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Bollywood Confidential #1
Spice and Smoke
When the cameras stop rolling, the real scene begins.
To their adoring public, Avi Kumar and Trishna Chaudhury are Bollywood’s sweethearts. Behind closed doors, their open marriage lets them freely indulge in all manner of forbidden passions. The arrangement suits them both, but as they begin filming on the set of their new movie, the heat of new and rekindled flames singes the pages of what they thought would be a fresh script.
When costars Michael Gill and Harsh Mathur arrive on set, the sexual temperature goes up exponentially—at least for Trish. She can’t take her eyes of Harsh, for whom she’s carried a torch for years. Avi’s instant attraction to Michael, however, bounces off Michael’s solid wall of resistance.
Meanwhile, ex-boyfriends Vikram Malhotra and Sam Khanna, cast as fictional enemies, are finding it harder and harder to control the very real demons that once cost them the love of a lifetime.
Once the music starts, though, they all have no choice but to dance . And pray the fallout doesn’t ruin all their careers…and destroy their love.
To their adoring public, Avi Kumar and Trishna Chaudhury are Bollywood’s sweethearts. Behind closed doors, their open marriage lets them freely indulge in all manner of forbidden passions. The arrangement suits them both, but as they begin filming on the set of their new movie, the heat of new and rekindled flames singes the pages of what they thought would be a fresh script.
When costars Michael Gill and Harsh Mathur arrive on set, the sexual temperature goes up exponentially—at least for Trish. She can’t take her eyes of Harsh, for whom she’s carried a torch for years. Avi’s instant attraction to Michael, however, bounces off Michael’s solid wall of resistance.
Meanwhile, ex-boyfriends Vikram Malhotra and Sam Khanna, cast as fictional enemies, are finding it harder and harder to control the very real demons that once cost them the love of a lifetime.
Once the music starts, though, they all have no choice but to dance . And pray the fallout doesn’t ruin all their careers…and destroy their love.
115 pages, ebook
First published April 10, 2012
40 people are currently reading
479 people want to read
About the author
Suleikha Snyder
29 books322 followersEditor, writer, American desi and lifelong geek Suleikha Snyder is an author of contemporary and erotic romance. A passionate advocate for diversity and inclusivity in publishing, Suleikha is frequently ranting when she should really be adding to her body of work.
Suleikha lives in Chicago, finding inspiration in genre fiction, daytime and primetime soaps, and anything that involves chocolate or bacon. Visit her online at www.suleikhasnyder.com and follow her on Twitter @suleikhasnyder.
Suleikha lives in Chicago, finding inspiration in genre fiction, daytime and primetime soaps, and anything that involves chocolate or bacon. Visit her online at www.suleikhasnyder.com and follow her on Twitter @suleikhasnyder.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
July 17, 2012
Spice and Smoke is unlike anything I've ever read. It's ambitious, sprawling, brawling, bitchy (in the very best way), flashy, poly and queer. I loved it, and I don't even watch Bollywood movies.
If you don't like genres mixed, this is not the book for you. It's absolutely not an [insert genre] book plus Bollywood. It's its own thing. While the story has certain flaws that I'm going to discuss in some detail, even those flaws are interesting, and when it fails, it doesn't fail in a boring way.
I read pretty widely, and I've always had a soft spot for what I call "trashy classics", or epics packed full of sex and shenanigans: Jacqueline Susann, Jackie Collins, Harold Robbins. Sadly, genres today seem to have no room for the crazy shit that went on back in the heyday of these bestsellers. Now romances are way too moralistic, and thrillers aren't as sexual. The closest I've come to the fun, gossipy breathlessness of those books is E. Lynn Harris, who also writes bisexuals! Spice and Smoke squeezes into this category of seductive epic, although it's much more towards the romantic end of the scale than the cynical. The relationships in this story do get happy endings, although I won't give away exactly how.
In a nutshell (I was going to make a pun about betel nuts but it turns out they're actually called areca nuts and at that point I gave up) Spice and Smoke is about a group of people who are the stars of an epic Bollywood movie. They have histories with each other that stretch back for decades. There's Avi and Trishna, who are in an open marriage. Michael, gay and single and looking for monogamy. Harsh, who is straight and pining for Trishna. And then there are these two other dudes who… well, I'll get to them in the "flaws" section. As they shoot their epic movie together—it's all about the history of India, and their roles comment on the love roles they play off screen—they mope and pine and fight and fuck and declare eternal love and so on, all in big sweeping ways using big sweeping metaphors.
