#CoverReveal - The Activist and The Capitalist by Vibha Batra

"I’m not drunk – just a litt-le high.”

On a magical moonlit night, Jai and Anusha meet and fall in love. When they meet again however, they discover that Jai is the crass capitalist developing Rasa Vihar, the heritage building that Anusha and her NGO are fighting to protect.

 

Inevitably they clash, with neither willing to concede to the other. The problem is that although publicly they are enemies, in private, they are wildly attracted to each other. – but when secrets and betrayals enter the equation – things really begin to get out of control.

Will the Activist and the Capitalist ever be able to find common ground?

She loves me,He loves me not by Zeenat Mahal

There are few stories which are more than about love and romance where you find yourself rooting for both beauty and the beast.  The latest novel by Zeenat is one such story of fate , hopes , persistence and above all the line we sometimes forget when we cross to the darker side.

Zoella has always desired Fardeen from a distance and even when he was engaged to the sophisticated Neha , she kept her dreams alive . This with the dream to make a name for herself and be independent one day. Fardeen , the brother of Zoella's best friend is the one who never got refused for anything , owing to money, looks and charisma equally blessed on him. A cruel twist in Fardeen's life leaves him alone and Zoella gets chosen to fill his life with care and love. The fairy tale that Zoella always wanted is presented to her with all ingredients of turning into a messy affair if she falters just once.

It is amusing to see how relationship dynamics are so weird and yet predictable at some levels.One can beat anyone at his / her own game andit stand true for both love and hate. Love the lovers and hate the haters lot more than they expect ; and you got their attention. But it is extremely hard work and one that needs lot of patience. Do Zoella and Fardeen have the will and patience to keep up the pretenses and let their presumptions make this tale work is what you have to find out.

The story has a realistic lovely setting of a well settled family, loving siblings and some amazing conversations spread all across the book. It is really sweet how Fardeen's family sides with Zoella and treats her with such cares. The book makes you laugh , smile, curse both Zoella and Fardeen and yet feel hopeful for love , for happy ends that they deserve.

Zeenat has turned me into a mush ball with this book and I could not have asked for another feeling this week. I am a fan of Zeenat's brilliant writing and light books.

My rating :4/5

Rapid Fall by Adiana Ray

JD avoids relationships after his divorce, but when he meets Sonia, the attraction is instant and intense. She wants a commitment, however, unwilling to settle for anything less. Can they fall in love, or will they fall apart?

Nimue Says : A beautifully knit tale of  rapids not just in river Ganga but also in love and life. 

Rapid Fall might feel like a rapid read but it is definitely not for the size of the book but for the fact that the story flows so seamlessly from Mumbai to Rishikesh and back to Mumbai.

JD meets Sonia on a trip to Rishikesh , training and saving her life during river rafting. They begin on a not so good note but something about each other keeps both wondering. finally it is JD who decides to take a chance at setting things right only to mess it up with his insecurities. 

Of course there is happy ending but the build up is amazingly done.  I thoroughly enjoyed this. It is a fresh feeling to read love stories that are real and handled with keeping in mind that readers wish to read about intelligent and real people.

Rating : 4/5

Unsettled by Neelima Vinod

The hundred-room house is a rich tapestry of memories and hidden secrets, a dark, forbidding place, rumoured to be haunted by a vengeful Yakshi. Propelled by a desire to save their marriage, Divya and Raghav journey to the haunted mansion in search of the mythical Scrolls of Love.
Written five hundred years ago by the banished court poet Shankara, they are fabled to have the power to heal and reignite lost love. Is this just a legend, or are the couple heading towards a chilling destiny?

Folklore & grandma's tales - don't we all loved them as kids. what if one of them is true and you can never escape its shadow ? What if the closure to the characters of the story is the key to your oown marital bliss ?

The longing of a Yakshi and the words of a young poet who lost all his poems and thoughts to this passionately possessive creature make for a great story of love , obsession , power and the final freedom that some times comes not from lovers but from others who pine with us.

I loved the writing of the book. The poetry mixed in the narration is lovely and so refreshing. the take the story forward and also give it a haunting voice. Long after you finish the book , you will feel the beauty of the mansion and the pleasures love can get.

