Guest Post : Top 10 Things you need to know about Diya Beauty Mathur by Falguni Kothari

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Today I'm delighted to welcome Falguni Kothari, author of It's your move, Wordfreak! ; Bootie and the Beast , to my blog. As you read her post, you'll probably guess what attracted me to her book.

Top 10 Things you need to know about Diya Beauty Mathur:

Falguni Kothari

She’s a super successful super model in super trouble.
She’s loved the Beast since she was a baby. She’s been in love with him since he slow danced with her for her Sweet 16.
She believes in many Gods, most fairy tales and the power of forgiveness. Oh, and horoscopes, talismans and a bunch of weird superstitions.
She has a loyal, steady heart that often goes unnoticed behind her glitzy façade.Only the people closest to her see it and appreciate it.
For her very first interview with M. Dixie of Pomp Adore, she was asked to name her favorite fairytale. Her answer was Beauty and the Beast. And that’s how the label “Beauty Mathur” came into existence.
She can change a flat tire without the help of a carjack. That makes her more than just a vanity-struck girly girl.
She was offered the lead role in a Bollywood movie but declined it on grounds that the script didn’t mention any pink costumes or adorable booties.
Beauty Mathur’s fashion tip for the season: Pink is the new black. Listen to her, Dear Readers. She’s touted as the next Coco Chanel.
The book she’s currently reading on her Kindle: Fashionably Dead (Hot Damned Series). Busy as she is, she manages to read a chapter every day.Kudos more fun than the Arabic smut that Hasaan forced her to read during Scheherazade’s worldwide publicity tour, she claims.
Her personal mantra: Everything’s fair in love, war and haute couture.

Bootie and the Beast by Falguni Kothari

Fairytales don't end with True Love's Kiss, they begin with one...

Diya Mathur (aka Beauty), celebrated supermodel and Party Princess of India, is adored by everyone. She works hard, plays hard, and has the biggest shoe fetish on the planet. But after she purchases one baby bootie, Diya's reputation is in ruins. There's only one place to escape the rumours - Texas, under the protection of her lifelong friend, and secret love, Krish Menon (aka the Beast).

Financial whizz-kid, CFO and entrepreneur, Krish is a brooding workaholic with a charisma that still brings Beauty Mathur to her knees. He has no idea, of course! They've shared a bond since childhood - a special friendship that thrives on sparring, teasing and goading - but with Diya back in his life and under his roof, Krish's latent desire for her explodes. And when he finally admits to the secret that has never allowed him to commit to any woman - especially Diya - everything changes. Krish might finally realise how much he wants his Beauty. But he won't get her until Diya has tamed her Beast.

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Falguni Kothari is a non-traditional homemaker who accidently tripped on a misplaced soccer ball and fell down the writer’s rabbit hole. Having no more experience with the whole writing/publishing shebang than being a voracious reader and movie buff, it more than surprised her that she could, in fact, write a full-length novel.
Now, several manuscripts down, when she is not trying to find a way out of her many domestic duties or cajoling her Latin dance coach to compose a rumba on Bollywood music, she is found embroiled in some or other scandal—sorry, creating stories—on her ever-faithful laptop.
She’s authored Bootie and the Beast,It’s Your Move, Wordfreak! And Scrabbulous Impressions, a short story. She rumbasacross a whole smorgasbord of Social Media daily and loves to connect with most living things.

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Book Highlight : Whole Latte Love by Rachelle Ayala

Investment banking intern Carina Chen doesn’t need any distractions - especially the sexy, guitar-playing barista she rooms with for the summer.

Free spirit Dylan Jewell appreciates the delightful universe of women who vie for his attention. His goal in life is to do good, make happy coffee, and help the homeless.

When Carina moves in, she insists on rules of conduct to quell her instant attraction to Dylan. But when her boss asks her to turn Dylan into a businessman, she can’t think of a reason not to take advantage of his hospitality.

Their chemistry is white hot, but Dylan refuses to play Carina’s game, unable to understand how he can fall in love with a woman who puts profits in front of people. When Carina realizes Dylan isn’t budging, she risks all to gain a single night with him. Will her gambit backfire or will Dylan discover Carina’s true heart before she runs away with his?

Set in Berkeley, California, Whole Latte Love is an opposites-attract romance mixing bluesy rock music, hot, steamy love scenes, and financial shenanigans.

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Rachelle Ayala is the author of dramatic fiction crossing genres and boundaries featuring strong but flawed characters. She writes emotionally challenging stories and is not afraid of controversial topics. However, she is an optimist and laces her stories with romance and hope.

Rachelle is an active member of online critique group, Critique Circle, an active member of the California Writer’s Club, Fremont Chapter, and a volunteer for the World Literary Cafe. She is a very happy woman and lives in California with her husband. She has three children and has taught violin and made mountain dulcimers.



