The Bollywood Bride
By Sonali Dev
Kensington - October 2015
Contemporary Romance
Ria Parkar hid from the world by living in the Bollywood limelight. She'd left her home and became the darling of films, lighthearted romantic movies filled with dance and weddings. Such irony considering she could never be lighthearted. Already lived with a broken heart. And would never marry.
After being gone for several years, she was being asked to come home for a wedding. Be a part of something that was destined to tear her emotionally apart. But she couldn't say no to her cousin. Nikhil was as close as a brother, and she knew how important it was to Nikhil and his fiancee Jen. It was important to Ria too.
She had known it would be impossible to avoid Vikram Jathar during the wedding activities, but she never anticipated how attuned she still would be to him. He was the first person she noticed in a room, and he proved to still be the only man who her soul cried out to. But there were valid reasons why she had left him. Valid then, and valid now, and time hadn't changed anything. Vikram was still the only man for her, and the one man she could never have.
With her first book, A Bollywood Affair, Sonali Dev became an auto-read author for me. With The Bollywood Bride, Ms Dev just reinforced this. She is proving to have a vivid style that creates charismatic characters, a deft creative flair where readers feel that this is a community that they'd love to be part of, and a depth of emotion few authors can consistently master. Ria's pain is apparent in her every breath, as is the knowledge that her actions crushed Vikram. Her only hope is that with time, he has been able to move on, something she would never be able to do. Then when we meet Vikram, it is so evident that he has never achieved her hopes.
As someone who has had the opportunity to live in America while still experiencing aspects of a different culture, I truly love reading Sonali Dev's books and feeling as if I'm experiencing the Indian culture. Most of The Bollywood Bride surrounds the preparations of an Indian wedding. I was aware of some of the events, but I found all of this fascinating, and I learned so much. Many people don't have the opportunity to experience different cultures, and I truly believe that The Bollywood Bride is a wonderful read, but also a learning experience.
Kathy Andrico - KathysReviewCorner.com
FTC Disclaimer: I did receive a copy for review. However, this website only posts "good" reviews. If I cannot post a positive review, I notify whoever has provided me with the book/ARC/ebook.