Review: Tastes Like Shakkar

Tastes Like Shakkar by Nisha Sharma
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I received this book for free, this does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review 

“We think someone is trying to sabotage Kareena and Prem's wedding.” 

After getting a look at the combustible energy between Benjamin and Bobbi in Dating Dr. Dil, it was obvious that in this second in the series, the steam factor was going to be turned up. With some forced proximity, since Bobbi works for her uncle's wedding planning business, it's obvious she's going to be taking charge of Kareena's wedding but when the venue needs Chef Benjamin to explain and help with the menu, these two combatants need to work together, especially when it becomes clear that a shaadi saboteur is trying to ruin the wedding. 

“Your heart is pounding,” she whispered against his shoulder. 

He rested his large palm at the center of her chest, feeling the soft curve of her breasts against his fingers. The steady rhythm was as fast as his own. “So is yours,” he said. 

With a prologue that gives us a flashback to why Bobbi and Benjamin are antagonistic towards each other, Benjamin ruined a heated moment with foot-in-the-mouth syndrome, we're then jumped to the present and impending wedding between their friends and main couple from book one. It would be possible to jump into the series here, like I did, but I did wonder at times if there was some foundation for Bobbi and Benjamin's relationship laid a bit in book one. These two had steamy chemistry, their first couple meetings, Benjamin having to tie up Bobbi's dress, was spine tingling and they had sparking byplay. Benjamin introduces Bobbi to rope play, and with contemporary romances slamming the door shut more often than not lately, it did add some nice heat. However, because Bobbi is dealing with trying to give Kareena the best wedding ever but having to contend with the saboteur and an uncle who seems to have lost faith in her ability to some day take over the business and Benjamin is dealing with pressure from his family to move back to the west coast, help his brother take over the family business and open his next restaurant out there, these two start spending more time apart than together. 

They'd stopped pranking each other, stopped poking at each other in a way that had bite to it, and now every word had more meaning. She needed to know what that meaning was once and for all. 

I liked all the dynamics at play here, family, friends, and romantic but it left Bobbi on the east coast and Benjamin on the west for too much of the second half of the book. Then when they did get some time to spend together, the focus became on the bedroom and the rope play. The bedroom scenes weren't necessarily long but I was just looking for more of their fun byplay to see some of that relationship development outside of the bedroom so I knew them better and could then enjoy their bedroom scenes more; this could have been shown more in book one. There was also a couple times that I was disappointed in how there would be an emotionally charged scene, then it would cut away from the aftermath/ending to the next day and readers would have to hear Bobbi or Benjamin talk about what happened, instead of “seeing” it, experiencing it with them. 

She was in so much trouble. She had to be careful, so very careful, if she wanted to come out of this with her heart intact. 

The ending gives us Benjamin working out if he wants to live his life according to what his father wants or for himself and Bobbi learning to ask for help and working things out with her uncle. I thought the reveal of the shaadi saboteur was a little obscure and the coming together of Bobbi and Benjamin went too far to the end with only a couple pages left to give them their happily ever after; it makes it feel rushed and harder to believe in and enjoy. There's one friend left in the circle of Bobbi and Kareena, Veera, and the epilogue gives a sneak-peek to what her book is going to be about. I enjoyed this because the author is always so good at family dynamics and creating a world with all it's emotions and layers that it ends up absorbing you, I just would have liked to have experienced more with Bobbi and Benjamin, as their time apart with only text message exchanges didn't hit as well as their face-to-face chemistry.

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12%

With his eyes on her in the vanity mirror, their masks adding another layer between them, he skimmed an index finger down the center of her spine, and she shivered hard.

I'm only on page 40 and the heat between these two is already scorching 🥵

Reading Update: Page 1

 

End of summer but I'm already craving soup, so Sunday Soup it is! 

🍲📖 

A Much Ado About Nothing inspiration where Bobbi is trying to plan a celebration for her best friend's wedding but bestman and Chef Benjamin "Bunty" is being his egotistical and annoyingly, sexy self. 

Along with her bf's happiness, Bobbi also doesn't want to give her uncle a reason to not promote her in her family's event planning business, but someone is trying to sabotage the wedding. 

Bobbi and Bunty are going to have to call a truce if they want their friends' wedding day to go smoothly and discover who the saboteur is. 

This author is always so good with family dynamics, so I'm anticipating some meddling shenanigans, along with the steamy romance. 

Tastes Like Shakkar by Nisha Sharma purchase link

Tuscan Ravioli Soup recipe

I used turkey sausage, a mixture of Hot and Italian 

Review: The Legal Affair

The Legal Affair by Nisha Sharma
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. 

It was her blinding confidence, and a woman that confident pressed all his buttons. 