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Book Review : Starcursed by Nandini Bajpai review by Sanchit Bhandari

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In the ancient city of Ujjayani, the planets align to decide the fate of two starcursed lovers. Born under the curse of Mars, brilliant and beautiful Leelavati, daughter of the famed astronomer Bhaskarya Acharya of Ujjayani, knows she can never wed. But when her childhood playmate, the handsome and rich Rahul Nagarseth, returns from sea, their attraction is rekindled under stormy monsoon skies. As Leela, forced by fate to relinquish Rahul, tries to find solace in teaching at her fathers observatory, a fleeting alignment of the stars is discovered that can help overcome her curse. But Rahul is called away on a war to defend his kingdom. Can he return in time or will she lose him forever to the will of the planets? Set in turbulent twelfth century India, against the backdrop of the savage wars waged by Muhammad of Ghor and his band of Turkis, Starcursed is a sweeping tale of science, romance and adventure that will transport its readers to another world.

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My Review

Short Review

Starcursed is a Star shining bright to capture your imagination and sail you through to the mystical twelfth century India.

“Why was I surprised? I may be unmarriageable, but he, clearly, was not. I looked away. Dimly I could hear murmurs of congratulations. Where was the door ? I had to leave, to escape. I concentrated on moving my feet. Walk, just walk, I urged them.”

Full Review

To begin with I would like to mention that I am not a proponent of Historical fiction, for the simple reason, I believe that history should be built up of rock solid facts rather than fragments of fiction to capture the imagination of readers and cloud the original facts . But I will play Devil’s Advocate to Nandini Bajpai. Though it’s a long way before her name is taken with Rosemary Sutcliff but her mettle in writing historical novel is sure to be watched out for.

“It was a Day of Sun and Shadow. That rarest of Monsoon days when sunshine could suddenly streak through the mass of dark clouds to dance on the hills and river below. A day for surprises. I told myself I was ready for them”

Starcursed is a frictional recreation of the story of Leelavati. Her life was guided by the stars. Her birth chart claimed that anyone who would marry her would die and hence she was deemed to be a maiden all her life. Her Father Bhaskara Acharya the great Mathematician and Astrologer calculated an auspicious moment when the curse of the stars would not have an effect. He created a special oil and water clock to calculate the exact moment, but it failed due to some reasons and the moment passed away.

“Are we pawns in the hands of fate or can we rise above it?”

In Leelavati, Nandini has created a witty, learned, intelligent, brave female lead but to balance it out she is clumsy, at times a crackpot, though she can face the world she is afraid to face her love for the fear of the fate that awaits. Most importantly she is a character true at heart. Rahul is fictionalized in the most perfect way possible. Nandini has woven an intelligent Scholar, a wealthy trader, a brave warrior into a romantic person, add to it the nobility he has inherited from his Chinese and Jain descent.

“The clouds have gathered, my love
Thunder shakes, Lightning falls
I wait all night by the window
Listening for your silent flute

The moon is hiding, lost and moody
Rain weeps softly into the streets
On the pathways you walked
The clouds have gathered, my love”

Other characters including Sethani and Bhaskara Acharya are well portrayed and I was able to connect to each one of them in a very interactive manner. They all stand out on their own and you can actually guess what they are going to do in a particular situation.

The narration is quite good but lags behind at some points. The initial four chapters make a slow start for an otherwise intriguing novel. Once again the plot takes a back seat as in Nandini Bajpai’s previous book(Red Turban White Horse), as it is already revealed to the reader in the synopsis. Even the twist in the end is well expected. But it’s a different joy altogether to find out that you were right!

“I know that of the many things consulted when contracting a marriage- family, honour, health, possessions, star charts, caste and faith- love is not considered to be of much importance. Yet to me it is paramount”

The author skillfully takes us back to the twelfth century with the smallest details, rituals and customs. She touches upon several social atrocities in a non judgmental way but stern enough to get across her view to the reader.

“Anyone could step into this river. Maybe upstream, an atheist, a foreigner, an untouchable, perhaps even Rahul,was stepping into it at this very Moment. Why then these rules about caste and creed, whom it was permissible to touch or marry, when we were all made from the same earth and water?”

Unlike her previous outing “Red Turban White Horse”, Nandini has not strayed into Punjabi and Hindi. Though she has restricted herself to English, some of the translations of hindi proverbs like “Tere muh mein ghee shakkar “ being translated to “Butter and Sugar in your mouth” just loose it’s touch and translating “ghee ka diya” to “butter lamp” and and “Akash Ganga” into Sky Ganges is just hilarious (Milky Way would have been good enough). The writer’s attempt to tickle our funny bone just makes us smile wryly.

