Review: Spicy Bites of Biryani by Ashwina Garg

How many of us have read love stories? The answer is almost all of us. And how many of us have read unusual love stories? The answer is only few. Spicy Bites of Biryani by author Ashwina Garg is one such love story. It's unusual, uncomplicated and a calm story. But does it has enough spice in it to hold itself among so many other love stories? Let's scroll down and find out. 

Studied hard? Got the perfect job? Found the perfect mate? And Still Screwed up your life? Is it possible to do everything right in your life and still not be happy? Meet Sanjay, Aditi, Mayank and Jayshree. 
Sanjay is US-returned software millionaire determined to have an arranged marriage aftr slling his company and braking up with his two-timing girlfriends. 
Aditi is a commitment-phobic writer who cant figure out what her next book is about but has perfected the art of break-ups Manyank and Jayshree are the perfect couple. If only they werent dealing with rude relatives, killing deadlines, procreation pressures and those ultimate romance-killers... monotoy and boredom!
This light-hearted story traces the lives of these four successful, thirty-something friends who all come to the same conclusion... 
The hardest thing about having the perfect life is keeping it that way! 

The cover is simple. The title is very catchy indeed. It gives an impression of a cookery book but the tagline solves the dilemma. The blurb points out towards 4 people who are about to embark a journey where they'll realize the importance of lot of things in their lives. It's a tale of finding love, bonding and compatibility. It's about friendship and withstanding the test of times. So does it have enough masala in it to make the readers fizzy? Let's check it out. 

The story has a very unusual narration style to it. Something I haven't come across till date. It has a sense of lazy elegance to it. It's smooth like a butter. It's been woven to perfection. Something inside your mind says to you when you read it that it creates a sense of calmness in your mind. It has an unusual impact on the mind. It uses simple language yet it binds the plot very well. Something that's very uncharacteristic in simple language novels. The unexpected love and problems between Aditi & Sanjay can put a smile on many faces. It has a lot of spice to it. 

The characters Aditi who is all bling-2, intelligent, quick to move on in relationships and a successful author, Jayshree an unsatisfied wife, Mayank a true husband & a workaholic and not to forget Sanjay the millionaire who has a torrid past and who is very passionate about his marriage and comes down to India to solve his problems have enough masala in it to fit in the story well enough for the readers. Aditi is the central character in the story. She has been described very well in the story and her relationship with Sanjay which will become the central point of the story is something that will leave readers a little baffled for sometime. Apart from these characters few other people are there too and guest appearances have been ensured about the author just at the right time in the story. 

The plot runs a smooth course but the end is not up to with the whole plot of the book. It just takes a de-tour and spoils some charm of the entire story. The Hindi words in the book have not been carefully edited and some mistakes I'll point out here are worth mentioning. It's Bhindi not Bhendi. It's Baat Vaat not bath vath. It's mandap not mantap. This was a bit of turn off for me apart from the end. 

The story is enjoyable and has an unexpected charm to it. It'll keep the readers hooked for a fair amount of time to it courtesy it's lazy elegance style which is unique in itself. It's a definite read for romantic die-hards. 

RATING:

4 OUT OF 5.

Review: To B.E Or not to B.E by Dipen Ambalia

An engineer's life is under constant scanner most of the times. From the time they decide to join engineering from their school days till they are done with their mission it's a journey of a lifetime. Author Dipen Ambalia in his third book gathers all his experiences and tries to give a clear insight of what rigorous regime engineers go through and at the end of the day what they achieve out of it. So is an engineer's life best portrayed in this book or there is some malfunctioning in the book. Let's check it out. 

Dipen Ambalia’s third book To B.E. Or Not To B.E.? follows his signature style – satire – that he used in his previous book LOSER as well. In his previous book he discussed the lives of software engineers, whereas in the present one he presents a satirical portrayal of the lives of engineering students. Written in a humorous manner, the book is sure to bring back the memories for those who have gone through the rigorous years of engineering classes.
In an interview the author revealed that he has designed this book for those professionals who were once engineering students. He wanted them to relive the wonderful memories in college through his book. However, the book is also an insight for 12th grade students and their parents who are considering engineering as one of the options. This book gives them an insightful view of what they should be expecting during the four years of engineering life.
Also, students who are pursuing engineering will cherish Dipen’s book as they will be able to relate to the anecdotes and situations included here. It will present them with funny answers to questions they have been asking for a long time. The author has used his personal experience to pen down this book. He recollected his days at engineering college and has presented them in a witty and amusing way.
Dipen answers some questions about the engineering field and its various components. Who originated engineering? Is there any relation between submission and corruption? Who invented Viva? Filled with fun, this book takes the reader on a roller coaster ride of the life of an engineering student and answers the question To B.E. Or Not to B.E.?

