Book Review: SAVED IN SRI LANKA by Devika Fernando

THE STORY

Sepalika is a Sri Lankan who works as a tour guide in her own country. She’s passionate about history and enjoys her job, even though she would have preferred to live in England. She had tried to escape the small island, but had been forced to return due to family circumstances. The same circumstances that had compelled her to get engaged to Mahesh, the son of a rich man. 

Into her life walks Daniel, a tourist from Ireland. Daniel is a history professor on his way to Australia to take up a position there. Soon, the two of them get attracted to one another, history being one of their common interests. But would it ever be possible for Sepalika to get together with Daniel? You will have to read the story to find out. Interestingly, the story has been woven along with a tour of the many places of interests in Sri Lanka as Sepalika plays guide to a batch of foreign tourists. 

MY PERCEPTION

There are two things I fell in love with in this latest book by Devika Fernando – and I am not still clear who takes first prize – the description of Sri Lanka and Daniel. 

Daniel is handsome, hot, intelligent, sensitive and chivalrous. Can there be a more deadly combination? No wonder Sepalika is unable to stop herself from falling for him, despite her engagement. I must congratulate Devika Fernando for creating such an awesome and believable character. Kudos!

Sri Lanka! I have always been interested in this neighbouring island as I have heard a lot about it from a friend who used to live there and my sister who has been there on a holiday. I have also seen a few travel documentaries about the place. What had always struck me was the greenery. Devika Fernando has brought many sections of the island alive to her readers. The descriptions of the many places of interest in Colombo; Pinnawala; Kandy; Sigiriya; Nuwara Eliya; Yala; Galle; Ambalangoda; Bentota and Anuradhapura; the museums; the gardens; the temples; the ruins; the Buddha viharas – I so loved going on the Sri Lankan tour the author took me on.  

I enjoyed reading about the way Sri Lankans treat their guests – very similar to us in India – and the kind of food they serve them. 

What was most delicious was the way the romance between the protagonists has been developed. Steamy hot! I have read Devika Fernando’s other books – Kaleidoscope of Hopes; Playing with Fire; and When I See Your Face. I must say that the author gets better and better with each book, Saved In Sri Lanka being the best so far. 

I wish that Mahesh’s character had been developed a bit more as he is always there like a shadow but never comes alive. But otherwise, this book is a must read. 

Quote from the book – a small section that I really enjoyed reading:

She saw his body tense, and his eyes changed color to a darker slate gray with hardly any blue in it. He laid his hand on the side of her neck where her pulse beat against it like frantically fluttering bird’s wings. When he leaned down, her eyes closed.

The next instant he kissed her. His lips, firm and cool, were barely touching hers. It was a kiss of tantalizing softness, tentative and tender.

When she didn’t scream or shove at him or run, he brushed his mouth against hers again, adding more pressure.

Sepalika wanted more, much more. So she kissed him back, throwing all caution to the wind. With a sigh, he deepened the kiss, angling his mouth, his thumb caressing the hollow at her throat. Her hands came up, searching for a hold, for any way to keep herself from melting under his now firmer but still heart-breakingly gentle kiss. She grabbed the lapels of his leather jacket, pulled herself up, and felt a thousand sensations flood her.

Never had a kiss felt this magical, never had it awakened her lust like this.

It was as if she had lived all life for this moment, as if her lips were connected to every single particle of her body, setting it on fire.

When the tip of his tongue brushed over her mouth, she couldn’t suppress a moan. The sound seemed to come from deep out of herself, and it barely registered because she was so lost in the magic of the moment.

Daniel drew back slightly and whispered her name in what was as much a question as it was a groan.

The sound of her name on his lips, spoken so full of feeling, burst the bubble. Sepalika realized with a start what they were doing, and panic surged through her, obliterating desire.

Letting go of his jacket as if she had touched a poisonous plant, she stumbled backwards until her back hit the doorframe. With a hand to her mouth on which she could still feel his kiss, she stared at him.

His breathing was ragged, and his eyes with the dilated pupils were wide open and wounded before she saw him close himself off.

“Goodnight then…sweet dreams,” he called softly, stepping back with obvious reluctance. When he mentioned the word “dreams”, it reminded her of his previous comment, and she bit her lip. Oh yes, she’d definitely dream of him tonight—if she ever fell asleep, that is.

