Romance in My Coffee-Multiple Authors

Book: Romance in My Coffee
Author: Multiple Authors
Publisher: HarperCollins India

Do you like reading romance in a short story format?

Inviting you to sip your coffee with the flavour of ROMANCE. A lonely teenager hides from their classmates during prom. A girl has a crush she's embarrassed to admit to. A boy recalls the story of sharing a berth on a train. Every story is a love story, and there's a love story for everyone. This book contains ten voices, each inimitable and captivating, to create a formidable collection of stories that speaks to our one deep desire: to be loved. The In My Coffee anthology series will feature short stories on a variety of themes from romance to science fiction to humour to fantasy and much else. Each one perfect to mix in your coffee!

Romance in My Coffee is a collection of 10 stories that explore various facets of love and romance. Through these stories, the authors present stories of love that is contemporary but has a hint of the old-school romance as well. The compilation is carefully selected, and Aparna has done a good job collating these stories into a collection that would give you a warm and fuzzy feeling as you read it. Out of the 10 stories, there were 4 stories that stood out for me. Under the Devil's Tree by Riddhi Dastidar was a wonderful YA story that explores queer love, and I loved how she builds up to the climax. The character development was quite nice, and even though it is a short story, Annie and Zee have been written in a way that keeps you hooked to the story. Accidentally Enemies by Andaleeb Wajid was the second story that stood out for me for its portrayal of love. Areesha and Ahad’s story from bickering friends, to a love story none of them cared to admit was something I really loved reading. The next story that worked for me was @ The Party by Jerry Pinto. I loved his perspective on a non-binary romance, and how he shows the character development of @. The last story that did work for me was Michael Pandiya by Meera Ganpathi for the friends-to-lovers trope and how she treats it in the book.

While there are good things about the book, the other sections of the book did not work for me honestly. There is a section which was just a one-page description of a photograph, followed by the said photograph. This as a part of an anthology on romance is something I did not expect, and puts a break to an overall good reading experience. Another one-pager story also forms a part of the anthology, which again did not work for me.

Overall, an anthology with a mixed bag of stories that scores a 4.48/5 for me.

Stories featured in the Anthology:

1. Under the Devil's Tree: Riddhi Dastidar
2. Discord: Nisha Susan
3. Accidentally Enemies: Andaleeb Wajid
4. I'll Wait: Anurag Banerjee
5. At the party: Jerry Pinto
6. Such a Tease: K Vaishali
7. Just the Two of Us: Aravind Jayan
8. The Friends: Suniti Namjoshi
9. Sitting on the Porch, Watching the Trains: Gankhu Sumnyan
10. Michael Pandiya: Meera Ganpathi

Psycho Path-Prerna Wadhawan

Book: Psycho Path
Author: Prerna Wadhawan
Publisher: Self Published

I was provided an Advanced Reader’s Copy (ARC) of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Do you think that Psychopaths are born or made?

The first time Niya Kapoor sits across from Robin Hood, he asks her to say it. Say what she's spent her whole career arguing. That psychopaths aren't broken. That they're evolved. That his brain is wired differently and it isn't his fault. The court wants an answer. Robin Hood is a serial killer with a teenage following and a lawyer who wants him declared a victim of his own biology. Niya is the expert. Her research is the precedent. If she confirms what she's always believed, he walks free. She tells herself she's studying him. He seems to think it's the other way around. He knows things about her. Things she thought were buried. Outside the prison walls, two teenage boys are destroying each other, one camera, one betrayal, one audience at a time. She tells herself she's in control. He lets her believe it. The psycho-path isn't a person. It's a direction.

