AN AUTOGRAPH FOR ANJALI BY SUNDARI VENKATRAMAN - BOOK REVIEW.

AN AUTOGRAPH FOR ANJALI

by

Sundari Venkatraman

Published by Flaming Sun

Blurb

Jayant Mathur is found murdered in his bed, shot at point-blank range with his own revolver. Though she’s extremely disturbed by his death, Jayant’s wife Anjali is way more upset about something else. Who stands to gain by killing the multi-millionaire businessman?

Parth Bhardwaj is a friend and neighbour of the Mathurs. Parth is an author who goes by a pseudonym. He appears more than a friend to Anjali; while he’s also on good terms with her son Arjun who lives and studies in the UK. What role does he play in Anjali’s life? Jayant’s relatives are curious to know.

Jayant’s brother-in-law Rana is convinced that Parth and Anjali are the murderers. But Inspector Phadke has his own doubts about this theory. In comes Samrat, the private detective who appears as quiet as a mouse. Will he be able to find the murderer?

Will Anjali find happiness and peace?

My Review -

An Autograph for Anjali is a nice deviation from the ‘usual’ Sundari’s novels. Sundari is exploring different storyline for her novels these days, which is commendable.  Her previous book was about widow remarriage and this is a thriller…but of course with romance as its main ingredient.

The story starts off with a murder and the first few chapters keep you really hooked with suspense and tension building up. The chapters following are about the life of Anjali who is trapped in a loveless marriage to a well-to-do businessman Jayanth who is selfish to the core. Anjali has an ally in her son Arjun and then she finds love in Parth, a well-known author.

It is about Anjali’s journey fighting inner turmoil of staying loyal to her otherwise disloyal husband, of being a perfect rich wife and daughter-in-law, a good mother who otherwise has no life to call her own.

Then enters Parth and her world turns upside down. She falls in love and then realizes the importance of living life for her own self.

The characters are relatable, especially Anjali…as the story progressed I felt I knew Anjali all my life. Jayanth is the typical snobbish businessman who can think only of himself. And Parth…I have been dreaming about him.

What I did not like –

Though Jayanth is a typical misogynist, he should at least have an idea about why a person needs to see a psychiatrist or a counselor. He is a very successful businessman who was working with women in high position, he may not think very high of them but I would have liked if he displayed some emotion of understanding his women. He had used women to fulfill his needs but would have credited a bit more intelligence to him. It is typical of the way he handled his affair with Seema…he is ruthless that way.

Arjun, Anjali and Jayanth’s 19-year-old son is Anjali’s ally and confidant. More than sharing a mother and son relationship, they were friends. He is aware of the loveless marriage between their parents and he completely supports his mother when he comes to know about her feelings for Parth. What I did not like was, whatever his level of maturity but as long as his parents were living in the same house and not divorced, how could he agree to allow Parth to travel with his mother. He did share a good relationship with his dad after all. This was a bit difficult to digest.

Verdict –

A good, racy read. I would have liked if the ending was a bit more complex as gripping as the start.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

In 2014, Sundari self-published The Malhotra Bride (2nd Edition); Meghna; The Runaway Bridegroom; Flaming Sun Collection 1: Happily Ever Afters From India (Box Set) and Matches Made In Heaven (a collection of romantic short stories).

2015 brought yet another opportunity. Readomania came forward to traditionally publish this book - The Madras Affair - a mature romance set in Madras.

An Autograph for Anjali, a romance with a touch of suspense, is also a self-published novel. Going a step further, the author has published the paperback version through Notion Press.

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BOOK BLITZ - WITH YOU I DANCE BY AARTI V RAMAN.

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With You I Dance
by

Aarti V Raman

Blurb

Meera Sagar had everything—the perfect job as a principal ballerina (for a prestigious New York ballet company) and a man who loved her as much as she loved him. But tragedy struck on the night
before her biggest performance, forcing her to do the one thing she never wanted to do—come back home. To Mumbai.

Now, a year later, Meera is still trying to pick up the pieces, while fending off marriage proposals from her well-meaning but traditional Gujarati family, and figure life out all over again. By starting a ballet school in Mumbai. But she has two problems. One, she doesn’t know anything about running a business. And two, she can’t dance. Not anymore.

Enter . . .
Abeer Goswami. Hotshot junior partner at a South Bombay law firm and a man nursing a broken heart. When he meets Meera again, the woman who left him, he tries his hardest to be her friend, to help her . . . and not let the past get in the way.