More than that , it also gives a glimpse into modern relationships which often develop cracks due to lack of communication.

All in all , an engaging read.  I give this 4/5 rating.

The Perfect Groom - by Sumeetha Manikandan

Very little has gone right in Nithya’s young life. So, when a proposal from a young, handsome NRI comes along, her mother jumps at the opportunity and packs her daughter off to the US with her perfect groom. Nithya seems to have settled in with Ashok, ostensibly happy, if as yet childless, in her new life. When an old flame comes back into her life, however, the cracks in her perfect marriage begin to show…

Honestly, The Perfect Groom (by Sumeetha Manikandan) is a very familiar story. It is a light read meant for times when you want to pick up a book but know there will be lack of concentration. Things that I liked about Sumeetha’s book were Nithya’s moments with her in-laws and obviously the happy ending.

The plot presented is quite predictable and so are the characters. I believe that universally story-outlines are limited and every author presents those same outlines in new flavours, with new colours and different twists. But The Perfect Groom lacked all of that! I wish the author would have invested more in bringing out the emotions of each scene. I wish she would have been more descriptive of the characters.

Another thing I admired about the book was that it was a tight story. By this I mean that there were no unnecessary scenes/situations or even characters. The story might be predictable but it has the potential to resonate with a varied audience. This is precisely why I feel that Sumeetha should have dug deeper.

Would I recommend The Perfect Groom? As a super-light read yes!

Would I ever pick up another book by the author? I sure would give it another shot!

Rating: 3/5 (as light as a read can get!)

Canvas of Dreams, by Jaya Siva Murty

Riya seems to have lost everything—the man she loves to another woman, her husband to death and her soul to fear. Can she confront the nightmares of her past and dream of a better future?

Canvas of Dreams is the debut novella of author Jaya Siva Murty. Riya, the protagonist, goes for a function in Singapore, only to run into Ryan, her old love at an exhibition. But once again, they end up going their separate ways. Once she’s in Mumbai, talking with her best friend leads to her decision of spilling the dark secret in her life. As a solution to her nightmares, she also decides to start an art gallery, which brings Rehaan, a talented artist into her life. And in another direction returns Ryan as well, leaving her with a choice to make.

It is a simple love story with not many twists, and one that seems very probable. A light read which can be finished in a few hours, so I feel it would be best for a journey. It is interesting enough to keep our attention even though we do have an idea where the plot is headed. Jaya’s language also makes it easy for the reader, as it is simple and lucid. We see some fun philosophical comparisons in the novella too, which manage to make us smile. All in all, a good effort.

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Shared with
1) First Reads Challenge at b00k r3vi3ws
2) Indian Quills 2014 at Tales Pensieve.

Reviewed by Leo, for Indireads.
The book can be puchased via the Indireads website at www.indireads.com

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The Contract by Zeenat Mehal

Circumstances have forced the young divorcée, Shahira, to accept Hussain’s unusual proposition. As per their contract, she’ll have his name, will be paid to look after his ailing mother and motherless daughter and will be left well alone by him. Perfect!

Until her new husband decides to stop playing by the rules…

My views :  After a long time , I am getting to read novellas which have a simple plot , a well thought story and such amazing writing. The charaters feel real , the situations are so much beleivable and above all , the end is satisfying not just for the story ended but I actually felt good for the characters. 

Both Shahira and Hussain have their bitter past to move forward from and they both mistrust each other right from the beginning. It is therefore heart warming to see Hussain make the effort to heal himself and Shahira. Add to the mix are two adorable kids and even more adorable MIL character.

This book is sweet , hopeful and a total feel-good thing ! Perfect for a cold day , accompanied by your favorite drink !

Rating : 4/5

PS : I received a review copy of the book from Indireads.com . The views written are my own.

A Newlywed's Adventures in Married Land by Shweta Ganesh Kumar

Title : A Newlywed's Adventures in Married Land

Author : Shweta Ganesh Kumar

Genre : Chick-lit, Travel, Journal

~ Summary ~

"Former workaholic Mythili moves to the Philippines to be with her new husband Siddharth. Once there, however, she is faced with unemployment and expat wives, all the while struggling to overcome culture shock. Is Siddharth’s love enough to help this real life Alice find her way out of Wonderland?"