“I had been studying the qualities that my birth chart had forecast for me. They were a terrible list of vices- Pride, arrogance, quarrelsomeness. I wouldn’t want to marry me.”

I would like to sign off showering kudos on Nandini for the character she has infused in Leelavati. She maintains her dignity and the pride of her family. Though she loves him immensely she subdued her feelings and went on refusing him for two years. It is only in the end that she breathes life into her Love.

“True love may. And I say may, do ten times the work that growing wheat in winter demands. And it may even be that this winter wheat tastes better than the easy wheat harvested in autumn. But attraction and infaturation will let the wheat wither and the farmer shall die of hunger.”

About The Author

Nandini Bajpai grew up in New Delhi, India, one of four sisters and many cousins, in a family that liked to read. Although she dabbled in corporate finance, business analysis, and fostering shelter animals, her first love is writing. Her novel Red Turban White Horse: My Sister's Hurricane Wedding was published in 2013 by Scholastic India. She lives in the Boston area with her husband, kids, their dog Yogi and cat Rakhan.

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Book Highlight : Taming Romeo by Rachelle Ayala

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Evie Sanchez is recovering from heartbreak by working at her parents’ Filipino restaurant when in walks Romeo Garcia, the boy she left behind. Only now, he’s a hot movie star surrounded by gorgeous actresses and adoring fans. Bad boy Romeo Garcia never understood why Evie stood him up at the prom. When he rescues her from a flying coconut in the dumpster, he is determined to dig into her heart for the reason. Their mutual attraction and unresolved feelings ignite in a scintillating night of daring sex, and Romeo shows Evie what she’ll miss the rest of her life if she walks away again. Evie lands a part as Romeo’s co-star and falls into her role, totally in love. He plays his part, too, with his romantic gestures and skillful lovemaking. But is the fantasy real or revenge? Evie and Romeo are about to discover if their buried feelings will explode in pure delight or utter disaster.

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Excerpt

Book Blast : Third Daughter by Susan Kaye Quinn

Third Daughter by Susan Kaye Quinn

Skyships, saber duels, and lots of royal intrigue... and, of course, kissing.

The Third Daughter of the Queen wants her birthday to arrive so she'll be free to marry for love, but rumors of a new flying weapon may force her to accept a barbarian prince's proposal for a peace-brokering marriage. Desperate to marry the charming courtesan she loves, Aniri agrees to the prince's proposal as a subterfuge in order to spy on him, find the weapon, and hopefully avoid both war and an arranged marriage to a man she does not love.

Third Daughter is the first book in the The Dharian Affairs Trilogy (Third Daughter, Second Daughter, First Daughter). This steampunk-goes-to-Bollywood (Bollypunk!) romance that takes place in an east-Indian-flavored alternate world filled with skyships, saber duels, and lots of royal intrigue. And, of course, kissing.



From the author of the bestselling Mindjack Trilogy, The Dharian Affairs is a new series filled with equal doses of action-adventure and romance, meant to appeal to fans of Mindjack.



NOMINATED for the Illinois Librarian's "Soon to be Famous Author Project" wherein librarians hope to discover local authors whose "work will jump off the page for readers."

"Third Daughter is vividly breathtaking. Quinn delivers royal intrigue, exotic locations, and sweeping romance. Not to be missed!" - Pavarti K. Tyler, author of Shadow on the Wall



"Susan Kaye Quinn writes characters that leap off the page... Incredibly well written, the vivid setting was crisp in my mind... As the plot raced on, I was cursing real life for not letting me just sit glued to my kindle, punching the touch screen to get to the next page." - Tiffany on Goodreads

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Excerpt

A lone two-wheeled surrey ambled out of the shadows of the Samirian embassy and headed toward her dark corner of the Queen’s estate. Aniri held her breath and silently cursed the full two-moon night. If the carriage came much closer, the occupants would surely see her clinging to the side of the palace like a spider on her thread.

The six-hooved beast pulling the surrey slowed as it neared the giant stone statue of Devkasera. The mother goddess of ancient Dharia loomed larger-than-life, threatening the carriage with a sword and a scroll—the powers of destruction and creation—clasped in two of her six hands. The Queen loved the ancient traditions, so the goddess held a place of respect in the middle of the palace lawns. Aniri preferred the clean streets and steam-driven inventions of modern Dharia to the unwashed feet and mystic religion of her country’s past, but that didn’t stop her from sending a silent prayer to Devkasera—for invisibility for herself or perhaps a sudden loss of sight by the persons in the carriage.

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Author Susan Kaye Quinn

Susan Kaye Quinn is the author of the bestselling Mindjack Trilogy, which is young adult science fiction. The Dharian Affairs trilogy is her excuse to dress up in corsets and fight with swords. She also has a dark-and-gritty SF serial called The Debt Collector and a middle grade fantasy called Faery Swap. It's possible she's easily distracted. She always has more speculative fiction fun in the works. You can find out what she's up to by subscribing to her newsletter (hint: new subscribers get a free short story!) or by stopping by her blog (www.susankayequinn.com).

