Title: The Gardian Angels
Author: Rohit Gore
Paperback: 328 pages
Publisher: Grapevine India (July 10th 2013)
Genre: Romance
Read: Paperback
Stars: ***/5
Buy On: Amazon | FlipKart
Summary: (Goodreads)

The Guardian Angels is the epic and tumultuous story of two star-crossed lovers who weren’t just soul-mates but were also each other’s protectors.
The fates of Adi Mehta and Radha Deodhar are deeply entwined when within days of their first rendezvous they save each other’s lives.
Despite their vast sociopolitical differences, they are drawn to an uncertain future fraught with contrasting ambitions, personas and ideologies.

. . . he is the son of a billionaire, she is the daughter of a socialist.
. . . he is quiet and unassuming, she is a firebrand and spirited.

However, the unexplained phenomena ties them forever – whenever they are in peril, they are each other’s only saviors.
Over the following two decades Adi and Radha live through hope and despair, joy and sadness, and try to decipher their relationship. As the truth of their bond is revealed, they must confront the true nature of love, and ultimately, their destinies.

My Review:

Note: Thanks Rohit Gore for offering me your book to read and review 🙂

Cover: Eye-catchy!

Paper and font: Ebony on Ivory!

Readability, language: Easy on the eyes and mind with no big words.

Why did I choose this book: The cover caught my eye.

This is the story of two people, Radha and Aditya, who have known they have chemistry since they became friends as kids and yet life keeps them apart. They are different in so many ways and they walk different paths but destiny brings them together every time one of them is in trouble. Will they ever come together, that’s the story.

Considering that Radha and Aditya are always there for each other in times of trouble, the title seems appropriate. The cover caught my eye with a simple outline of the face of a man filled with the image of a woman. It’s simple and uncluttered. The blurb though left me wondering if I would like the book.

I’ve read a fair number of romances over the years but this is the first time I’ve read a story like this. A unique plot, the story had me wondering right to the end if Radha and Aditya would get together. The plot is a simple one of a girl and boy from very different backgrounds coming together and yet it’s complicated with the intricacies and sub-plots of each of their lives.

Set in Mumbai, Gore goes back in time to the city of Bombay and works his way to present day Mumbai. He has used the city as a good backdrop for his setting of the world of a rich industrialist’s son and a socialist’s daughter. However there isn’t so much of the city as Gore focuses on the lives of his hero and heroine. That said, I did get subtle flavours that are so Bombay.

Aditya, a billionaire’s son has the world at his feet yet he lives in the shadow of his father and Radha, the daughter of a union man is wise beyond her years. The story revolves round Aditya and Radha but with them are a host of well described characters. Some of the characters are an integral part of the story but there are quite a few others who make fleeting appearances and take the story forward.

After my skeptical start of the story, I must say I enjoyed the book. The blurb had left me wondering if I had done the right thing when accepting the book and the first few pages made me wonder some more but as I read on I started to get curious about the end. The story starts a little before the end and then backtracks. It’s clear right at the start that this couple is going to go through a struggle and Gore doesn’t disappoint. The story builds up well and the climax is almost expected, yet you don’t know what the end will bring. There are some threads that Gore doesn’t tie up tight but it doesn’t rankle when the book finishes.

Told from the perspective of Aditya along with Radha’s journal entries, both sides of the story are told as incidents unfold. The language is simple and the emotions believable. Gore keeps the pace though the book and I didn’t find myself getting bored at any point.

Over all this is a good book to read once if you like reading romance set in modern day India where the girl and boy come from diverse backgrounds. Men would like the book but I think women would enjoy it more. There are some violent and sexual scenes so age I think is YA and above.

About the Author:
Rohit Gore currently lives in Pune and has spent over a decade in the IT industry. He loves sports, specifically the discussing and watching part of it, since he says his playing days are long gone. He is interested in history, especially the history of music and arts. You can connect with Rohit on his Facebook page.

Buy On: Amazon | FlipKart

Title: Haveli
Author: Zeenat Mahal
Paperback: 93 pages
Publisher: Indireads (June 12th 2013)
Genre: Romance
Read: eBook
Stars: ***/5
Buy On: Amazon
Summary: (Goodreads)

It’s the 1970′s in Jalalabad, an erstwhile princely state in Pakistan. Chandni is a self-proclaimed cynic and prefers to be called C. An orphan brought up by her domineering grandmother, a.k.a. The Broad, C is rebellious, quick-witted and stunningly beautiful.

When Taimur, a.k.a. Alpha Male, enters the closed universe of the haveli, he is smitten, but he’ll never admit it.