Grab Your Copy

 Amazon.in | Amazon.com

About 
Devika Fernando

Almost as soon as Devika Fernando could write, she imagined stories and poems. After finishing her education in Germany and returning to her roots in Sri Lanka, she got a chance to turn her passion into her profession. Having lived in Germany and in Sri Lanka with her husband has made her experience the best (and the worst) of two totally different worlds – something that influences her writing. Her trademark are sweet, yet deeply emotional romance stories where the characters actually fall in love instead of merely falling in lust. She draws inspiration from everyone and everything in life. Besides being a romance novel author, she works as a self-employed German web content writer, as a translator, and as a faithful servant to all the cats, dogs, fish and birds in her home. What she loves most about being an author is the chance to create new worlds and send her protagonists on a journey full of ups and downs that will leave them changed. When she’s not writing, she’s reading or thinking about writing.

Stalk her @

Website | Twitter | Facebook

Blog Tour: LEMON GIRL by Jyoti Arora

Lemon Girl 

by 

Jyoti Arora

The Blurb

   'It's all your fault.'
   Mere words these are.
   "But words can possess a shadow invincible enough to rob even a soul of its eternity."

   n a society that finds it easier to mark sins of a victim than the culprit, Nirvi is a young girl punishing herself for the faults she did not do and avenging her hurts by defeating her own truth.
   She is scared of her future, and ashamed of her past. She is failing herself, and knows it. She has had a long line of boyfriends, and hated them all. She detests the guy she is living with, runs away from the one she loves , and seduces the one who can never love her.
When Arsh first sees Nirvi, she's a free and frank girl in whose eyes sparkle the lemony zest of life. The next time he sees her, she is a voiceless doll draped in clothes that cover her body less and shroud her soul more. And Arsh can't rest till he finds out what made Nirvi give up her own real self.
   Nirvi knows she is dragging herself on a path from which there can be no recovery. Can her spirit survive the treacherous downfall? Or is the pull of fear and push of desperation just too strong to withstand for a girl who believes she has "nowhere else to go" but down.

   "When it's time for you to fall in love, even a lemon can become the cause of it," says Arsh.
   But can love survive, when even the self love dies?
   Can love survive when respect is no more?
   Does true love have the power to revive a dying soul?
 Find out in the pages of this brilliantly woven, intense, heart-warming and thought-provoking saga of RISING IN LOVE

Buy @

Amazon.com |Amazon.in | Amazon.co.uk | Flipkart |Smashwords | Barnes & Noble

Watch It 

Meet the Author

   Jyoti Arora lives in Ghaziabad, India. Jyoti Arora is a Post Graduate in English Literature and Applied Psychology. Her writing achievements include two novels, three blogs, several wins in national level blog competitions, over five years of freelance writing experience, developing books for kids and abridging 24 famous English novels like Jane Eyre, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn etc.
   Jyoti's first novel, Dream's Sake, was published in 2011 by V&S Publishers. It received great reviews and much appreciation from readers.
   Books have always been Jyoti’s best friends. In fact, books so fascinated her from early childhood that she learnt reading, by herself, even before she started going to school. And she considers herself most fortunate that she is able to pursue her dream of being a novelist and work at what she loves best.
   However, if books are Jyoti’s first love, and she’s still very devoted to them, the thrilling and steadily advancing world of technology also fascinates her. As a result, one of Jyoti’s blogs is a technological blog called TechnoTreats. In 2011, a post in this blog won her the title of Samsung Mobiler when Samsung made her a part of the team of twenty bloggers chosen from all over India through a blogging competition. In this team of twenty bloggers, she was the only woman and perhaps the only one who had studied literature instead of science. 
   Jyoti is a patient of Thalassemia Major which forced her to stop going to school after class seventh. After that, she continued her studies on her own through correspondence courses. Her zest to overcome her medical problems and zeal to achieve success keeps her striving on with her endeavors to make her dreams come true.