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BookBlast Giveaway

$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

Ends 3/14/14

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

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Book Blast : An Incurable Insanity by Simi K Rao

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An Incurable Insanity

Her heart fluttered when she heard the sound of the key turn in the lock. She quickly adjusted her maroon silk sari with the yellow border, the one that had caught his eye, and waited eagerly for his footsteps. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven... Yes, exactly seven steps before he stopped, hesitated for a few moments, then removed his shoes one by one and arranged them neatly side by side on the shoe rack. She smiled. He had been mindful of taking his shoes off every day now. "I am not used to it, but I will if you want me to. It's probably a good thing to do anyway." As he settled down, he would pick up the TV remote and, without looking at her, would say in his smooth baritone, "So how did you spend your day, anything interesting?" Shaan Ahuja found himself bowing to tradition and agreeing to an arranged marriage to the beautiful Ruhi Sharma. He went through the motions but had no intention of carrying through on his vows. His last foray into matters of the heart with an American girl had left him scarred and unwilling to try again. Thoroughly disillusioned and disgruntled he wasted no time in making his intentions clear to Ruhi on their wedding night. But, he was completely unprepared for what his new wife had in mind.

Simi K. Rao

Simi K. Rao was born in India and has been living in the United States for several years. Her contemporary romance novel An Incurable Insanity, published by Tate Publishing, was released on October 8, 2013. An Incurable Insanity is her first foray into writing. The inspiration for the story came from what she has seen transpire among and within the immigrant community. Some of the experiences included are her own; some have been garnered from friends and casual conversations with acquaintances. She also writes poetry, is an avid photographer, loves to travel, and is a practicing physician. She currently lives in Denver with her family.

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Tour Highlight The One by Lorhainne Eckhart

Title: The One

Author: Lorhainne Eckhart

Genre: Adult Romance

Publication: December 23, 2013

Margaret Gordon was once a prominent  Seattle surgeon, until a slip of the knife leaves a young boy without a future. Margaret is fired and returns to her hometown, the perfect spot to hide out from everyone and to lick her wounds, with no one around but her horse.

Margaret never considered herself a horse person. In truth, she understands horses better than people. And when the now-widowed Joe Wilde drives in one morning with a teenage boy and a horse with a problem, Margaret turns into that klutzy teenage misfit that silently carried a torch for Joe all through school. But when smooth-talking Joe convinces Margaret into working with the temperamental horse, she grows closer to his son Ryan, and soon learns the horse’s issues have more to do with father and son, and Ryan’s anxiety over the fact his father is now dating a woman who is only interested in the sexy Joe Wilde, and not his misfit of a son.

The only problem is Ryan wants Margaret to be his mother, so he takes matters into his own hands setting Margaret in his father’s path, every chance he gets. Even though sparks fly and sizzle between them Joe believes Margaret has despised him all his life, and decides all his  rebellious son needs is a mother. But when Joe proposes marriage to the wrong woman, his son takes off with a backpack and a feisty horse, into the Backcountry.

Except to Joe’s surprise, it’s Margaret who saddles up her horse,  and heads off alone with him in over a hundred of miles of wilderness in a race against time and the elements to find his son. And with his son's life in jeopardy will that be enough for Joe and Margaret to put aside their differences and realize that the other is, The One?

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January 6^th

TattooedBook Review 

January 7^th

GoodChoice Reading

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Booksand Their Worldly Realm

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Musingsof Immortals

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RipeFor Reader

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DealSharing Aunt

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About Lorhainne

2012 was an amazing year in the publishing world for me, and it started with The Forgotten Child, which landed on the Amazon bestseller list for western romance and romance series. 2013 has seen me posted in the top 100 authors on Amazon for romantic suspense, mystery/thrillers, and police procedurals.

Where did it all begin? In 2008, I published my first novel, The Captain’s Lady, a contemporary military romance, through The Wild Rose Press. I’ve since received the rights back from my publisher, and I rewrote the book and republished it with a brand new title, Saved.

I write edgy romantic suspense (Walk the Right Road Series), western romance (Finding Love ~ The Outsider Series), and young adult mystery, and I warn my readers to expect the unexpected. I’m a mother of three children and we live on a small island in the Pacific Northwest. I encourage you to contact me by email; I do answer every email I receive.

Stay tuned. There is more to come from the Walk the Right Road Series and Finding Love ~ The Outsider Series, as well as a brand new western romance series coming later this fall, The One.

And to my readers and all of you who have shared my stories with your family and friends, a big, heartfelt thank-you.

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