And then . . .
There is the sexy Zoya Sehgal. Meera’s only friend in the city and the woman Abeer is currently seeing. They say triangles have pointy edges, for a reason. Will Meera find a new dream in her ballet school? Can Abeer and Meera find their way back to each other again? And, most important, has Meera danced for the last time?

With you I dance is a warm, funny, at times heart-rending, love story of second chances, true love, and finding yourself when your dearest dream has vanished.

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About the Author

Aarti V Raman is an established novelist in the romantic thriller genre (White Knight, Kingdom Come) with her third book, a contemporary romance titled “With You I Dance” out soon with Fingerprint Publishing.

29 years old, she graduated from Mumbai University in 2007 with a degree in Mass Media focused on Journalism, which provided her the perfect background for conducting sound research on any project. She then went on to study Creative and Professional Writing at Deakin University in Melbourne for post-graduation in 2008. It was there that she learned to hone her craft and lifelong ambition of writing romances that had strong characters and stronger stories that remained etched in the reader's minds.

While waiting for her big break, Aarti pursued commercial writing and gained a vast amount of knowledge (from fishing tackle to soft toys) that she claims have helped her with molding better stories. Her first novel "White Knight" was published by Leadstart in 2012 and gave her the impetus to continue writing. In 2013, her work was excerpted in the Tamil Edition of Mills and Boon novels. And in 2014, her short story "Post-Coital Cigarette" was chosen to be part of the Rupa Romance Anthology "An Atlas of Love" curated by bestselling author Anuja Chauhan.

Her latest novel "Kingdom Come" (Harlequin MIRA) has enjoyed a brief stay at the bestseller lists in Amazon India. Her work is represented by Red Ink Literary Agency, Delhi. And very recently, she was a speaker and panelist at the Goa Arts and Literary Fest 2014, Vth Edition.

She is currently expanding her skill set to include copy editing, content marketing, and creative writing workshop that help her explore the wonderful world of words in various forms.

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BOOK REVIEW OF LOVE, AGAIN.

LOVE, AGAIN 

BY 

SUMEETHA MANIKANDAN & 

SHRRUTI PATOLE CLARENCE

Blurb 

Life is tough, and it becomes tougher when you need to make life changing decisions. Would you dare to love again? Would you allow yourself to be loved and to be cherished again? Many of us turn away from life, thinking that it is not for them but some take a leap of faith rewrite their story for the sake of love? 

Love, Again is a double header book bringing you two stories about chancing love again -These Lines of Mehendi by Sumeetha Manikandan and A Tulip in the Desert by Shrruti Patole Clarence.

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Meet the Authors 

Sumeetha Manikandan 

Sumeetha Manikandan is a freelance writer and an author who loves to write and base her plots on the tambrahm community of Mylapore, Chennai. She is the author of ‘The Perfect Groom’ that has been a bestselling ebook on the top 50 charts of Amazon India ever since publication.

An avid reader, she loves to read across different genres – romance, historical fiction, non-fiction, mystery, fantasy etc. A history buff to the core,

she is currently translating Ponniyin Selvan – the evergreen tamil classic epic history by Kalki Krishnamurthy into English.

Married to film maker K.S. Manikandan, Sumeetha lives in Chennai, along with her six year old daughter.

                        

Shrruti Patole Clarence

Shrruti has been a voracious reader since early years and took to composing poems when she was very young.
An Aviation Manager and 10years with various airlines, she has been on a sabbatical for her two son's aged six years and 1 year respectively.
She enjoys this welcome break from career, to be able to pursue her passion, writing!
She has to her credit 6 short stories featuring in different Anthologies all published this year, one of which will soon be seen as a short movie.
And Love, Again a double header romance Novel publish date 25th May 2015, with her story A Tulip in the Desert will soon be seen on the stands!
Her lyrics feature in the theme song of group Young Indians – an off shoot of CII (Confederation of Indian Industries).
Her poems feature in Zest of Inklings and a Hindi poem in an e-book – Ehsaas, judged by eminent Urdu and Hindi screenwriter, dialogue writer and playwright - Javed Siddiqui.


Shrruti is a warm and friendly person who loves music and watching sports when she is not writing.

Love, Again is a novella comprising of two stories. The first one, These Mehendi Lines is by Sumeetha Manikandan and the second one, A Tulip in the Desert is written by Shrruti Patole Clarence.