The language is over the top, as it should be. The sex is pretty hot and super emotional. The dialogue is chatty, witty, and lots of fun. "Relax, yaar. It’s cool. In queer years you are nearly ready to get a dog and move in together." There's a lot of meta stuff going on about performance and movies, but the book takes itself seriously enough too: it's not so self-reflexive as to be cloying. This book is heavily linked to cinematic iconography, so there's a lot of visual detail, but I also remember lovely descriptions of other sense impressions: rich smells, pounding music, the feel of warm rain...
The stylistic excellence wasn't entirely consistent. I encountered a few clichés—the dreaded "her slick folds"; someone is starving and his lover is "a buffet"—and some of the sentences I couldn't decide whether I loved or hated. Here's an example that stuck out: "At fourteen, Jaidev was better than any overpriced counselor telling him that smoking was a short walk to hash and a donkey cart ride down the rocky path back to coke." Whoah nelly!
And moving into flaws, I was unhappy with a certain translation decision about Hindi phrases. Many of them seemed translated in dialogue, or doubled, which is incredibly artificial and irritating. I don't know Hindi, and there's a chance I'm totally wrong about this, but I didn't like that decision at all. I do speak Spanish, and no one, including Spanglish speakers, talks like, "Hola hello mi amigo my friend que onda what's up". I know it's hard to reproduce speech patterns while pleasing foreign-language-phobic English readers, but I would have much preferred a) leaving Hindi phrases untranslated b) translating everything except a few interjections.
The structure is the greatest flaw. I had no idea what this book would be about. I jumped into it pleasantly free of preconceptions. It seemed like Avi would be the key character, since we start with him, and Avi and Trishna would be the key pairing. Cool. Then, halfway through the story, two other dudes parachute in: Sam, who's a druggie gone clean, he did drugs, he had a drug problem, ok ok ok, and Vikram his personality-free love interest. The characters from the initial story drop all their relationship development and serve as Sam/Vikram matchmakers, only to reappear near the end.
It's easy to structurally balance a monogamous romance arc; the hard part becomes conflict, not structure. But when you have multiple characters with multiple romance arcs, balance is crucial. Triple structures are great for balance; I remember Valley of the Dolls being structured around the storylines of three women. Spice and Smoke has a lopsided dual structure: it feels like a great story that was sawed off most of the way through to have a second story glued onto it. This book would have been MIND-BLOWING as a truly sprawling epic of 100-200k words that has ten major characters and more external conflict… and more sex of course! Currently, it left unanswered some major questions I had about the first story, like what exactly the psychological appeal of the arrangement was for Harsh.
However, the second story—which is more of a straight-up m/m romance—wasn't unenjoyable. In fact, it might appeal to some readers more than the first one. And wanting to get back to the first story so badly is very telling of how compelling these characters and relationships are.
As a menage book, this is not what I call a happy sandwich book. And that's a good thing. Despite the focus on glamor and the presence of so many larger-than-life characters, the relationship issues are surprisingly down to earth. The relationships are not about conforming to a social ideal. The future of these romances is not free of danger. But they are based on love and worked out by people who love each other deeply even when they're not having sex with each other. That was the biggest surprise for me: that so much of this book was about love without sex, not sex without love.
I want to read more bisexual Bollywood books now! More more more. I highly recommend this, and I wish more authors had the passion and daring to write this sort of genre-bending romance. Hint: buy their books! Including this one!
If you don't like genres mixed, this is not the book for you. It's absolutely not an [insert genre] book plus Bollywood. It's its own thing. While the story has certain flaws that I'm going to discuss in some detail, even those flaws are interesting, and when it fails, it doesn't fail in a boring way.
I read pretty widely, and I've always had a soft spot for what I call "trashy classics", or epics packed full of sex and shenanigans: Jacqueline Susann, Jackie Collins, Harold Robbins. Sadly, genres today seem to have no room for the crazy shit that went on back in the heyday of these bestsellers. Now romances are way too moralistic, and thrillers aren't as sexual. The closest I've come to the fun, gossipy breathlessness of those books is E. Lynn Harris, who also writes bisexuals! Spice and Smoke squeezes into this category of seductive epic, although it's much more towards the romantic end of the scale than the cynical. The relationships in this story do get happy endings, although I won't give away exactly how.
