The Bollywood Bride
Sonali Dev
ISBN: 9781617730153
"Ice Princess" Bollywood actress returns home to the USA for her cousin's wedding, reconnecting with her childhood, and with her oldest friend and former lover, who she spurned dramatically at the start of her acting career.
Really enjoyed this. It was an interesting look at the usual tropes of romances from the perspective of an unfamiliar culture, and I really enjoyed the juxtaposition.
Ria is the straightest-laced of Bollywood actresses, consistently working hard and staying poised and cool on-camera and off. But she hides deep guilt and an even darker secret with all of her work and her cool unruffled facade. Once she goes back to her childhood home in Chicago, all of her efforts to be untouchable and untouched will be undone, as she finally is forced to confront the trauma from her childhood.
Dev writes clearly and passionately, and the story is logical and enjoyable, with not too much time spent on emotional or mental distress before a break to recount happy and lighthearted family and friendly interactions. There are plenty of descriptions of clothing and outfits (male and female) and the descriptions are clear and gushing. Characters have actual character, and the vast majority of the cast are kind and beautiful people. There are only two people who are "villainous" in the story, and one of them even shows a surprising spark of humanity at an unexpected moment!
I hope she writes more - it's lovely to see more cultures and more diversity represented in the romance books that are available to people, especially when they are written as well and as movingly as this one.
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