These Mehendi Lines: 

The story is about Lalitha who has been widowed recently and how the stigma of being a widow affects every aspect of our life, even the business especially if you are in the beauty business. Our society is so soaked up in superstitions, beliefs and some redundant traditions that we are such an unhappy people who tend to make the lives of others miserable too. It does not matter if a woman is physically or mentally abused and tortured, she must bear it silently. It does not matter if her husband is a looser, drunkard or a leech, she should stick to him and carry on being a married woman rather than be ridiculed in the society as a woman who was abandoned by her husband. It is still a very big deal.

And Lalitha’s fate is similar too. Having left her husband after finding out that he was already in a relationship with his own sister-in-law, she finds solace in her work as a bridal makeup artist. She has a thriving business and her work is appreciated. But her fate changes after her husband commits suicide and she becomes a widow. It is considered inauspicious for a widow to dress up a bride and so her business suffers.

Then comes along Shrikanth, the guy ditched at the altar (almost) by his long time girlfriend and fiance and is afraid to get into a committed relationship. Circumstances bring Lalitha and Shrikant together and they get hitched. It is a marriage of convenience and her business improves once she is a married woman! 

And…everything ends well. The story is simple and gripping. Right doses of emotions and romance.  The characters are real and do justice to their roles. The editing is good making it an easy read. 

A Tulip In The Desert:

This story has a great storyline about reincarnation, soul mates and destiny. Charmine is a history undergraduate student who has visions from the past. She is Charmion, the confidant and the first maid of Queen Cleopatra of Egypt. It is the story about finding the love of her life again in Raj who was previously Rufio, the confidant of Marc Antony. It is also coming into terms with the reality of their re-birth.

This could have made a very good read if not for the editing. The transition from the present to the past is confusing. The scene and the dialogue between Charmion and Cleopatra are repeated so much that I could repeat it by heart. Anju’s entry is sudden and forced. 

Charmine is described as being beautiful with charming smile and sparkling eyes. That is what Raj and Anuj notice in her. But when it comes to Ira, Anuj notices her body first and then in the end, her eyes. I know it is far fetched, but make the guys fall in love with the intelligence and wit of a woman please…at least in the stories.

                 

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BOOK BLITZ - TWISTS OF FATE BY PRIYANKA NAIK.

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TWISTS OF FATE

by

Priyanka Naik

Blurb

As kids, we thought grown-ups had so much fun. How we wished we could grow up fast. If only we knew what we were wishing for.

Three pieces of a soul, they'd call themselves soul sisters and this is their journey, a journey through the lives of three best friends who accidentally reunite after a decade long disconnection. A round of startling revelations later, the three realize that life is indeed unpredictable. However, in this world of uncertainty, there is just one thing they can still be sure of their friendship!

With secrets confessed, pain shared, tears shed and troubles discussed, they help find answers to each other's problems, just like old times.

Each has a lesson to learn from the other, a story to tell, a reason to say 'I'm sorry' and a reason to say 'Thank you'. Has destiny brought them together to complete the picture?

Will they succeed in finding the missing pieces?

Can every twist of fate be interpreted in just one way?

Join Sharvari Joshi, Parizaad Sethna and Nandini Mazumdar in a nostalgic journey from girlhood to womanhood. 'Twists of Fate' promises to be a roller coaster ride of emotions that will captivate the reader's heart and leave him pondering on life, fate and all its conspiracies.

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About the author

Priyanka hails from the beautiful land of Goa. She is a doctor by profession and a writer at heart. She runs a private clinic where she consults as General Physician and Diabetologist.

She is a perfectionist by nature and a gypsy by habit…a realist by design and a dreamer by default. Sometimes jaded and sometimes overtly optimistic, she is quite a paradox trying to figure out her role in the grand scheme of things. She has won several elocution competitions during her school days, and has had her poems and articles published in newspapers and magazines.

Being a blogger for the last twelve odd years, it is the love of her readers and friends that has inspired her to come out with a book. She believes everybody who has a story to tell deserves a chance to be heard. She has faith in the power of words. She celebrates the magic of bonds (like the one already formed between you and her) that exist despite time, space and lack of physical proximity.

Winner of the 'Literary Diva 2015' Award, she owes her success to the love of her readers and an undying passion to express her thoughts. Besides reading and writing, her other interests include traveling and music.

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The fight between the Idealism and Reality is what the story is all about.
A man haunted by his own pen name, who cannot live up to the image he has portrayed to the world, his struggle to be accepted by people for what he is....Musafir turns out to be more of a myth for all his believers.