The stakes get higher when the father, who had so cruelly abandoned her at birth, returns and C’s dream of reuniting with him becomes a reality. But now she has to choose between her father and his hand-picked groom on the one side, and Alpha Male and The Broad on the other.

My Review:

Thanks Indireads for offering me this book to read and review 🙂

Cover: Simple pleasing illustration!

Paper and font: BIG FONT 😀

Readability, language: Easy on the eyes and the mind.

Why did I choose this book: Something about the cover and 1970’s Pakistan caught my fancy.

C or Chandni is a 20 year old growing up 1970’s Jalalabad, Pakistan. She is a product of the times and upper class society – rebellious, sarcastic, and cynical, with a sense of humour. An orphan she was brought by her strict matriarchal grandmother who isn’t ease to please. She rebels against a betrothal arranged by her grandmother only to find that she is attracted to the guy.
While she’s figuring all of this out, the father who had abandoned her as a child turns up to reclaim her and her affections but not alone. He brings along with him another suitor for her hand. Who will C choose – her grandmother or her father?

When I think about joint families, extended families, old school families or matriarchal families I think of old houses, sprawling old buildings and havelis that were as much a part of the families as the people who lived in them. From that point of view the title makes sense. The cover is a simple pleasing illustration but I couldn’t make out the haveli in it. As for the blurb, it was definitely captivating and interesting, it was what got me to read the book.

As I read Haveli I was reminded of a lot classic romances but being set in 1970’s Pakistan makes the plot feel new. It has the classic conflict of beautiful girl and dashing boy who start off on the wrong foot. The boy is so mature that he can see through the girls immaturity and goes about wooing her is a weird tangential way while the girl is smitten but doesn’t see it and fights it to the end. In the midst of all this throw in a long lost father, a matriarchal grandmother, a conniving suiter and an extended family and you’ve got multiple plots playing out.
Chandni or C as she prefers to be called, is in the middle of all the drama as protagonist and we see it all unfold through her eyes and mind.

Set in 1970’s towns of Jalabad and Cholistan in Pakistan, Mahal does a good job of describing the life of upper-class highly-educated society. From the clothes to language, I felt transported to that time. I was so reminded of old time serials, set in that time, that I had watched as a child.

Haveli has a fair number of well drawn out characters – Chandni or C, Bi Amma or the Broad, Baba and Bua, Taimur or Alpha Male, Chandni’s father Shen Jahan and more. Though there are a lot of characters all of them seem to have a motive to being in the story, however not all characters complete their individual stories. I was left wondering about what happened to a few characters like Faisal,Shen Jahan and his wife at the end of the book.

C typical to her nature gives most of the characters interesting names from classic literature and switches around the names – from Heathcliff to Mr. Darcy – on based on her mood. The throwing in of character names was fun in the beginning but towards the end it was a bit of a drag.

On the whole Haveli isn’t all that bad but towards the end it feels rushed and incomplete. The build-up to climax and the final union of the lovers left me with questions. Characters hanging in story loops with no conclusion in sight. I would have liked to hear about what happened to Shen Jahan and Faisal now that their plans are thwarted.

That said I did enjoy the romance between Chandni and Taimur. Taimur is so the suave gentleman who can set a woman’s nerves tingling. And Chandni is that silly nitwit who has a great wit but loses her head in tight spots. They make for a good couple and story.

The story being told by Chandni lends an insight into the life and mind of a 20 year old affluent girl in 1970’s Pakistan. The language is a good mix of the Hinglish we speak here in the subcontinent and the English we try hard to speak, it made me laugh sometimes as I could almost here the words and accent in my head.

Mahal keeps a good pace for two-thirds of the book, then suddenly it just jumps forward and closes, almost as if Mahal was suddenly reminded she was writing a novella and was running out of words.

Overall a good book. I enjoyed the peek into the 1970’s and Pakistan but I do wish Mahal had closed all loops and told the whole Shah Jahan story. If you are someone who likes old world stories, you’ll enjoy reading Haveli. It’s worth your time!

About the Author:
Zeenat Mahal 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. She is currently working on her next novel. You can connect with Zeenat on her Facebook page.

Buy On: Amazon

Title: Done With Men
Author: Shuchi Singh Kalra
Paperback: 109 pages
Publisher: Indireads Incorporated ( February 14th 2014)
Genre: Chick Lit
Read: ebook
Stars: ***/5
Buy On: Amazon
Summary: (Goodreads)

Travel journo, Kairavi Krishna (Kay) has had it with men. After a series of disasters (losers, philanderers, leeches, mama’s boys and possessive psychos), she is all too tempted to walk out on the prospect of ever finding love. Accompanied by her best friend and flat-mate Baani, she sets off for Goa, hoping to get away from her miserable love life and vowing to stay clear of the male species.

