The Prince and The Runaway Bride (Devgarh Royals Book 3)-Alisha Kay

Book: The Prince and The Runaway Bride (Devgarh Royals Book 3)
Author: Alisha Kay
Publisher: Self Published

Would you be a willing party to a bride running away from her marriage?

Faced with a loveless marriage, Ananya Rajput does what she always does when faced with a tough situation - she runs away! Except, this time she runs right into the arms of the man she’s dreamed about for years - okay, fantasized about, to be completely honest. His Highness Yashvardhan Rathore, Yuvarajkumar of Bannor, is so going to burn in hell. Not only did he help his dead friend’s sister run away from her wedding mandap, he now has terribly inappropriate feelings for her. All his life he’s lived by one truth - no one has ever loved him enough to stay. And he doesn’t think a known flight risk like Ananya will be the first. As her restless feet get calmer, the walls around his heart get higher. Will Yash ever come to trust in love? And will Ananya let her reluctant Prince Charming claim a runaway bride?

The storyline is interestingly plotted as we follow Ananya as she runs away from her wedding and is rescued by Yash. The book is quite fresh as it is not a conventional boy-meets-girl romance, but follows an interesting path as the characters discover their emotions for each other. The storytelling is catchy and keeps the reader hooked till the very end. The tension between Ananya and Yash is palpable from the very beginning, but the way the author keeps it fluid till the last chapter is quite gripping. As a romantic comedy, the story has its own share of moments that make you grin like a crazy person, specially in the moments where Dadi Ma comes up with witty comebacks. The bit about not hitting the coconut trees was my favorite of them all though. Another part of the story I loved was the train journey and how accurately she portrays the bits that make a journey in the Indian Railways a unique experience. The climax is nicely crafted and brings a wonderful end to the story.

Coming to the characters, I must say more than Ananya and Yash, I loved the character of Dadi Ma and the way she conducted herself in the situations she was put in. Right from the very first moment till the last page, she had a charm that took control of all the scenes she was a part of. Ananya and her character as a person who has a primal flight response to all situations is wonderfully captured. Coming to Yash, his character is another that shines through the pages. I liked the conflicted situation he was in, right from the first moment, yet he always took the honorable path, which was interesting for me.

Overall, this is a definite recommendation if you are in the mood for a well-written romantic comedy. The book scores a 4.38/5 for me.

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

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Read my review of the previous books in the Devgarh Royals Series:

 

War of Lanka (Ram Chandra Series Book 4)-Amish Tripathi

Book: War of Lanka (Ram Chandra Series Book 4)
Author: Amish Tripathi
Publisher: HarperCollins India

Do you like reading mythological fiction?

Greed. Rage. Grief. Love. Smoldering tinder, waiting to trigger a war. But this war is different. This one is for Dharma. This war is for the greatest Goddess of them all. Sita has been kidnapped. Defiantly, she dares Raavan to kill her - she'd rather die than allow Ram to surrender. Ram is beside himself with grief and rage. He prepares for war. Fury is his fuel. Calm focus, his guide. Raavan thought he was invincible. He thought he'd negotiate and force a surrender. The first three books of the Ram Chandra Series explore the individual journeys of Ram, Sita and Raavan. In this, the epic fourth book of the series, their narrative strands crash into each other, and explode in a slaughterous war. Will Ram defeat the ruthless and fiendish Raavan, constrained as he is by the laws of Dharma? Will Lanka burn to a cinder or fight back like a cornered tiger? Will the terrible costs of war be worth the victory? Most importantly, will the Vishnu rise? And will the real enemies of the land fear the Vishnu? For fear is the mother of love.

After reading the first three books in the Ram Chandra series and setting up the 3 primary characters upto the point where Sita is abducted, War of Lanka takes the story forward and the storylines merge to culminate into the war between Ram and Raavan. The primary plot of the book takes up where the earlier books ended and tells us the story till the immediate aftermath of the war. The story moves at a brisk pace, and while I felt that some parts could have been dealt with in lesser detail, the overall reading experience is good considering the larger picture. What I liked about the book was that Amish has written the story in his own element, taking creative liberties and presenting a human image of the characters. The tension in the plot is palpable, specially after experiencing it thrice in the previous books, and as with his other works, one is usually not able to predict the path the characters would take in the story, and the same happens for the most part, specially in the one where Lakshman needs to be revived. All said and done, the book has its share of issues that reduce the reading experience quite a bit, specially coming from a storyteller such as Amish. There is a major editing goof-up in the list of characters that needs to be taken care of on an immediate basis. Another issue that I felt the book suffers from is over explanation of points, at multiple times in the book. It felt as if there are engineers, doctors and philosophers writing the book, and not a storyteller, which was a major let down for me. Another issue is the over use of the phrase “net-net”, and being brutally honest, when I first encountered the term, it felt as if it was a genuine error, but its repetition makes the use deliberate, and while there is nothing wrong with the term or the characters using it, it felt out of place in this book and the setting it was used in. The war part in War of Lanka ended pretty fast, and I wanted a bit more of the Ram-Raavan conflict to persist in the battlefield.

Being written in a multilinear manner, the major character building happened in the first 3 books and there are no major characters introduced in this particular book. I liked the way Amish created Vibhishan and how he developed the arc his character took. Raavan’s character also impressed me in the manner in which he deals with the entire scene unfolding in front of him, and specially the way he kept the larger picture in mind in taking all his decisions.  Vishwamitra’s and Vashishtha’s characters are interesting and I sincerely hope to see an interesting arc for the two in the last book of the series.

Overall, the reading experience is good and if you have read the first three books, and the Shiva Trilogy, then this book will confirm some theories that the readers have had for a long time, but considering the trilogy, and the earlier books in the series, specially book 1 and 2, this didn’t meet my expectations from Amish, but I would still recommend you go pick up a copy as it has some very interesting ideas. The book scores a 3.63/5 for me.

Get your copy of the book on Amazon India or your nearest bookstore.

Check out my review of Raavan: Evemy of Aryavarta (Ram Chandra Series Book 3) here.

Hyderabad (The Partition Trilogy-2)-Manreet Sodhi Someshwar

Book: Hyderabad (The Partition Trilogy-2)
Author: Manreet Sodhi Someshwar
Publisher: HarperCollins India

Have you heard stories of the partition through your family?

Hyderabad (The Partition Trilogy-2) by Manreet Sodhi Someshwar explores the aftermath of the Independence, and the Partition on the Largest Princely State of the Crown-Hyderabad.  Mir Osman Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VII, is the Nizam of Hyderabad. It sits in the belly of newly independent India to which Jawaharlal Nehru and Vallabhbhai Patel want Hyderabad to accede. The Communists have concurrently mounted a state-wide rebellion. The Nizam's family has ruled Hyderabad for 200 years, and as the wealthiest man in the world, he will not deal with two-penny Indian politicians! An ancient prophecy, however, hangs over the Nizam -the Asaf Jahi dynasty will last only seven generations. So, he keeps his jewel-laden trucks ready for flight even as he schemes with his army of militant Razakars. Meanwhile, in the palace thick with intrigue, the maid Uzma must decide where her loyalties lie: with the peasantry or the Nizam. Among the Communist recruits, Jaabili finds love in unexpected quarters. Violence escalates and lawlessness mounts. Caught between a volatile Nizam and a resolute India, what price will Hyderabad pay?

While the first book in the trilogy focused on the partition of the country and its impact as people rediscovered their identities across a line drawn on a map, the second one focuses on the individual identity of the state and how lines can create discord among people, whether they are being drawn or removed. The plot of the story has been crafted in detail with due importance and time given to the central characters. The focus of the plot stays on the Nizam and the steps he takes to maintain his stance, and how elements, both inside and outside of the state attempt to change the status quo. I liked the fact that the plot maintains its rhythm throughout the book and that while there are smaller stories moving in tandem with the big picture, they connect back to it at multiple points. The book spans almost a year and through that period we are presented a picture of not just a young country in turmoil, but a Princely State at crossroads, having to consider options that could very well decide the ultimate fate of not just the kingdom, but also of the dynasty. While Lahore was more fast-paced and interactive, Hyderabad is a more sober, slower book that aims to highlight that while some choices can have long term impacts, the impact of non-decisiveness can be even longer. What I didn’t like about the book was the fact that the middle was a bit slow for me and I felt that the plot could’ve been moving at a better pace as the characters seem stuck in the same rut. I also felt that the part about the Communists was left underexplored and felt as if it was acting as a filler for the gaps in the timelines about the actual events. The climax, however was interestingly done and the ending of this book was quite satisfactory.

The primary characters of the book have their footings in History and I am not commenting on them, however I was hooked by the way Manreet uses the historical narratives and events to add substance to these historical figures she puts in this fictionalized account of the Independence and the partition. The power she imparts to each of her characters in the story is impressive and I liked how she has empowered the female characters in this book, be it Uzma or Jaabili. Another aspect I liked about the book is that Manreet creates an image of the Nizam that is easy to comprehend and the manner in which his character evolves over the course of a year is an interesting study. I personally loved Uzma’s character and with the backstory that is presented, as a reader, you cannot help but empathize with her, given the hardship she had faced.

Overall, this book is an interesting story of the events that took place in the country just after the Independence, and the efforts it took to create the country we see today. I am looking forward to the final book in the trilogy to see what remains to be told from the annals of history. This book scores a 4.5/5 for me.

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

Get your copy of the book from your nearest bookstore or on Amazon India.

Read my review of Lahore (Book 1 of the Partition Trilogy)

The Break-Up Expert-Sonya Singh

Book: The Break-Up Expert
Author: Sonya Singh
Publisher: Simon & Schuster India

Would you consult an expert to plan your break up?

