I’m not having a great week when it comes to book club picks. Come tomorrow, I’ll be sitting with my coworkers as they gush about the Nyquil-on-a-page memoir Comma Queen (at least that’s my bet. They love all the books I hate). And next week, I’ll be with you excellent Cannonballers, talking about another book that I tried so hard to like, Bollywood Bride.
Ria is a Bollywood star, known for playing the ingénue who usually gets married by the end of the movie. She’s known as the “Ice Princess” because she’s intensely private and hates being in the public eye. On the eve of a potential PR disaster, she goes back home to Chicago for her cousin’s wedding. There, she’s forced to confront Vikrim, her former boyfriend. She broke his heart a decade before, but can’t tell him why. Vikrarm assumes she did it to break into the Bollywood scene and become a superstar, and he hates her for it. Ria has secrets, but she feels their burden is hers alone to bear. But as wedding preparations force her to be with her former lover, she finds her secrets harder and harder to keep.
This book would have been about 20 long pages if any of the characters decided to TALK to each other. The whole book, Ria’s fretting that she CAN’T tell him her TERRIBLE SECRET, and I just wanted to shake her. By the time she finally does tell him the truth about what happened all those years ago, he’s like “Shit. Why didn’t you tell me? I totally could have helped you.”
I didn’t buy our couple’s great love story, which should have been the lynchpin of the whole book. These two were childhood sweethearts, who can basically read each other’s mind and anticipate the other’s wants and needs. The breakup shattered both of them so much that in ten years, they never found love. They’re soulmates. Okay, sure. I can buy that conceit. But not with this couple. Vikram spends half the book being a total dickasaurus and then does the whole “I was only mean because I LOVE you” thing. Dude, it’s not the 3rd grade. You can’t pull a girl’s hair because you like her. After he decides to win her back, his personality does a complete 180. He’s totally sweet and loving and there’s no explanation as to why he changed (except love, of course). When the plot requires them to be estranged, he’s a dickbiscuit. When it’s time for them to be in love, he’s an angel. It happened so quickly I got whiplash.
Their relationship especially looks paper-thin when compared to the other characters in the book. Ria’s aunt and uncle are still very much in love, and her cousin and his fiancée actually have a playful and easygoing chemistry. They actually seem like they’re “meant to be together” unlike our heroes who have to love each other in service of the plot, and I actually missed them when they weren’t in a scene.
I liked some parts of the book. It was nice to read about Indian and Indian-American culture. I enjoyed any time Ria was around her loving, overprotective family, and the chapters about the wedding made me want to be there. But I didn’t care about Bollywood Bride’s main story. Ria has too many terrible secrets stuffed into this short book. There’s a subplot about a pervy director that doesn’t go anywhere and another tacked-on bit conflict with Vikram’s mother. Her secrets are dark and serious, but their overabundance lessens the emotional impact.
I don’t read a lot of romance, so I don’t really know if I disliked this genre or just this book. Fans of romance: do you have any recommendations for me or should I just move on?
It’s not you! This book is not a good example of the genre. I’m sure Malin and Mrs. Julien will be along shortly (along with the rest of the romance reading crew) to give you recs. I’m sure they will both recommend you try Courtney Milan, and so will I! I’d start with The Duchess War.
Oh, it’s absolutely not just you! I don’t know if you’ve read my review (or those of many others on here), but this book really didn’t work well for any of us. This is NOT a typical example of a romance, because if it was, that wouldn’t be the genre that dominates about a third of everything I read every year (and pretty much all Mrs. Julien reads).
Good romances you can start with – as Narfna has already pointed out – The Duchess War by Courtney Milan. It’s currently free, at least on Kindle, probably with other e-book retailers too. The entire series is great.
Other good historical romance – pretty much anything by Tessa Dare, especially her Spindle Cove books, the Bridgerton series by Julia Quinn, Mr. Impossible, The Last Hellion or Your Scandalous Waysby Loretta Chase. Nine Rules to Break when Seducing a Rake, A Rogue by Any Other Name or One Good Earl Deserves a Lover by Sarah Maclean. The Wallflower series by Lisa Kleypas, especially books 1 and 3. The Luckiest Lady in London by Sherry Thomas. Bound by Your Touch or Fool Me Twice by Meredith Duran.