The cover is fancy and glossy. The title is good and the blurb gives a fair idea of what's going to happen in the book. It's a satire presenting the lives of engineering students. All the fun and experience has been mixed together to weave a story possible for everyone to enjoy. But is it a treat or a dud next few paragraphs will clear all the air about it. 

The story revolves around Dipen who finds himself in hell after a fatal accident and ends up with another engineer as a roomie for companionship. He takes time to get adjusted to the surroundings and them summoned by the supreme authority of Hell to write about the lives of engineers as even hell and heaven are curious to get an insight about the lives of a much talked profession. Some demands are made and accepted and 3 people along with Dipen get on for a ride of their lives. 

The imagination of the author is good. He chooses heaven and hell and himself to narrate the plight and the experiences of an engineer. The author accounts all his experiences and chooses humor for company to make it readable for the readers. It's an engineer's delight. Those who are pursuing engineering or in the process of getting admission or already have led this roller coaster life can relive their past, present and future through this book. 

The conversations and explanations in some parts are delightful. Some parts are over-imaginative. The story has been beautifully divided into chapters and the headings gives a fair idea what to expect in the next chapter. Humor has the last laugh in the book. Lengthy explanations at times might be turn off for readers. Narration is smooth and few questions raised by the author with respect to their profession in the book are legitimate.

It's not a casual read. It's a book for those who are from this profession or want to be part of it. It might not make a very good choice for readers who are into romance, drama, thriller, mystery etc. It's a different satire altogether woven on the expense of the author's own experiences. An engineer can take a lot of heart from it and count on some experiences as they are truly applicable in real lives too. 

RATINGS: 

3 OUT OF 5.  

When nothing goes right!!

When time's not right
you deprived of your might
never take things light
you'll fall straight
and fall from a height. 

When time's not right
love is not a delight
you'll fall straight 
and fall from a height. 

When time's not right
eyes deprived of the earthlight
you'll fall straight 
and fall from a height.

When time's not right
dreams might not take flight
you'll fall straight
and fall from a height. 

But when the time's right
you'll shine like a knight
you'll stand straight
and bask in the glory of sunlight. 

Review: The Guardian Angels by Rohit Gore

There are all types of love stories available in the market in accordance with the readers taste. Few are good, few are touching, few are random & few are just hyped. Rohit Gore in his fourth novel "The Guardian Angels" narrates a story which can make or break the future of love stories. What exactly has the author in store for the readers this time let's check it out. 

Guardian Angels is the epic and tumultuous story of two star-crossed lovers who weren’t just soul-mates but were also each other’s protectors.
The fates of Adi Mehta and Radha Deodhar are deeply entwined when within days of their first rendezvous they save each other’s lives.
Despite their vast sociopolitical differences, they are drawn to an uncertain future fraught with contrasting ambitions, personas and ideologies.
. . . he is the son of a billionaire, she is the daughter of a socialist.
. . . he is quiet and unassuming, she is a firebrand and spirited.
However, the unexplained phenomena ties them forever – whenever they are in peril, they are each other’s only saviors.
Over the following two decades Adi and Radha live through hope and despair, joy and sadness, and try to decipher their relationship. As the truth of their bond is revealed, they must confront the true nature of love, and ultimately, their destinies.

One look at the title and the blurb and the readers might be in a frenzy that Rohit Gore has attempted a Fantasy Fiction this time. The title "The Guardian Angels" won't let out too many secrets and the blurb just gives a faint idea of a love story that is going to run down a humongous course of ups and downs. On top of that Durjoy Datta's comment on the cover page can't be ignored. So is the story really brilliant and addictive? Next few paragraphs will clear out all the dilemma in the reader's minds. 

It's the story of Adi & Radha and their unexpected journey of love which resembles like a roller coaster and emotions which can leave a person numb for quite sometime. Adi is filthy rich and is destined to head Mehta Empire in the future & Radha is a normal middle class girl who is ambitious, snobbish & despise Adi's wealthy status to the core. Adi is shy, whereas Radha is bold. Adi has a destiny to fulfill whereas Radha follows her heart to fulfull her destiny and her father's legacy. But the journey ain't simple. The author has beautifully divided the story into four parts. It starts right from their school times, runs into their teens & then in their 20's and ends up in 30's. It spans over 20 years and a lot of incidents happen in the end making the minds still for sometime. 