Goa however, has a host of surprises in store for her. Ricky, her pesky ex-boyfriend, is busy painting the town red with his hot new girlfriend. Now what is poor Kay to do other than overdose on vodka, smoke pot, get an outrageous tattoo and fall off the hotel balcony? She wakes up in the hospital to the tender ministrations of Dr.Vivian D’Mello–young, suave and handsome as hell. Will Kay stick to her guns or will she fall for his ridiculously sexy charms? And what’s up with the mixed signals he’s giving out?

My Review:

Thanks Shuchi Singh Kalra for offering me your book to read and review 🙂

Cover: Simple, bright and eye-catchy!

Paper and font: So large, I had to manually reduce it 🙂

Readability, language: Easy on the eyes and mind.

Why did I choose this book: Really needed some light reading and a book on a girl done with men seemed perfect for that 😀

After her most recent heart-break Kay jumps at the chance when she gets an assignment in Goa. She hopes that the distance from her ex and the Goa carnival atmosphere will ease her heart and heal it. But in Goa she bumps into her ex, which leads to a night of debauchery, which in turn lands her in the arms of a rather hot doctor. Oh Kay, what will happen of you…

‘Done With Men’ are words I’ve said and heard innumerable times after a break-up but they are rarely final, somehow love does happen again sooner or later. Looking at it that way, the title is appropriate for a book where the heroine falls out and then right back into love. The cover caught my eye with a simple illustration of a woman sitting alone by the beach by herself and the blurb was interesting enough to make me want to read the book.

The plot of heart-break followed by finding prince charming is an old one but Kalra spins it well and it almost feels new. The book revolves around the life of Kay and is true to life in that Kay almost makes a fool of herself at every bend of her love story. It’s something we have all done when we were young. A simple story without any major sub-plots or complications.

Mostly set in present day Goa, Kalra uses the carnival and Goa’s party scene to set the stage for her story. That’s about all it does, it’s that hazy backdrop with not much detail or clarity. However this one is forgivable as Kalra focuses in-depth on Kay and hey, it’s a novella.

Though Kay is the central character, there are quite a few other supporting characters. There’s Baani, Kay’s best friend and flat-mate, Ricky, her ex, and Dr.Vivian D’Mello, Kay’s love interest among others. All the characters have a role to play and they all tie up neatly in the end. I liked most of the characters too, but I wish Vivian had had more spine, he seemed a bit of a sissy (for want of a better word).

The first half of the book is fast and gripping, especially when Kalra hints at some girl-on-girl action, but she veers away all to soon to chase the man and there it gets a little dull. I could have done with more drama there. However Kalra ties up all the loose ends and pairs up characters quite neatly at the end.

Over all this is a good, quick read in-between larger books.

About the Author:
Shuchi Singh Kalra is not just a writer, but also an editor and blogger. She has been published in a large number popular magazines over the years since she started writing in 2005. She is also the owner of Pixie Dust Writing Studio, a writing and editing firm and the Indian Freelance Writers Blog. Shuchi lives with her army husband and toddler. You can connect with Shuchi on her facebook page.

Buy On: Amazon

Photo Credit: Chenthil

I’ve been away from the blog for over a month now. Sorry for disappearing without notice. If you missed me, big hugs to you 🙂 If you didn’t miss me, then I guess a hug won’t matter either 😛

Over the last couple of years it’s become a ritual that I take a holiday of my own every year. I take time off from the house, dogs and husband. This is my time and my space, completely; I love it and look forward to it.

This year things just fell in and out of place and a plan to see Historic Delhi emerged. Making a plan to travel to Mumbai to meet up with my travel partner and then head out to Delhi I booked tickets and that was that. I then got busy wrapping up everything here before I left. I almost managed all to-do’s before I left but missed the blog 😛

Cutting it, I made it to the train and was in Mumbai before I knew it. Mumbai is a city close to my heart. It’s the city that has most of my family and over the years a lot of friends too. I love the pace, the people, the life, colours and smell of the city. It sets my pulse racing. A week in Mumbai and plans changed. Ms. Partner couldn’t join me due to medical crazyness and I headed out alone to Delhi.

