Home Blog Page 17

Book Review: Time Was

0

Author: Nora Roberts

A storyteller of immeasurable diversity and talent Nora Roberts brings yet another heart-touching tale of romance.

The story is about time travel. The female protagonist Liberty Stone is astounded to find the pilot of a plane crash, just dazed and with a little injury to his forehead. The man, Caleb Hornblower is lucky to be alive since he is injured in the snowy mountain with no human for miles away.

He is stranded in the remote cabin with Libby and its not  rocket science to know, sparks fly, enough to cause an inferno!! Their bodies collide so do their hearts and now Cal is heartbroken when its time to leave. The reason, was he was piloting a spaceship and was from three centuries later when he crashed accidentally after scratching a black hole.

I am a huge Nora Roberts fan but this plot was as bizarre as it could get. The POVs were mixed up and this didn’t have a typical Nora Roberts narrative feel. Nonetheless, I chose to be charmed given my loyalty to her as a reader.

 

 

‘Blush’

0

Royal doors

The crowd gathered outside the haveli walls each trying to outdo the other in his quest to get a sneak peek at the magnificent doors, unmindful of the scorching heat of the morning sun. The beautifully carved ornate entrance had stood the test of time just like the haveli itself and was always the talk of the town. Owned by the Shriyam village headman who boasted of ancestors from the times of the great Prithviraj Chouhan, the haveli was decorated with floral arrangements as though it were the bride.

The entire village was promised a feast and the swelling crowd outside was a testimony to the eagerness. Finally, after decades, the haveli had witnessed a wedding. The headman’s youngest son Karanveer Singh had finally found himself a bride. Three of his older brothers were left behind because of the lack of prospective brides and now they had crossed the marital age as required in the social circles.

Karan’s mother Rukmini Devi peeped through the specially made crevices in the door from where she could look at the outside world without being a spectacle herself. She was comfortable in her archaic gamut within the walls, inside the royal gates. She didn’t have any option, did she?

Pulling her palloo over her scanty aging head, she sighed as she returned to the kitchen. She cringed as she stirred the dal in the infernal room a couple of degrees above the outside desert heat. Her painful arthritic joints curved beyond their regular shapes were giving up. She hoped the new bride would be of some help to her… if only. How could she expect the poor girl all of 18 to go beyond the line of duty… duty which was entrusted upon the unsuspecting bride forcefully? The girl was from a neighboring village that had faced a drought so severe, her father preferred to marry his daughter to the Singh family than let her die of starvation.

Rukmini Devi stood still, wiping the sweat off her brows. She hadn’t slept last night after returning from the wedding a minuscule affair in the neighboring village.

The agonizing screams echoing within the haveli walls that vibrated through those ostentatious doors would be remembered for years to come. The young girl was officially married to Karan but she was meant to satisfy Rukmini’s older sons too… After all, they held conjugal rights too as per the unwritten rule in their antiquated mindsets.

Rukmini had done it as well and now history had repeated itself. Today her sons had gone out for an annual event and would return only late in the afternoon, in time for the feast. Her husband was busy catering to his headman duties unmindful and uncaring about the women in the house. The women- both living as well as those Rukmini had been forced to let go right after birth. She had lost count of the umpteen ones she had lost in the womb because they were girls…

Rukmini shut the gas stove and walked towards the new bride’s chamber. She had work to do before her husband’s ire fell upon them. She held in her wrinkled, scrawny hands a small brass tin. Well carved by the finest craftsmen it held the top quality ‘paste’. The paste would be now applied to cover the new bride’s bruises. After all the young girl had to get back her glowing blush before she performed her ‘duties’ that night and the nights to follow. Just like Rukmini had done, so also the scanty women in their village, a mere blip on the map of India, had done.

On her way, she glanced up at the shining doors, closed and regal. Would they ever open for her and let the light sunshine in? Would the scarce women in their village ever regain their lost blush?

Book Review: From Olive Green to Beauty Queen

0

Author: Ankita Srivastava

This is a non-fiction book, an anecdotal literary work penned by the author who was an officer in the Indian Army. She was the first lady officer to get posted to counter-insurgency operations.