You can stalk her @

                          

         

Check out The Book Club Tour Schedule

This Tour is Hosted by 

Facebook | Website | Blog Tours | Twitter | Pinterest | Linkedin

Sharing: LIVE INTERVIEW ON THE BOOK CLUB (MEGHNA)

Bestseller MEGHNA

The Book Club conducted a LIVE INTERVIEW (August 17, 2014) on their Facebook page after the launch of my novel "Meghna". A number of readers/bloggers/authors came together on one platform to ask me questions. I must say I had a lovely time answering their questions. Thank you The Book club, Rubina Ramesh, Dola Basu Singh, Ahana Mukherjee, Devika Fernando, Adite Banerjie, Aparajita Dutta, Janaki Nagaraj, Inderpreet Kaur Uppal and Nilima Mohite. 

The Book Club: Dear Sundari Venkatraman. Congratulations on Meghna doing so well. We have been getting questions regarding on how you create the characters? Do you plan them out?

Sundari Venkatraman: Hmmm... Yeah, I plan my main characters to some extent. The hero and heroine, especially. But somehow, once I give them names and imagine their features, they begin to do a drama in my mind. It runs like a movie. I just watch it and write. The side characters pop up at every point. Like a parent, housekeeper, a hotel waiter, etc

The Book Club: So do movies influence you?

Sundari Venkatraman: Oh yes, to a very large extent - almost as much as books 

Dola Basu Singh: Sundari, you have published traditionally as well as gone indie. Which do you prefer? Why?

Sundari Venkatraman: That's right Dola Basu Singh. Thank you for the question. I prefer Indie of course. It's as independent as you can get. No strict Editorial Guidelines to follow. Creative work needs a free expression. Otherwise, what's the point? Yes, we need an editor to tell us what works and what doesn't. But not turn the story topsy turvy. Besides that, amazingly better returns and faster too.

Dola Basu Singh: Better returns sounds great! But do you think that when we self-publish we have to put in more efforts in marketing, editing etc in comparison to trad-publishing? Also, do you think the quality of the work may suffer?

Sundari Venkatraman: Better returns happen only with sincere work. I was always putting in a lot of effort with marketing even for traditional publishing. The publisher can help only up to a point. The crowd wants the author there - approachable, reachable. Editing is a must if one doesn't plan to be a one-book wonder. Those for the long haul will realise that if the first book is trashy, the reader will not touch the author. I wouldn't as a reader, so why would I expect others to do it? The quality of work need not suffer. That much self-respect is required. Yes, one needs to be determined and disciplined to achieve all this of course. I think I am.

Dola Basu Singh: Definitely. We've seen you churn out 2 bestselling books within a year. Meghna is also doing well. Good luck for success of Meghna.

Sundari Venkatraman: Thank you so much Dola Basu Singh

Ahana Mukherjee: Meghna seems to have struck a chord amongst your readers. Were you targeting a particular section of the audience when writing? Do you bear in mind who your readers might be and write for them?

Sundari Venkatraman: Thank you Ahana Mukherjee. I am glad to see that it has. I think part of the credit will go to that friendly warning that I posted. I enjoy reading fun romances and thought there must be people out there who are like me. There used to be a different type of M&B a few decades ago. I used to love reading them. They basically spoke about places, people, culture, relationships. They influenced me a lot. I always wanted to write those kind of romances set in India. So, basically, I write my books for those readers who are like me, I suppose. Does that answer your question?

Ahana Mukherjee: It was good to read a through and through rom com for a change... :)

Devika Fernando Author: Sundari Venkatraman what would you say are your favourite parts of a book to write? and what do you consider your writing strengths?

Sundari Venkatraman: Thank you Devika Fernando Author. I would say that all parts of my book are favourites, actually. But specifically, I love writing dialogue and descriptions - of nature as well as homes. Regarding writing strengths... hmmm... that really set me thinking. Building human relationships, I think that's what I like best in my writing and so would call that my writing strength.

Devika Fernando Author: having read "meghna", I agree that this is one of your strengths. 

Sundari Venkatraman: :D 

Adite Banerjie: Hi Sundari. Just saw on Amazon.in today Meghna is among the top 50 romance bestsellers. Congrats! As an indie-published author, do you rely on someone to critique your story or tell you what's working or what's not? Or do you just go by your own gut feel?

