Book picks similar to
Inconvenient Relations by Simi K. Rao


romance
review-copy
south-asia
complete-series

Ghachar Ghochar


Vivek Shanbhag - 2013
    As they move from a cramped, ant-infested shack to a larger house on the other side of Bangalore, and try to adjust to a new way of life, the family dynamic begins to shift. Allegiances realign; marriages are arranged and begin to falter; and conflict brews ominously in the background. Things become “ghachar ghochar”—a nonsense phrase uttered by one meaning something tangled beyond repair, a knot that can't be untied. Elegantly written and punctuated by moments of unexpected warmth and humor, Ghachar Ghochar is a quietly enthralling, deeply unsettling novel about the shifting meanings—and consequences—of financial gain in contemporary India.

Priyamvada & Co. (The Menon Women Book 2)


Sudha Nair - 2018
    The destinies of an unlikely trio converge at the making of a movie. The eldest Menon daughter and school drama teacher, Neha Menon, must find a way to face the hard times and deal with the loss that threatens to destroy her family.Prithvi Nair’s production house Priyamvada is his grandfather’s legacy and the reason it’s so close to his heart. But the moment Prithvi tries to reopen the company that has been shut down for decades, it finds itself embroiled in one controversy after another and he can’t seem to get it off the ground.Aditya Shankaran is a writer-director with big dreams of directing his debut movie but there are no takers for his script. Down on luck, his future looks bleak. There is only one chance to end the troubles that are set at odds with launching his career and winning the hand of the woman he loves.Prithvi, Aditya and Neha meet under unusual circumstances for the making of a movie that will change their lives in different ways, push them into the world of treachery and deceit, and force them to question their choices.Time is running out. They must quell the sabotage before the final blow to all their hopes and dreams. ***Praise for PRIYAMVADA & CO.*** “At times heart-wrenching, at other times heart-warming – and at all times vividly colorful and appealing – “Priyamvada & Co.” rivals the epic movie world it alludes to.”— Devika Fernando, romance author"Priyamvada & Co. is a beautifully written, heart-warming tale of getting second chances in love and life. Extremely unputdownable.”— Sonia Rao, Writer, Editor, NaNoWriMo ML(India)“Sudha Nair’s latest, Priyamvada & Co., is not one but many stories woven seamlessly to bring out the myriad human emotions—pain, romance, retribution, jealousy—all anchored in real world dilemmas and insecurities. An easy, fast-paced read, set in the back drop of film industry, drama and theatre.”— Ruchi Singh, author of The Bodyguard >>>This is a standalone sequel to the bestseller, The Wedding Tamasha. You can read this even if you haven’t read ‘The Wedding Tamasha.’ This Book 2 of The Menon Women series glimpses into the life of the eldest daughter, Neha Menon, a few years after meeting the Menons in the first book, The Wedding Tamasha. Books in The Menon Women series are:The Wedding TamashaPriyamvada & Co.

The Ticklemore Tattler


Liz Davies - 2021
    Up until now, she’s been concentrating on running the local newspaper and raising her daughter.But all that is about to change when Juliette is informed that the Ticklemore Tattler is to fold and that she’ll be out of a job. She begins to wonder whether she can buy the newspaper and try to make a go of it herself.Aware that she needs some advice she contacts Oliver Pascoe, little knowing that when her old colleague re-enters her life, his help isn’t the only thing she wants him for!As she begins to fall in love, however, what she doesn’t realise is that Oliver has something he’s keeping from her.

Latitudes of Longing


Shubhangi Swarup - 2018
    The novel sweeps across India, from an island, to a valley, a city, and a snow desert to tell a love story of epic proportions. We follow a scientist who studies trees and a clairvoyant who speaks to them; a geologist working to end futile wars over a glacier; octogenarian lovers; a mother struggling to free her revolutionary son; a yeti who seeks human companionship; a turtle who transforms first into a boat and then a woman; and the ghost of an evaporated ocean as restless as the continents. Binding them all together is a vision of life as vast as the universe itself. A young writer awarded one of the most prestigious prizes in India for this novel, Shubhangi Swarup is a storyteller of extraordinary talent and insight. Richly imaginative and wryly perceptive, Latitudes of Longing offers a soaring view of humanity: our beauty and ugliness, our capacity to harm and love each other, and our mysterious and sacred relationship with nature.