However, the book begins when the author was relieved from the Army and suddenly felt the void when she had to face the challenges of civilian life. More so when she felt she wasn’t too feminine amidst the female folks. What began as participation in a local pageant by chance and winning it, brought in an avalanche. She decided to participate in the Mrs. India pageant, with the sole aim of discovering her feminine side.

The book is an account of all that transpires behind the scenes in a pageant of such repute. Some are hilarious while some are shocking revelations. It makes one sit back and wonder at the grind the participants go through to show us just the tip of the iceberg, i.e the glamorous life on stage. The finale is the icing on the cake when the author is confronted with a rather unusual situation and how her Army training comes in to save the situation for her and everyone else.

This book has a tremendous feel-good factor, particularly reminding you of Sandra Bullock in Miss congeniality.

From toughness to softness, from drill boots to stilettos, this book takes you on a beautiful motivational sojourn!

 

Chance

Moya Solomia…

She walked through the dim lights of the foyer, her sneakers dampening the sounds of her arrival. Her heart pulsated beneath her crisp loose white blouse worn over her see-through capris. She was a pro at what she set to do today, but this time it was different.

She sighed and was immediately startled at the loud boom of a bomb miles away, the sound accompanying the cacophony of the shelling in progress. The sanguine dusky sky seemed kaleidoscopic with the mixture of explosions. But nothing compared to the volcano boiling within her core waiting to erupt. Years of training helped her hold her resolve as the minutes to her mission’s finale arrived in this mansion amidst the war-torn Mariupol in Ukraine.

This was her chance towards her retribution.

She clutched at the frills above her chest, trying to control her thundering heart, and made her way to the designated bedroom. The only standing bedroom in the dilapidated mansion…  all planned for a clear view.

The door to the bedroom opened with a cringe-worthy creak, and she wondered if it would collapse anytime soon like the rest of the house.

Laskavo prosymo… welcome Solomia…  I was waiting… As you see. This is the last time we meet. I don’t know when I will get to see you next. Pryydy moya lyubov…  come, my love. I brought this chair for you from that exhibition… Sadly we will have to let it go here….”  Fedir stood to his six feet, a soft smile spreading across his salt and pepper beard.

He was impeccably dressed in the finest attire; she knew it was his wedding suit. He had strangled his wife, her sister years ago. She was a little girl then and later found he had abducted her sister, and violated her. The press got wind of the situation and he was pressurised to tie the knot since he was an army general. The moment things settled he got rid of the ‘wife’.

 

She shivered within and gyrated her body, knowing what it did to him. The room was dark, and the staccato lights from the bombarding outside the city perimeters lit up his majestic face, the bullet mark on his forehead from eons ago shining to make him look ferocious. But she knew this man who now ran the largest drug cartel in and around Ukraine and was wanted by Interpol for years, loved her. They had been together for six months before Russia launched its attack. But she knew that already… she was sent to infiltrate his cartel.

She had grabbed the chance with open arms. She had since lived for this day ever since she had escaped to Russia after her sister died.

She was, after all, the femme fatale of the KGB, which eyed the moolah Fedir had to offer. Today was the last night of their rendezvous. He had needed time to accumulate his assets in a safe place and was now all set to disappear to some corner of Sweden. He had insisted she accompany him and she promised to join him soon after tying loose ends back home.

He hugged her, his hard embrace threatening to crush her ribs. She worried he would feel her pounding heart.

“Oh… moya Solomia…” he whispered into her ear, his warm breath making her want to throw up. He kissed her behind her ear and gripped her through her thick pants. She gasped and he silenced her as he crushed his mouth to hers.

Her hands snaked around his neck, and all her training now coming into action. She knew how he thought as she placed a palm on his heart. It raced like never before, and before she knew it, she found him seated on that chair with her straddling him. Moving her face away, she gripped at his hair just like she knew he loved and spoke. “Where is my parting gift? Moya podarunok?

He chuckled.

