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Desire: A slow burn, interracial romance
Orphaned heiress Chandni Upadhyay is running from the mother of all cliches - an evil stepmother and a forced marriage with her villainous nephew. Her cobbled together escape plan is limping along until she ends up in the wrong seat on the train.American photographer Steve Paxton has many secret demons to fight but all he really wants, in that moment, is his window seat. One that is occupied by a very beautiful and very annoying young woman.From unwilling travel partners to unexpected friends and finally, explosive lovers, Steve and Chandni are on the ride of a lifetime.Steamy daydreams, weird co-passengers and shady hotels are just par for the course. Until the day Chandni's past catches up with her and drags her back, kicking and screaming.Will their temporary relationship stand up to scheming family, past grief and their own insecurities? Or will they finally accept that there was nothing 'temporary' about them at all?
221 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 18, 2021
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About the author
Anna C.
71 books18 followersAnna C is a new romance writer on the block, promising to bring you a sizzling romance novel every month to your kindle!
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 19, 2021
A firang twist to 'Jab We Met'
My Ratings: 4.4/5
After losing her father, in a bid to escape the clutches of her stepmother and an enforced marriage, Chandni runs away from her palatial home. She meets the helpful but deliriously sexy Steve on the train she boards while escaping to Mumbai from Kolkata. As they undertake a journey of a lifetime together, a lot of twists, tragedies, and laughs await them. By the time they reach Mumbai, they mutually decide to part ways and promise to not stay in touch. Will they be able to keep that promise though?
What I liked about the book:
-> Though it's a Bollywoodish story, it manages to break so many stereotypes.
-> While outwardly it seems that Steve is 'knight in shining armor' for Chandni, it is also the other way round.
-> Small-town India is brought to life quite vividly.
-> The best part about the book is that though Steve helps Chandni, it is ultimately Chandni herself who fights her battle.
-> Both the protagonists have their own past baggage and flaws and come out of it on their own, with some help from each other.
-> The story is told from the POVs of both the protagonists.
-> The book is a laughter ride with many LOL moments.
-> The sizzling, goosebumps-inducing chemistry between Chandni and Steve.
What I did not like about the book:
-> The bits about the villainous stepmother and her henchman were a little predictable.
Quotable quotes:
-> Emotions aren't a tap to turn on and off at will.
-> I'm running away because I don't know who I am.
I'm every cliche in every literary fiction novel I've read.
I'm running away because that's the only way I can find myself.
-> When pain is shared, it lessens.
-> Being around other people makes you less self-absorbed and more insightful.
More here: https://wp.me/p6XQyB-31h
My Ratings: 4.4/5
After losing her father, in a bid to escape the clutches of her stepmother and an enforced marriage, Chandni runs away from her palatial home. She meets the helpful but deliriously sexy Steve on the train she boards while escaping to Mumbai from Kolkata. As they undertake a journey of a lifetime together, a lot of twists, tragedies, and laughs await them. By the time they reach Mumbai, they mutually decide to part ways and promise to not stay in touch. Will they be able to keep that promise though?
What I liked about the book:
-> Though it's a Bollywoodish story, it manages to break so many stereotypes.
-> While outwardly it seems that Steve is 'knight in shining armor' for Chandni, it is also the other way round.
-> Small-town India is brought to life quite vividly.
-> The best part about the book is that though Steve helps Chandni, it is ultimately Chandni herself who fights her battle.
-> Both the protagonists have their own past baggage and flaws and come out of it on their own, with some help from each other.
-> The story is told from the POVs of both the protagonists.
-> The book is a laughter ride with many LOL moments.
-> The sizzling, goosebumps-inducing chemistry between Chandni and Steve.
What I did not like about the book:
-> The bits about the villainous stepmother and her henchman were a little predictable.
Quotable quotes:
-> Emotions aren't a tap to turn on and off at will.
-> I'm running away because I don't know who I am.
I'm every cliche in every literary fiction novel I've read.
I'm running away because that's the only way I can find myself.
-> When pain is shared, it lessens.
-> Being around other people makes you less self-absorbed and more insightful.
More here: https://wp.me/p6XQyB-31h
October 5, 2021
Full review on my blog:
https://blog.medhaapps.com/2021/10/bo...