In a nutshell (I was going to make a pun about betel nuts but it turns out they're actually called areca nuts and at that point I gave up) Spice and Smoke is about a group of people who are the stars of an epic Bollywood movie. They have histories with each other that stretch back for decades. There's Avi and Trishna, who are in an open marriage. Michael, gay and single and looking for monogamy. Harsh, who is straight and pining for Trishna. And then there are these two other dudes who… well, I'll get to them in the "flaws" section. As they shoot their epic movie together—it's all about the history of India, and their roles comment on the love roles they play off screen—they mope and pine and fight and fuck and declare eternal love and so on, all in big sweeping ways using big sweeping metaphors.
The language is over the top, as it should be. The sex is pretty hot and super emotional. The dialogue is chatty, witty, and lots of fun. "Relax, yaar. It’s cool. In queer years you are nearly ready to get a dog and move in together." There's a lot of meta stuff going on about performance and movies, but the book takes itself seriously enough too: it's not so self-reflexive as to be cloying. This book is heavily linked to cinematic iconography, so there's a lot of visual detail, but I also remember lovely descriptions of other sense impressions: rich smells, pounding music, the feel of warm rain...
The stylistic excellence wasn't entirely consistent. I encountered a few clichés—the dreaded "her slick folds"; someone is starving and his lover is "a buffet"—and some of the sentences I couldn't decide whether I loved or hated. Here's an example that stuck out: "At fourteen, Jaidev was better than any overpriced counselor telling him that smoking was a short walk to hash and a donkey cart ride down the rocky path back to coke." Whoah nelly!
And moving into flaws, I was unhappy with a certain translation decision about Hindi phrases. Many of them seemed translated in dialogue, or doubled, which is incredibly artificial and irritating. I don't know Hindi, and there's a chance I'm totally wrong about this, but I didn't like that decision at all. I do speak Spanish, and no one, including Spanglish speakers, talks like, "Hola hello mi amigo my friend que onda what's up". I know it's hard to reproduce speech patterns while pleasing foreign-language-phobic English readers, but I would have much preferred a) leaving Hindi phrases untranslated b) translating everything except a few interjections.
The structure is the greatest flaw. I had no idea what this book would be about. I jumped into it pleasantly free of preconceptions. It seemed like Avi would be the key character, since we start with him, and Avi and Trishna would be the key pairing. Cool. Then, halfway through the story, two other dudes parachute in: Sam, who's a druggie gone clean, he did drugs, he had a drug problem, ok ok ok, and Vikram his personality-free love interest. The characters from the initial story drop all their relationship development and serve as Sam/Vikram matchmakers, only to reappear near the end.
It's easy to structurally balance a monogamous romance arc; the hard part becomes conflict, not structure. But when you have multiple characters with multiple romance arcs, balance is crucial. Triple structures are great for balance; I remember Valley of the Dolls being structured around the storylines of three women. Spice and Smoke has a lopsided dual structure: it feels like a great story that was sawed off most of the way through to have a second story glued onto it. This book would have been MIND-BLOWING as a truly sprawling epic of 100-200k words that has ten major characters and more external conflict… and more sex of course! Currently, it left unanswered some major questions I had about the first story, like what exactly the psychological appeal of the arrangement was for Harsh.
However, the second story—which is more of a straight-up m/m romance—wasn't unenjoyable. In fact, it might appeal to some readers more than the first one. And wanting to get back to the first story so badly is very telling of how compelling these characters and relationships are.
As a menage book, this is not what I call a happy sandwich book. And that's a good thing. Despite the focus on glamor and the presence of so many larger-than-life characters, the relationship issues are surprisingly down to earth. The relationships are not about conforming to a social ideal. The future of these romances is not free of danger. But they are based on love and worked out by people who love each other deeply even when they're not having sex with each other. That was the biggest surprise for me: that so much of this book was about love without sex, not sex without love.
I want to read more bisexual Bollywood books now! More more more. I highly recommend this, and I wish more authors had the passion and daring to write this sort of genre-bending romance. Hint: buy their books! Including this one!
April 14, 2015
Probably 3.5 stars rounded up for first book and sheer exuberance. A multi strand romance, gay and straight and bi, set in the Bollywood movie scene. The backdrop was tremendous and vivid, the language is gorgeous. It has a slight jerkiness because first book, but I am definitely reading more by this author. And more Bollywood because that was amazing.
July 24, 2017
Did not finish. Rage quit even.
From the summary I went into this book expecting poly relationship negotiations and a generally happy poly ending for everyone.
What I got was jealousy, bitterness and dishonesty, with a side of "you're only sleeping around because you're unhappy," and "when you're really in love with someone you'll want to be monogamous."
My final straw was the point when both halves of the married couple, who were supposedly in an open relationship, had slept with their new love interests. Both sex scenes felt and were presented more like cheating on each other than an actual poly relationship, and sure enough the four lovers then sat down and had a discussion about how, now that they had fallen for other people, the married couple were going to get divorced as soon as the movie they were all in came out.
