Only Wheat Not White - Book Review

Title: Only Whet Not White 

Author: Varsha Dixit

Publisher: Penning Publishing

Type: eBook

ASIN: B00KQNNHVA

Number of Pages: 262

Price: 63 [INR]

Genre: Romance

The Blurb:

What if the one you completely love is the one you simply can't! Twenty-six-year-old Eila Sood moves to America to mend fences with her estranged older sister, Sheela. Eila and the rest of the family in India had cut off ties with Sheela after she married Steve Jacobs, 'out of caste, and out of color'. Elia soon realizes that Sheela's marriage is on the rocks. To help pay Sheela's household bills, Eila takes a second job at an afternoon strip club. When she crosses paths with the owner, the handsome Brett Wright or 'blue-eyed ogre' as Elia calls him, he both infuriates and fascinates her. Brett turns out to be her reluctant and unquestionably sarcastic knight in shining armor. As Eila and Brett spend more time together their desire for each other builds. However, when Brett discovers the true reason for Eila's refusal he storms out of her life, accusing her of being a prejudiced coward. Will Eila find the courage to break stereotypes and embrace her love? Will Brett find solace in the arms of his ex-girlfriend Cate? Will Sheela and Steve divorce? All of these questions and more are answered in Varsha Dixit's latest and humorous and steamy love story.

My Review:

       The title of the story made me curious. 'What might actually be the story behind it?' was what prompted me to pick up this book. And I am glad I did. It was such a wonderful and hilarious read.

      When Eila leaves India to work in New York, there is only one rule her mom sets for her - Only Wheat Not White. Eila agrees readily because she had never imagined meeting a handsome blue eyed ogre, who though irritates her to no end at first, later makes her go weak in the knees and make her want to stop time just so that she could be with him. While Eila set out to New York, it was only to mend the broken ties of her family. Sheela was outcasted for marrying Steve, a foreigner, against her family's wishes. After years when Eila comes to meet her sister, her only goal is to bring her family together. But things start to get complicated when she realizes Sheela's is not a happy marriage. When things get difficult, Eila goes an extra mile to support her sister but what will happen when she falls for Brett Wright? Will she be able to ignore her feelings for long and abide by her mother's rule or will love overpower her fears of suffering the same feat at Sheela?

       In a country where love marriages still raise eyebrows, marrying someone from a different country is out of questions. Love, quarrels, hatred, heart breaks, friendship, craziness - the story has it all. The NRI life style has been portrayed perfectly. The unexpected turn of events, the steaming hot love story between Eila and the handsome Brett, Steve's soft side, Eila's uncanny ability to fall into trouble all made the story all the more interesting. 

Things I Liked:

• I loved Brett Wright! The handsome, drool worthy male protagonist made sure I never lost interest in the story.
• It wasn't just Brett, the narration, the pace and the articulation, everything is mixed perfectly which makes the book a big success.
• I loved the subtle sense of humor which was sprinkled throughout the story.
• Eila's clumsiness, her bouts with the most embarrassing situations and her actions makes you laugh.
• Eila's habit of putting someone's happiness before her's, the way she helps her sister even though she had to step out of her comfort zone, made her an endearing person. (But when she refuses to see sense when it came to Brett, I wanted to shake her up)
• Even the side characters were sketched well. I loved Megan the most. Eila's role of cupid in Megan's love story and her tips were sometimes hilarious. 

Verdict:

       Pick up the book without second thoughts. It is a funny and fast paced read and definitely a page turner. It will leave you rolling with laughter and will make a good weekend read. Highly recommended.

My Rating:

Until the next review,

Keep Reading :)

Love,

Starry Eyed Reader :)

The Madras Affair - Book Review

Title: The Madras Affair 

Author: Sundari Venkataraman

Publisher: Readomania

ISBN: 978-8192997575

Number of Pages: 288

Price: 240 [INR]

Genre: Romance

The Blurb:

Sangita, head of Penn Urimai - an NGO for downtrodden, homeless and abused women - was not always this successful and confident... Born and brought up in the city of Madras and widowed at just twenty, Sangita builds an iron wall around herself till she meets Gautam who makes her aware of her sensuousness and charms. But Sangita not only has to fight her family's orthodox and outdated rules, but also her own inhibitions and hesitations before she can walk into the future with her blue-eyed lover. Will Gautam be able to solve Sangita's dilemma or will she be forever trapped in her past?

My Review:

Characters:

       Meet Sangita, a widow in her early twenties, who is trapped in the confines of an orthodox family. Sweet and shy, Sangita's world revolves around her son Sandeep. Unaware of her own beauty and charms, Sangita is bound to make the readers fall for her.

       Meet Gautam Sinclair, our blue eyed hero from America. Gautam is the handsome hunk, who falls head over heels in love with Sangita, right from the first sight. English lecturer, a perfect gentleman and romantic at heart, Gautam is going to set many hearts on fire with his oh-so-perfect mannerisms.

Plot:

       Sangita, head of Penn Urimai - an NGO for downtrodden, homeless and abused women, had a past; one that has taught her to stand up for herself and for million others who are victims of society's orthodox ways. But Sangita wasn't this brave always. There was a time when she had suffered all this silently... Until she met Gautam.

       Gautam comes is like a gust of fresh air in Sangita's life. For once, Sangita feels like rebelling against everyone. But shedding the baggage of past isn't that easy. While Sangita fights with her own dilemma, Gautam works his charm to win her heart over. The question is, how long will it take for Sangita to realize that she cannot live without Gautam? What will it take for her orthodox family to agree for this proposal? 