I had a blast in Delhi, but that doesn’t even start to describe it. I immersed and soaked myself in history and architecture. Spent hours gazing at tomb roofs and running my hands on walls as I imagined the Mughals and Sultans walking these corridors and touching those same walls a couple of hundred years ago. The things the Syaid’s, Lodi’s and Mughal’s built with just mud and stone, blew my mind. The symmetry in their architecture just left me in awe with my jaw dropping. More on it in the travelogues I’m going to write about my Delhi trip. It’s been ages since I wrote a travelogue. Kick me if I don’t get it done, please. 🙂

On returning hubby gave me four (yeah 4) hours to unpack and repack before we headed out on a week long road-trip with friends. After rock, mud and white plaster, I now soaked up the green as we wound our way to Chennai via Kovalam, Thenmalai, Kuttralam, Kovilpatti, Dhanushkodi and Pondichery. Oh boy was this trip fun, from F1 driving to beaches galore, it had it all.

Photo Credit: Chenthil

Truthfully I didn’t feel like returning, but I think it’s the dogs that brought me back to reality. I missed the brats through my trip and couldn’t wait to get smothered by them. Back from the trip I promptly fell sick, I guess I should be greatful it didn’t happen on holiday. But it did make the settling back in with the dogs also returning a bit difficult.

Present: I’m doing much better now, though got a few more days to go to full power, the dogs are back to being masters of the house and it feels great to sleep in my bed again after all this while.

Photo Credit: Chenthil

So much catching up to do, I don’t know where to start. Got a lot of books lined-up to read too while I’ve been gone. Authors: If I have one of your books on my TBR and I haven’t reviewed it yet. Please be patient I’ll get to it soon. I promise before the New Year 😀

This time off helped me a lot with clearing my mind and giving direction to my thoughts. I now plan to shift this blog of mine to a new domain [expect to get a reminder soon 😀 ], it’s going to get re-done with a better layout, pages, etc. There’s also a new series I’m planning. Got a lot planned and fingers crossed 😀

If you have any suggestions for my blog, can help me with the gyan on moving my blog, working with wordpress and bloggy stuff please leave me a note in comments. I’d appreciate all the help I can get. These are uncharted waters for me 🙂

Ok, enough about me and my mysterious disappearance :P, it’s going to take me a while to read all your missed blog posts. So, what have you been upto?

Title: English Bites!
Author: Manish Gupta
Paperback: 344 pages
Publisher: Penguin Books (December 21st 2012)
Genre: Non-Fiction
Read: Paperback
Stars: ****/5
Buy On: Amazon | FlipKart
Summary: (Goodreads)

English Bites! My Fullproof English Learning Formula is the story of a man who goes from being tongue-tied in school to becoming a smooth talking banker. Through a series of hilarious personal adventures and misadventures, Manish Gupta provides easy solutions to problems faced by language learners. So, whether you’re a vernacular speaker, a GRE/ GMAT/CAT/XAT aspirant or just a language nut, English Bites! will expand your vocabulary and improve your verbal ability. It may even help you love the English language a little more!

My Review:

Thanks Manish Gupta for offering me your book to read and review 🙂

Cover: Simple, bright and eye-catchy!

Paper and font: Ebony on Old Ivory 🙂

Readability, language: Easy on the eyes but maybe not the mind.

Why did I choose this book: English with it’s innumerable number of words has always fascinated me but learning and remembering those words has always been difficult.

There are scores of books written on learning the English language and I’ve read my fair share over the years but English Bites! is the first book I’ve read that talks about someone’s journey in learning English while still teaching me a lot about it. Manish Gupta takes us down the path he followed starting out in an English medium school as he tried to wrap his mind around the English language gaining a proficiency that finally resulted in a book. The book covers not only words but also tips and tricks that help learn and remember words and usage.

English Bites is an appropriate title as it has multiple meanings through the book – from the painful episodes of getting language wrong to Gupta’s bite-sized bits of information. The cover is simple and bright with the orange jumping out at you and grabbing your attention. The blurb does justice to the book in terms of what to expect.

The plot (if there is one) is a simple one with Gupta as the main protagonist as he fights his way through understanding and learning a language that is constantly growing with the acceptance of numerous new words from various sources where the meaning may not always be what it seems.

The book is laid out well with meanings of words either explained in the text or as foot notes. Gupta has also included illustrations and expansions that help understand concepts better.

When I started reading the book, it felt like a drag and I couldn’t seem to read more than two pages at a time. It took me a while to realise that, that was because I couldn’t control my curiosity; I kept jumping to the foot notes to read about the words, sometimes even the ones I knew. The jumping about of course meant that I was constantly losing track of where I was in the story and had to go back and re-read parts. Once I got my curiosity under control and I accepted that reading two-odd pages at a stretch was ok, I started making progress.