So much do not want. Lord save me from supposedly "poly" romances where the happily ever after is dedicated monogamy for everyone involved.
From the summary I went into this book expecting poly relationship negotiations and a generally happy poly ending for everyone.
What I got was jealousy, bitterness and dishonesty, with a side of "you're only sleeping around because you're unhappy," and "when you're really in love with someone you'll want to be monogamous."
My final straw was the point when both halves of the married couple, who were supposedly in an open relationship, had slept with their new love interests. Both sex scenes felt and were presented more like cheating on each other than an actual poly relationship, and sure enough the four lovers then sat down and had a discussion about how, now that they had fallen for other people, the married couple were going to get divorced as soon as the movie they were all in came out.
So much do not want. Lord save me from supposedly "poly" romances where the happily ever after is dedicated monogamy for everyone involved.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 11, 2014
I know this will be echoed in a lot of the reviews for this book, but wow, this was a book unlike any other I've read. Not only because of its Bollywood setting, but just the way the stories unfolded. This is basically a book with three different romances highlighted.
While it wasn't amazing for me, which is why it's only like 3.5 stars for me, I really did enjoy reading something so different than my normal reads. It was all super interesting, and written with obvious knowledge of the culture, setting, and relationships this book called for.
While it wasn't amazing for me, which is why it's only like 3.5 stars for me, I really did enjoy reading something so different than my normal reads. It was all super interesting, and written with obvious knowledge of the culture, setting, and relationships this book called for.
July 5, 2020
Let me preface by saying that no one put a gun to my head and asked me to read this book. I voluntarily do this to myself. I need to read a “series” (knowing how loosely the genre of romance uses the term because nearly all the books in a series can usually be read stand-alone) in order and the third book in this series is a book club pick.
I don’t like novellas. Suleikha Snyder writes well, but, the thing with novellas is that you need to pack a good punch and cram a lot of content in a small book without making it seem rushed. For a short book, this one had three couples getting their HEAs. Mate, you can’t even do one couple good justice in a novella!
I really liked the cinematic setting and the Bollywood flavour she brought to the table. I don’t even watch Hindi movies. However, growing up in India, you just can’t miss the movies she has referred to in the book. It was cute. She could have developed that a bit more. I was missing the meat in the story. I also liked that she brought forth some LGBTQ and polyamoury flavour to the mix. One doesn’t think of Bollywood that way at all. There is so much closeted rubbish that it was refreshing to see two gay couples in this. I just wish the characters were deeper and there was more angst and development than this. I couldn’t get past how rushed everything was!
This had so much potential to be awesome. It just fell woefully short. A couple of hundred pages short!
I don’t like novellas. Suleikha Snyder writes well, but, the thing with novellas is that you need to pack a good punch and cram a lot of content in a small book without making it seem rushed. For a short book, this one had three couples getting their HEAs. Mate, you can’t even do one couple good justice in a novella!
I really liked the cinematic setting and the Bollywood flavour she brought to the table. I don’t even watch Hindi movies. However, growing up in India, you just can’t miss the movies she has referred to in the book. It was cute. She could have developed that a bit more. I was missing the meat in the story. I also liked that she brought forth some LGBTQ and polyamoury flavour to the mix. One doesn’t think of Bollywood that way at all. There is so much closeted rubbish that it was refreshing to see two gay couples in this. I just wish the characters were deeper and there was more angst and development than this. I couldn’t get past how rushed everything was!
This had so much potential to be awesome. It just fell woefully short. A couple of hundred pages short!
July 8, 2020
Waaaaay too many characters for a novella! I loved the premise and the polyamory, but waaaaay more words were needed to do the story justice!
October 14, 2017
3.5 stars
March 13, 2019
I really enjoyed this story. I saw it as a film in my head (likely on purpose). Characters were great.
April 24, 2019
Loved the setting, but the plot was all over the place with too many protagonists. I think I would have preferred a story where the dynamics of the original 4 characters was explored more in-depth. But I like her style of writing and will read the rest of the series.
September 3, 2019
A really nice read! Now I want to watch an Indian movie and see some dancing :) Will definitely pick up this author again.
February 25, 2018
lmao what a mess
Goodreads really wants me to post my highlights and notes like.... idek why i finished it.
Goodreads really wants me to post my highlights and notes like.... idek why i finished it.
