Pause

by Vatalini Sahar, Jennifer Fink (Editor), Jessica Boerschinger (Illustrator)

He sees her before he knows her.
She feels seen before she’s ready to be known.

In a candlelit corner of a Chicago hotel bar, Clark becomes captivated by a woman he doesn’t know, a woman who appears each week, always alone, always after dinner. He doesn’t speak to her. Not yet. But something about her quiet presence unsettles him, challenges him, stirs something dormant.

Simi isn’t running, but she’s not standing still either. She’s grieving, healing, trying not to come undone. The hotel is her refuge. The ritual is her escape. When Clark finally approaches her, their connection sparks quickly, but what begins as a slow burn becomes a complicated entanglement neither of them are prepared for.

Told in alternating points of view, Pause is a magnetic, intimate story about timing, grief, longing, and emotional resurrection. For readers who believe love doesn't always arrive gently and sometimes, the person who sees you most clearly is the one who meets you when you're falling apart.

For fans of: Normal People by Sally Rooney, Before We Were Strangers by Renée Carlino, and Seven Days in June by Tia Williams.

282 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 4, 2025

About the author

Vatalini Sahar crafts romantic fiction with a “candlelit noir” pulse, intimate, atmospheric love stories where desire and honesty collide. She is the author of Pause, a contemporary romance that threads grief, obsession, and hard-won hope through the lives of two people learning to love without the masks. Known for character-first storytelling, Vatalini’s work favors flawed but empathetic leads: intelligent yet humble, reserved until safe, and fiercely loving despite old wounds.

Her pages hum with tension and restraint, lush settings, and tactile motifs of silk and broken glass, signaling both vulnerability and strength. Expect slow-burning heat, moral complexity, and endings that feel inevitable because the characters earn them.

Vatalini’s forthcoming books include Play, a companion to Pause that deepens its world and asks what healing requires, and Queen of the Night, a darker, operatic romance that explores power, performance, and surrender. When she isn’t writing, she’s storyboarding scenes, annotating lyrics, and collecting small sensory details that make a kiss feel like a confession.

For updates, bonus scenes, and early reads, join her Substack and find her on socials @vatalinis

Reviews

[Lia Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book did not go where I was expecting. It was more emotional than I expected. I loved seeing the main characters work through their pain and trust issues. So many times I wanted to hug the FMC.

The writing style is on the formal side, but so are both of the main characters so for me it worked.

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

The setting of Chicago lured me in and I was captivated by the story of the two main characters. I was rooting for their HEA but of course there were bumps along the way. Some of the conversations were very formal and not how people talk in everyday language but other than that I enjoyed the book and look forward to more from this author!

[Cavak · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pause excels with its attention to character histories and their emotional differences. It's where the highlights of the narrative beats occurred for me, especially when it came to lending towards Simi's hesitations to being vulnerable with Clark.

I wanted more from the prose. It's not dry writing, it's predictable writing. If the narrator wasn't magically telling you everything that happened within the characters' heads, then it was showing you verbatim how they reacted. Dialogue felt a bit unnatural and formal for given situations, especially with a topic as delicate as grief and healing. It was a simple-to-understand plot, yet it was missing another emotional or artistic layer.

That's a shame because, while I didn't personally enjoy the romance between Simi and Clark, I appreciated that they took their time learning one another before they hop into bed with one another. I'd have liked that extra layer to have translated into their romance too.

Pause curves into another direction outside of the romance, and I quite enjoyed that second half over the first. I think it resolved a little too quickly, but that's all right. Left mixed vibes overall. Hoping that Sahar will keep writing.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Kat Malave · Rating 5 out of 5]

Emotional - Slow burn that will have you screaming at the book , Do the nasty ALREADY !!!

This Slow-burn had me hooked from the start. We all deal with grief differently but we all come to understand it,
and this books brings to life so perfectly. Its feels real , and life isn't perfect and that's its okay, this book reminded
me that its okay to grieve the way I need to but its also okay to love, to open my heart to it. That life and people are
complex and messy and it's okay. Seeing the characters navigate through pain and emotional connections reminded
me that we all have difficulty doing so but it's possible to navigate through it all and become better for it.
Now psa if you don't like crude words Don't read further. lol The slow burn did got me fucked up at some points cause
I wanted them to say fuck and fuck already ... I was like whyyyyyy but I know it was needed the longing, the waiting ,
the patience and needing to know each other before they ever hit the sack and do the hanky panky.
10000000/10 recommend this book.

[Cait's Reading Nook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pause is an emotional and evocative novel, centered on Simi and Clark’s story. It depicts the characters’ respective journeys with healing from trauma, grief, and trust as well as their feelings for each other.

Clark sees Simi had a hotel bar in Chicago, where she goes each week alone. Their connection is immediate, but continues to build over the course of the novel.

I was drawn from the start to Simi and Clark’s story and the hopeful outlook for their relationship. The novel shows their work together on their relationship and individually. I enjoyed how character-driven the novel is and the complexity and verisimilitude of their characters.

I recommend this book for readers who enjoy character driven, slow burn stories.

There are open door scenes in this novel.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Ella Rens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sahar writes with a full heart, balancing loss and vulnerability against strength and resilience. This is a deeply emotional story that explores the cycles of life, touching on themes of grief, betrayal, addiction, and enduring love with honesty and care.

Thoughtful and emotionally rich, Pause invites reflection and conversation, making it an excellent choice for book clubs. If you’re looking for a romance that doesn’t shy away from difficult topics but ultimately leaves you feeling connected and hopeful, this one is worth your time.

[jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing was a little formal but there’s a culture factor as well. I like the book it tells you there hope at the end of the tunnel. The amount of grief you have with loss never really quits but heals in different ways. It was a emotional book for sure I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Lone Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall Rating: (4.5/5)
Pause is not a traditional romance—it’s an emotionally charged, raw, and sometimes painful exploration of love, grief, and survival. Readers looking for a spicy yet deeply introspective story will find it haunting and memorable, while those preferring a lighter rom-com style may find it too heavy.