~ Review ~

It is a very breezy read,  you can read it in one go. It is Mythili's story, which begins in present time as she picks up her favourite book, Alice in Wonderland, and then goes to the past couple of years and ends in present time. 

What I really liked are the constant connectors to Alice, the names of all chapters and the quotes at their beginnings. I thoroughly enjoyed the way the lines from Alice were woven in the chapters wittily. It makes for a fun read which you would enjoy reading while travelling. I could connect with when she snaps at people who ask her if she eats cows, and that entire conversation is something a lot of us can identify with, because the half information about India that is online, is not ono so far fetched that it is funny, but also ridiculous to the point of disappointment. It is a narrative so you feel like you're actually inside her head, exploring her thoughts and feelings.

What I didn't like, however, was the one dimensional characterisation of almost everybody except Mythili and kind of Siddharth. Everybody else were stereotypical side characters, with little to them but unredeemable qualities which I personally do not like. Also, the references made to both schizophrenia and anorexia, in my opinion, seem to trivialise the diseases.

"Mythili wished she had met Sarah under different circumstances. She would have liked her. She would have liked her even more if she was sure Sarah was completely lesbian. Yes, sad, very sad, but honestly, she would have. Yes, she had a girlfriend, who Mythili was having a hard time identifying as a girl at all. She had short cropped hair, a very square jaw and was dressed in a men’s sweater t-shirt with jeans and sneakers. A pair of thick glasses and absolutely no makeup. She was solid looking and could easily pass for a rather handsome, clean-cut guy. It was her very masculinity that had Mythili on the fence. If Sarah had really switched sides on the gender she preferred to be with, why not be with a girly girl; why a girl who looked like a guy? Didn’t that mean she still liked guys?"

^ This paragraph I found extremely disturbing. And disrespectful. This is obviously a character flaw, and I get it but I got so disconnected from the character and lost what little identification I felt. 

~ Verdict ~

1/5

I read a few reviews about this book and I found that people generally liked it, I can see why. Its a continuous flow and it is interesting. Personally, it didn't do anything for me. I didn't quite enjoy it as much as I thought I would after the initial 20 pages. 

You can find out more and buy it here. 

A Scandalous Proposition by M.M.George

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A SCANDALOUS PROPOSITION: General Fiction, YA, Indirom

AUTHOR (Bio from Indireads): M.M. George is the pen name of Mimmy Jain. Mimmy lives in London and edits stuffy academic books and journals when she is not dreaming up frothy romances. Mimmy has been writing as far back as she can remember. She won her first national award for writing in the International Year of the Child, at the tender age of 14.

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She had her first romantic story published around the same time in a national magazine. For many years, she wrote a humor column, which was published under various names in India Week, The Financial Express and National Review. As Mimmy Jain, she has been a mainstream Indian journalist for the last 27 years and has worked in senior positions at publications such as The Economic Times,The Times of India, The Financial Express and Mint.

BOOK(S): A Scandalous Proposition  is her debut e-novel.

SYNOPSIS:

When Ranbir Dewan offers to make small-town girl Mira Talwar his mistress for six months, she is shocked 

and refuses outright. But fate has other plans for them. Will the sensual attraction Ranbir and Mira share 

mature into something more substantial?

EXCERPT: 

She blushed and tried to bring her hand down, but her dupatta was caught in her earring. She pulled at it impatiently, but it refused to budge. She was just about to tear it away recklessly, when she heard the scrape of a chair and then felt his warm breath on her neck as a long finger extricated the flimsy material from the little bell in her ear. She closed her eyes to quell the thudding that started suddenly in her heart.

“You still haven’t learnt how to get yourself out of sticky situations, have you?” said a soft voice in her ear. She shivered suddenly as Ranbir caught hold of her hand, forcing her back against him, his fingers rubbing softly on the sensitive skin of her inner wrist. “These are the Dewans you are tangling with, Mira. Be very careful.”