June 18, 2012
Kitty's review posted on Guilty Pleasures
When I first read the overview to this book, I was intrigued. Bollywood, Manage and a little kink. As I started reading, I realized that I probably should have researched it a little more.
The storyline is set around a movie production set in India (Bollywood) that brings old and new lovers together. The book is in 2 parts – Avi and Trishna and then Vikram and Sam. Both parts come together in the end with an HEA for all parties. There are several Menage scenes as well as m/m. I had some problems with the dialog going from English to Indian, it seemed to have thrown the pace of the book off, slowing it down with the translations and making me re-read some of it to get the meaning behind it.
All in all, the book did have a nice storyline and the writing was good. With the exceptions of the translations, I would recommend the book as an afternoon read.
When I first read the overview to this book, I was intrigued. Bollywood, Manage and a little kink. As I started reading, I realized that I probably should have researched it a little more.
The storyline is set around a movie production set in India (Bollywood) that brings old and new lovers together. The book is in 2 parts – Avi and Trishna and then Vikram and Sam. Both parts come together in the end with an HEA for all parties. There are several Menage scenes as well as m/m. I had some problems with the dialog going from English to Indian, it seemed to have thrown the pace of the book off, slowing it down with the translations and making me re-read some of it to get the meaning behind it.
All in all, the book did have a nice storyline and the writing was good. With the exceptions of the translations, I would recommend the book as an afternoon read.
June 10, 2012
Really more of a slice-of-Bollywood-life than a romance per se. Three couples mean lots of drama (in the good way, at least for the reader) on the set of a movie. It's an interesting setting for a novel and it's an entertaining story, with pieces of the movie being filmed woven throughout the interpersonal drama between the characters.
May 25, 2021
Wild and unique, this novella moves fast and focuses on dramatic emotion rather than depth. The author note at the beginning of this novella helped me enjoy it: Snyder basically said "hey, this was the first thing I published, here it is, warts and all." With that context in mind I was more forgiving of the lack of story development. This short piece is all about catching the deep feels between a married couple, the two others they love, and then as if that isn't enough yet another couple.
Trishna and Avi are Bollywood superstars who are married and care for one another, but they both long for others. For Trishna it's Harsh, "the one who got away" when she was young, and for Avi it's Michael - even though Avi hasn't quite accepted his gay side. These four end up on a film set together, so of course it's sparks right away leading each side couple to get together - but what's the end game? Can they possibly be honest about all this with one another and make it work? Just about when we have an answer to that question, we are introduced to Sam and Vikram, two men who can't help but be drawn to one another even though it all blew up in flames in the past - partially because of Sam's struggle with substance use. Can these two figure it out - maybe with the help of our original four characters?
I absolutely treasure that this novella engages with polyamory in a non-white setting! For that alone I'd be willing to forgive any number of sins. But I also really enjoyed how thoroughly we are submerged into a Bollywood film setting. I've never even seen a Bollywood film but this felt incredibly real to me, especially with the Hindi peppered throughout the characters' dialogue (some is explained in an English repetition and you can get the rest of it from context). I really do wish Snyder had made this a full length novel so we could have enjoyed a longer run-up to the characters getting together and working out their differences, but I can also see why she published it as-is: it has the urgency and flow of something written in one big gush, and the energy of it too.
I'm not in a rush, but I might check out the rest of this series...just as long as it continues to center either queer and/or polyamorous characters.
Trishna and Avi are Bollywood superstars who are married and care for one another, but they both long for others. For Trishna it's Harsh, "the one who got away" when she was young, and for Avi it's Michael - even though Avi hasn't quite accepted his gay side. These four end up on a film set together, so of course it's sparks right away leading each side couple to get together - but what's the end game? Can they possibly be honest about all this with one another and make it work? Just about when we have an answer to that question, we are introduced to Sam and Vikram, two men who can't help but be drawn to one another even though it all blew up in flames in the past - partially because of Sam's struggle with substance use. Can these two figure it out - maybe with the help of our original four characters?
I absolutely treasure that this novella engages with polyamory in a non-white setting! For that alone I'd be willing to forgive any number of sins. But I also really enjoyed how thoroughly we are submerged into a Bollywood film setting. I've never even seen a Bollywood film but this felt incredibly real to me, especially with the Hindi peppered throughout the characters' dialogue (some is explained in an English repetition and you can get the rest of it from context). I really do wish Snyder had made this a full length novel so we could have enjoyed a longer run-up to the characters getting together and working out their differences, but I can also see why she published it as-is: it has the urgency and flow of something written in one big gush, and the energy of it too.