Before you start this one, you'll want to read the first in the series (The Takeover Effect) as this picks up right where that one left off. The Singh family company, Bharat Inc., is still dealing with the fallout of some corporate espionage from WTA, a business trying to do a hostile buyout takeover. Ajay is the middle Singh brother and the one picked to takeover as CEO of Bharat when his father retires, which is soon. He's seen as more easygoing but with his new responsibilities, he's confidently stepping up to the plate. When he meets Rajneet Kaur Hothi at a Gen One Foundation gala, he's instantly drawn to her. Raj is bestfriends with Ajay's older brother Hem's girlfriend Mina (book 1) but also the one who alerted them to the corporate espionage that could have lost them the company because Raj's soon-to-be ex-husband Robert was the leak. Ajay's younger brother Zail blames Raj for getting one of their coders fired, a woman he seems to be in love with, and threatens to pull his support for Ajay's nomination to CEO if Ajay pursues a working relationship with Raj. If you couldn't tell, the Singh Family series is full of high-stakes family and business drama. 

“Soni,” he said, knowing that the Punjabi word for beautiful fit her more perfectly than any English endearment could. 

You're going to have to like some corporate world drama to like this series, it's about half of the story. I like how it gives the setting a sleek contemporary feel with high-level drama with all the power and money at stake. It also gives our characters something to do and provides a way for all our characters to interact. Raj was a fantastic strong character and I loved how it started off showing her arriving in America alone at eighteen, getting scammed, having to take those first steps alone, and then thriving and in charge with her own security business, RKH Collective. Her relationship with Robert is already on the outs when readers come in, remember he was part of the corporate espionage in book one, and they are getting a divorce. It also helps to put that relationship in the distance when Raj discusses how it was more of a partnership where they both benefited from each other's business connections, instead of a romance. This is also an Avon Impulse, so it leans more on the steamy side and my oh my is there a couple hot scenes in this. Raj owns her sexuality and a membership at an exclusive club, which leads to a possessive Ajay and some voyeurism. 

Ajay grinned as he rolled his sleeves to his elbows. “You’ve made things more interesting since you’ve showed up, Rajneet Kaur Hothi. I’ll give you that.” 

Ajay wasn't quite as captivating a character as Raj, he gets shadowed a lot by the business plot and I missed more scenes with his brothers, we get some battles with him and Zail over Raj but I wanted more of their loving bond. Raj has a little bit of her own family drama, we get introduced to her brother Guru, who turned her family against her when she refused to want to associate with their opium drug trading business or go back to Punjab and marry who they wanted. I liked the filling out of her character with this background but Guru just kind of hangs around getting ignored by Raj and then just leaves? The ending to Raj not going back to see her sick mother felt dropped off/open ended enough to feel very dissatisfying. Maybe Guru will show up in a spin-off series? Raj's family servant Kaka also didn't get enough scenes with her to solidify or satisfy me with the bond that could have provided some great emotions. The family connections laid out in the first book were there but not strengthen with emotional scenes in this one for me. 

He grinned, pulling her close. “Soni, basa tusi itaraza karo.” Just you wait. 

By 50% Ajay seems to already be all-in with Raj, he says a couple lines that allude to her being it for him and then at 60% when Raj gets scared, Ajay says she has to be the one to start things back up. Their separation doesn't last long and then they're working together again as Raj decides selling her business to Ajay will help him secure CEO and she can focus more on philanthropy work, which she has always wanted to do. The espionage is revealed to not quite be over as wrongly identified and yet to be identified moles are still a problem for Bharat, Inc. Raj takes care of business though, when her ex-husband, with some help from some of those Bharat, Inc. problems, gets a hit piece published on her. It was great how she handled it but also put Ajay more in the shadows as his character and their romance didn't shine as bright. 

This was a glossy contemporary that had a lot of corporate espionage and a quick but steamy romance. The younger brother Zail looks to have some groveling to do with the misidentified mole and their cousin Bhram seems to have a tumultuous relationship with Ajay's assistant Rafael, the Singh family looks to have plenty of family, romance, and business drama on the horizon.

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Reading Update: Page 1

 

A little Sunday afternoon eating and reading. 

The first book in this series delivered on the sparking romance and the family and business drama. Looks like this one is planning to do the same 🥵 

The Legal Affair by Nisha Sharma purchase link

Review: The Takeover Effect

The Takeover Effect by Nisha Sharma
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

3.7 stars

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Mina had seen her fair share of beautiful men, but the Singh brothers were in a whole different league. They were like the Punjabis her mother warned her about when she was a child. Their edges weren’t just rough, they were serrated. Built, with smooth dark skin and light brown eyes, their masculinity was barely restrained in custom-fit suits.
Especially Hemdeep Singh.

The first in the Singh Family series, The Takeover Effect, brings together the eldest brother Hemdeep and Mina, a lawyer sent to assess if Bharat, Inc (Singh family company) should take a buy-out from WTA. This was a story full of corporate espionage, insta-spark, and family drama. Ms. Sharma created such a fascinating and emotional world that I was instantly sucked in.

Spending time with Mina meant engaging in a constant battle of wit and lust.

