Review: A Bollywood Affair by Sonali DevA Bollywood Affair by Sonali Dev
Published by Kensington on October 28, 2014
Genres: Chick Lit, Contemp Romance, Women's Fiction
Pages: 304
Format: Paperback
Source: Advance Reader Copy, Kensington Books Preferred Reviewer
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four-half-stars

Mili Rathod hasn’t seen her husband in twenty years—not since she was promised to him at the age of four. Yet marriage has allowed Mili a freedom rarely given to girls in her village. Her grandmother has even allowed her to leave India and study in America for eight months, all to make her the perfect modern wife. Which is exactly what Mili longs to be—if her husband would just come and claim her.

Bollywood’s favorite director, Samir Rathod, has come to Michigan to secure a divorce for his older brother. Persuading a naïve village girl to sign the papers should be easy for someone with Samir’s tabloid-famous charm. But Mili is neither a fool nor a gold-digger. Open-hearted yet complex, she’s trying to reconcile her independence with cherished traditions. And before he can stop himself, Samir is immersed in Mili’s life—cooking her dal and rotis, escorting her to her roommate’s elaborate Indian wedding, and wondering where his loyalties and happiness lie.

Heartfelt, witty, and thoroughly engaging, Sonali Dev’s debut is both a vivid exploration of modern India and a deeply honest story of love, in all its diversity.

 

This has been floating around the blogosphere as a fantastic romance. I wasn’t too interested at first, until I noticed that every single one of my friends had read and loved it! So what’s a girl to do? Obviously, she reads it!

This is my review:

Read this book.

Seriously, don’t wait, don’t drag your feet; read this book.

I think it’s listed as Women’s Fiction, but that might be just to market it. It’s definitely a Contemporary Romance, and it’s spectacular!

Quick summary is that Mili was married at the age of 4 in a group ceremony. She never saw her husband again, but her grandmother has followed his stellar military career, and Mili dutifully does as well. He’s handsome and intelligent, and Mili fancies herself in love with him. Which is good, right? Since they’re married and all.

Weeellllll….

See, her husband had the marriage annulled a long time ago, since it was technically never legal to begin with. And before you can get too mad at him, he’s happily married with a baby on the way. Until he receives a letter that reminds him of the village girl he was once married to. Turns out it was never annulled. So, he sends his brother, legendary Bollywood director and charmer of women, Samir, to obtain the divorce for him. He figures his brother can seduce or charm her out of the marriage.

So, Samir, facing some heat from the tabloids, welcomes the diversion. He heads off to America to find Mili (she’s going to school in the US for a semester). And Samir promptly scares the crap out of Mili, who ends up falling off her bike and injuring her ankle. And in a crazy turn of events, Samir ends up caring for Mili for the next couple weeks, until she’s healed. And it’s adorable.

But he never tells her who he is, or why he’s there. He pretends to be a neighbor. And it’s heartbreaking when Mili finds out. Just heartbreaking.

But the resolution is totally worth the tears, and the ending was happy. It’s a great book. I smiled the majority of the story, and it’s a bit steamier than I expected, which was a good thing! 😉

This book was delightful. Simply delightful.

***ARC courtesy of Kensington Books

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four-half-stars