The Break-Up Expert by Sonya Singh is the story of Manny who is a high-flying CEO who runs a company that specializes in other people’s breakups. Happily engaged and often featured in the media she appears to have it all. But when she is photoshopped to look less Asian and her fiancé decries he doesn’t “see race” she decides it’s time to reconnect with her roots. Determining she needs to learn more about her community, she convinces a client to take her to his brother’s big Indian wedding. When they arrive, Manny is instantly thrown into a celebration filled with fashion, food, dancing and family. There she discovers more than she could have ever dreamt of.

The concept of the story is interesting where an expert on breakups decides to discover her Indian roots. The story begins as we are introduced to Manny and her firm Breakup which specializes in writing breakup emails for client so as to have a clean breakup. The story truly begins when she is pestered by Sammy to take up his case for a temporary breakup and in return, he promises her to help her discover her roots by taking him to his brother’s wedding. The story starts off on a good note and we start connecting with Manny and her struggle to find her identity. As the story progresses and we meet the Patel family, the plot starts feeling more like a Bollywood movie complete with song and dance sequences, and family secrets. The overall pace of the story was good, though the middle was a bit slow. The breakup requests that headline each chapter are interesting to read, however apart from a couple of instances, they do not seem to relate to the general plot of the book. The stereotypes that Sonya pushes into the plot, however, do not stand true in most of the cases, such as elephant decorations on tables, all Indian dances being Bhangra etc. The climax is quite filmy and the revelations of the secrets can be guessed in the initial parts of the story.

Coming to the characters, Manny Dogra as a person looking to find her roots is created wonderfully. With a successful career in a niche field and a fiancé she loves, she has what most people dream of, yet she feels a void in her life. I liked the way she is presented and how she finds her roots one step at a time. Sammy’s character as a conventional Indian male who is scared to face the reality of his relationship with his family. Sonya also introduces some interesting characters such as Aliyan and Manisha who add a layer of interesting flavor to this story.

Overall, this is an interesting story that would interest people who love reading or watching romantic stories that are quite filmy. The book scores a 4.13/5 for me.

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

Get a copy of the book on Amazon or your nearest bookstore.

A Price to Love-Smita Das Jain

Book: A Price to Love
Author: Smita Das Jain
Publisher: Readomania

How difficult is balancing work and personal life?

A Price to Love by Smita Das Jain explores the story of Sonia who is an ambitious woman working in the country’s most prominent media company. Sameep, her husband, has loved her ever since their IIM-Ahmedabad days. Her direct report, Mehul, idolizes her, and her boss, Rishabh, acknowledges her intellectual prowess. But Sonia’s past interferes with the present, making her life—and the lives of those around her— lack balance. Time flies fast but leaves shadows behind. A Price to Love is a contemporary tale showcasing the struggles of making a thriving personal life and a successful career tango in the highly competitive corporate arena… especially if you are a woman.

With competition and ambitions touching the sky, the debate about work life balance has become louder. Couple that with demanding relationships and the trials of living in a megapolis, you have a veritable recipe for discontent. Smita takes up this setup and crafts an interesting story that explores the impact of our decisions on the life that we make for ourselves. The plot moves between the past and the present and it is a wonderful way of giving insight into the mind of Sonia and the way her relationships developed across the years. I loved how Sonia is the driving force throughout the story and keeps the plot in action. The plot twist is hinted at multiple points in the story and its revelation towards the end is something that makes the story worthwhile, and specially the way Smita uses it to show that all of us have priorities, but it is worthwhile to sometimes take a step back and look at the big picture. The overall storytelling is gripping and keeps you turning the pages as you are intrigued to find out what happens next in this story where relationships break the societal obligations and tread into a grey area, and the author’s treatment of this is interesting, non-judgmental, and presents it from multiple points of view. The climax is crafted in detail and I liked the way it is presented. The story leaves a subtle afternote, making you take a fresh look at your own life and the priorities you have set for yourself.

The book relies on the ability of the characters to draw the reader in, and I liked the way the book opens. The way we meet Sonia sets the tone of her character quite nicely. Each one of us has either gone through that moment atleast once, or know someone who has seen this happen. As a reader, you are not quite sure about your feelings towards Sonia until the very last page, and you oscillate between anger, pity and awe with the events as they occur. Sameep as a character is not explored much, but as a person on the receiving end of Sonia’s behavior, you start empathizing with him but there is a certain amount of respect that you develop for him looking at the things he puts up with. As for Mehul and Rishabh, I liked the way their characters are used to supplement Sonia’s character.

Overall, I loved the relatability that the story exudes and would definitely recommend if you like reading stories that explore relationships, specially in a contemporary setting. The book scores a 4.56/5 for me.

I was provided an Advanced Reader's Copy in exchange for an honest review.

Get a copy of the book on Kindle or Paperback from Amazon India.