Lovestruck and Confused-Harini Srinivasan

Book: Lovestruck and Confused
Author: Harini Srinivasan
Publisher: Om Books International

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

What if the love of your life turns out to be a model for a pan masala advertisement?

Priya Kaushik is a twenty-six-year-old professional living in Delhi, sharing her home with Tanya, her best friend. She has the hots for a hunky guy, Nitin, whom she spots in a paan masala ad. Worried about the model's credentials, Tanya decides to find out more. She hires detective Sanjay Dhamija. Determined to save her best friend from falling head over heels for the guy, she seems to sabotage a possible budding love story, and how! Dhamija has more than one client seeking to verify Nitin’s background of late. Sowmya is worried her brother is going the wrong way to fulfil his dreams of becoming an actor. Is Nitin leading a double life? Is he a married man with two kids? Is he a porn star? As he tries to woo Priya once fate brings them together, what does this hold for Priya? Will Priya and Nitin end up together, despite an interfering sister, an annoying friend, and a thoroughly confused and hassled detective? Find out in this quintessential romcom by Harini Srinivasan.

Romantic comedies are a genre that always give you comfort while reading. This book fits perfectly into that mould. Harini’s writing keeps you grinning with the comedy of errors that happen throughout the book. What I enjoyed the most about the book was the simple and heartwarming nature of the writing. The “love at first sight” part of the book with Tanya and Nitin was very well written. To add that speck of tobacco ad to that storyline was something truly devilish, and after a certain point, even you, as a reader, are so engrossed in finding out how the picture ended up in that advertisement. The plot is well executed and flows smoothly. The writing is simple and engaging, but cheeky to the point where you almost marvel at the way the scenes are written. I especially loved the scene where Sowmya walks out on Bharat, and it is a small scene, but those lines really stand out. The way the climax is written is almost as chaotic as the story, and the end of the story brings it to a close perfectly, and the epilogue is just something that will make you chuckle like anything, when you realise the chaos, a photograph can create.

Harini has taken this eclectic set of people and penned a narrative that would be relatable if you have lived with a roommate or have friends who love to play matchmaker. Priya and Tanya’s dynamics are quite interesting to read and you would immediately have a person in mind when you read their story. Their discussions and banter elevate the reading experience. Then we have Sowmya who adds to this chaos with her conclusions and continuous meddling in Nitin’s life. Then we have this detective, Sanjay Dhamija, a small-time detective, specializing in divorces, but then becomes a part of Tanya-Sowmya-Nitin storyline which upends his entire life. I loved how him and his bumbling band of assistants do their part in the “confused” part of the title of the book.

If you love a well-cooked romantic comedy, then this is a book that I would recommend. The book scores a 4.81/5 for me.

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

Berserk-Tejaswi Priyadarshi

Book: Berserk
Author: Tejaswi Priyadarshi
Publisher: Readomania

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

What would you do if your paths crossed with a blood thirsty man out for vengeance?

Ramakrishna, a humble teacher, and Nazm, his feisty student, are bound by a love story that ends in tragedy when Nazm is savagely slain on their wedding night. Shattered, crestfallen, and consumed by guilt, Ramakrishna forges an unlikely alliance with a volatile figure known as Coffee Man. Together, they seek Nazm’s killer, though Coffee Man’s ruthless methods threaten to drag Ramakrishna into moral ruin. At the same time, a man who renounced the world years ago realizes that revenge is his only path to Nirvana. Resurrected by his thirst for vengeance, he stalks his victims to settle his own twisted score of betrayal. As their blood-soaked paths converge, carnage ensues. Will Ramakrishna and Coffee Man find justice for Nazm, or will they destroy the very souls they seek to avenge? Berserk is a mind-bending horror thriller that will keep readers guessing till their minds are blown!

Berserk is a book that blurs the boundary between genres of horror, psychological thriller, and a good old murder mystery. The storytelling is gripping and from the very first page, the characters keep you engaged. The plot seems simple with two parallel viewpoints but as the story progresses, you realise the convoluted nature of the story. There are graphic visuals in the book that might not be suited for everyone, but those very scenes show the brutality of the other person in the story. I liked how Tejaswi paints the story frame by frame to set the tone. The plot also puts light on the social lens about relationships, marriages, and the idea of mental health. This aspect of the book was quite amazing to read and the entire arc about marriage was the cornerstone of the book. As the various plots converge, the climax surprises because the truth was always in front of you, but you get so busy in looking at the distractions, that you lose sight of the big picture. The epilogue, however, is something that is the cherry atop the cake.

Berserk is a book that draws heavily from its characters and Tejaswi has crafted this intricate set of personalities who are diametrically opposite to each other. Every scene, we meet either Ramakrishna or the Coffee Man and the differences in their approach to life is quite interesting. The entire plot around Nazm’s life and her relation to the plot was very well crafted and as the layers come off, you see the diabolical nature of Tejaswi’s writing.

Overall, this is a book that is a definite recommendation for anyone who loves to read a well baked thriller that would be truly difficult to classify. The book scores a 4.94/5 for me.

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