English Bites! is one of the few books I have taken so long to read – 47 days! After my initial struggle I quickly realised that this book was perfect for my ‘on the pot’ reading. It was a great way to start my day as I could then spend my day mulling over the new words I learned and trying to use them through the day. I kind of believe in the saying that you have to use a word thrice correctly to make it your own.

The first half of the book is about Gupta’s initial journey into learning English with lots of helpful tips like using mnemonics, limericks, rhymes, alliterations, and trivia to learn and remember words and their usage. Some of these were really interesting or wacky and I’m sure to remember them over time, like did you know the largest eggs are not those of an ostrich but a shark or that an easy way to remember the difference between stalactites and stalagmites is that stalactites grow from the roof so they have to hold on tight and stalagmites, grow from the floor and might just make it to the roof.

He also goes into types of words like isograms, palindromes, etc. and fun with words, letters and meanings like pointing out that the word ‘set’ has ’58 noun uses, 126 verb uses and 10 uses as an adjective’.

In the second half Gupta starts to focus on areas like medicine, food, coffee, etc. as he explores the words used in these arenas. I learned a lot of new words here like – abdominoplasty, chummery, hyperpagia, circumlocution, consanguine, patronymic, etc. along with learning the history or etymology of some words like expresso.

In the last chapter Gupta loops back to complete his story and renew his learning curve with new words from the mouth of a babe. At 344 pages English Bites! seems long but the end came as a surprise to me; I was looking forward to learning more.

Over all the book is well written and quite detailed. English Bites! will definitely help anyone who wants to get better in English no matter whether it’s just casual interest or a study for exams, however it will take a few reads before you make a dent in your English vocabulary. This book is going to permanently reside on my ‘pot reading shelf’. 😀

About the Author:
In my short life I think I’ve meant too many people of numbers (finance guys) who are in love with letters. It baffles my mind, numbers and letters don’t go together in my head. Manish Gupta adds to my list by being a banker. Hailing from Rajasthan, he has studied in Chandigarh and Jamshedpur, and currently lives in Mumbai with his wife and daughters. You can connect with Manish on the English Bites! facebook page.

Buy On: Amazon | FlipKart

Title: Romi and Gang
Author: Tushar Raheja
Paperback: 236 pages
Publisher: Pirates Publishers(May 1st 2013)
Genre: Childrens Books
Read: Paperback
Stars: **/5
Buy On: FlipKart | Amazon
Summary: (Goodreads)

Unruly and reckless, thirteen-year-old Romi is the hero of his universe. His great affinity for adventure and the unknown is shared by his gang – the rascal Sukhi, the deadpan Sunny, the naïve Golu and his blood brother, Kim.

When legendary Kim disappears from Mauji, it is left to the four to conquer the maidan with cricket and the world with their wits. Of course, they must prepare for responsibility in between and, one day, go after Kim.

My Review:

Thanks to the Pirates for offering me this book to read and review 🙂

Cover: Eye-catchy!

Paper and font: So-so.

Readability, language: Easy language but it could have been more readable.

Why did I choose this book: It’s been ages since I read a children’s book.

Romi and Gang is a story of four school friends and the game of cricket. Each child dreams of being a Sachin Tendulkar, Viv Richards, or some other famous cricketer but life doesn’t play out that simply. Like a game of cricket, life throws a lot of googlies at the boys in the town of Mauji. Playing cricket on the maiden the boys dream of bringing back the lost pride of their school by winning the Eagle – a inter-school cricket trophy. How it all pans out and what happens in the crucial match is the story.

The cover illustration is an eye-catchy picture of children running that reminded me of some children’s books I’d read ages ago and the title reaffirms that. The blurb, well, I wouldn’t say it’s well done but neither is it bad, lets just say it’s so-so.

The plot of ‘Romi and Gang’ was new to me since I’ve not read a lot of cricket based books however the story does have more to it that cricket. There are a lot of sub-plots as Romi and his friends Sukhi, Sunny and Golu face challenges through the school year both at home and school. Then there is Kim, a character much talked about but never seen. Raheja has a lot of sub-plots in the story but I’m not sure if all of them were necessary.

Set in the small town of Mauji, Raheja has done a good job of describing the town. In my minds eye I could see the boys race down the market street knocking in to people and things as they raced against each other. It was also easy to imagine the maidan and the forest that eats up balls as they played cricket.