The story started off at a slow pace for me. The girl, Tilotama, in love with the author who is very vocal about the current political scenario, she is very much smitten by his idea of perfect 'society' that she cannot separate the real from the assumed. Nor can she believe that he can be anything else other than what he portrayed in his writings. That is the reason she cannot accept Riddhhiman because he is too practical and human, a person who is selfish and materialistic. She still believes that he still has the power to reform the society if he becomes Musafir; when he himself does not think so.

Their love story is riddled with doubts and conflicts, she trying to look above his imperfections as Riddhiman and he trying to prove to her that Riddhiman is equally desirable. They marry in haste, yet it is Tilotama who can understand him perfectly and who can save him if at all he wants to be saved because she still sees the potential in him.

Riddhiman's complexity of character is revealed in the way he interacts with other characters in the novel. He has an intellectual connection with Mr. Sen, Tilotama's father, who is also inspired by Musafir's writing yet is very grounded to accept Riddhiman. Though he shares a very lovely bond with his mother, he fails as an "ideal" son, putting his needs first than that of his family's. He is indulgent because his family stands by him in all the phases of his life, which he takes for granted. The way he treats Gopal, his long time friend and secretary, shows how egoistic he is! In the end, he is not able to cope with all his shortfalls and feigns mental disability holding his family to ransom. Tilotama sees through his facade. It is her love for Musafir that she tries to put sense into him only to realize that Riddhiman can never be saved because he is too full of himself.
"Nothing is sacred to him,' as Tilotama says. It is this crisis of identity that makes him incapable of writing a decent piece of story.

Tilotama is THE heroin of the story all the way. She sticks to her idealism. She works for the upliftment of women and makes them self sufficient. She finds a mother and a friend in Krishnakoli, Riddhiman's mother. To her Krishnakoli is an example of a strong woman who has made it on her own, who works for others selflessly, Though initially she blames Riddhiman for his mother's death, she is also quick in rectifying her judgmental attitude. She is unapologetic in her ways when she sees through Riddhiman's lie of pretending to be losing it and becoming suicidal. She does resurrect him, only to lose him permanently. I loved the ending when she decides to let go rather than fight for a shadow of what Musafir was as Riddhiman is still unable to come into terms with who he really is.

I loved the complexities of the characters and the way they are unraveled. Paulami has taken care to dissect the layers of Riddhiman and also Tilotama's thoughts, weighing of pros and cons very objectively.  The romance is strong yet does not overshadow the crux of the story. It is the strength of the women in this story that shines in this novel. A well written story.





 

COVER REVEAL - AN AUTOGRAPH FOR ANJALI BY SUNDARI VENKATRAMAN.

Releasing on March 7, 2016

Cover Reveal:

AN AUTOGRAPH FOR ANJALI

#AAFA : a Romantic Suspense

by 

Sundari Venkatraman

Sneak Peek

     Jayant Mathur is found murdered in his bed, shot at point-blank range with his own revolver. Though she’s extremely disturbed by his death, Jayant’s wife Anjali is way more upset about something else. Who stands to gain by killing the multi-millionaire businessman?

     Parth Bhardwaj is a friend and neighbour of the Mathurs. Parth is an author who goes by a pseudonym. He appears more than a friend to Anjali; while he’s also on good terms with her son Arjun who lives and studies in the UK. What role does he play in Anjali’s life? Jayant’s relatives are curious to know.

     Jayant’s brother-in-law Rana is convinced that Parth and Anjali are the murderers. But Inspector Phadke has his own doubts about this theory. In comes Samrat, the private detective who appears as quiet as a mouse. Will he be able to find the murderer?

     Will Anjali find happiness and peace? 

About the author

An Autograph For Anjali is the sixth book authored by Sundari Venkatraman. This book is a romantic suspense. Other published novels by the author are The Malhotra Bride, Meghna, The Runaway Bridegroom and The Madras Affair – all romances. She has also published a collection of romantic short stories called Matches Made In Heaven. All of Sundari Venkatraman's books have been on Amazon Top 100 Bestsellers in India, USA, UK & Australia, many times over. 

Sundari Venkatraman would love to hear from you @

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Other books by the author

The Malhotra Bride

Meghna

The Runaway Bridegroom

Flaming Sun Collection 1: Happily Ever Afters From India (Box Set)

Matches Made In Heaven

The Madras Affair

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