Falling for Cinderella: An Indian Billionaire Romance


Preethi Venugopala - 2020
    I took one look at the girl dressed as Cinderella and fell head over heels in love. I was not someone who believed in love. Yet, within a few hours, she made me crave for things I never knew I wanted. I began to equate her presence with happiness. Like a warm breeze on that winter night, she thawed my frozen heart. At midnight, she ran away without telling me who she really was. Just like Cinderella.I was never the same again. I couldn't forget her, but she came visiting only in my dreams.No matter what, I was determined to find her.Chandni: Karan was not someone I could even dream about. I was a poor orphan, a nobody.He was a billionaire, the hottest bachelor in India, coveted by rich women everywhere. A dance: that was all he asked.But while we danced, I gave him my heart, knowing that the magic would end once he realized my true identity.I was nothing but a cheat.Yet, the magic didn't end that night.A bizarre twist of fate put me in his path again. I had to hide my secret, even though I wished to confess everything to him. Was watching him from afar the only thing that was written in my destiny?

Guarded by Mr Handsome


Dee James - 2020
    With beauty, brains, money, and a loving family, she seemingly had it all. All but love! Just when she'd given up on men, on love, Arjun Warrier, the ex-army man who broke her heart, re-entered her life. One look at him, and her walls threatened to crumble. Arjun vowed to protect her from danger, but who will save her heart from him?Arjun Warrier remembered Natasha as a beautiful teenager. He was unprepared for the stunning and confident entrepreneur who was facing threats from an unknown stalker. As the stalker raised the stakes, Arjun knew he had to keep close to Natasha. But, would he be able to keep his hands off her? Last time he'd walked away, it had almost destroyed them. Can he walk away unscathed this time around?

Bitten By Love


Vijaya S - 2020
    ONCE BITTEN BY LOVE, YOU WILL BE FOREVER SMITTEN BY ITS SWEET PAIN.”ANU is young, simple and carefree, gearing up for her first job at Oasis Ltd. She gets paired with ABHI, a mature and an unassuming boy, in her first assignment with the Indian IT giant. Little does she know that the pairing is not a mere coincidence, but a plan by destiny. Abhi does not have any inkling that the beautiful girl he was smitten by at a traffic signal, would end up as his pair programmer for whom he would eventually be ready to give up everything in life.What will happen when Anu’s protective family gets to know about their love?Will Abhi keep up the promise he makes to Anu’s family?How will Anu cope with this drastic change in Abhi’s priorities?Come, fall and rise in love as Bitten by Love takes you through an exhilarating and heart touching journey of friendships and love, driven by destiny, hope and determination.

Monday: Sweet Romance (Sweet and Timeless Book 1)


Lily Rose - 2017
    L. Todd's steamy contemporary romance novel Monday. This story is the same as the contemporary romance and conveys all the passion of the original book without any explicit scenes or harsh language. I don’t believe in destiny. In fate. Or in soul mates. But I believe in Hawke. My life has never been whole since my parents left forever. I have my brother, someone I can barely tolerate most of the time, and I have my best friend, Marie. And I have myself. But when Hawke walks into my life, there’s an immediate connection. Our eyes lock and an unspoken conversation is exchanged. For the first time in my life, I actually feel something. But he doesn’t. He keeps me at arm’s length and pretends there’s nothing between us when there clearly is. I’m not the kind of girl to wait around for any guy, so I don’t. But that doesn’t mean he isn’t in the back of my mind. Our paths cross again in a way neither one of us expect and it changes everything. Was it destiny that made it happen? Was it fate? Or was it something else?

A Suitable Boy


Vikram Seth - 1993
    Rupa Mehra, are both trying to find—through love or through exacting maternal appraisal—a suitable boy for Lata to marry. Set in the early 1950s, in an India newly independent and struggling through a time of crisis, A Suitable Boy takes us into the richly imagined world of four large extended families and spins a compulsively readable tale of their lives and loves. A sweeping panoramic portrait of a complex, multiethnic society in flux, A Suitable Boy remains the story of ordinary people caught up in a web of love and ambition, humor and sadness, prejudice and reconciliation, the most delicate social etiquette and the most appalling violence.