Prerna’s debut book is a wonderful example of how to write a thriller that keeps you so intrigued that you keep turning the pages. The storytelling is slow and deliberate, and the author keeps you guessing who is the one behind the mask of Robin Hood until the very last page. As you navigate the human psyche with Niya serving as a guide, Prerna also veers you towards the craze of social media, and how the idea of social acceptance through “reach” can affect not just a person, but almost an entire generation of teenagers. The cat-and-mouse game that Niya and Robin play throughout the book is calculated, gripping and disturbing, all blended into one. The question of moral compass, and whether biology is responsible for some people being more criminally inclined than the others is an important one, and the book puts it wonderfully. The writing in the book is quite gripping and while some scenes might disturb a reader, the visual writing helps you see some of the scenes as they occur. The storytelling is slow and deliberate, and there are points where you stop and think about if we have really become so hungry about 15 seconds of fame that numbers are all that what matters to us. While the book does score on a lot of fronts, there are few places where I think that the story did veer off for a bit. Kabir and Niya’s story, for example, was one aspect where I think a lot of the questions reside, and a bit more about them could have added context to the actions of Niya a lot. Similarly, I felt that we see Robin Hood through the eyes of all the other characters, but I would have connected a bit more had we seen some more from his perspective. The climax, however, very well written and I was impressed how there are threads which might lead to sequels. The post courtroom sequence brings together a lot of threads, but also lets enough questions open for the reader to request a sequel.

Coming to the characters, Prerna’s development of the characters in the book is one of its strengths. Starting from Tejas and Shubh, the entire arc of friends to enemies is something that is very effectively penned. You see two teenagers, hyped up on social media numbers trying to outdo each other. Prerna has captured this pulse very nicely and a lot of it is about the camera angles, direction and edits, which is a mirror that we need to see realistically. The transition of people and situations to  “Content” is something that becomes a backbone of this book. The female characters in the book-Arunima, Deepali and Niya- are wonderfully sketched, and I liked how the author provides agency to all the three, but in different aspects. Each of them is equally important at different stages of the book. Sher’s character is someone I started developing sympathy for, atleast for some time, until the last part of the book where things start coming to light, and I think that is the best compliment I can give the author.

Overall, Psycho Path is a book that explores how Psycho Paths are made, maybe they are biologically wired, or maybe the society makes them what they are. Read the book to find out more! The book scores a 4.94/5 for me.

Grab a copy of the book on Amazon India today! It is available on Kindle Unlimited as well!

Mahagauri-Nitya Neelakantan

Book: Mahagauri
Author: Nitya Neelakantan
Publisher: Rupa Publications

I was provided a media copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

How would you react if you were to be transported to a different realm suddenly?

The brilliant Gauri Vishwanath is a senior scientist at a top defence lab in Bengaluru. A recurring violent dream sees her transformed into a fierce warrior, wielding weapons and spilling blood on the battlefield. One night, the dream turns into a horrific reality when a freak lab accident transports her to the ancient kingdom of Saptapuri. Saptapuri is under siege—Moishan, the buffalo-demon, and his formidable army of demons are marching towards the kingdom to seize the precious Ajna Chakra. According to legend, the purple jewel, forged from the fire of Shiva’s Third Eye, grants immortality and power to whoever possesses it. Saptapuri’s only hope lies in an age-old prophecy that speaks of one of Goddess Durga’s avatars descending from another world to save them from Moishan. To Gauri’s astonishment, the prophecy points to her. Torn between disbelief and destiny, Gauri must embrace her overnight transformation into Mahagauri, the fierce warrior avatar of Durga. As Saptapuri burns, she must choose between clinging to the modern world she knows or unleashing her power as the divine force destined to change the fate of a seven-hundred-year-old kingdom. Gauri’s journey from an ordinary woman of science to becoming the indomitable Mahagauri makes her confront her own courage and the unyielding power within. Epic in scale, rich in mythology, and driven by a heroine who is at once vulnerable and unstoppable, Mahagauri is a spellbinding saga of the eternal battle between light and darkness.

Mahagauri is a story that explores how sometimes we just need the right nudge and the moment to discover the power that lives inside us. Nitya’s storytelling is gripping and keeps you hooked to the story of Gauri and how she deals with the sudden in her life where everyone feels that she is the one to save an entire kingdom. The plot of the book keeps you engaged through skirmishes in the alternate timeline and there are times where you almost agree with Gauri that she might not be the saviour that they are looking for. I loved the moments where you see the unleashing of Gauri’s powers. Another aspect of the book that I loved was how Nitya shows that while saving the world’s may be one’s destiny, it cannot be fulfilled until everyone comes together, specially in the climax scene. I loved how the plot created a wonderful pairing of Shankar and Gauri. Their interactions across the book were wonderful to read, and added a nice arc to the entire story. The book also has these minute details that make a lot of sense in hindsight, and I loved how there are clues are spread across the book, keeping you intrigued. The climax scene is wonderfully written, and specially after the faceoff with Moishan, Gauri’s actions are nicely penned which show how time can change a person, and help them take decisions which they might not have taken otherwise.