Things I Liked:

• Sundari has dealt with sensitive topics like marital rape and widow remarriage with elegance in this novel. I loved the way she described Sangita's dilemma, her mother's views which represents the orthodox society in general and Gautam's views. It was a perfect combination of realistic tale and romance.
• When the story started with a happy ending, I had my doubts as to whether it will be an engaging read with the ending already revealed. But I must say, Sundari has yet again succeeded in writing a page turner!
• The characterization deserves full points. The way Sundari has described every thing in detail, you can visualize the story unfold.
• I loved the sizzling chemistry between Sangita and Gautam. While I was happy with the way things turned out in the end, it took me a while to get over Gautam :P
• I loved the instant connection between Sandeep and Gautam. Reading about Sandeep's innocence and Gautam's love for him was like an extra cherry on top of the cake.
• Sundari's narration which is brilliant as always is definitely a huge plus point.       

Things I Disliked:

• Except for some typos and a few instances where the story turned slow, I don't remember anything that could be a turn off for the readers.       

Verdict:

       Sundari has managed writing yet another brilliant novel which I most definitely loved reading. The sparks that fly between Sangita and Gautam and their fights definitely add up in making this novel a page turner. Highly recommended for all the romance lovers.

My Rating: 4.5/5 Stars!

Until the next review,

Keep Reading :)

Love,

Swathi :)

In Converstation with Shilpa Suraj

       Today we have Shilpa Suraj, author of two brilliant Romance novels, who is capable of spinning magic through her words and bringing characters alive through her writing. Her eloquent articulations, her ability to paint vivid images and her sense of humor are just few of the many things that will keep the readers hooked to her novels. I am glad to have got an opportunity to interview her on my blog.

Hi Shilpa,

            Welcome to Escape Reality – A Book Lover’s Paradise. I am glad to have you here on my blog today. First of all, congratulations on the success of your books – 'The Girl He Left Behind' and 'Rescued by Love'.

 Hi Swathi. It’s a pleasure to be hosted on your blog today. Thank you for the congratulatory wishes and hope you’ll enjoy all my future books as well. 

Please tell us something about yourself.

I’m a very simple person. I love family, friends, reading, writing, dancing, good food and my dog who is also a member of my family. (That list is not in any particular order) I’ve also recently discovered Zumba which is my latest obsession. My version of heaven is being allowed to stay tucked away in a little corner with a good book, either reading or writing one.

 ‘The Girl He Left Behind’ is one of the finest debut novels I have read so far. How did you come up with the idea?  What prompted you into writing?

I’ve always wanted to write. I’ve had stories spinning in my head, especially the story of The Girl He Left Behind, for years but with working full time, I never got around to actually writing. Then I got married and my husband announced that he was going to Chennai on a six month work sojourn. In all my newly-wed enthusiasm, I decided to take a sabbatical from work and follow him so we could spend quality time together. Only once I got there, I realised he was crazy busy with work and I was just crazy bored. So I opened up the laptop, started typing and haven’t stopped since!

       (I hope you don’t mind me saying this, but I am super glad you took the decision to follow him to Chennai and then started to write)

Lt Col Arjun Rathore, the protagonist of your 2^nd novel ‘Rescued by Love’ has stolen the hearts of many readers (I am one of them too!) and so did Ryan Mathur. Are these characters just a figment of your imagination or are they inspired by any real life person?

They’re completely a figment of my imagination. If either Ryan or Arjun existed in real life, I’d keep them for myself and refuse to share them with the world! J

If you have to pick one favourite character which you like the most from either of the books, then who will it be and why?

       Oh that’s a tough one! I know everyone loves Arjun but I think Ryan has a special place in my heart. I love his bruised and battered heart that beats so powerfully for Sia and Sia alone. Also, Ryan’s lived in my head a lot longer than anyone else has! J

Are you satisfied by the response you have received from the readers so far for your books?

       I am thrilled with the response both the books have got from readers. People have written into me with such lovely feedback and kind words. The first time a reader wrote to me saying they loved my book, I squealed so loudly I sent my dog running for cover. As you can see, he isn’t exactly the fiercest guard dog.

I hope the books continue to entertain everyone and reach an even wider audience in the coming months.

So far you have written 2 romance novels which were both well received by the readers. When can we expect the third book? Tell us something about your next project?

I currently have two books that are in varying stages of completion. One’s a contemporary romance and the other a romantic thriller. I don’t have a fixed date for when either will be out as there are a lot of variables when it comes to traditional publishing and not many of them in my control. I will, however, keep everyone posted on both books when I have concrete news to share.

Is there any particular style of writing you prefer? Would you be sticking to the ‘Romance’ genre (not that we are complaining!) or is there any other genre you are interested to write in?

I think no matter what genre I dabble in, a strong romance will always be at the core of it. I love reading romance and writing it is just effortless pleasure. I doubt I’ll ever stray too far from it.

You mentioned that you started reading at a very young age. Who is (are) your all time favourite author(s) and which is your favourite book?

My favourite authors are Nalini Singh, Julia Quinn, Lisa Kleypas and Suzanne Brockmann and my all-time favourite book is Nalini Singh’s Heart of Obsidian (Psy Changeling Series) Kaleb, the hero in that book, is to die for!

What do you have to say to your readers and to the aspiring authors who are reading this interview?

To my readers, thank you for all the love you’ve shown me and my books so far. Do reach out and tell me what you think of the books. I’d love to hear from you!

To aspiring authors, write with both your heart and head. Write the story you want to tell. The one that spins in your head like a broken film reel. Write a story you would love to read. The rest will, God willing, fall into place.

Thank you so much Shilpa. It was fun talking with you. Wish you all the best for your upcoming books. 

         You can stalk Shilpa Suraj @

                  

Until the next post,

Keep Reading :)

Love,

Swathi :)