was delectable. Too bad there aren't more heroes like that in these Indian stories. The romance was hot. Much hotter than what you find in other novels about modern Indian women. Don't worry, the sexual parts aren't very explicit at all though you might not want some traditional Indian grandmother to read this.
Sometimes books in this genre are peppered with "Indian" words of whatever Indian language the author happens to speak, but this book has none of that.
I would read more from this author. I like her style, her pacing, her characters. This book is a keeper.
The hero was delectable. Too bad there aren't more heroes like that in these Indian stories. The romance was hot. Much hotter than what you find in other novels about modern Indian women. Don't worry, the sexual parts aren't very explicit at all though you might not want some traditional Indian grandmother to read this.
Sometimes books in this genre are peppered with "Indian" words of whatever Indian language the author happens to speak, but this book has none of that.
I would read more from this author. I like her style, her pacing, her characters. This book is a keeper.
Helpful Score: 1
Another romance by this author. I read both her books (this one and the Forbidden Daughter) expecting something more. However, they are both romance novels set in an Indian setting.
Helpful Score: 1
I really enjoyed the romantic story in this book. The woman doesn't do the usual hot/cold routine nor does she throw herself at the man. The anticipation was also held long enough that you don't get tired of just waiting for them to get together. The information about the sari shop was also very interesting. I loved this book.
I couldn't finish it. The main character lacked depth and personality, and I felt the conflict wasn't intense enough to hold my interest. Her love interest, the tall, gray-eyed rich guy with a mysterious past seemed too cliche, and dull as well. Main character's a widow, and though her loss was written about in the beginning, I didn't feel her dead husband's mark in her daily life to really understand her hot/cold grief. It's like she had moved on, but then she'll be crying about him, but as the reader I never truly got to "know" him enough to empathize with her loss. And whenever her love interest talked to her, she gave 1-2 word answers that made her so utterly uninteresting, I can't see what he found so intriguing about her. And when they did engage in talk, and though the characters felt like they connected, but to me the dialogue sounded more like really, really small talk. I got very bored, put the book away, and picked up Life of Pi instead.