Coming to the characters, I loved the way Gauri’s character arc develops over the course of the book. You start with this scientist who is a bit awkward, and is suddenly thrown into a mix of things she barely understands, to a warrior who faces a demon army. The entire transformation is the foundation of the book, and Nitya pens this in a wonderful fashion. Another character who I really liked was that of Shankar. His role in the entire story is subtle yet powerful, specially how he manages people and reads them to manage the situation at hand. His chemistry with Gauri is something I truly enjoyed reading. Anandmayi was one character in the book I am in awe of, and she was a wonderful character that Nitya has penned.

Overall, Mahagauri is a book that explores the idea of self-discovery, and that sometimes destiny might have plans that might change your life forever. The book scores a 4.63/5 for me.

Grab a copy of the book on Amazon India or a bookstore near you!

A Tale of Two Kitchens-Lata Gwalani (Illus: Anitha Rajagopal)

Book: A Tale of Two Kitchens
Author: Lata Gwalani
Illustrator: Anitha Rajagopal
Photographer: Nikhil Bendre
Publisher: Amaryllis Publishing

I was provided a media copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Do you think that food is something that binds us across cultures?

Every recipe here is more than a meal—it is a memory, a bond, a celebration of the love that lingers long after the last bite. Two reigning queens of their kitchens, a Tamilian mother and a Sindhi mother-in-law, turned an exchange of recipes into a lifelong bond. What began with a handful of spices grew into a friendship that transcended language, culture, and geography. A Tale of Two Kitchens is not just a book of recipes—it’s a memoir of love, resilience, and the magic of food. From tangy tamarind rasam to comforting Sindhi kadhi, every dish carries a story, a memory, a moment of laughter shared between two remarkable women. As their daughter and daughter-in-law, Lata Gwalani had the privilege of inheriting both their kitchens—and blending them into her own. These pages are her tribute: a collection of flavours and stories that show how food can unite, heal, and celebrate.

Lata’s book is a wonderful tribute to a cross-cultural household that she lives in. The book explores the idea of how tastes and cooking can be poles apart, as well as almost identical across culinary cultures. Throughout the book, Lata keeps you intrigued with very interesting anecdotes from the household, as well as the dishes she covers in the book. The thing that stands out in the book is the fact that, while the book is non-fiction, it is told as a story and you are hooked enough to keep turning the pages. Another aspect of the book that is appreciable is that some of the anecdotes are relatable because we have also seen similar situations play out in our homes as well. Lata’s cheek and wit is something to be commended, and through out the book, she has these quips hidden in the text that will make you smile. Lata’s memoir is not just a recall of the stories of the kitchens, or some cooking hacks, she presents a heart-warming picture of two women, who came from distinctly different culinary backgrounds, but strived to find a balance and a commonality of flavours that became this kitchen, and Lata got to pick the best of the both worlds.

Apart from the text, what makes the book stand out are its illustrations and the photographs of the food. The wonderful illustrations on each page demonstrating the fruits, vegetables, utensils, and the two mothers were something that is breathtaking and keeps you engaged into the book. The photographs are droolworthy, and would inspire you to try some of the recipes that Lata presents to us.

Overall, the book is an interesting and engaging read, specially if you love food, and stories about food. The book scores a 4.88/5 for me.

Grab a copy of the book on Amazon India or a bookstore near you.

I Met A Man Who Wasn’t There-Sakyajit Bhattacharya (Tr. Arunava Sinha)

Book: I Met A Man Who Wasn’t There
Author: Sakyajit Bhattacharya
Translator: Arunava Sinha
Publisher: Speaking Tiger

I was provided a media copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Would you take up a chance to solve a decades old murder mystery?