Sundari Venkatraman: Hi Adite Banerjie! Wow! Thank you for the info and best wishes. Yeah, both The Malhotra Bride and Meghna have been in the Amazon Bestsellers contemporary romances lists over the past few days. To answer your question, I definitely call in for critical appreciation. I rely on at least 2-3 critiques / Beta readings before going public with a novel. My viewpoint alone will never do. The project is my own creation and too close to my heart for me to understand if it works. In the meanwhile, gut feel helps too. I write from the heart and I hope that it will resonate with a lot of people around the globe.

Adite Banerjie: You're so right....if a story doesn't have heart it won't resonate with readers. Best wishes to you and hope you write many many heartwarming tales! 

Sundari Venkatraman: Thank you so much Adite Banerjie :D

Devika Fernando Author: congratulations! and I agree, beta readers are important.

Aparajita Dutta: Hi Sundari Venkatraman ..Why did you choose to write on this particular genre? Are you planning to stick to this particular genre in future?

Sundari Venkatraman: Thank you Aparajita Dutta. I am not sure that I chose this genre. I think it chose me. I loved fairy tales as a kid and grew up to like mushy romances with 'lived happily ever after' endings (read M&B and Georgette Heyer). I still like them. I think I would prefer to stick to this genre with a bit of thriller, historical and paranormal thrown in - separately, of course.

Aparajita Dutta: thank you so much :)

Janaki Nagaraj: Hi Sundari. I have not read Meghna. This is a general question. Most of the romance novels revolve around rich couple; the boy is rich, well educated, either a businessman or earning very well, classy and Mr. Perfect. The girl too is beautiful, sexy with perfect figure and the works. Have you ever thought of breaking this barrier of stereotyping the characters? Will you be able to write a romantic story revolving around very ordinary, middle or lower class people who have lots of odds placed against them?

Sundari Venkatraman: Thank you Janaki Nagaraj for asking me this question. The world has both the positive and the negative. That is how the third dimensional world has been created. Obviously, it is populated by both the rich and the poor. I prefer to focus on the rich. There is a misapprehension in parts of our society that thinking ‘Money’ is wrong. Well, I don’t belong to that strata of people. 

1. My typical hero is 30 years old. If he is not a success by then, I don’t want to write about him. Even people from the slums break out of poverty to make something of themselves. Financial success is very important to be my hero – as important as being honest. 

2. ‘Beauty,’ as they say, ‘is in the eye of the beholder’. My heroine appears beautiful to my hero; and sexy too. She may not necessarily appear beautiful to everyone. She has a perfect figure – in Meghna’s case – because she dances 7 days a week.  

I hope I have answered your question :)

Janaki Nagaraj: You have, thanks :)

Inderpreet Kaur Uppal: Hi Sundari, you have 3 very successful romance books under your name, did you always have this feeling of love in your writing? Do you think anyone can be a romance writer or do they have a special something that helps them express the power of love?

Sundari Venkatraman: Thank you Inderpreet! Sorry that I took so long to reply to your question. I am also a dedicated homemaker besides being a writer. :D To answer your question, I always have this feeling of love even while reading. I read more romances than any other books. Even the other books I read need to have a happy ending. I don’t much care for tragedies. Anyone who is passionate about love and romances and has a flair for writing can definitely become a romance writer is what I think. 

Inderpreet Kaur Uppal: Thanks for answering my question :D

Nilima Mohite: Sundari Venkatraman you always give details about traditions, locations, events, .... How do you research for them?

Sundari Venkatraman: I love your question Nilima Mohite! Most of it is from personal experience. The rest from google search. Like I have written about Mumbai; ISKCON Temple @ Juhu; Arya Samaj Wedding; Dandiya Raas; Fort Hill Garden and JW Marriott - all these I have personally visited. I love soaking into different atmospheres. So I instinctively absorb them and they automatically flow into the scenes in my novels.

Nilima Mohite: Gr8. I too absorb details & pour them into blog posts ;)

The Book Club: Thank you Ladies and err... ladies... for taking the time to drop in. Thanks Sundari. It must have been tiring for you answering all the questions. But you did a brilliant job 

Sundari Venkatraman: Thank you The Book Club for this wonderful opportunity. I thoroughly enjoyed the Q&A :D

Blog Tour: AND WE REMAINED by Asad Ali Junaid

And We Remained 

by 

Asad Ali Junaid

The Blurb

It is Bangalore in the late 1990’s. There are tremendous socio-economic and cultural transformations taking place as a result of liberalization. How would these changes impact a group of friends in their late teens? How would they cope, find opportunities and what of their original identities would they be left with, after western ideologies are brought in and bombarded into their awareness by cable TV and new media? 

