Book Review-Jyoti Arora's #JustRomance

#JUSTROMANCE
by

Jyoti Arora

Blurb

7 heart-warming love stories to make you smile

You raised a song in my heart
That I never knew before.
Now kiss me, Love,
For I yearn to know
What a dream must taste like.

Luxury adds glamour to romances, danger adds thrill. But it is real emotions that turn love magical. And when love casts its magic, even ordinary people can have extraordinary love stories.

It is seven such delicious and relatable Indian romances that this book brings to you.

With realistic characters that will live in your heart. With romance spanning across mountains, forests, glowing beaches, or coming alive in roadside dhabas and buzzing city streets. With myriad gripping emotions of friendship and love, these feel-good love stories are sure to touch your heart with delight.

If you are in love with love,

then these beautiful romances are a must-read for you!

Seven couples, seven clean contemporary romances, one delicious book.

#JustRomance

Because nothing matters more than love.

     

Read an excerpt

My Review:

#Just Romance is a collection of seven stories that can neither be called a short story or a novella. But each story has twist and turns which keeps you keep hooked till the end. There is romance no doubt but suspense and mystery too in each story around the protagonist that sometimes you feel there is more to it.

Each story is unique; some will shake your core while some bring a smile on your face. The author Jyoti Arora has used simple, lucid language, which makes an easy connection with the reader. The cover image is apt and the title though different yet apt. 

          The short poems at start of each story are really something which sets the mood of the story. The description of the settings of the scene is so detailed that one can actually visualize it while reading.

So, if you like to read romances, then #JustRomance is a must-read. 

Grab your copy @

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About the author

Jyoti Arora is an Indian novelist and blogger. Besides her books, her writing achievements include several wins in blogging competitions, over five years of freelance writing experience, developing books for kids and abridging 30 English novels like Jane Eyre, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, etc. 

Jyoti’s first novel ‘Dream’s Sake’ was published by V&S Publishers in 2011. It tells a beautiful love story revolving around the troubles of physically challenged people. Her second novel ‘Lemon Girl’ is based on the theme of gender crime against women and victim-blaming. It is featured in Ezvid’s wiki list of 9 Well-Written Novels That Put Women Front & Center. It also received appreciation from Ms. Maneka Gandhi. Her third novel ‘You Came Like Hope’ talks about the opposite side of the issue discussed in Lemon Girl. That is, it talks about the fake cases filed by women. This too is a case of gender crime and victim-blaming. But in this case, it is the man who suffers. The book received much appreciation for its unique theme and heart-warming love story. All three books are intense and based on serious social issues. For her fourth book, Jyoti decided to write something lighter and happier. That’s what has resulted in #JustRomance, a collection of happy love stories. 

Books have always been Jyoti’s best friends. In fact, books so fascinated her from early childhood that she learnt to read by herself even before she started going to school. And she considers herself fortunate that she is able to pursue her dream of being a novelist and work at what she loves best.

However, if books are her first love, the thrilling and steadily advancing world of technology also fascinates her. As a result, one of her blogs is a technological blog called TechnoTreats. One of her posts in this blog even won her the title of Samsung Mobiler in 2011. After that, she has won several other blogging competitions too.

She is a patient of Thalassemia which forced her to drop out of school too soon. But she did not let that defeat her. She studied on her own and completed her schooling through correspondence courses. Then she went on to Jyoti study BA English (Honours) from Delhi University and then achieved postgraduation degrees in English Literature and Applied Psychology from Annamalai University.

For her determination and achievements, she has received appreciation from several eminent dignitaries and her life story has been covered in various TV shows, radio programs, newspapers, magazines, and websites. In the year 2016, she was one of the 100 special women achievers of India that were invited as special guests to attend the Republic Day parade in Delhi. 

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Book Review-Sonia Rao's The Magician

THE MAGICIAN 
(The Tarot Trilogy Book 1)
by 
Sonia Rao

Blurb

Fashion designer Sasha Kapoor always felt she'd missed out on love as she had an arranged marriage. And when her husband turns up at their 15th-anniversary party with a strange woman, she knows that her marriage is dying. With constant surprises and disasters to contend with, will Sasha ever get a chance at true love?

Shantha is much sought after for her tarot card readings on love, but can’t seem to help her own love life with a string of broken relationships behind her. Now, sparks are flying between her and a sexy bartender but will this relationship fizzle out too?