Moya lyubov, My love… go pick it up. It’s in that special safe. The password is your name. My bank passbook… I have a separate personal account in Swiss…Nominated you. I leave tonight forever, darling… Promise to join me…”

She nodded and jiggled her hips. He gripped her harder as he kissed her. She reveled in the final moments watching his so-called passion as her keen vision saw the red dot dancing on the dark cupboard above his head. It was her signal to move.

She had indicated by jiggling her hips… she had got the password to the safe.

She had already tried her hand to open it twice before but had failed and one more wrong attempt would cause the safe to destroy itself. She now had the access… the safe contained all his dealings too… all details of his clientele and various sources of funds. The KGB needed the intel and the funds.

For the last few years, they had tried, and nothing happened. Fedir was too cautious and had an entourage of the best bodyguards money could buy. But as the Russian-Ukranian relationships soured, they knew this was the time for their ace. Svetlana Volkov, operative name Solomia….

Svetlana, alais Solomia moved away, even as he smiled, caressing her head. The red dot loomed as their sniper held the fort; she was the only one between life and death for Fedir.

She looked out of the window, to see the power plant blown to smithereens and knew Fedir was a hopeless case too… She moved away abruptly, and before he could get his bearings, the deed was done.

She was wired today, so she knew her handlers had the password and must have stormed the safe by now.

She walked out to a waiting unmarked vehicle leaving her role behind, and now she was back to being Svetlana after yet another successful mission.

She shuddered as she looked at the burning scenery passing across, wiping away tears that streamed nonstop meandering their way through her makeup patches.

She had avenged her sister and many other young women whose honor the man had tarnished ruining families, much before the war did.

It wasn’t retribution…it was justice.

©priyagole

 

 

Book Review : I am lying to you

0

Author: Shantanu Sharma

The story plot revolves around a RAW agent Ombir who is assigned to apprehend the dreaded terrorist Haji Suleiman. Everything is planned to the T as per protocols that the agents follow except, Om falls in love with Shazia.

Shazia is visually impaired post a traumatic past in Rawalpindi and is currently based in Argentina. Falling in love with a complete stranger, Om was never on her card as well. However, they are unable to avoid succumbing to the fierce attraction between them as they plan on being official soulmates.

Fate however has different plans and Om and his team are caught in a web of betrayal, and deceit that will end with only bloodshed.

Does Om succeed in preventing a terror catastrophe and have his happily ever after with Shazia?

The author has managed to bring out beautifully, Om’s RAW unexpected emotions for Shazia, as well as Shazia’a vulnerability after knowing Om’s real identity. I was left wanting more of the two!!!

 

Book review: Murder in the Bylanes

0

Authors: Aloke Lal and Maanas Lal

The book chronicles former DIG Aloke Lal’s journey when posted in a communally tumulous Kanpur in the backdrop of the Babri Masjid demolition (1992). The then largest state Uttar Pradesh was on tenterhooks in every way where a sudden disturbance could create unfathomable ripples throughout the law and order circles. Not to mention the state was a political hot potato.

The Author recounts the horrific times when he had to face the city on the brink of riots. All this after the gruesome murder of a prominent local political muscle, ‘Kala Bachcha’ 

What followed was the dance of political aspirations amongst the parties and later between the ruling party and the opposition. It was a Herculean task for the Author to handle the sensitive balance between the two religious factions.

The author takes us through a heart-wrenching sojourn of a demoralized police force in the aftermath of violence and political pressures. The book speaks volumes about how the force was forced to be a bystander watching the criminals unravel the political and law and order pictures in the localities they controlled.

The Author had to sacrifice a lot at a personal level to stick to his virtues and convictions. he sums it all in the statement towards the end, “An inescapable reality of a busy job is being deprived of life’s greatest pleasure- spending time with loved ones” 

 

The Secret ripples

0

Here comes the next story in the Bodyguard series.