We start off being introduced to Hem and learn that he left as CEO of Bharat to start his own firm. The catalyst was due to family pressure to get married and how he saw that as damaging his relationship with his now ex-girlfriend. When he gets a call that his father had a heart-attack and there is some shady dealings going down by the Bharat board to accept a buy-out, he rushes home to stand with his other two brothers, Ajay and Zail. Hem makes a strong impression right off the bat and I loved his take charge attitude. He's instantly attracted to Mina when he sees her and while their business relationship worked as a credible reason to keep them apart, thus providing some steamy can't quite act on it lust, I would have liked to see more of a gradual mentally falling in love. I also thought that in the second half we lost Hem a little bit, Mina's strong character comes on and instead of them shining together, he fades into the background more. I did, though, immensely enjoy his personality of strong and protective but also sweet and caring.

She’d do anything to get her mother’s company back, except lose her integrity.

Mina's mother died in a car accident when she was younger and since then has worked to be able to eventually take back the law firm she thinks her mother's brothers pushed her mother out of, causing her drinking. Her uncle has been pressuring her to agree to an arranged marriage, claiming he'll make her an equity partner if she does. When her uncle comes to her with another deal, this time to unethically and illegally present a biased opinion on a buyout report, she knows it is time to start taking action against her uncle. Mina was a fantastic heroine, she was strong, capable, smart, funny, cheeky, and had that hint of vulnerability that creates just the right amount of empathy, sympathy, and endearing. I loved how she more than matched Hem's strong personality, they absorb each other's emotions instead of having them bounce off. I liked the friendship she seemed to have with her friend Rajneet but I wanted them to appear more together; Rajneet was a defined character but also a pretty clear series baiting one, too. I also think Mina's relationship with her father could have been flushed out more, he's pretty absent for most of the story to then come forward at the end to provide what is supposed to be a heavy emotional moment.

“Hiriye, I’m a sardar. A Punjabi Sikh man. Do you really think I can resist a challenge?”
“And I’m a sardarni,” she snapped. “Do you really think I’ll put up with your bullshit?”
He leaned forward and stole a quick kiss. “Challenge accepted.”

These two were such a well matched couple, I loved them but I also wanted more. Like I mentioned, it was pretty much insta from Hem, with Mina a little emotionally slow to get there and being the one to recognize the professional problems. The professional issues worked very well to hold off the ultimate physical insta-lusting, giving our couple more time to interact on the pages before the sex scenes started, something I, personally, appreciate. I did think the sex scenes got a bit over-the-top at times, let's just say I'm happy about all the chai they are drinking because of all the screaming going on. They had such delectable back and forth, I craved more scenes of them just being together.

“Mai tuhade lai a ri aahn.” I’m coming for you.

The corporate espionage plot was intriguing and this may be a weird thing to point out but I liked how the author mentioned/incorporated all the technology (tablets, etc) that would be such common instruments for business people, gave it a sleek and actual contemporary feel. I did cringe at times when Mina's uncle's weight comes into mention (paunch, neck rolls, sweaty) in such a way that it felt like it was supposed to highlight his villain status, this is old imagery that needs to go away. I also thought, there was some unneeded drama at the end where Hem had some slightly out of character angst. It was pretty quick and quickly dealt with but I just didn't feel the ending needed that. However, the conversation between Hem and his father provided lovely heartfelt emotion.

This was an excellent start to the Singh Family series and because of how vivid the world and stirring the characters were that the author created, I craved a Danielle Steel-esque page count. The corporate espionage takes pages away from Hem and Mina more than I would have liked but they're still worth the price of admission. Bharat, Inc isn't out of the woods yet and with a cliffhanger involving that thread, I can't wait for the second in the series to see Ajay and Zail (or perhaps their cousin Brahm?) find a heroine (or hero) to more than match them.

They linked fingers and tangled limbs. “It was worth the wait,” she said softly.
Hem chuckled. “That was just the start.”

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30%

“Want a whiskey?”
“No, a martini. I don’t think I’ve ever really tried whiskey. Maybe in college once, but it always smelled too strong for me.” The pained looks of horror that flashed across both Hem’s and Zail’s faces were almost comical. 
“What about trying it under the guidance of a whiskey expert?” Hem said. He pressed a hand to his chest. “I can take care of you.”
“I’m sure you can,” she murmured.
 His eyes narrowed on hers, and her breath caught at the hunger she saw reflected in them. “Are you asking for something more than whiskey, Mina Kohli?”

I'm starting to get bitter about all the overcooked burgers I've had to endure at my white family gatherings, this is another book where the food talk has me Googling/Yelping. #MangoPickle

Reading Update: Page 1

I'm just getting over the flu, so I didn't actually get to make a dessert or meal purposefully to enjoy when I start reading this, but I made this Chili Mango Zesty Quinoa Salad a little while ago and loved it. Mango and cayenne are my peanut butter and jelly :) 

Hoping the book has some sweet and spice to it too!

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