REVIEW - Marriage Unarranged - as decadent as masala chai

Date read: 12th March 2020

My rating: 5*

Genre I reckon: Contemporary Indian Chicklit 

Buy link: Amazon

Follow the author on Instagram 

If you follow my reviews, you know I rarely give a 5* but this book has earned it. 

Aashi has burrowed into my heart with her excellent, demure grace. 

Where do I begin? The end! 

Oh, that Ravi!!! (*boo hiss*) 

Aashi's family are wonderful. I adore her daddy-ji - such a lovely teddy bear of a man. 

Mummy-ji is quite traditional but no less lovely. 

And her brothers? Nobody could want better - overprotective with love.

And, as if that wasn't enough, Kiran, her best friend, is wonderful if not slightly kamli. 

- a wonderful Sikh family. 

One of the beauties of this book is that includes Indian wording, specifically, Punjabi. But it's done in such a way that you easily understand. And there's a glossary of terms at the back should you get confused. 

Aashi & co. travel to India, and I felt like I was right there with them!

I could almost smell and taste everything the author described. 

I was even inspired to brew up some masala chai myself!! 

Warning - this book might make you hungry. If you're inspired to make any of the stuff mentioned, there's plenty of recipes online - do it! 

I almost got the holiday blues when the story landed back in the UK! 

So, we have some wonderful characters with amazing settings.

The plot takes you along nicely too. I was rooting for Aashi all the way. 

And the writing style is fab. 

It's also refreshing to read a book featuring Indian culture. I smiled at the phrase "chickpea curry lit"  - yep! 

Have you seen that cover? It's just brilliant! 

BUT, as good as all that is, it's not what makes this book special. And, you should already be one-click buying by now.

But it is the message which really pushes this novel up my admiration ladder. It is so brave. 

Marriage Unarranged seeks to explain, quite gently but firmly, that broken engagements should not leave the girl shamed/tainted. I think possibly more often than not, it's the boy who is culpable but who gets away unscathed.

And massive kudos for subtly addressing gay relationships too. Yes, in some cultures, this is still an issue. 

Honestly, if you're a chicklit/romance fan, you won't be disappointed! 

So good it gets its own special book review photo!

Always in love and light,

TL

REVIEW - Into the Fire - the heat is on for Inspector Stone

Date read: 3rd March 2020

My rating: 4*

Genre I reckon: Detective

Buy link: All stores

Follow the author on Twitter 

Doh! Confession: it wasn't until I got to the end that I realised I'd clicked on the wrong book in my Kindle Library! 🙈 This is, in fact book 4 of the series. 

That I didn't realise is testament to the fact that this book can be read as a stand alone. 

I really enjoyed this book. 

There's a whole pile of cases for Detective Stone to wade through, and he's recovering from trauma as it is. 

There's a fun array of characters, all written with depth. 

Details of the cases are classified until you read them 😉

Like all good detectives, Stone is a guy with flaws. This is what makes him so believable. 

I love his friendships and how we get glimpses into his life as he gets on with his work. 

There's even a nosy reporter/friend. 

If you like detective books, you'll want to give this series a read. 

Always in love and light,

TL