Review – The Bollywood Bride (Bollywood Series) by Sonali Dev

I enjoyed this second chance at first love story. Ria and Vikram are a great couple–I found their story engaging and entertaining. ~ Java Girl, Guilty Pleasures 

Description:
Ria Parkar is Bollywood’s favorite Ice Princess–beautiful, poised, and scandal-proof–until one impulsive act threatens to expose her destructive past. Traveling home to Chicago for her cousin’s wedding offers a chance to diffuse the coming media storm and find solace in family, food, and outsized celebrations that are like one of her vibrant movies come to life. But it also means confronting Vikram Jathar.

Ria and Vikram spent childhood summers together, a world away from Ria’s exclusive boarding school in Mumbai. Their friendship grew seamlessly into love–until Ria made a shattering decision. As far as Vikram is concerned, Ria sold her soul for stardom and it’s taken him years to rebuild his life. But beneath his pent-up anger, their bond remains unchanged. And now, among those who know her best, Ria may find the courage to face the secrets she’s been guarding for everyone else’s benefit–and a chance to stop acting and start living.

Rich with details of modern Indian-American life, here is a warm, sexy, and witty story of love, family, and the difficult choices that arise in the name of both.

Review copy provided for an honest review

There was much in The Bollywood Bride that I loved–the strong family bond between Ria, her aunt, uncle, and cousin, Nikhil. In fact, all the relationships are written very well. I really felt the depth and range of the characters’ emotions and connections to each other. I loved the glimpse into their family, the cultural traditions and ceremonies surrounding Nikhil’s wedding.

Ria had a very tragic childhood in India, but spent her summers in Chicago with her aunt and uncle. These summers were the highlight of her life. Her uncle’s nephew, Vikram, also spent summers with Ria’s family and the two of them, along with Nikhil, were very close. Vikram was Ria’s first love, however, she ended their relationship without explanation ten years ago. Nikhil’s wedding is the first time the two former lovers have seen each other since. Ria is now a big Bollywood film star–The Ice Princess. Vikram is still angry and hurt by Ria’s ending of their relationship, and he’s a big jerk (and very unlikeable) at first. Once I got to know Vikram better, and he quit his jerky behavior towards Ria, I found him to be interesting, funny, smart, sexy and sweet, with a strong sense of community and a desire to help others. He was much more than I expected from his behavior at the start of the book. Ria is a very controlled woman, who spends a lot of time and energy keeping secrets and keeping a tight lid on her emotions. When she relaxes, she is fun, sweet, loving and I enjoyed her character. However, there were times when I grew impatient with her–she is a bit of a martyr and definitely a drama queen.

Second chance at first love stories are a favorite of mine. I love seeing how the characters have grown and changed since their first relationship. For me, Vikram made the most of the ten years he spent apart from Ria, while she refused to deal with the reasons for ending their relationship, right up to the very end of the book. Even then, the choice isn’t really hers. It made for a good, dramatic ending, and ultimately, she did deal with her tragic past, as well as its possible impact on her future. However, it was a long road to get to that point. There were times I thought the story moved too slowly, but I was totally invested in Ria and Vikram and I was eager to know how their story would end the second time around..

Purchase from
Amazon / B&N

a Rafflecopter giveaway