I'm not in a rush, but I might check out the rest of this series...just as long as it continues to center either queer and/or polyamorous characters.
February 10, 2018
EPIC BOLLYWOOD
3 1/2 stars. From an author who celebrates both diversity and inclusiveness in publishing, this was something very different for me. It's gay and straight and bi and poly. Set in India during the filming of a Bollywood historical epic.
The scenery was vivid, the language vibrant (even bitchy), the only problem I had was the structure was a bit messy, perhaps too ambitious. It was ambitious for three couple's to find love in a 100 page novella, and I'll put that down to this was actually her debut book written back in 2013.
I have to say, I went into this blind, and the first 20% I was wondering what the hell I was reading. But there was something about the writing that pulled me in and I found myself rooting for these characters to get it together, and not in a menáge way. The Bollywood movie making, the language, the fiery personalities, the strong attractions were fascinating.
Then a third couple were tacked on for the final 50%, following on a second chance love trope, the original characters taking on a confidante/matchmaking role while filming wound up. This third relationship I felt would have served better as a seperate short story or novella, it didn't quite work. Or perhaps by lengthening the book and introducing them earlier, to make sense. This format doesn't make sense, and I struggled a bit with it thereafter.
I will be reading more of the series, it was actually an A grade review for the third book, from a reviewer that I trust, that got me to take a chance while these were on sale. I'm glad I did, because for the most part, I liked it, and I places, I liked it a lot! For the m/m reader.
3 1/2 stars. From an author who celebrates both diversity and inclusiveness in publishing, this was something very different for me. It's gay and straight and bi and poly. Set in India during the filming of a Bollywood historical epic.
The scenery was vivid, the language vibrant (even bitchy), the only problem I had was the structure was a bit messy, perhaps too ambitious. It was ambitious for three couple's to find love in a 100 page novella, and I'll put that down to this was actually her debut book written back in 2013.
I have to say, I went into this blind, and the first 20% I was wondering what the hell I was reading. But there was something about the writing that pulled me in and I found myself rooting for these characters to get it together, and not in a menáge way. The Bollywood movie making, the language, the fiery personalities, the strong attractions were fascinating.
Then a third couple were tacked on for the final 50%, following on a second chance love trope, the original characters taking on a confidante/matchmaking role while filming wound up. This third relationship I felt would have served better as a seperate short story or novella, it didn't quite work. Or perhaps by lengthening the book and introducing them earlier, to make sense. This format doesn't make sense, and I struggled a bit with it thereafter.
I will be reading more of the series, it was actually an A grade review for the third book, from a reviewer that I trust, that got me to take a chance while these were on sale. I'm glad I did, because for the most part, I liked it, and I places, I liked it a lot! For the m/m reader.
Read
September 1, 2021Heat Factor: Based on the blurb, I was honestly expecting more sex (or kinkier sex?) than there was. There is definitely sex, but no group activities.
Character Chemistry: Lots of sexual attraction
Plot: More like three short stories than one cohesive novella
Overall: In an author’s note to the current edition, Snyder refers to this book as “banana-pants” and she is not wrong.
Read Holly's full review at The Smut Report
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Character Chemistry: Lots of sexual attraction
Plot: More like three short stories than one cohesive novella
Overall: In an author’s note to the current edition, Snyder refers to this book as “banana-pants” and she is not wrong.
Read Holly's full review at The Smut Report
Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
December 4, 2018
I’m stopping at about 65% but not calling it a dnf. Just at this point the author appears to be introducing a new couple outside the original two and I’m just not interested.
The author has an intro to this book that points out it was her first and that it took a lot to not re-edit it. I can see why. There’s a lot going on for so short a book and a some of it more melodramatic than my tastes. But because of the length, not of the undercurrents are really explored. That said, I would pick up a later book of hers just to see if she gives her stories a chance to breathe and develop.
The author has an intro to this book that points out it was her first and that it took a lot to not re-edit it. I can see why. There’s a lot going on for so short a book and a some of it more melodramatic than my tastes. But because of the length, not of the undercurrents are really explored. That said, I would pick up a later book of hers just to see if she gives her stories a chance to breathe and develop.
March 23, 2019
The author herself, in her introduction, admits to this being a scarcely edited early effort.
It shows.
There is nothing terrible in it and the Bollywood setting is new - for me, at least - and interesting but the narrative is rather disjointed and the characters are not as developed as they should.
The romance remains entertaining but it could have been more than that.
P.S. the hindi sentences are a bit of ballast. The language is essentially unknown in the Western world and if you want to use words from it you have to make sure the reader will at least guess their meaning.