The characters in the story whether it's Karan Mehta or Naina Mehta the business tycoons of Mehta Empire or Henna the young and naive sister of Adi who lives in a dream world and regrets it later or Radha's ever supporting parents who even through their hardships are happy in their daughter's happiness makes it a picture perfect story. Every character has an important role to play and nobody has been neglected at any point of time in the story. 

The story unfolds the dilemma of two people who in order to save themselves from the after effects of love let their relationship run a natural course where sometimes their ambitions overtake their love or sometimes their distances make it difficult for them to convert their feelings into the right words. Even the long distance relationship angle has been portrayed to perfection in the story. The political saga and the unexpected events in Radha's life also leave a deep impact on the mind. The author has gone entire length and breath to capture each and every emotion of love and sacrifice in a very simple yet compelling manner. It's a grasping and a gripping tale of love where sometimes you'll feel your heart sinking with the characters or sometimes a sudden rush of happiness will spread bolts of joy in your entire body. 

The narration is perfect, the emotions are perfect, the journey is mesmerizing and the idea is absolutely fresh out of the box. You can live and narrate the tale forever for such stories are made only once and lived only once in a lifetime. It will be befitting to add a few lines to this epic love saga: 

Jab do dil pyaar karte hain to saari kaaynat unhe milane ke liye dil o jaan se koshish karne lagti hai. 

The above line sums up the entire novel in a single sentence. It's an excellent story to read and a treat for die hard romantics. It'll make your hearts cry. it'll make you bite your nails and it'll run in your veins like a rush of blood. It's truly an epic love story. 


RATINGS: 

5 OUT OF 5.  

Review: Find_love.com by Neeta Iyer

Humor and novels are not much associated with each other. Readers find it difficult to find laughable content in a book. Leave aside a laugh riot which is a distant dream. Author Neeta Iyer has come up with a solution. In her debut novel "Find_love.com" she has employed humor, wit and some desi tadka to ensure that readers are on the brink of their seats after the end of this book. Is she successful in making people laugh or it turns out to be a party spoiler? Let's check it out. 

A modern love story
Love Is A Funny Thing. When You Get Stuck On Someone, You Just Get Stuck. All Reasoning Fails.
Meet 29-year-old Swati Kannan who believes in bells chiming and violins playing when you meet your very own Prince Charming. But Cupid hasnt visited Swati. And then arrives news of the world coming to an end! Swati is determined to bring an end to her misery of being attractively single. So off she goes on a hunt an online groom-hunt leading to several rounds of coffee offline. While Rockstar Rohit sweeps her off her feet, Amusing Amit promises her laughter.Par Swati ki ghanti bajegi kya?
Youll just have to read Find_Love.com to find out, wont you?!  

The blurb looks good and the cover and the title of the book are unique. As it says on the cover page of the book it's a modern love story. It's a story of a girl who at 29 is struggling to find better half for herself. Society pressure, family pressure etc. leads her to groom hunting. What happens after that is a total laugh riot. 

This one stands out among the crowd and will give readers wrinkles in their stomach. The author has perfectly used a girl's plight to find a suitable groom to weave a story where at the end of every page you might even fall from your bed. It has desi tadka, some inspired real life scenarios of groom hunting, typical dialogues and lots of disaster coffee dates. The readers can afford to laugh till the end of novel. It ain't a dull prospect by any means. 

The characters in the story like single Swati Kanan, the concerned parents, ever helping friends give a reflection of our modern day society. There is laugh but also there are lots of problems and miscommunication and glimpses of pride of grooms & their families in the stories. Even the coffee dates in the whole book are a fun to read. The story holds together till the end to make it a wonderful proposition for the readers. 

There are no chinks in the armor and author Neeta Iyer has struck the right note with the readers. This is a novel for single and marriageable girls, for the people who enjoy reading humor as well as for readers who are looking something different in terms of content in a book. Once you pick it up there's no putting down this one. 