MSM Speaks: Ah! After a long time, I read a book of this genre, Chick-lit that is. And let's just say "A Scandalous Proposition" is a fantastic mixture of Fifty Shades of Grey, Ekta Kapoor's Family Saga and some invisible background Hindi music. I mean this in a good way, don't be judgmental, you! It is a tiny package of handful of pages and works like a charm. 

Mira comes to New Delhi to find a job with her mother and younger sister, Reema and finds herself in a sticky position hard enough to extricate herself from. Unpredictably, she does find a way out of it, only to land in another hot boiling soup cooked by Mr. Ranbir Dewan - touted to be the hottest bachelor, who is also a heart breaker. But he cannot ignore Mira, the one who wears shimmering earrings and bangles that would irritate the hell out of him, but also fill his silence with music. He finds himself irresistibly attracted to her and despite her initial apprehensiveness and hostility, she reciprocates like dew drops, not in earnest. 

Not all is birds and bees with them though, mind you! They have very real issues to deal with, their sister and brother respectively who have got themselves into trouble, together. Now it is on these seemingly polar magnets to reconcile the situation and work their way around the scandalous proposition which Ranbir gives to Mira, who like any dignified woman, declined. But somewhere deep down her heart, she finds herself imagining the forbidden prospect. Ranbir's and Mira's journey beyond the physical attraction is worth a read. Totally mazedar read!!!!! MSM Recommends!! 

You can get the e-book here at Indireads

Pyar aur Poetry by Roopa Menon

College beauty Arundhati Basu would rather stick her head in the proverbial oven than host this year’s Founder’s Day event with tongue-tied nerd, Nikhil Menon. Compared to the brilliant but elusive poet, D. G. Beckett, Nikhil is a green toad. 
As Arundhati gets to know him, however, she finds herself oddly drawn to the shy geek, and he, in turn, grows in confidence as he spends more time with her. His hopes for a lasting relationship with Arundhati seemed to be within his reach.

If only she could forget D. G. Beckett!

My views : Have you ever felt love for some one whom you do not know except his writing ? Ever fell for someone whom you perhaps admired for talent without knowing who he really is ? If yes , you will find those memories hitting you back when you read this novella. And then there are people whom you notice not but a chance encounter leaves you in awe !

This is a story of discovering talent in some one you have never bothered to know. A story of a guy finding unique way of overcoming his inhibitions and trying to win over his love.a clash of literary choices and the merits of each. I absolutely liked both the characters in equal proportions. while some where i relate to Nikhil finding it hard to be liked , i also have been like Arundhati when it comes to exploring Indian literature. if Arundhati had ever read a tale like this one , i am sure she would have respected Indian writers ! It was most amusing how Nikhil deals with DG Beckett !

I really liked this fresh take on love in college setting.

This is an e book which you can buy here

Butterfly Season by Natasha Ahmed

On her first holiday in six years, Rumi is expecting to relax and unwind. But when she is set up by her long-time friend, she doesn’t shy away from the possibilities. Ahad, a charming, independent, self-made man, captures her imagination, drawing her away from her disapproving sister, Juveria.

Faced with sizzling chemistry and a meeting of the minds, Ahad and Rumi find themselves deep in a relationship that moves forward with growing intensity. But as her desire for the self-assured Ahad grows, Rumi struggles with a decision that will impact the rest of her life.

My views : Story of a million girls and guys told through beautiful Rumi from Pakistan and charming Ahad in London. Rumi has cultural inhibitions and an orthodex set of people governing her life (or so she thinks) while Ahad has never felt love and protectiveness for any one before. When they meet , they have lots to learn from each other and teach a bit too.  This is a lovely story of finding own voice and to find happiness. This is also about having great friends who care for you and of finding your own identity and freedom from other's judgments. and while you are relishing all this , it some where hits you that perhaps on the name of culture we sometimes inhibit our own love and give air to insecurities .I totally loved this novella. 

Rating : 4/5

This is an e book published by Indireads ( who happen to have some amazing titles ) . You can check this book here

Haveli, by Zeenat Mahal

One thing that always makes me happy after reading an e-book, rare that I do read one though, is that I don’t feel that I’ve read an e-book. That is to say, it has managed to engage me to the extent that I haven’t felt the strain of reading it. I’m not a big fan of Kindle reading personally, but of late, I’ve read a couple of decent novels on my PC, so happy to note that this book is one of them.