Tanaya, a journalist who writes on cold cases, arrives in Darjeeling to investigate the decades-old murder of Amitava Mitra, a young poet. The prime accused was Arun Chowdhury, the victim’s best friend. Arun was released for lack of evidence, and Amitava’s murder has remained unsolved for forty years, the case files buried in the police archives. Tanaya’s investigations take her around the famed hill station, sleepy and mist-wrapped in the monsoons. She interviews a whole cast of characters, including the taciturn Arun Chowdhury, who is a best-selling crime novelist now. She reconstructs the sequence of events that led to the murder and in doing this, comes across an unpublished crime novel written by Amitava himself that has eerie parallels with his own subsequent murder. As she digs deeper, and the clues get more and more twisted, Tanaya realises there was a devious killer at work here, who killed with impunity. And when Darjeeling witnesses yet another murder, she is convinced the killer is still alive, and hunting. Published to critical and popular acclaim in Bengali as Shesh Mrito Pakhi, this is crime fiction at its most sophisticated. Weaving in the politics of 1970s Bengal, the lives of poets and the literary scene of the times into a contemporary story of betrayal, murder and revenge, I Met a Man Who Wasn’t There is the work of a compellingly intelligent and entertaining writer.

There are thrillers that keep you on the edge of your seat, and then there are thrillers that make you get comfortable on the chair and keep turning the pages. Sakyajit’s book firmly falls in the second category. Right from the first page, you are presented this case that seems simple in the first glance, and you are slowly drawn into it from Tanaya’s perspective. As the story moves and you discover the “thriller-inside-a-thriller”, the sleuth inside comes to life and you are suddenly solving both the stories. While Amitava’s novel is revealed slowly, the reader is hungry for it, and honestly, I was in love with Suddhasatwa’s character and how he is presented just like Holmes and Byomkesh, but at the same time there was something very different about him as well. Coming back to the primary novel, the entire story is written beautifully and the mystery is quite complex. Every solution that you come up with turns out to be wrong, and as you journey along with Tanaya, you start feeling complex emotions about the characters, and it is quite difficult to ascertain what is right and what is a misdirect. The storytelling keeps you hooked and the charm of solving the crime keeps you into the book right till the last page. The peak detailing by the author in the book, specially in a few scenes were quite interesting to read. When the reveal happens, I was quite surprised with the cold bloodedness of the crime, and the meticulous nature of the act. The climax is something that is set up perfectly, and it delivers a perfect punch at the end.

Coming to the characters, I liked the way Tanaya’s character has been sketched. The quest for sniffing out the story from the annals of history and the steadfastness has been portrayed perfectly. Arun Chowdhury’s character is layered and I liked that the pendulum between his innocence and guilt keeps swinging to keep you guessing whether he did it or not. Another character that surprised me was that of Siddhartha and how he deals with the entire situation at hand. His eureka moment in the book was something that I really loved, and I link that was executed perfectly.

While we talk about the story and the storytelling, the translation by Arunava is quite well done, and the story does not lose out on the essence and the intent of the author as he would have planned in the original Bengali version. I loved the fact that the language and the storytelling was balanced enough to keep the story intact as well as maintain the language.

The book is a recommendation for anyone looking to pick up a murder mystery and is looking for a book to devour in a single sitting. The book scores a 5/5 for me.

Grab a copy of the book on Amazon India or at a bookstore near you.

Vikram and Betaal: Night of the Blood Moon-Amit Juneja

Book: Vikram and Betaal: Night of the Blood Moon
Author: Amit Juneja
Publisher: Penguin India

I was provided a media copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

What would you do if you encountered a real-life Betaal?

Vikram Chauhan, a brilliant fintech entrepreneur with no belief in the supernatural, is at the peak of his Silicon Valley career. But when his wife, Meera, is diagnosed with terminal cancer, his world collapses. He abandons everything to chase a cure at any cost. His desperate search leads him to the whispers of a hidden temple in the remote town of Gresham, Rajasthan, said to perform miraculous healings. But Gresham hides darker truths. On the ominous night of the Blood Moon, Vikram is brought before the temple’s enigmatic high priest, who offers him a single, terrifying bargain: salvation for Meera, in exchange for capturing the ancient pishach―Betaal. Bound by an otherworldly oath to Vikram’s bloodline, the pishach draws him into a harrowing cycle of encounters. Each time Vikram closes in, Betaal tells the story of its current host and poses a riddle that tests his morality, forcing him to confront the limits of love, logic, and faith. As Meera’s time slips away and the curse of his lineage resurfaces, Vikram must face an impossible question: how much of his humanity is he willing to sacrifice to save the woman he loves? Vikram and Betaal: Night of the Blood Moon plunges into a world where ancient folklore collides with modern reason, a haunting tale of love, legacy, and the darkness that binds them both.