‘Romi and Gang’ has a fair number of characters if you include the families and teachers of the boys too. The story however largely revolves round Romi and his friends. The boys are easy to associate with as I sure knew a few boys like them as a kid. Romi is a typical 13 year old with his confused emotions and thoughts. Sukhi, Sunny and Golu are so like the friends we all have, quirky and wonderful. Then there is Kim, the boy all the boys look up to and who Romi considers a blood brother. A lot is spoken about him and his prowess, and I was looking forward to him making an entry but, he doesn’t. 🙁

‘Romi and Gang’ has a good story however I wasn’t happy with the way it is written. Raheja went all over the place without warning and jumped places and situations at random, leaving me all confused with most of the story. It was only towards the end, when the cricket match was looming that I could make sense of the story and that part of it was good. There are also a few loose ends in the story, Kim for one. I know I’ve been repeating myself but if you have a character that is talked about through the book, you should either give him entry or close the loop. I don’t have Romi stuck so much in my head as I have Kim.

The book also has illustrations which I liked, a good artist (Biswajit Das) but I found at least one illustration wrong. In one scene Romi tackles a tantric and pins his neck down with his legs. In my head I could so see this that the illustration of Romi holding the tantric with his hands at the throat made me go back and reread the text. The illustration felt so wrong. A little more attention to detail would have been nice.

Over all the story is a good one but I’m not sure if it’s clear and simple enough for children. Or maybe I didn’t see it’s simplicity and clarity because I’m not a kid. Either ways the language used and the topic chosen will definitely work for boys. What’s with the cricket craze in boys/men? There are other sports you know which are just as much fun.

If you have a son or are buying a book for a boy, ‘Romi and Gang’ might be worth a shot.

About the Author:
Tushar’s website is under-construction and his Facebook page says “When you read something like – TR is a bestselling author, mathematician, guitarist, musician, photographer, blah and more blah – be reminded that the tareef may just be written by him.” So if you want to know more about him, you better ask him. All I do know is that Romi and Gang was earlier published by Roli Books in 2011 under the title ‘Run Romi Run’ and that Tushar Raheja has also written another work of fiction, titled ‘Anything for You Ma’am’. 😀

Buy On: FlipKart | Amazon

Title: The Homing Pigeons
Author: Sid Bahri
Paperback: 328 pages
Publisher: Srishti Publishers (April 10th 2013)
Genre: Romance
Read: Paperback
Stars: ***/5
Buy On: Amazon | FlipKart
Summary: (Goodreads)

In the middle of the catastrophic 2008 recession, Aditya, a jobless, penniless man meets an attractive stranger in a bar, little does he know that his life will change forever…..
When Radhika, a young, rich widow, marries off her stepdaughter, little does she know that the freedom that she has yearned for is not exactly how she had envisioned it…..
They say Homing Pigeons always come back to their mate, no matter where you leave them on the face of this earth. Homing Pigeons is the story of love between these two unsuspecting characters as it is of lust, greed, separations, prejudices and crumbling spines.

My Review:

This book review is a part of “The Readers Cosmos Book Review Program”. To get free books log on to thereaderscosmos.blogspot.com.

Cover: Easy on the eyes.

Paper and font: Smell-worthy Ivory and Ebony 🙂

Readability, language: Easy on the mind.

Why did I choose this book: The premise sounded interesting.

This is the love story of Radhika and Aditya who meet as children and part, to meet again and part again, and then meet again and live happily ever after. Simply put that’s it. But the story also delves into the lives, situations and emotions of Aditya and Radhika as they cross paths through their lives. Aditya’s who has a successful career in banking, loses his job and is down in the dumps until his life takes a sharp turn, when forced into a sticky spot, he becomes a gigolo. Radhika marries twice for love but not the man she loves and has it all but still feels empty. A rich single woman again, she has nothing to do with her time and life until she discovers herself.

The cover is pleasing to the eye with soothing colours that hint at coming darkness and the blurb is vague yet catches interest and made me want to read the book. The title at first glance seemed appropriate for a book about two people drawn to each other constantly though life however after reading ‘The Homing Pigeons’ I felt Radhika and Aditya were different, unlike pigeons they weren’t trying to get together, life brought them together.

The plot is the old simple one about lovers who are separated by circumstances in life and how they finally come together in the end to live happily ever after. However Bahri adds a lot more to the story as he delves into the lives of Aditya and Radhika exploring the stigmas and tribulations of being a gigolo in India, the life of rich women in high society and the emptyness of being a young rich widow.

Set in present-day Delhi all Bahri said was believable for me from the little I’ve seen of Delhi and all the stories that I’ve heard over time. The picture he drew of Delhi’s various shades and colours wasn’t very different from what I had seen and imagined and I found myself identifying with a lot of characters.

Radhika and Aditya are the main characters and they are strong however I felt Aditya was made more of an impact. Radhika I felt for and associated with but she lacked punch, there was that something missing. Bahri also has a few other supporting characters who play their roles well but none of them are really memorable.

The story is told by present-day Aditya and Radhika as they reminisce their history in little bits until it all falls together at the end. Bahri doesn’t leave any loose ends in his story and plugs all the niggling gaps by the end. This is a story where within the first few pages you know just how the two protagonists will meet in the end and yet you read on to see how the cards will play out. The story is interesting but I do wish Bahri had written a shorter book and got to the point quicker.

All said and done ‘The Homing Pigeons’ is a book worth reading at least once. Though I’d recommend it for adults only considering the subjects it explores.

About the Author:
Born in Gauhati, Assam in 1978, Siddartha Bahri spent most of his childhood and youth in Chandigarh and Delhi. Starting out as a tele-calling executive he grew to become a General Manager before quitting the corporate world and settling down in the hills of Kumaon. He currently lives in Majkhali with his wife. ‘The Homing Pigeons’ is Sid Bahri’s first book. You can connect with Sid on his website www.sidbahri.com.

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Title: Rising of a Dead Moon
Author: Paul Haston
Paperback: 238 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace independent Publishing Platform (October 9th 2012)
Genre: Historical Fiction
Read: e-book
Stars: ****/5
Buy On: Amazon
Summary: (Goodreads)

An Indian girl is forced into an arranged marriage then widowed. She escapes a widow’s burning and flees to Africa to find the father who has abandoned her.

Set against a backdrop of 19th century Indian Indenture, the shipment of Indians to work on white-owned sugar plantations in Natal, Paul Haston’s critically acclaimed novel is a story of hope and tragic drama.

My Review:

Thanks Paul for offering me your book to read and review 🙂

Cover: A cover that makes you think of the classics!

Paper and font: Font and layout was good.

Readability, language: : Reads easy!

Why did I choose this book: I’d never read the story of an Indian slave in Africa before.

Usha, a young Indian girl becomes a widow at a very young age. Unwanted by everyone, even her mother she get packed off to Vrindavan, the city of widows. Dejected and rejected she decides to go in search of her father who went to Africa when she was a little girl. However life doesn’t get better for her, she escapes the Indian sigma of widows only to become an Indian slave in Africa.

As I read the book the aptness of the title become clear as Haston explores the darkness in Usha’s life. The new moon or day of the dead moon brings darkness and is an evil omen in Zulu lore. The cover is simple with the silhouette of a woman looking out into the fields. I would have preferred to see more of the image as half the image is hidden behind parchment that carries the title and authors name.

I’ve read a few books about African slaves in America but this was the first book I’ve read about Indian slaves in Africa. The plot is well laid out with the initial set-up of Usha’s life in India as a child, a young bride and a widow. Haston then moves on to Africa along with Usha, as she becomes an indentured slave on a cane plantation. In her dark world James Rothwell brings a glimmer of hope, however he has his own demons to fight both in Africa and England.

Set in three countries during the Victorian era, Haston draws a detailed picture of India, Africa and England during those times. The people and culture of those times are described well and I found myself amazed at how a non-Indian got India, its people and its customs so right.

The main protagonist is Usha but James also plays a strong role to counter the feminine. Usha is the average Indian widow who decides to defy the sati tradition and live her life. She has a lot of sorrow in her life and the dark cloud never seems to go away. But through out the cloud has a silver lining, keeping her moving forward in hope. James is a victim of circumstances but also the man who takes the easy path. However he has strong principles and values that hold him in good stead but don’t always lead him to happiness.
‘Rising of a Dead Moon’ also has a host of supporting characters who add to the story and make it richer.

The story is structured well starting out in India before travelling to Africa, then England and back to Africa to complete the circle. Haston ties up all the loose ends in the story and gives it an unconventional end that leaves you with just the right questions to take away to mull over your hot cocoa.

Like I said before the insight into India by someone non-Indian amazed me. Haston’s research on Africa and India and their cultures shows in the book. A well written book with a good pace, the ‘Rising of a Dead Moon’ makes for good reading. I’m definitely looking forward to Haston’s next book.

