Summary-
A secret that could cause scandal!Jilted at the altar, Shefali Khanna should be humiliated. Instead she takes the opportunity to start again. Top of the priority list: do not tumble headfirst into another relationship!
But even moving from the city to the country can't keep Shefali out of trouble—especially when she catches the eye of local celeb Neil Mitra! There is no way she can risk a scandal already! He might be gorgeous, but he's totally off-limits…right?
Extra bonus: included is The Wedding Dress Diaries by Aimee Carson, the prequel to our fab new quartet!
Review-
I haven't read many Harlequin Kiss books, just one in fact and I really enjoyed it so I thought I would give Secrets & Saris a try as well. This is not the first book of author Shoma Narayanan I'd read as well. I had enjoyed Monsoon Wedding Fever so I had some good expectations from Secrets and Saris. Unfortunately, I was disappointed.
In spite of the cute cover and fresh look the story line was just way too flaky for me to like it. Shefali Khanna has been jilted at the altar. After facing the humiliation from her friends and family she decides to move to a small town to start things over and sort things out. On her flight there she meets Neil, whom she dismisses as just another hot guy whom she has no use for now.
I just couldn't warm up to Shefali. I get that she was going through a horrible time but she was outright rude to Neil in the beginning. It did change after wards but then her indecisiveness irritated me. She came off as flighty and she herself didn't know what she wanted. The same could be said for Neil. The whole time they're together supposedly having their fling, they both keep changing their minds way too fast for me.
Neil didn't have any special qualities as such. At least none that I could see. He has a daughter who was very sweet. But I hated his whole take on marriage and having more children with Shefali after they got married. It was unfair. I don't think Shefali completely accepted his daughter as her own till the end though she had a good relationship with her. The worst part was that even after the book got over the issues weren't really sorted.
The book was extremely short with the bonus prequel novella taking up 40% of the book. The Wedding Dress Diaries was a cute novella, but again, it was way too short to actually find any satisfaction in it. Still, Shoma Narayanan is a good author so I'd recommend trying her Monsoon Wedding Fever instead of Secrets & Saris. This was an okay read for me.
Summary-
Good job? Tick. Newly purchased apartment? Tick. Evie's life is on a pretty even keel at the moment. The only thing missing? A man with an edge to keep things interesting. Enter Logan Black. Tortured, distant and sexy, Logan has edge written all over him. He's also the man who tipped Evie over the edge a few years back - she gave him everything, but he didn't know when to stop taking. Leaving Logan was the hardest thing Evie's ever done. Until now. Because Logan's back, the chemistry is as blistering as ever, and this time he's not going anywhere...
Review-
I enjoyed reading The One That Got Away a hell lot more than I expected to. It was a quick read but no where did it lack in the substance or the quality. It was a relatively light read which made me feel good and happy after finishing it. But it was more intense that what I thought from the cover. It had plenty of steamy scenes, romance and sizzling tension which left me grinning after finishing it.
Evie's life is headed exactly in the direction she wants it to. She is partner and she loves doing her job. She has her own apartment and things seem to be going in her favor. Except where her love life is concerned. All she wants is a man with an edge to keep things interesting. She still can't get the man out of her head whom she had spent and amazing week with several years ago. The one who ruined her for all others.
But then a twist of fate brings Logan Black back into Evie's life. All their sexual chemistry is still there. One look from him is all it takes for Evie to give him what ever the hell he wants. But Logan is still his tortured, distant and sexy self who in his head wants nothing to do with Evie but his heart definitely has other plans for him. Logan was a total alpha male. Just the way he was made him all the more appealing.
As soon as Evie and Logan collide into each other again you feel the tension in the air as sharp as a knife. All that hot chemistry was seriously coming off the pages and I ate up every single bit of it. Their passion for each other has not decreased one bit and no one else could hold a candle for both of them. Soon, both of them lay their cards out on the table and start a relationship. It was amazing to see them helplessly fall hard for each other all over again.
The romance was brilliant. Evie and Logan were both great characters with a head on their shoulders. The remaining cast of characters just added more to the story. This book satisfactorily gives you a happy ending with just enough angst and drama to keep things real. The steamy scenes were hot without question. If you're a fan of contemporary romances The One That Got Away should definitely be added to your pile.