Young professionals Nilima and her husband are so besotted with each other, they give the word ‘soulmate’ a complex. Theirs is a match made in heaven…till tragedy strikes.

The Magician is a heart-warming story of these three dynamic women as they discover the meaning of true love through loss and longing.

Thoughts from the Author, Sonia Rao

Who is a Magician? If it is a Tarot Card, then it the Major Arcana card in the deck and symbolizes life-changing issues.

 But if it is a person, then it is Sasha, the main protagonist of my novel, The Magician. In this urban, contemporary romance, fashion designer Sasha, who caught within a loveless marriage, now seeks true love. It is also Shantha and Nilima who face their own challenges in love and try to rise above them.

 It is also every woman. This is because, as Shantha says to Sasha in the book, “Imagination is your strength. You have the power to visualize and then manifest what you want. You are the Magician.” Each one of us is The Magician because we hold within ourselves the power to create the life of our dreams.

But how did this cover happen? There is a lovely story behind it. While researching the many tarot decks online, I saw this card on the Attic Shoppe website and I knew at once that this was my “Sasha.”

Go back and have a look at the cover again. Doesn’t it just grip you too? Part practical, part whimsical, part traditional, part digital, this card, like the book, is a labour of love.

The designer, Bethalynne Bajema, created this card for her Black Ibis Tarot card deck.  The love she put in is very evident in the vibe one gets from it. Every time I see it, I am inspired to bring a touch of magic to the everyday routines of mundane life.

Carrying on the serendipity, Bethalynne immediately and graciously agreed to my request to make this card my book cover. Such generosity is hard to come by and I believe it is the Universe’s way of saying “you’re right on track.”  


(Bethalynne can be contacted here: Instagram)


My Review:

Narrating a story is an art. Interweaving emotions in the narrations and conveying it to the readers is a talent which only some authors possess.

The Magician – The Tarot Trilogy Book 1 is an intense, fast-paced story filled with mystery, betrayal, relationships and of course romance. 

This is the first time I read Sonia’s work and I loved it. The characters are well-described; the plot is engrossing and fast-paced. I loved the mystery part and how the suspense is revealed is commendable. 

While reading one can feel the turmoil of Sasha, the sadness and hurt of Nilima’s loss and love of Shantha and Danny. The Magician is roller-coaster ride on emotions and relationships. The cover image is apt to the title and story, use of simple and error-free writing, well-explained characters all make this book an interesting and enjoyable read. 

The Magician – The Tarot Trilogy Book 1 is a must-read. 

Read an excerpt

  
Grab your copy @

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About the author

"Sonia Rao is a writer, editor, and award-winning blogger. Her fiction has appeared in many prestigious anthologies such as Voices Old & New and Jest Like That (edited by renowned editor-writer Shinie Anthony).

 As NaNoWriMo’s Municipal Liaison for all-India and founder of the Wrimo India group on Facebook, Sonia has motivated thousands of people in India to write a novel every November since 2011. She has also curated and edited the first Wrimo India Anthology, Vengeance—A Sting In Every Tale.

Sonia likes to believe she is ‘high-minded’ but strangely, her fave hobby is thinking up torture devices for those autorickshawallahs who consider the roads to be their personal spittoon. Who knew?"

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Book Review-T F Carthick's More Unfairy Tales

MORE UNFAIRY TALES
(Carthick's Unfairy Tales Book 2)

by

T.F. Carthick

Blurb

A knight rescues a damsel in distress. They marry, the whole kingdom rejoices, and everyone lives happily ever after. The end.

Or at least that's what Official sources say. But what tales do insiders tell? What secrets lie buried deep inside Davey Jones' Locker?

What, dear reader, about The Unfairy tales?

The stories the Knight-in-Shining-Armour and the Damsel-in-Distress have never wanted you to know. Tales which Fairyland had kept locked up in secret and thrown away the key. Until our rogue bard went back in time and ferreted out skeletons hidden within secret cupboards of desolate mansions.

Our fearless crusader of truth and justice brings to you the second volume of revelations from fairyland.

You will find five more unfairy tales hidden within the pages of this tiny tome, the sequel to Carthick's Unfairy Tales. Stories of elves out to decipher the ways of men and dwarves seeking to reclaim their own histories. Of spurned witches and lost wolves. These stories are going to change everything you have ever believed about fairyland and give you a peek underneath the gossamer threads of glamour and magic peddled by the Fae.