Zeenat Mahal’s book Haveli takes us Pakistan in the seventies, a setting that I have not read previously, and the moti of that mahal is a 20 year old girl named Chandini, who oddly enough, hates her name and calls herself C. The story brews around her, her love for an older man Kunwar and her grandmother, who she unceremoniously and unabashedly refers to as The Broad. The love story is thrown helter-skelter by the arrival of Taimur (promptly nicknamed as Alpha Male) and “the Broad”’s decision to get C married to him. The story is a straightforward one, and has no big twists and turns, though a small unexpected twist does come sometime. I won’t go into even the small details, since it is sure to give away the plot.

So, straight to the heart of it. What’s good in the book is that it is pacey. You can finish it in a couple of hours and not feel bored at all. The characters are interesting and keep you engaged in their story. The main character C is portrayed nicely as well. Simple narration, nothing to make you head for a dictionary. All in all, it works well. What I felt odd was to see the nicknames taking over through the novel. Taimur isn’t called by his name, rather the nickname. Though I do agree that in context of C’s character it is warranted, it being spread throughout the story kind of felt strange. Nothing to the extent of making the book terrible, but still something I personally did not like.

One time read, but a worthwhile one-time read. Engaging and very enjoyable. This is Zeenat’s first publication. Congratulations for that to the author!

In A Gist:

Positives: Memorable characters, simple pacey narration

Negatives: Repetition of nicknames feels a little strange

About the author:

Zeenat Mahal is an avid reader and has been writing for as long as she can remember. She has an MPhil in English literature from Government College Lahore and is currently doing an MFA in creative writing from Kingston University, London. "Haveli" is Zeenat’s first published novella. Currently she is working on a literary novel with elements of magical realism, while continuing to write romances.

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Book Details:

Title: Haveli

Series: N/a

Author: Zeenat Mahal

Genre: Fiction

ISBN/ASIN: N/a

Publisher: Indireads Inc.

Price: INR. 150

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Shared with
1) First Reads Challenge at b00k r3vi3ws
2) Indian Quills 2014 at Tales Pensieve.

Reviewed by Leo, for Indireads.
The book can be puchased via the Indireads website at www.indireads.com

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Book Review: Done With Men, by Shuchi Singh Kalra

The key to any story is the plot. Some are simple and direct, some have twists, and some have morals. I feel that a simple plot is not necessarily a bad thing, but it should have enough in the story to appeal to the reader, and keep turning the pages.

The story/plot in the book "Done With Men" is, I feel, very simple. It's the story of a journalist Kairavi Krishna, who wakes up one fine (or maybe not so fine) day to find that she's in the hospital with a dislocated shoulder and fractured clavicle. She's in the care of her BFF Baani and her boyfriend Kapil. She's in Goa, on a working vacation. She's had her share of problems, which make her take the vacation for some alone time, but things don't end up the way she had thought it will.

The good thing about the story, as I told before, is that it is simple and direct; not only with the plot, but with the narration as well. The unfortunate part is that in such a case, the directness usually works against the story, and makes it very easy to know the ending. Yes, there are some bumps along the way that she must negotiate, but it's not something that affects the ending at all. Even if there are no twists, I feel the ending shouldn't be that predictable after reading a few pages.

The novella is a nice breezy read, which I feel is apt for a few hours journey. And it is a one-time read.

In A Gist:
Positives: Simple plot
Negatives: Predictability

About the author:
Shuchi Singh Kalra is a writer, editor and blogger based in India. She has been writing since 2005, and has freelanced with popular magazines. Her short stories have found a place in anthologies as well. This is her first book.

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Rating: 3/5

Book Details:
Title: Done With Men
Series: N/a
Author: Shuchi Singh Kalra
Genre: Romance
ISBN/ASIN: N/A
Publisher: Indireads
Price: $3

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Shared with
1) First Reads Challenge at b00k r3vi3ws
2) Indian Quills 2014 at Tales Pensieve.

Reviewed by Leo, for Indireads.
The book can be puchased via the Indireads website at www.indireads.com
This is an advance-review. The book release is on 14/2/2014.

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