It shows.
There is nothing terrible in it and the Bollywood setting is new - for me, at least - and interesting but the narrative is rather disjointed and the characters are not as developed as they should.
The romance remains entertaining but it could have been more than that.
P.S. the hindi sentences are a bit of ballast. The language is essentially unknown in the Western world and if you want to use words from it you have to make sure the reader will at least guess their meaning.
July 31, 2020
3.5 stars
Spice and Smoke was a dramatic romance set on the movie set of a Bollywood film. It was all about longing, wanting, and not always getting what the characters wanted.
I loved some parts of the novel, and others were a little fast for me - even if I still got where the characters came from.
The writing was very well done, and I felt like I was on the set with the characters during their story.
Spice and Smoke was a dramatic romance set on the movie set of a Bollywood film. It was all about longing, wanting, and not always getting what the characters wanted.
I loved some parts of the novel, and others were a little fast for me - even if I still got where the characters came from.
The writing was very well done, and I felt like I was on the set with the characters during their story.
November 14, 2020
I liked this book and series but I don't think I'll read them again. The characters are interesting if a bit flat (except the husband, did not like him at all) and the story seems a little rushed. The book goes between the main characters and a second set of main characters.
The epilogue gives spoilers for the next book.
The epilogue gives spoilers for the next book.
December 12, 2021
Steamy Soap Opera Feels that should be on screen!
This was such a fun and quick read! Set on the set of a Bollywood film this book is full of complicated relationships and emotions and chocked full of heated glances and even hotter actions! *fans self* Includes an mf relationship though most of the relationships are mm.
This was such a fun and quick read! Set on the set of a Bollywood film this book is full of complicated relationships and emotions and chocked full of heated glances and even hotter actions! *fans self* Includes an mf relationship though most of the relationships are mm.
January 20, 2019
I enjoyed the Bollywood film set setting but the rest of the book was a bit of a mess. Too many characters and relationship so none of them had any depth.
May 17, 2019
3 1/2 - rounded up because it was her first book.
June 14, 2019
This reminded me why I love Bollywood movies.
April 28, 2020
Not for me, sorry. The writing style was fine.
January 1, 2021
Great energy and sizzle for this early effort, lots of characters and Bollywood action.
February 16, 2018
I tried explaining this novel to a friend and almost had to draw a venn diagram. There's a lot going on in this novella. It's pretty effective in explaining the various character's histories with each other that allows each pairing to make sense in the current day.
I do doubt that none of the more illicit assignations would have been kept secret by the film crew though given the character's popularity in the film industry, that seemed a stretch too far.
I do doubt that none of the more illicit assignations would have been kept secret by the film crew though given the character's popularity in the film industry, that seemed a stretch too far.
August 24, 2019
I wanted to like this more, but although the setting is really good, I didn’t like any of the characters in the love square/rhombus/quadrilateral. Hey ho.
October 8, 2015
Longer review coming soon, but for now... Wow. I need to read it again with a more critical eye, but I definitely *need* to read it again.
Bollywood + Sexy Times + Gratuitous Musical = Kelly Hands Over Her Debit Card.
A few of my favorite passages....
*******
“So, what if Avinash Kumar is who Ishwar has written in the stars for you?” First love-struck and then stressed, now Mathur the Monk was painfully insightful. “Then what will you do, Michael Gill? You’ll be crying into your Kingfisher like I am.”
“Shove off, Harsh.” Michael pulled a face, shrugging off his grip. “If I ever cry, it’ll be into a Heineken.”
*******
“Don’t be kind, Avi. Go back to being a drunk kaminey,” she pleaded quietly. “Make eyes at Michael. Hurl insults at me and stay out all night. Pretend you don’t give a damn about anything but what you need.”
“Why?” His voice was bewildered. As young and naïve as hers. “Why would you ask that of me instead of asking for more?”
This misty reminiscence couldn’t last. It wouldn’t last. She knew better.
“Because that man is the husband I know how to let go of.”
His breath left his lungs in a harsh gasp, and he seemed to grow hard as marble. Her only answer was the swift absence of his body, and the bitter remnants of smoke.
*******
Avi came away from the column, crowding into his space. Big and masculine and such a mardh. Such a man. "I don’t have a half-life. I have a full life. Everything I have is what I want. Except you…you are standing just out of my reach, na?”
It was just enough truth to make Michael’s nerves dance. To send his blood south and stirring. He inhaled, but the breath wasn’t cleansing or calming. It was full of heavy, humid air and the taste of Avinash’s mouth. It would be so easy to fuck him. To say “yes” and end this bullshit dance of tension and violence and lies. He wanted to. He wanted Avi to cover him, hold him, wring every last drop of come from his body and render him insensate. But he wanted more than that, too.