     

Read an excerpt

My Review : 

         Most of the times a story is written and read from the protagonist’s point of view. The story portrays the good as good and bad as bad. But as every coin has two sides, similarly every story, too, has two sides.

If one has read Unfairy Tales (the first book of the series) by the author, one will have a fairly good idea of what to expect. But the author has crossed my expectations. If the first book was mind-blowing, the second book, More Unfairy Tales just left me speechless.

Five more fairy tales, five more unusually usual stories, which we have been hearing since we can remember but this time through the antagonist’s point of view.

Most of the times the villains are portrayed as evil, cunning and mean to make the protagonists look good, but we always forget that they are made to look bad so that others can look good. But no one notices their side of the story.

The author has created new versions of five classics

• Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
• The Beauty and the Beast
• Red Riding Hood
• Rapunzel
• The Shoemaker and the elves.

And I am truly amazed by the new version. The language used is lucid. I loved the creative and innovative cover image. The book is so addictive that you end up finishing it at one go and is also a light read which lifts your mood.

More Unfairy Tales is definitely a must-read by one and all.

Grab your copy @

Amazon.in | Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk 


About the author

T F Carthick is a Bangalore-based writer and blogger who has been blogging since 2008. He is an avid reader of Children’s Fiction, Science-fiction and Fantasy. Enid Blyton, J K Rowling, Isaac Asimov, Frank Herbert, Neil Gaiman and Douglas Adams are some of his favorite authors. His paranormal thriller ‘Bellary’ was one of the three stories in the book Sirens Spell Danger, published in 2013. Six of his stories have featured in multi-author anthologies and literary magazines. He has written over 50 short stories, many of which can be read for free on www.karthikl.com.

He is an Engineer and MBA from India’s premier institutes IIT, Madras and IIM, Ahmedabad and currently works as an Analytics and Artificial Intelligence Consultant at one of the world’s leading Consulting Firms.

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Book Review-Paromita Goswami's The Clockmaker

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THE CLOCKMAKER 
by 
PAROMITA GOSWAMI

BLURB

Can you change destiny? What if you can?

Ashish, a passionate clockmaker is frustrated with his life - financial insecurity, his ongoing nightmares and his family, wife Lata and son Vicky, are driving him crazy.

Lata is having a tough time in life with her arch-rival, Rashmi. Vicky wants to be a biker than rather join the family legacy of the clockmaker. He also has a crush on Kavya who is more interested in supporting her family than romancing around.

Lately, Ashish starts hallucinating things. The black hooded man, who traumatizes him in the nightmares, warns him of dire consequences if he doesn’t return the timepiece that was given to Ashish by his father at his deathbed. Burdened with despair, Ashish wishes he could change his destiny and end all his miseries. By sheer chance, he discovers the power of the timepiece. Ashish was still figuring out what to do with it when an incident shatters his life completely. Without second thoughts he uses the power of the timepiece to change his destiny. But, can he really change it?

Amid the chaos of the busy by-lanes of the East Delhi unfolds a paranormal, supernatural, Indian drama that will leave you thrilled.

The Jungle Series – Get ready to be assaulted!

My Review:

We have had always been hearing time and tide waits for no man. And tempering with destiny is not only possible but if done, the consequences are equally disastrous.

The Clockmaker is a supernatural suspense story with paranormal touches. After reading the blurb I had thought it to be a simple supernatural story but the twist and turns and the lucidity in which Paromita has created the suspense and kept me hooked is really commendable.

The Clockmaker is a totally different genre from the author's previous works and I must say she had done a great job. From her 1st book to The Clockmaker, the author has really come a long way.

The Clockmaker is a story about Ashish whose family has been in this clock repairing business since generations. The timepiece which is the main protagonist of the story, how it comes into their family, what are its supernatural powers, to know all about it one must definitely read this book and get spooked.

The Clockmaker is definitely a must read no matter which genre one loves to read as it can be read and enjoyed by all.

Grab your copy @

Amazon.com |  Amazon.in

About the author

Paromita Goswami is a writer and storyteller by passion and a rebel by choice. She says the world is full of stories and as a writer, she loves to pen them down. Her work is not genre specific. From literary fiction to children book to paranormal thriller and women fiction, Paromita Goswami‘s books offer a variety of life to her readers. Besides writing, she is also the founder of a reading club that enhances book reading habit in children. She lives in central India with her family. 