If contemporary romance is more to your taste:
Act Like It by Lucy Parker – which has been read and warmly embraced by most of the romance reading community on this blog (there are so many reviews for it now) It even has an alphahole hero who works in a way Vikram totally doesn’t.
Anything by Julie James. Pretty much anything by Ruthie Knox. The first four books and the novella in Sarina Bowen’s the Ivy Years. Kristen Callihan’s Game On trilogy. Christina Lauren’s Wild Seasons books, the first of which is Sweet Filthy Boy, reviewed just a day or so ago by Ellepkay.
You have covered a lot of my favorites authors, but I’d also add most of Julie Ann Long’s books, Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton series, and the later books by Eloisa James (Three Weeks with Lady X is great).
I mentioned Julia Quinn (as I’m re-reading them now). Feel bad for forgetting Julie Anne Long. Her What I Did for a Duke is one of my favourite romances of all time. I agree that some of Eloisa James’ books are great, like the one you mentioned, but she’s a lot more variable in her quality and I wouldn’t recommend her books for someone just starting the genre.
Malin just listed almost all of my favorite authors, so I agree with all of these suggestions! And, I will throw in a vote for A Lady Awakened by Cecilia Grant. I don’t think it’s necessarily representative of the genre, but I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately (and it’s been at least a year since I read it).
I’m still stuck at the 40% mark in Bollywood Bride. I read her first book, A Bollywood Affair, and it is MUCH more typical romance and was really a delight. So, you may want to check that one out – it has lots of the family relationships and parties that appealed to you in this one, but with happy things happening instead of unmitigated angst. I don’t think I would have recognized them as by the same author if I read them blind.
This makes me feel a lot happier about having bought A Bollywood Affair on sale a while back, but not having read it yet. I occasionally love me a good angsty book (I read Sherry Thomas and Meredith Duran, after all), but I need the characters to be consistent and the romance to be believable.
I’m glad you liked A Bollywood Affair. While I’m not in love with this book, there are bits that I like. (Sadly, the plot and the lack of communication between the two leads are not among those things.)
I would give her another chance just to read more about the parties and the food and India in general. I worked in Mumbai for a while in 2000 and I want a book that captures Bollywood culture and all that it has to offer.
There is very little of Bollywood Affair that takes place in India, and there is maybe(?) one scene that is part of the movie making business at all. It is almost completely set in the US. There IS a ton about Indian food (don’t read it while hungry) as the hero cooks for the heroine throughout (*swoon*), and the big party(ies?) reminded me of ones I attended while traveling in India. But if you’re hoping to spot landmarks or have behind the scenes stuff for Bollywood, you will be disappointed.
Okay, good. I’ve had it sitting on the pile and I was skeptical, but I am definitely willing to give Dev another shot (especially if Indian food porn is involved.)
I hadn’t seen the term alphahole used before, so thanks for that. Adding to my vernacular immediately!
That gives me more excuses to spread the love for this gem of an article, written by my favourite paranormal fantasy authors: http://www.ilona-andrews.com/brief-analysis-of-alphahole-trope-in-romantic-fiction/
This is super lame but I’m just going to own it – I bought this book with the full expectation of reading it and gleefully participating in the book discussion. But reading time for me is precious and scarce and I can’t muster the enthusiasm to bother given all the reviews. :(
It’s not just you. :) I’m not a romance reader, either, and this didn’t grab me. I have read Courtney Milan’s novella, and while I’ve decided that romance is just not my cuppa tea, she does great things and creates awesome ladies. If you want a standalone suggestion, L.M. Montgomery’s *The Blue Castle* is FANTASTIC. I read it whenever I am sick or sad or desperately need a pick-me-up.
Nah, not just you (as the others have said). I haven’t written my review yet. Not sure if I’ll get to it before the chat. But I share many of your opinions.
Thanks for all the recommendations! I have a lot to add to my library pile now. Romance is just one of those genres I totally missed. It wasn’t intentional, but now I know nothing about it.