Marriages Made in India Book #1

Blurb: Ram Maheshwari is a successful jewellery designer who has a huge showroom on MI Road, Jaipur. He’s tall, dark, handsome and a billionaire to boot. He’s twenty-nine and falls in with his parents’ wishes when they try to arrange his marriage.

The lovely, stormy-eyed Sapna Purohit is from Pushkar. She’s managed to finish school and makes a living by doing mehendi designs during weddings. She’s always dreamt of a Prince on a white horse, sweeping her off her feet.

One look into Sapna’s grey eyes and Ram is lost. Only, Sapna’s unable to see her Prince in Ram. Being from a poor family, she has no choice but to go along with the tide when the Maheshwaris offer to bear all expenses of the wedding.

Does that mean that the feisty Sapna is all set to accept Ram as her husband? She puts forth a condition, after the wedding. Will The Smitten Husband agree to it?

*MARRIAGES MADE IN INDIA is a five-novella series that revolves around the characters you have met in The Runaway Bridegroom.

My review: Sundari Venkatraman spins another successful romantic tale, this one interspersed with some red hot scenes! ‘The Smitten Husband’ revolves around the characters we met earlier in ‘The Runaway Bridegroom’ so there is a sense of familiarity, a feeling that you are among family. We are happy to meet the hero Ram’s sister Chanda from Sundari’s earlier book again and are delighted to see that her romance with her husband Ranveer is still going strong.

Ram, the first born son of Mohan and Meera, is not really studious but has a creative bent of mind. At 29, he is a successful jewellery designer in Jaipur. Naturally, his parents are on the lookout for a bride for him and find one through their astrologer who assures them it would be a match made in heaven. Ram agrees to go see the girl in Pushkar, though he is worried about the girl’s fitting into his life and that of his close-knit family. ‘Marriage seemed to be the biggest risk a human being could take!’

Enter Sapna, the beautiful daughter of an impoverished pandit. She is an expert in mehendi design and a diehard romantic who is waiting for her prince to sweep her into his arms and carry her away to his palace. Her parents are delighted that such a rich and handsome groom is coming to see her, but does she share in their joy? But what choice does she have when she is 25 and people are already wondering if she would ever find a good alliance? After all, her parents are too poor to offer a handsome dowry. But does that mean she must compromise on her dreams? The plot focuses on the eternal debate of love marriage versus arranged marriage. Events proceed rapidly in the manner of all Indian weddings, but what is unusual is the condition that Sapna puts forth to the smitten husband. Will Sapna and Ram find their happy ending? Pick up the book to find out.

The story is short and simple. The characters are clearly drawn and their emotions smoothly set out. We empathise with Sapna and her worries about fitting into a rich family, for we know how important money is to smooth the way when two families come together. The story picks up pace after they have a heart to heart and begin to understand the other’s issues and motivations. The two engage in a dizzying tango as chemistry and passion play a huge role in shaping their relationship. Here’s a tidbit to spark your curiosity!

“Sapna…” sighed Ram, kissing her gently, his tongue first tracing her upper lip and then her lower one. He gently bit the luscious curve. Sapna instinctively opened her mouth to let him explore the velvety cavern with his tongue. Shyly, her tongue reached out to mate with his, making Ram groan with need. His hands moved restlessly on her body, her nightie bunching up. His muscular legs tangled with her slim ones, making her sigh with pleasure…

The only problem I had with the book was that there was not much complexity in the plot. There seemed to be no negative characters at all, a rather unlikely phenomenon in the world we live in!

Verdict: The Smitten Husband is as sweet and fresh as the jhangri that Sapna discovers during her honeymoon in the south! Definitely recommended if you like reading romance.

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The author:

The Smitten Husband is the eighth book authored by Sundari Venkatraman. This is a hot romance and is Book #1 of the 5-novella series titled Marriages Made in India. Other published novels by the author are The Malhotra Bride, Meghna, The Runaway Bridegroom, The Madras Affair and An Autograph for Anjali—all romances. She also has a collection of romantic short stories called Matches Made in Heaven; and a collection of human interest stories called Tales of Sunshine. All of Sundari Venkatraman’s books have been on Amazon Top 100 Bestsellers in India, USA, UK & Australia many times over.

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