Told through emails and first person account of events, And We Remained is a light and entertaining read of these friends as they experience love, heartbreak, prison, politics, drunken binges, strip clubs, sexcapades, US and Europe during their journey into adulthood

Buy @

Amazon.com |Amazon.in | Flipkart

Watch It 

Meet the Author

Asad Ali Junaid is a design professional in Bangalore working in the area of Human-Machine Interaction. He aims to resolve problems to enable humans interact and use technology efficiently.
Junaid writes whenever there is a compelling story inside him bursting to get out.  Junaid’s first fiction novel –And We Remained – started as a story which needed to be told… and one which needed to be told differently. He joined a three week in residence ‘Just Write’ fiction writing workshop where he got a chance to learn the nuances of and hone his story telling skills from authors Anil Menon, Anjum Hasan and Rimi Chatterjee. And We Remained then turned into a 52,000 word novel with an absorbing storyline and a unique narration style – the story is set in the 1990’s India and is told through emails and first person accounts of events.  Junaid is getting great feedback for the story depicting the mindset of engineering students in that era and the unique narration style it follows.
Junaid is married and his wife is a Post-Doctoral Researcher at Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore working in the area of Molecular Biophysics. Their toddler completes their home while keeping them on their toes.

You can stalk him @

                          

         

Check out The Book Club Tour Schedule

This Tour is Hosted by 

Facebook | Website | Blog Tours | Twitter | Pinterest | Linkedin

Blog Tour: HIDDEN PASSION by Summerita Rhayne

Hidden Passion 

by 

Summerita Rhayne 

The Blurb

Rukmani, the youngest of her family, has always had her way and she thinks she would too when the question of her marriage arises. But when she expresses her wishes, her world comes crumbling down because aristocratic affairs seem to matter more than her heart. Who can she run to but the strongest ruler of the region, Deveshwaraya?

Devesh finds himself torn between duty and desire. He is drawn to her yet being with her jeopardizes everything he has worked for. When even protecting her invites trouble, how can he let his heart become involved? 

When the walls of monarchical politics rise high between them, will her passion prevail?

Hidden Passion – the story of a princess daring to reach out for her heart’s desire

Buy @

Amazon.com |Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.in

Watch It 

Meet the Author

Summerita Rhayne writes sensual romance with emotional conflict. She took up writing when she was in her late thirties and hasn't looked back since. She first got published in 2013 and has won contests with Harlequin and Harper Collins India. Writing, she finds, is the only way to deal with the numerous story ideas bubbling in her brain which pop up more rapidly than her keyboard can do justice to. Especially when writing time is in short supply while juggling it with a job and the demands of a family. However, her pet belief is that a story and its characters have a life of their own and will find a way to make the writer pen them down. What else can one do when cerebrally confronted with the sizzling interaction of two Alpha characters?

She prefers to call her books sweet and sensual to denote the slowly deepening relationship between the characters.

She loves winding down with music, movies and social networking.

You can stalk her @

                          

         

Check out The Book Club Tour Schedule

This Tour is Hosted by 

Facebook | Website | Blog Tours | Twitter | Pinterest | Linkedin

Film Review: DUM LAGA KE HAISHA

Ayushmann Khurrana is excellent in his role as Prem

Cast: Ayushmann Khurrana, Bhumi Pednekar, 
Director: Sharat Katariya

THE STORY

The film is set in 1995 Haridwar. Prem (Ayushmann Khurrana) runs a music tape shop along with his father. He’s barely managed to scrape through school till Standard VIII. He lives with his parents and a paternal aunt who’s separated from her husband. Prem’s father arranges his wedding with Sandhya (Bhumi Pednekar) from an educated family. She’s a B.Ed and likes Prem when they meet for the first time. He doesn’t like her at all as he finds her too fat for his taste. Of course, they don’t get the opportunity to find out anything more about each other. 