THE SECRET RIPPLES

(This story can be read in the continuation or as a standalone)

Blurb:

The Arabian Sea was calm as ever.
But was it the lull before the storm?
Then one fine day, there were ripples… massive ones. Was it some kind of a missile underwater? No one guessed it—neither the satellites nor the defense machinery.
In the corner of Mumbai, though, one boy caught it all with evidence.
Nitya could do nothing despite all her training. Her little brother, the sole living relative, was in grave danger.
SPS was commissioned, and Maanav ‘Bullet’ Deshmukh rose to the occasion. But this was beyond his realm of duty as a bodyguard. The plot was far more sinister, involving international waters!!
Add to it the strong attraction towards the beautiful Nitya, the forbidden fruit. Could his resolve sustain it and protect Nitya and her brother?
Or will the ripples of passion and malice drown them all?

Book Review: The Maid

0

Author: Nita Prose

Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined someone writing about a maid. No offense or ridicule, but whenever we go to a high-end hotel, we rarely look at the employees who clean up after us. However, the author takes us through a sojourn. Through the maid’s life in the Regency Grand Hotel.

Molly the maid, as the protagonist is known, is a simpleton with an obsession for cleanliness (pun intended). She is all alone in this world and had worked hard to sustain her position in the hotel. At the same time, she has amazing observational skills that could put the highest level of law enforcement to shame as she watches the guests passing through the hotel. She cleans after them, figuratively and literally.

Molly loved her job and prefers remaining a fly on the wall.

However all that goes for a toss and massive ripples created in her otherwise mundane life when she discovers Mr. Black’s dead body in his hotel suite. Mr. Black is a VIP guest and his demise sends the law enforcement, hotel staff, and media into a frenzy. Add to that Molly’s special ‘friendship’ with the second Mrs. Black doesn’t end her troubles. She gets embroiled in the mess called homicide and a lot more than she had ever imagined, not to mention betrayal from trusted sources.

However, in her quest for truth, Molly discovers she is far from the weakling weirdo and way beyond the whispers in the hallway.

How does Molly acquit herself?

The book is very interesting, with lucid language and a good pace. I was personally intrigued by Molly’s character, which keeps unfolding till the very end!

A well-recommended read!

Book Review: Wicked Trap

0

Author: M. V Kasi

This story has Kasi’s signature style throughout.
Right from the time the arrogant stranger zoomed into her life by forcing her to share her taxi, Tanvi begins a love-hate relationship. Before she knows she falls for the enigmatic Arjun. However, the spunky activist isn’t aware of the truth behind Arjun’s closeness, not even when they share a fiery passion together.
Arjun is a man on a mission and all set to avenge the betrayal faced by his family. Tanvi is a mere pawn… at least that’s what she was meant to be. The casanova doesn’t imagine falling for the woman whose mere looks turn him to mush.
A very interesting tale of passion and betrayal…

 

Book Review: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

0

Author: Taylor Jenkins Reid

The story begins with the reclusive Hollywood icon Evelyn Hugo reaching out to an unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant to give out an exclusive. It is meant to be a memoir detailing her glamorous life with all its shenanigans, scandals, and the lows.

Monique, who is still reeling with the shock of getting a stepping stone that would jump-start her sluggish career, begins to listen to the almost 80-year-old woman.

Evelyn bares her soul recounting her journey from Hell’s Kitchen to LA in the 1950s to leaving it all in the 1980s. The highlight of it was the seven husbands in the sojourn. She unravels the truth behind each relationship and more. Her story gives an insight into her colorful and eventful life filled with romance, betrayal, struggles, and her tryst with bisexuality. At a time when being queer was considered blasphemous, the narrative brings out the quest for survival by those in the realm. It also brings forth the reality of the casting couch we shun talking about.

But as a reader, I was in awe of the woman who had no regrets despite what she did. Whether baring it all for a hit or sleeping around for getting a part in a movie. She also lost everyone she loved, but her resilience won in the end, to tell the tale.

The finale of the book points towards the intersection of Evelyn’s life with Monique’s past. Though this was meant to be a hard-hitting turning point, as a reader, I was a bit disappointed. It wasn’t that impactful. Especially after an intrigue-filled narrative till that part.

However, I would still recommend this one for an interesting read!