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Review-Ajinkya Bhoite's Shiva Stone

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Shiva Stone: Hampi's Hidden Treasure
by 
AJINKYA BHOITE

BLURB

Mithila is a senior archeologist on the Hampi site along with two other UNESCO scientists. They decide to open some secret vaults in the underground Shiva temple. Treasures and artifacts from the 18th century make the headlines but the Shiva Stone was kept a closely guarded secret. 

When a RAW officer hires Mithila on a secret mission to safely transport an ISRO professor and the Shiva Stone to Bangalore, she knows something is up.

Why is the stone called the Shiva Stone? Why are archeologists, UNESCO, ISRO, and RAW interested in a discovery at Hampi? Why is Mithila working for RAW? Is she the only agent on the mission? 

Shiva Stone will take you on a thrilling adventure through the historical site of Hampi. Buy it now!

My Review:

Shiva's Stone is a suspense mystery story which leaves the reader in mystery too. The book cover and the interesting blurb made me pick up the book but after reading it I was left disappointed. Though the language used is lucid same can't be said about the plot.

Initially, the story creates the pace and interests of the reader, but as you proceed somewhere you feel like, 'what's the story about?' It feels like a wild goose chase. It feels like while writing, in between the author has somewhere got distracted from the plot and ended the story in a hurry. There is very little mention of the importance of the Shiva's Stone on which the story is written. 

I have always liked reading mythology and mystery but not this one.

Grab your copy @

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About the author

I am an Electronics and Telecommunication Engineer with an inclination towards reading and writing. Besides, being Engineer, I enjoy running. 

My first novel is Shiva Stone which is self-published on Kindle.

I was born in a small town called Wai, near Panchgani, Maharashtra. Moved to Satara for High School. 

Under-graduation from Pune University and Masters from California State University, Long Beach.

Currently, working as a Cloud Support Engineer for Amazon Web Services.

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Little Angel with a toothless smile

Pic credit: Google

Pic Credit : Google

Pic Credit: Google

In our journey of life, we come across some people who become a part of our life, just for a short period of time. But sometimes, they leave teaching us a valuable lesson.

Last week we lost a cute little angel. I am saying we because she was everyone’s sweetheart. A cute little angel, who had come in her mother’s life to teach ‘Never plan, life is unpredictable’ (as told by her mother) and in our lives, to teach ‘Keep smiling, Life is short’.

It was difficult for everyone who knew her, to believe that she is no more. I can’t even imagine what her parents went through. If it was difficult for me, it was devastating for them. 

Loss of dear one, especially, a little one is irreplaceable. What is left behind are the memories, bittersweet memories. Having lost my brother, twenty-five years back, I have seen my parents completely shatter.  I pray to God, no one ever experiences that grief. But as they say,

‘Man proposes, God disposes.’

Few lines in memory of the little one…

When I first saw her, she was a little mite nestled in her mother's bosom; small and cute.

There was something that pulled me towards her. When our eyes met, some connection happened. Her toothless smile made me go weak in my knees. Every time I met her, I felt a tug in my heart. Whenever she was in my arms, I felt complete. Slowly our bonding increased, so did my attachment.

Recently we had not been meeting much, but we were in touch, through calls and messages. She had been falling sick lately. But I was never able to see her as my daughter needed me too.

One day her mom messaged me, she is admitted in ICU and very sick. I rushed to see her. Seeing her in a semi-conscious state and in so much pain broke my heart. Hearing my voice, she opened her eyes, a flicker of recognition flashed in her eyes. She held out her swollen left hand.

I caught hold of that teeny weeny hand to soothe her. Even after some time, she was not ready to let go of my hand. Somehow her mom unclasped her hand and she slipped into painful unconsciousness.

With a heavy heart, I came home. Next day, just before dawn, the shrill ringing of the phone woke me up. 'We have lost Divu' her mother said.

I couldn't believe my ears. No... It can't happen... Not again... I can't lose anyone again I said. For half an hour I kept staring at her message which she had sent.

Divu... The little angel who entered my life just to spread love and cheer...Whose toothless smile captured everyone's heart, the little one, who will remain in my heart forever.

Wish I had not left your hand that day...

Wish I had prayed little more for her recovery...

Wish I had spent more time with you...

I wish.

Love you Divu...Will miss you...