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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Seoul-Mates - by Pamela Q Fernandes

She’s a down-on-her-luck foreigner struggling to fit into a close-knit society, and he’s the heir to one of Seoul’s largest business empires. The marriage of Anglo-Indian Katia Rosario to Jihan Kwan, Seoul’s most eligible bachelor, sounds like a fairy-tale romance. Except that it’s not.

Seoul-Mates, by Pamela Q Fernandes, has everything a romantic novel essentially needs – the damsel in distress, the bad-boy and the villain. The concoction of love, pain, drama and evil brewed by Pamela is almost perfect!

This book was my debut with Indirom Novella and I wouldn’t change that (that does say a lot). By the end of the book I did fall in love with the protagonists (Katia & Jihan) and their story. This read more like a short story rather than a novel. I do think it has the potential to be explored more, and here is why: 

• Each character, even the supporting ones, had depth to them. The author could have built those and highlighted their equations with our hero & heroine.
• Katia & Jihan’s meeting & courtship needed to be meatier for me. After all how the guy woes the girl is quintessential for telling a romantic story.
• While his proposal seemed perfect, I do wish her turmoil of entering the marriage would have been shown. It was a difficult decision for her! 
• The character of Jihan’s sister seemed untouched, there was potential there too. Whatever glimpses of the little sister-in-law’s relation with Katia have been shown were nice.
• Spoiler alert: Imo’s (Korean for Aunt) breakdown, god knows was the perfect opportunity to flare up the drama. This was the manic masala bit of this story.

Pamela’s plot might not be the freshest, but her story definitely leaves you feeling hopeful. If I do ever get a chance I would want to know ‘Why did she pick Korea as the destination?’ 

As a one-time read I would definitely recommend Seoul-Mates. Here’s wishing author Pamela Q Frenandes a full-blooded next book!

Rating: 3/5 (it’s a light read)

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