Michael wanted honesty. He wanted integrity. He wanted commitment. Passionate confessions and stupid musical numbers in a field of yellow flowers. Everything that they sold to eager young men and women crowding the cinema halls. He didn’t want to believe that was completely an illusion…that they were marketing something that couldn’t be attained.
God, he was beginning to sound like Harsh.
"Don't you believe in love, Avinash? Sachai pyar? Real love?"
...This time, when he breathed in, he counted to ten, and the air felt pure.
The same could not be said for Avi's gaze. It was a black as a crow's wing. “I stopped believing in poetic nonsense when I was twenty, Michael. When I learned that love can be bought and sold, the price haggled over like fish at market. There’s no such thing as ‘sachai pyar’. There’s just deep trust. Trishna and I have that. You and I could have it also.”
No. No, they couldn’t. Michael wanted to take his face between his palms, to kiss him until there was nothing left but heat and sweetness. He wanted to bathe the redness from his eyes and slowly, softly, scrape the beard from his cheeks. He wanted to tell him, “Rest with me” and “Be with me” and “Fight with me” and “Fuck me”. But he couldn’t promise to trust a man who didn’t trust himself.
So he did what he’d done just weeks ago on this very veranda.
He turned and walked away.
*******
All that angst, AND a happy ending. *~*sigh*~*
Bollywood + Sexy Times + Gratuitous Musical = Kelly Hands Over Her Debit Card.
A few of my favorite passages....
*******
“So, what if Avinash Kumar is who Ishwar has written in the stars for you?” First love-struck and then stressed, now Mathur the Monk was painfully insightful. “Then what will you do, Michael Gill? You’ll be crying into your Kingfisher like I am.”
“Shove off, Harsh.” Michael pulled a face, shrugging off his grip. “If I ever cry, it’ll be into a Heineken.”
*******
“Don’t be kind, Avi. Go back to being a drunk kaminey,” she pleaded quietly. “Make eyes at Michael. Hurl insults at me and stay out all night. Pretend you don’t give a damn about anything but what you need.”
“Why?” His voice was bewildered. As young and naïve as hers. “Why would you ask that of me instead of asking for more?”
This misty reminiscence couldn’t last. It wouldn’t last. She knew better.
“Because that man is the husband I know how to let go of.”
His breath left his lungs in a harsh gasp, and he seemed to grow hard as marble. Her only answer was the swift absence of his body, and the bitter remnants of smoke.
*******
Avi came away from the column, crowding into his space. Big and masculine and such a mardh. Such a man. "I don’t have a half-life. I have a full life. Everything I have is what I want. Except you…you are standing just out of my reach, na?”
It was just enough truth to make Michael’s nerves dance. To send his blood south and stirring. He inhaled, but the breath wasn’t cleansing or calming. It was full of heavy, humid air and the taste of Avinash’s mouth. It would be so easy to fuck him. To say “yes” and end this bullshit dance of tension and violence and lies. He wanted to. He wanted Avi to cover him, hold him, wring every last drop of come from his body and render him insensate. But he wanted more than that, too.
Michael wanted honesty. He wanted integrity. He wanted commitment. Passionate confessions and stupid musical numbers in a field of yellow flowers. Everything that they sold to eager young men and women crowding the cinema halls. He didn’t want to believe that was completely an illusion…that they were marketing something that couldn’t be attained.
God, he was beginning to sound like Harsh.
"Don't you believe in love, Avinash? Sachai pyar? Real love?"
...This time, when he breathed in, he counted to ten, and the air felt pure.
The same could not be said for Avi's gaze. It was a black as a crow's wing. “I stopped believing in poetic nonsense when I was twenty, Michael. When I learned that love can be bought and sold, the price haggled over like fish at market. There’s no such thing as ‘sachai pyar’. There’s just deep trust. Trishna and I have that. You and I could have it also.”
No. No, they couldn’t. Michael wanted to take his face between his palms, to kiss him until there was nothing left but heat and sweetness. He wanted to bathe the redness from his eyes and slowly, softly, scrape the beard from his cheeks. He wanted to tell him, “Rest with me” and “Be with me” and “Fight with me” and “Fuck me”. But he couldn’t promise to trust a man who didn’t trust himself.
So he did what he’d done just weeks ago on this very veranda.
He turned and walked away.
*******
All that angst, AND a happy ending. *~*sigh*~*
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