Vikram and Betaal is a wonderful take on the original folklore, set in the modern times. Amit presents a story that is rooted in the traditional story of Vikram and Betaal, but at the same time also aligns perfectly with the present times. The storytelling is very vivid and you are drawn into the story as Amit weaves this tale, page after page. Another aspect of the book I really loved was the background to the folklore and how the endless cycle across the ages has been set into the plot. When the book started, I was honestly expecting a conventional retelling of Vikram and Betaal, with sub-plots and Vikram answering questions. I was pleasantly surprised how Amit not just retains the core of the conventional idea of questioning morality through Betaal’s stories, but takes it a step forward by linking the host bodies and the names. As a reader, you are compelled to also think from Vikram’s perspective and try to answer Betaal’s questions, and that is there the newspaper clippings, police report etc. come into picture, which feel that you are living the story in Gresham, and not just reading the book in your room. The climax of the book is not just a moment, but a series of events that was truly not expected and while I was envisaging a climax basis what had happened, Amit did take me by surprise, especially with that one death of which I was certain would not happen (not revealing it here!).

The book reads like the horror shows that used to air on TV some years back with those grainy graphics and questionable costumes, but the horror was real, and the chills were guaranteed. Amit also manages to tease about some other characters that dwell in the forests of Gresham, and with our very home-grown tech billionaire at the helm, I am sure the book is the first of many encounters with the otherworldly creatures.

Coming to the character development, I loved the way in which Vikram’s character has been written. His transformation from a career-driven tech entrepreneur to a family focused person was sketched quickly but quite nicely. His character arc, post his arrival in Gresham, however, was something that really shines out. I was initially concerned that with the current times, Amit might have taken a 180-degree on Vikram, but even with the modern times, the essence of Vikramaditya was written beautifully. Another character I really loved was that of Dushyant. A friend who responds on one phone call is truly precious, and I loved how Amit created this friend in Dushyant. His ability to work around the toughest of the situations was very well written. Meera’s character, while a small part of the book, is one of the most important aspects of storytelling that Amit uses.

Overall, Vikram and Betaal is one of the best pieces of writing I have read recently and I am eager to see more adventures of Vikram and his cohorts. In my opinion, the book deserves 5 Betaals out of the 5 in Gresham forest.

Grab a copy of the book on Amazon India or a bookstore near you.

Swansong-Vandana Kumari Jena

Book: Swansong
Author: Vandana Kumari Jena
Publisher: Rupa Publications

I was provided a media copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Do you like reading stories that end with a twist?

It begins with a whisper from the pages of a locked diary, a farewell song, a leap into the void. The surface of life trembles and the ripples spread outwards, pulling what is hidden into the light. In Swansong, nothing is what it seems. A birthday marks the beginning of the end, a neighbour hides more than gossip, an ordinary home turns into a stage for a final performance. By turns poignant, chilling and quietly defiant, these twenty-four stories do not soothe. They disturb, provoke and linger. With unflinching honesty and lyrical precision, Vandana Kumari Jena draws you into unexpected depths, where lives fracture, certainties unravel, and revelations arrive in ways both devastating and redemptive. This is not a book of endings. It is a book of reckonings.

The writing in Swansong is quite interesting and as a reader you are presented with stories with endings you would not have guessed at all. Each of the stories is unique and is set in a different setting. While the stories are short, they are precise and deliver the message that they are written to convey. I went into the book expecting a collection of short stories that would have a thriller element, or might also have some bit of twists, but Vandana turns each of the 24 stories into a masterpiece, keeping you turning the pages till you finish the book. It is a page-turner and I can surely attest to the writing prowess of the author, specially with the endings of some of the stories. The very first story, Swansong, presents so many options and opoortunities, yet the author picked the one ending that you would usually not guess at all. Memories of Happier Times is another story that cannot be slotted in any conventional genre, but presents a situation that has become all to common, and the author presents it in a wonderful manner. Angel of Mercy stood out for me for the sheer coldness of the characters and how the author writes the last line of the story, that spine chilling was exhilarating.

Overall, Swansong is a book that I would recommend to anyone looking to read a wonderfully penned book that would surprise you with each of the 24 stories. The book scores a 4.88/5 for me.

Get a copy of the book on Amazon India or a Bookstore near you.