It Happens for a Reason


Preeti Shenoy - 2014
    She ends up cutting ties with her family and with Ankush, the man she thought she was in love with. Fast-forward sixteen years and she now has two unusual careers - she runs a dog-boarding facility and is a gym instructor. Aryan thinks she is the coolest mom in the world and hopes she will one day find her Prince Charming - exactly what her best friend Suchi has in mind for her. But Vee secretly has a thing for Saurabh, the quirky vet.Then, out of the blue, Ankush comes back into their life.But can a decision that was taken at eighteen - more in the throes of lust than love-be the basis of a lifelong relationship? Is there a future for Ankush and Vee? Vee, Aryan and Ankush are in for the ride of their lives. No seat belts, full speed and a very bumpy road ahead.

The Maharaja’s Fake Fiancée


Alisha Kay - 2021
    Guess what she doesn’t need? A tailor-made husband.When her meddlesome mother tries to throw her into the arms of a mom-approved suitor, Nivy runs the other way. Right into the arms of the man who shattered her heart.His Highness Veerendra Singh can recognise a pain-in-the-ass when he sees it. Especially when it falls into his arms.Even if said pain-in-the-ass has legs that go on forever and lush lips that just beg to be kissed, Veer vows to run the other way. As he did once before...But, when the marriage-minded princess of Tejpur sets her sights on him, Veer runs back into Nivy’s arms to propose a fake engagement.When 'fake' starts to feel very real, Nivy and Veer have to decide what is important… long-held prejudices or the chance for a life with the only person they've ever loved.Will this be their second chance at love or will their broken past ruin their hope for a shared future?

The Marriage Bureau for Rich People


Farahad Zama - 2008
    Ali sees his new business flourish as the indomitable Mrs. Ali and his careful assistant, Aruna, look on with vigilant eyes. There's the man who wants a tall son-in-law because his daughter is short; the divorced woman who ends up back with her ex-husband; a salesman who can't seem to sell himself; and a wealthy, young doctor for whom no match is ever perfect. But although his clients go away happy, little does Mr. Ali know that his esteemed Aruna hides a tragedy in her past-a misfortune that the bureau, as luck would have it, serendipitously undoes. Bursting with the color and allure of India, and with a cast of endearing characters, The Marriage Bureau for Rich People has shades of Jane Austen and Alexander McCall Smith but with a resonance and originality entirely its own. Farahad's effortless style reveals a country still grappling with the politics of caste, religion, and civil unrest, all the while delivering a shamefully delightful read.

Dream On


Terry Tyler - 2012
    Not only must she deal with the thrills and spills of life as a hardworking single mum, but also the imminent return of singer-songwriter Ariel Swan, Dave's one true love.Poor Janice. Dave is still the love of her life.Ariel Swan returns to small town life - and Dave's heart. She and her friend Melodie (whose ambition is to be "a celebrity") enter a TV talent competition, so Dave and the rest of Thor decide to make the most of the opportunity for possible fame and fortune, too. This adventure brings about big changes in the lives of all of them - none of which Dave could have anticipated.One member of Thor even ends up on The Jeremy Kyle Show...

Candid


Michelle Pennington - 2012
    With a few good friends, a camera, and a dream, she has everything she needs to be happy. But when Jordan Rubio, the most popular girl at Haskins High, makes her mad, she decides to use the power of photography to right a few social wrongs. As if that doesn’t cause enough drama in her life, she realizes she’s falling for the new guy, Lee Franklin. Strong and protective, he’s just what she needs to survive the craziness she’s stirred up at school. If only she didn’t have to keep her feelings for Lee a secret from her mom…

One Summer in Spain


Ian Wilfred - 2020
    Her parents are exasperated at the way in which she flits from one thing to another. A chance encounter helping Dulcie, an elderly lady who has had a fall in the street, leads to Gemma becoming housekeeper to Dulcie and her friend, Rupert.Following a lottery win, Dulcie and Rupert rent a Spanish villa for six months and Gemma goes with them for a working holiday. It’s all one long adventure for the three of them, filled with fun days out, nights in the best restaurants and plenty of laughter.Dario, the local taxi driver becomes fond of Gemma. Likewise, she thinks a lot of him too, but he harbours a secret.Jamie, Dulcie’s grandson, pops over to Spain to check on his grandmother. but she’s not his only reason for visiting.Craig, an old friend of Gemma’s, is also an acquaintance of Dulcie and Rupert. When he visits from England, Gemma’s life becomes a little uncomfortable.How can ONE SUMMER IN SPAIN change everyone’s life? Will it be for the good, and how do their lives pan out after the six month holiday is over?