Recipe for Persuasion

I didn't love this one as much as Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors but I LOVE that it was set in the same universe with the same characters and the focus on food, family, and friendships. Ashna Raje desperately needs to come up with a way to save her restaurant. She's been the owner and chef at Curried Dreams since her father's suicide when she was 18. These days all she seems to do is stress out and have panic attacks and things are only about to get worse when she finds out her best friend has signed her up for a cooking show. She want's to reject it but she desperately needs the money to save her restaurant. When she finds out who her celebrity partner though she wants to curl up under a rock and die. It's her first boyfriend (the one no one knew about) who has gone on to become an internationally famous soccer player. Why is he back in her life after all this time? How long can they keep up the charade that they don't know each other? Ashna was a tough nut to crack but once the reader is able to peel back all the layers to her anxiety and history; she becomes much more understood and beloved. I also really liked Ashna's mother's story-line. I can't wait for the next one in this series!

Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors

What an enjoyable and fresh take on Pride and Prejudice!! A lot less campy than the movie "Bride and Prejudice;" this Indian version flips around some of the gender roles (Wickham is a girl who cozies up to Darcy and Trisha tries warning him off) and sets it in modern day San Francisco. Dr. Trisha Raje is an acclaimed neurosurgeon and DJ (Darcy) is an acclaimed chef who has moved to the US to help his sister deal with a tumor affecting her eyesight. Dr. Raje is the one helping Emma with her tumor and that puts her in direct contact with DJ. They immediately get off to a bad start; especially when they realize that they have to work together for a catered event for Dr. Raje's brother. Deliciously cute, a realistic slow burn take on a classic. I can't wait to read more in this series!

The Bollywood Bride

I'm a sucker for all things Bollywood so I was pretty stoked to try out this book, while it wasn't what I was initially expecting, it wasn't half bad. Rai Parker is Bollywood's favorite star, nicknamed "the ice queen" she is known to stay out of the spotlight and is never in the gossip columns for lewd behavior. She may not be happy, but she's been running from her past for ten years and is currently hiding in plain sight. All that changes though when she gets a call from her beloved cousin who asks her to come back home for his wedding. She can't refuse him so she must go back to Chicago to wrestle with the memories of her past. When she arrives the first thing she sees is the man whose heart she broke, and she instantly feels guilty and is on edge. She becomes even more alarmed when she realizes that he too is staying at her auntie's house and that she'll be in close proximity to him for ten days. He wants answers and she wants to hide. My favorite thing about this book is the desi-ness, the terms of endearment, customs, and food. While I wasn't in love with either of the main characters (both of which are flawed), I was able to look past that and enjoy most of the book.