His father leaves Prem with no choice but to marry Sandhya. Ashamed of his new wife, Prem refuses to live with her and hates the idea of even introducing her to his friends. Sandhya is confused. It’s when she hears him talk badly about her to his friends that she gets to know the depth of his hatred. She leaves him to go back to her parents, filing for a divorce. The court orders Prem and Sandhya to try living with each other for six months before taking a decision. What happens in those six months? Will Prem and Sandhya decide to continue as man and wife or will they separate forever? 

MY PERCEPTION

The story is not so bad. And I am glad that the film ran for 111 minutes, a bit less than two hours. Better yet, we watched it during the week and spent only Rs. 130 per ticket. Considering all the above points, I didn’t regret the experience. 

As for the film, Ayushmann Khurrana is excellent in his role as Prem, hemmed in by his parents and his environment; confused by his own mind and lack of education; finally feeling compassion for the woman who’s married him. Congratulations!

This is Bhumi Pednekar’s first film as an actress. She’s really good; casual, smart, educated and very comfortable in her plumpness. 

The rest of the characters come together to form a good film. The last sequence when Prem carries Sandhya piggyback for a race, giving the film its name, is too tough to swallow. Even if Prem was a practised marathon runner, it would be an impossible thing to do. Unless, he’s been carrying heavy sacks over many years. Some thought could have gone into creating this.

VERDICT: You can watch the film if you have a lot of time in your hands, like soft, slow romances, and don’t mind spending the money. Otherwise, watch out for Dum Laga Ke Haisha on TV. It’s not long in coming!  

*Silly
**Shaky
***Smart
****Snazzy 
*****Super 

Sharing: GIVE US A BREAK!

Google Images

I am a vegetarian. So I don’t have a problem if the government bans beef or chicken or mutton. But I am a human being. I believe in my personal freedom. I think this ban is one step to taking away the freedom of a section of people. And I don’t agree with it. 

Click here for the nitti-gritties of the #BeefBan and what the law has to say about it. 

Till 1947, we were slaves to Englishmen and after that till date, we continue to remain slaves to our own countrymen. And we call ourselves the biggest democracy! 

What is democracy? Click Here to read full article. 

Democracy may be a word familiar to most, but it is a concept still misunderstood and misused. In the dictionary definition, democracy "is government by the people in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system". In the phrase of Abraham Lincoln, democracy is a government "of the people, by the people, and for the people."

Freedom and democracy are often used interchangeably, but the two are not synonymous. Democracy is indeed a set of ideas and principles about freedom, but it also consists of a set of practices and procedures that have been moulded through a long, often tortuous history. In short, democracy is the institutionalisation of freedom. 

This week, the Maharashtra government has banned beef. Why? To save cows and buffaloes. Will stopping people from eating beef save these poor animals? What about the leather industry that has a huge level of export? Dharavi is a hotbed of this industry where purses, bags, belts, jackets and more are made and sold in the open market and shipped to many parts of the world. Will the government be putting a stop to this too?

Then what about the silk industry? Is killing millions of silk worms perfectly alright only because we don’t worship them? At the end of it all, we are only killing living beings. 

Does exploiting cows for milk, curd, butter and ghee allowed? We Hindus use these products not just as food but also for conducting poojas and havans. Are we right in doing so? By what yardstick?

The government has a lot of pending work to do, that should definitely take way more priority than #BeefBan.

1. There are millions are children going without food and education. Can we do something about that? Pass a law to ensure that they get one square meal per day and basic schooling along with some vocational training? Shouldn’t that be more important than banning beef?
2. Most of the population cannot afford grains and vegetables sold in the market. While most of the profits from these hiked prices are lining the pockets of middlemen and rogues. Why can’t a law be passed regarding this?
3. Every time we drive out of Mumbai, in whichever direction, we pay a toll fee every few km –for years at a stretch. That particular flyover/bridge/expressway could have been built 200 times over, but still we continue to pay toll. Can’t there be a bill passed for this one?
4. There are millions of people who don’t have clean drinking water. Why can’t we do something for them?
5. There are millions out there, living in slums, without a proper roof on their heads. Let’s not even talk about sanitation. Except for a few NGOs who are working towards this, what have we done for them? 

I can go on and on. But you get the trend. There is a saying in Tamil: “When the whole city is on fire, the king asked for a match to light his cigarette.” 

I rest my case!