Few months after her father passed away, Chandni is on the run as her stepmother Gomati Ma fixed her marriage with her nephew, whom Chandni despised. Desperate to escape the prospective marriage and the permanent slavery that would follow, Chandni gets on to the next available train to Mumbai, where she hopes to start a new life with help from an old friend. She bumps into Steve on the train, a photographer from the US, who is also travelling to Mumbai for his next assignment.
The journey that starts with Steve playing good Samaritan for Chandni who was always cooped up in her own fairy world, turns into a more thrilling one as unexpected situations unfold in their forty-eight-hour train journey. However, Steve is fighting demons from his past that force him to suppress his true feelings for Chandni. Chandni is also in a similar situation as she lost her identity and confidence and drifted from her father after he remarried and was constantly under scrutiny by her stepmother.
Will this journey help Steve and Chandni face their fears and overcome them, and what future holds for them as a couple forms the rest of the story.
The blurb hints at all possible clichés that the story has, which is interesting as the author makes a bold statement of inviting the reader to pick the book. Other than the protagonists, there are very few characters; also, the first half of the story happens majorly in the train with only conversations between Steve and Chandni. The author shows grip on narration by handling these tricky situations while holding the reader’s attention. Steve’s character is the more interesting one, as Chandni starts off as a timid girl and her character graph takes time to develop.
The romantic scenes between the lead pair are smoking hot, as is the case with other books from the author. Despite a known start to the story, the narration and the fast pace make the book interesting. Pick this one if you prefer love stories featuring unconventional pairs.
https://blog.medhaapps.com/2021/10/bo...
Few months after her father passed away, Chandni is on the run as her stepmother Gomati Ma fixed her marriage with her nephew, whom Chandni despised. Desperate to escape the prospective marriage and the permanent slavery that would follow, Chandni gets on to the next available train to Mumbai, where she hopes to start a new life with help from an old friend. She bumps into Steve on the train, a photographer from the US, who is also travelling to Mumbai for his next assignment.
The journey that starts with Steve playing good Samaritan for Chandni who was always cooped up in her own fairy world, turns into a more thrilling one as unexpected situations unfold in their forty-eight-hour train journey. However, Steve is fighting demons from his past that force him to suppress his true feelings for Chandni. Chandni is also in a similar situation as she lost her identity and confidence and drifted from her father after he remarried and was constantly under scrutiny by her stepmother.
Will this journey help Steve and Chandni face their fears and overcome them, and what future holds for them as a couple forms the rest of the story.
The blurb hints at all possible clichés that the story has, which is interesting as the author makes a bold statement of inviting the reader to pick the book. Other than the protagonists, there are very few characters; also, the first half of the story happens majorly in the train with only conversations between Steve and Chandni. The author shows grip on narration by handling these tricky situations while holding the reader’s attention. Steve’s character is the more interesting one, as Chandni starts off as a timid girl and her character graph takes time to develop.
The romantic scenes between the lead pair are smoking hot, as is the case with other books from the author. Despite a known start to the story, the narration and the fast pace make the book interesting. Pick this one if you prefer love stories featuring unconventional pairs.
October 1, 2021
This is a good book, and you can definitely read it once if you are a fan of romantic novels. Of course, some people might point fingers at the fact that it is the same stereotypical story of a distressed heroine meeting a knight in shining armour, falling in love and ending up living happily ever after. But the author has made things very different from the stereotypical stories we are used to. The book definitely held my attention but by the time I reached the end I felt it has been stretched a shade too much. Read the rest of the review here.
November 1, 2021
One of the best thriller romantic novels
This one reminded old Dev Anand movie "solva sal", I know the story is bit different but this reminded me the movie. I'm absolutely in love with this author. Mainly due to her novels, this pandemic in 2020 was somewhat bearable. Have read all her past novels.Can't wait for her future novels.
This one reminded old Dev Anand movie "solva sal", I know the story is bit different but this reminded me the movie. I'm absolutely in love with this author. Mainly due to her novels, this pandemic in 2020 was somewhat bearable. Have read all her past novels.Can't wait for her future novels.
September 3, 2021
Unexpected love on the way
Amazing read.. Steve and Chandni were really the most beautiful co-passengers who turned to catch the most unexpected emotion of love.
This book is All about unexpected love at the most weird time. Well written by Anna
Amazing read.. Steve and Chandni were really the most beautiful co-passengers who turned to catch the most unexpected emotion of love.
This book is All about unexpected love at the most weird time. Well written by Anna
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews