Release Day Blitz- Forever Yours by Andaleeb Wajid, Shilpa Suraj and Alisha Kay

 

A fake engagement has gotten disturbingly real…

When a pretend engagement ends in a very real combined bachelor/bachelorette weekend in Goa, three couples find their lives going from chaotic to disastrous…

Hatefully Yours by Alisha Kay is the quintessential enemies to lovers story with a very interesting twist.
Aditi and Manan hate each other but love their mutual best friend, Karthik. Planning his bachelor party is a trip to hell sprinkled with accidental kisses that taste of heaven. Past misunderstandings, present attraction, and a future built on hope all tangles together to make this weekend one to remember.

Sinfully Yours by Shilpa Suraj is the story of a one night stand turning into nights that they hope never end.
Sidharth is Bollywood’s biggest hit-turned-overnight-flop. His best friend Sanjana’s bachelorette in Goa is the perfect place for him to hide out and drink his sorrows away. Until he passes out in the arms of the extremely hot pixie who moonlights as a bartender in a shack in Goa. And Dani is left with an armful of drunk movie star who is as messed up as he is hot.

Deceitfully Yours by Andaleeb Wajid is the story of what happens when a fake relationship starts to feel very, very real.
Sanjana and Karthik just wanted their parents to stop talking marriage to them. So, they faked an engagement and now their parents are not talking marriage but planning a wedding instead. When their friends throw them a combined bachelor and bachelorette party, they use the opportunity to plan their breakup. Except behind all well laid plans lies the path to disaster.

Three love stories, three oddball couples, one epic weekend in Goa…

Will they find their heart’s twisted path or focus on the brain’s straight-but-boring one? Will they gamble on their happily-ever-after or choose to leave Goa as they came, single and not ready to mingle?

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Short Excerpt from Hatefully Yours by Alisha Kay

No! God, no! Not her! Anyone but her.

What the hell was Aditi Kedia doing here?

The minute he asked himself that, Manan could have kicked himself. Of course, she’d be here. She was Karthik’s friend, just as he was, and while Karthik was the smartest guy he knew, he was completely oblivious to the cold vibes between his two best friends. Or maybe he didn’t care. He wouldn’t see anything wrong in inviting both his friends together.

Something else struck him, and the biryani that he’d had for lunch threatened to make a second appearance.

His mother hadn’t told him anything about the girl that Karthik was supposed to marry. Just said that she was a friend of his. Was it Aditi?

Every cell in his body revolted at the idea of Karthik marrying Aditi. He told himself that it was because he didn’t want his friend to be ensnared by the evil little she-devil. It had nothing to do with the way his heart sped up at the very sight of her. Or the very inexplicable impulse that came over him occasionally to kiss her senseless.

Not that he ever gave in to such an impulse. He hated Aditi with all his heart. That’s all there was to it.

Alisha Kay writes funny, exciting and steamy stories, with spunky heroines who can rescue themselves, and hot, woke heroes who find such independence irresistible.

The first book in The Devgarh Royals series, The Maharaja’s Fake Fiancée, won the grand prize at the Amazon KDP Pen to Publish Contest 2020.

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Short Excerpt from Sinfully Yours by Shilpa Suraj

Sid froze, the glass near his lips. “You certainly have a way with words and polite conversation.”
“Really? You are critiquing me on etiquette, Beach Bum?” She responded to someone hailing her from the other end of the bar with a raised hand.
“Listen, I’ve got to go,” she told him. “Work and stuff. You have a good night, okay?”
“Dani, listen.” Sid grabbed her hand before she could rush off. “When do you finish?”
“I finish at two in the morning,” she smiled. “Not exactly an early night.”
“I’ll wait,” he smiled back, something frozen in his chest thawing at the sight of her warm, beaming face. “Could we get something to eat and maybe chat or something?”
“I don’t ‘or something’ with guys I’ve just met,” she grinned.
“I threw up on you. You threw a bucket of water on me. I think we’re past first or even third date pleasantries, don’t you agree?”
Dani threw her head back and laughed, the same loud, warm laugh he remembered. The thawing moved on to melting.
“Alright,” she said. “Stick around. We’ll grab dinner during my break and chat.” She pointed a finger at him. “No ‘or something’.”
Sid grinned. Suddenly, ‘or something’ was all he could think about.

Shilpa Suraj wears many hats - corporate drone, homemaker, mother to a fabulous toddler and author.

An avid reader with an overactive imagination, Shilpa has weaved stories in her head since she was a child. Her previous stints at Google, in an ad agency and as an entrepreneur provide colour to her present day stories, both fiction and non-fiction.

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Short Excerpt from Deceitfully Yours by Andaleeb Wajid

Karthik stared at Sanjana as she stood at the jetty and it almost felt like the rest of the world had faded to nothing. He could see only her, as she stood there, stark against the background of the greyish water. He was still reeling from what his mother had just said about him and Sanjana but he was also trying to look at it realistically. He had been a child then. But surely, there had to be something about her, something that had drawn them together that fateful day when he saw her seated in the garden on his favourite bench.

Fate. It had to be fate, he told himself.

Andaleeb Wajid is the author of 27 published novels and she writes across different genres such as romance, YA and horror. Her horror novel It Waits was shortlisted at Mami Word to Screen 2017 and her Young Adult series, The Tamanna Trilogy has been optioned for screen by a reputed production house. Andaleeb's novel When She Went Away was shortlisted for The Hindu Young World Prize in 2017. Andaleeb is a hybrid author who has self-published more than 10 novels in the past two years.

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Release Blitz- Loving You by Andaleeb Wajid

 

 

Hamza Ali is ready to get married, fall in love and live happily ever after. The only problem is, he's about to marry one woman but falls in love with another... So how will he find his happily ever after?

After watching his brother's disastrous love marriage fall to pieces, Hamza decides that the only marriage for him is an arranged one. In Mahrukh, his family finds him the perfect bride. But while Mahrukh may be the perfect bride, it's her divorced aunt Noorain who is the perfect woman for him.
Noorain Alam has never loved or been loved. Until the day her niece gets engaged to a man who is completely out of her reach and yet, he's everything she never knew she wanted.
Blindsided by the strength of emotion they feel for each other, Noorain and Hamza find themselves in a battle for their happiness. But will love win? Or will family and duty stand in its way?

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Read an Excerpt from Loving You

Noorain Alam was annoyed. She was in fact hopping mad. But she kept a smile on her face as she said goodbye to her employees Kamala and Mona who would be locking up the boutique after she left. She glanced at herself in the full-length mirror in the foyer once and shrugged. She didn’t really care what she looked like but she knew that she had to be at least presentable or she wouldn’t hear the end of it.  

For Haniya Apa, being presentable meant wearing at least half a kilo of gold. Noorain shuddered as she thought of her gold jewellery lying in her locker in the bank. It would stay there forever if she had anything to do with it. She left the boutique and got into her car and took a deep breath as she glanced down at herself once more. 

The long peacock blue kaftan type kurta that she had paired with white leggings was stylish but if Haniya Apa’s in-laws were at home, that meant they would certainly look down at her and make faces. She was just going to have to deal with it, she thought as she started the car. 

What’s the big hurry in getting Mahrukh married anyway, she thought. They could easily wait for another two years at least. The girl just finished her studies last year. Who gets married at 22 for god’s sakes? 

Dumb chicks like herself who got steamrolled into doing what parents wanted, she thought. They got married so early. She rolled her eyes when she remembered her own ill-fated and short marriage that took place right after her 21st birthday. 

She switched on some music and tried to keep all the negative thoughts at bay. Tonight, she was going to talk to Mahrukh and ask her if this was what she really wanted. 

Let them do what they want. It’s none of your business.

She shushed the thought away. No. It was her duty to ensure that her niece was happy. That she wasn’t being forced into something she didn’t want. There had been no one looking out for her when she got married 8 years ago. And when she had got divorced, everyone was ready to blame her for it. 

Mahrukh and she had been like siblings, rather than aunt and niece, but in the past few years, there had been a distance between them. Noorain wondered if it was because of her father’s family who didn’t like her at all. Had they influenced her to stay away from her? Still, she was going to try her best and reconnect with her, she decided. 

She reached home soon enough and drove the car inside the basement parking. Maybe if she lingered a little, she would catch the tail end of the visit. But then, even if the boys’ side who had come to see Mahrukh left, she would still have to contend with Haniya Apa’s in-laws who would have turned up in full strength. 

Oh, what the hell, she thought irritably as she got down from the car and made her way to the lift. She wondered if she would have time to hop into her own apartment and quickly shower but decided against it. Better to just face the firing squad right away. 

Minutes later, she entered the apartment and looked around quickly. There were no men here, which meant that Arshad Bhaijan must have taken them to his office. So that left the ladies who had come to see Mahrukh. Warily, she walked into one of the inner living rooms and stopped at the threshold.

She could almost feel her skin break out into hives when she saw the number of women there, all dressed in iridescent colours. Smiling, she stepped inside and several women stiffened. To her credit, Haniya Apa welcomed her inside. If she had so much as flinched, she knew that Noorain would never step inside her home again. 

‘This is my younger sister, Noorain,’ she said, leading her to two women who were seated on the sofa. Noorain tried to hide her surprise when she saw them. They were not dressed in flashy colours and neither were they dripping with jewellery. The older woman looked at her, eyes wide and she smiled. The younger woman was very pretty and she too smiled at her. 

‘Sit, talk to them while I get Mahrukh,’ Haniya Apa said to her. 

‘You sure about that?’ Noorain asked through the side of her mouth. 

Haniya Apa rolled her eyes and walked away briskly, and two of her relatives got up from their sofas and followed her outside. Noorain sat down, not sure what to say or talk to Mahrukh’s potential in-laws. Small talk was the bane of her life. 

‘Are you married, beta?’ the older woman asked. Great. 

There was a slight embarrassed cough from the other sofa. God. These people behaved like a divorced woman was something to be ashamed about. 

‘No, Aunty,’ Noorain replied. ‘I was. But I’m not any longer.’

The younger woman looked at her in surprise even as the older woman’s eyes widened as she understood what that meant. ‘I’m Ghazal,’ she said. 

‘What a pretty name,’ Noorain remarked with a smile on her face. She liked this girl for some reason. There was something very pleasant and non-judgmental about her demeanour.

‘Noorain is a pretty name too,’ Ghazal said. 

‘In school, I used to get teased a lot,’ Noorain said with a smile. ‘I contemplated changing my name almost every month, back then whenever I heard kids sing Noorain, Noorain, go away, come again another day.’

Ghazal grinned and was about to say something when Haniya Apa had returned, this time with Mahrukh in tow. Noorain looked at her niece, a little exasperated. Mahrukh was pretty and had delicate features but was easily swayed and didn’t have enough determination or grit. 

Right now, one of Haniya Apa’s relatives was holding her back in such a way that her head was bent low. Anger surged through Noorain but she controlled herself as the woman led Mahrukh towards the sofa and helped her sit down. Mahrukh was dressed in a royal pink ghagra with a deep green trim. She looked like a bride already, especially with all the jewellery. 

Noorain stepped away from there, even as introductions were made, although Mahrukh was expected to act like she was a mannequin. Ghazal bent low and tried to talk to her but Mahrukh just replied with a shake of her head or she nodded. 

Ghazal and her mother-in-law exchanged a look with each other and smiled and Noorain knew then, that there was no way they would reject Mahrukh. She probably ticked all their mental checkboxes. But she looked forward to meeting Ghazal again, she realised, when after sometime Mahrukh was led away, back like a sweet little lamb to the slaughter. 

Noorain lingered near the door, when Arwa who was Haniya Apa’s sister-in-law turned to her. ‘Don’t get too friendly with them, okay? We don’t want to spoil our family’s reputation unnecessarily.’

Bristling, Noorain straightened up but decided not to retort. Most of the women in Haniya Apa’s family couldn’t bear the sight of her. Not only was she divorced, she was also an independent woman and she didn’t look like she needed any man in her life. What’s more, before their father passed away, he had gifted Noorain an apartment of her own in this building. So she had her own place as well. 

She was a far cry from the other women who seemed to enjoy being simpering and helpless, letting their men take care of them. 

She was snapped out of her uncharitable thoughts when Ghazal turned to her as they were leaving. ‘It was nice meeting you,’ she said. 

‘Same here,’ Noorain replied, beaming at her. ‘I have a boutique on Wheeler Road. Maybe you’d like to come and visit?’

‘Oh I’d love to. But I hope you’re open on the weekends? I have work during the week,’ Ghazal replied. 

Noorain was surprised. Ghazal worked? She had an actual job? 

‘Yes, we’re open on weekends too,’ she said warmly, as she pulled out a business card from her handbag and handed it to her. She could sense the judgmental looks from women like Arwa and the others, and ignoring them, she smiled at Ghazal. ‘I hope to see you soon!’

About the Author:

Andaleeb Wajid is the author of 27 published novels and she writes across different genres such as romance, YA and horror. Her horror novel It Waits was shortlisted at Mami Word to Screen 2017 and her Young Adult series, The Tamanna Trilogy has been optioned for screen by a reputed production house. Andaleeb's novel When She Went Away was shortlisted for The Hindu Young World Prize in 2017. Andaleeb is a hybrid author who has self-published more than 10 novels in the past two years.

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