Since there are a lot of dark undercurrents in the book, I wouldn’t recommend this book for kids. If you’re not a kid and like historical cultural unconventional romance, ‘Rising of a Dead Moon’ is a book to read. Don’t miss it! 🙂

About the Author:
Paul Haston now lives with his family on the west coast of Canada but he is originally from England. Other than ‘Rising of a Dead Moon’, he has also written another novel ‘Blood and Doves’ along with several short stories and screenplays. He is currently working on his next novel ‘Shadow of the Tiger’. He can be found on his Facebook page for his novel Rising of a Dead Moon.

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Title: Once Upon a Prince
Author: Rachel Hauck
Paperback: 305 pages
Publisher: Zondervan (May 7th 2013)
Genre: Christian Romance
Read: e-book
Stars: **/5
Buy On: FlipKart | Amazon
Summary: (Goodreads)

Susanna Truitt never dreamed of a great romance or being treated like a princess—just to marry the man she has loved for twelve years. But life isn’t going according to plan. When her high-school-sweetheart-turned-Marine-officer breaks up instead of proposing, Susanna scrambles to rebuild her life.

The last thing Prince Nathaniel expects to find on his American holiday to St. Simon’s Island is the queen of his heart. A prince has duties, and his family’s tense political situation has chosen his bride for him. When Prince Nathaniel comes to Susanna’s aid under the fabled Lover’s Oak, he is blindsided by love.

Their lives are worlds apart. He’s a royal prince. She’s a ordinary girl. But everything changes when Susanna receives an invitation to Nathaniel’s coronation.

My Review:

Thanks to Book Sneeze for offering me this book to read and review 🙂

Cover: Could have been much better.

Paper and font: Layout and font was good.

Readability, language: : Simple LONG read.

Why did I choose this book: A prince charming story had sounded appealing.

After being in a relationship for 12 years, Suzanna finds herself heart-broken and single. In the spirit of freedom she quits her firm and becomes an independent landscape architect, giving herself up to God’s will. And then she meets her prince charming, Nathaniel, who turns out to be a real prince. The prince soon becomes King of Brighton Kingdom but there are laws and entrails that they must overcome to be together.

The cover is very Mills and Boonsy and could have been much better. Every time I see covers with women in gowns on them, especially with theirs heads chopped off I wonder what the cover designer was thinking. How does a gown justify the story or is it just that gowns stamp the book as romance? The cover has no connection with the title ‘Once Upon a Prince’. An image of a prince, with or without the bride would have been way better.

Inspired by Kate and William’s story, ‘Once Upon a Prince’ is the story of a commoner marrying royalty. To this mix Hauck adds the twist of a law prohibiting royalty from marrying foreigners, an entail that will decide the future of another Kingdom and a scheming wannabe Duchess. as plots go, this is a good one.

Set on St. Simmons Island in America and Brighton Kingdom somewhere in Europe, Hauck has done a good job of describing the places and people. I could see most scenes in my minds eye as I read the book and could associate with the characters and their situations.

Susanna and Nathaniel are supported by a full set of quirky characters. Avery, Susanna’s sister is a burst of energy and sunshine. Stephen, Nathaniel’s brother wants to convert the throne room into a bowling alley. Then there’s Aurora, who lives in a tent and appears out of nowhere to make prophecies. Expect for Susanna and Nathaniel who made me want to whack my head a few times, all the other characters were fun.

The story follows a clear three act structure and is split into three parts. Technically Hauck’s book is sound except of the loose end of Lady Genevieve, who is build up as a wonderfully cunning and evil person but is forgotten in the happily ever after end.

Though technical soundness may make for a good text book, it does not necessarily make for a good novel. ‘Once Upon a Prince’ at 305 pages is just too long and a lot of times I wished Hauck would just get on with it. Susanna and Nathaniel had one too many preachy sermony conversations and for a romance they prayed more than they kissed. Actually come to think of it, every time they were together in the book they prayed, the kiss came only after the proposal at the end.

The plot and storyline are good but the book could have been crisper with more unchaste romance 🙂 If you are someone who likes royal romances that are long, slow and chaste, ‘Once Upon a Prince’ is for you. Considering the chastity of the book, it’s a book for almost all ages. 😀

About the Author:
Rachel Hauck is a RITA Finalist and Carol Award winner recently chosen by Family Fiction readers as one of the top five romance authors in CBA. She has written more than 15 novels. Rachel lives in central Florida with her husband and writes from her ivory tower (her 14th-floor office painted ivory!). Read more about Rachel Hauck at www.rachelhauck.com.

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