RATINGS:

5 OUT OF 5.   

Review: Age of Hiblisk by Sumukh Naik

Every now and then there's a fantasy fiction in the market where there is a story of good v/s bad and strange things happening on earth or any other imaginative planet or ecosystem. Author Sumukh Naik has made a brave attempt in his debut novel to pen down a Fantasy Fiction novel to uncover the journey of two young people who are out to save the world from the evil with a spiritual perspective added to this fanstasy story. Has Sumukh Naik done justice to the plot or it's just the same old fantasy fiction book. Let's find out. 

It is the journey of Prince William and Princess Sara, the protagonists,through the magical and spiritual worlds of Pantolis, Hiblisk, and Ikra.As their voyage unfolds, they realize the true motive behind the terror employed by the dark forces of Dushtt to claim supremacy over the lands of Pantolis and beyond. Every new revelation brings to light the methodical madness employed by the dark forces and secrets of Mother Nature, which have been safely guarded for ages by the various civilizations of the secret worlds.
Their journey also introduces them to the divine forces that monitor thefunctions of the world and gives them access to legendary, mystical weapons and advanced spiritual knowledge which illuminates the flow of their understanding and actions towards various aspects of life. They use the knowledge gained, to try and bring peace, to their war ravaged lands and fight the ever growing might and influence of the mysterious dark forces that haunt their kingdoms. Will the light of all that is divine, fighting under the banner of Prince William and Princess Sara, flicker away into oblivion against the might of the dark forces under Dushtt, or will they survive?Only time in her womb holds the answer, potent enough to change the outlook of the very world we live in.

 The blurb looks good. There are two maps included in the book which have been carved out well in tandem to the imagination of the author. The cover is nothing special except for a mysterious triangle with a ray of light in the center of it. Perhaps the author should have made a little more efforts in chalking out a far better cover for the book. The colors are dull on the cover page of the book. 

The story revolves around the world of Pantolis where darkness has engulfed the kingdom of Jaguar and unknown forces are on work against the helpless human beings. The human beings turn towards spiritual masters and great powers to help them overcome this problem. The neighboring kingdom of Ivory is on the loose too. The lead protagonist a young prince William & Princess Sara join forces to fight off evil Dushtt which resides very much on the lands of Pantolis and threatens it with dire consequences. 

The story starts off on a mystery note and then reveals characters of great importance typical in a fantasy fiction book. Sages, gods & other spiritual leaders like the 11 masters of Pantolis, Ratraa and other great gods gather together and employ the services of Prince William & Princess Sara to root out the problems on their beloved land. The characters have been carved out well in accordance with the story. The author has taken liberty in using his imagination to perfection to depict mystical lands and tribes in another Spiritual world called Hiblisk. The plot will revolve around the good and the bad people and how the good gathers momentum throughout the story in order to defeat the evil. 

The story line had an edge to it up to one point of time but it gradually lost direction paving way for too many details and over imaginative explanations of pyramids and spiritual learning. Simplicity is the best policy sometimes. .But few chapters towards the end are a burden on the readers. They should have been trimmed down in order for the story to be more effective. The end was rather mediocre which was quite unexpected from the author. It just didn't do justice to the entire plot. The character and city names too are out of sync at many places with the story. 

The first half of the story has been penned down marvelously and the story will show a lot of promise. But the latter half of the story has unnecessary long conversations which render no sense to the story. Some spiritual lessons are worth reading in the story. Fantasy in terms of Hiblisk world works out well. The villain Dushtt seems to be left out for a great length of time in the story. Perhaps his role should have been enhanced more in it. 

It's a good fantasy fiction attempt by the author but problems will galore because in the end there are no differences in terms of moral of the story when you look down other works in this genre. They all carry the same message of good triumphs over the bad. Something different should have been attempted in such a promising story line to make it more interesting for the readers. 

RATINGS: 

3 OUT OF 5.

P.S: THIS WAS A REVIEW COPY SENT BY THE AUTHOR PERSONALLY. 

It's love all over again!!

Let's fall in love tonight again
As the stars twinkle in the sky
The wind beating down melodies of love.. 
The moment might not come again 
as it passes by and leaves a whisper of joy tonight..

You might not experience this excitement again after tonight
For the two souls shiver down in each others arms.
The pain might die tonight as I find myself bound by the endless love
 emerging out against the backdrop of the twilight..

As time passed by all these moments 
died a slow death in my mind
Never again to raise again from the ashes 
and fearing the tragic end and the plight..

Let's fall in love tonight again
as the stars twinkle in the sky!!