The author offered me an ARC in exchange for an honest review, and am I ever glad that I got this chance! This is another winner from Sundari Venkatraman, though I have to admit I still consider her previous book “The Madras Affair” my favourite (read review here).
 
The story starts with a bang – almost literally, as there’s a murder to be discovered and discussed. What follows didn’t read at all like the romance novels I was used to by the author for a while, but it did capture my attention and hooked me. Keeping in mind that this is a stab at romantic suspense, I found the beginning almost perfect in hindsight (yes, I read it again after I had finished the book, just to see it all in a different light). The author set up the stage, introduced the main characters and threw in the tiniest inkling of the romance to come, like a bee buzzing against a window. And that window was thrown wide open when I entered a sort of flashback and finally found out more about Anjali and Parth.

Speaking of the main characters – the couple and another ‘couple’ – I am full of praise. Being an author myself, I love reading about authors, and Parth was no disappointment. His mix of intelligence, insistence, to-die-for looks and calm confidence really drew me in. As for Anjali, she reminded me a little of the heroine of “The Madras Affair”, Sangeeta, like a duckling (not ugly) just waiting to burst forth into a glorious swan. Her strength, intelligence and determination were always palpable, yet in a more subdued way. And I loved her attitude and behaviour towards her son Arjun and her husband Jayant.
As for Arjun, he was like a refreshing breeze throughout the book. Fanning the flames when needed, becoming a whirlwind at some times, cooling down and soothing at other times. I’d love to learn more about him and his Jane, hinted at in the story. Jayant, his father by blood but by not much else, was just the right antagonist. I loved hating him, though at times I have to say I couldn’t even hate him. He struck me as a cliché personified, as a canvas for portraying all that’s wrong with society.
 
The story was fast-paced, brisk and to the point, lingering just at the right moments while only scratching the surface at other moments. I’d have loved to learn more about the Anjali of the past and about the marriage leading to this ‘culmination’, and I’d have loved it even more to learn more about Parth because he’s so full of potential. As for the murderer… I guessed correctly. I dare you to do so too!
 
Rating: 4/5

​When I write, I prefer not to have any distracting noise around me, so I don’t listen to music. But I do enjoy music of all kind and sometimes I get these phases where I listen to old favourites for hours and sing along (with more enthusiasm than skill). It struck me this morning that it would be fun to create playlists of songs that fit my romance novels. Here are 2 songs per book with short explanations. Enjoy!

​The first song is one of my all-time favourites. I know that Ricky Martin is from Puerto Rico and not Spain, but he’s a brilliant entertainer who sings both in Spanish and in English and offers catchy modern Latin music tunes.
The second song is by a German artist because the heroine Emily is from Germany. The meaning of the lyrics makes sense in a way too, although it isn’t specifically a song about relationships. The following lines "Gib mir ein kleines bisschen Sicherheit in einer Welt in der nichts sicher scheint.“ mean „Give me a little bit of safety and security in a world in which nothing seems safe”.

​The first song is by the Sri Lankan artist duo Bathiya & Santush, who are known all over the world, featuring Meena Prashadini. The title “Oba Enna Aye” can be translated to “Come back” and the feeling of the song just speaks to me. I think my Sri Lankan heroine Sepalika would enjoy it.
The second song is dedicated to Ireland, the country of the hero Daniel, and I’ve always liked listening to it.

​The song choices for my paranormal romance FIRE TRILOGY sort of stick to the fiery and magical aspect of it, as well as include ice (the hero’s magic).

​The first song is an obvious choice because of the title, and I remember it fondly from Germany when a newer cover version of it was really popular about 12 years ago.
The second song is one of my favourites and captures the feelings of both protagonists, knowing in their hearts that they’re in love, but denying or questioning it.

​The first choice was actually playing in my head all the time while writing because Bruno Mars sings the lines “When I see your face, there’s not a thing that I would change, ‘cause you’re amazing, just the way you are”.
The second song is much sadder and deals with the heroine Cathy’s difficult past and her longing to love and be loved again.

​For the romantic suspense novel I coauthored with bestselling American author Mike Wells, I chose the following two songs. The first one fits because of the lyrics, if you interpret them a bit loosely – because Jayne shares a forbidden kiss with Robert and it could change everything.
The Bond song reflects another major character of the books and their badass attitude as well as the thriller side of the novels. Just look at these lyrics: “You’ll never know how I watched you - From the shadows as a child - You’ll never know how it feels to get so close - And be denied - It’s a gold and honey trap - I’ve got for you tonight - Revenge it’s a kiss, this time I won’t miss - Now I’ve got you in my sights - With a golden eye, golden, golden eye”.
I also considered a third song, S&M by Rihanna because of the line “’Cause I may be bad, but I'm perfectly good at it.” and because of something you'll understand if you've read the books.

For those who've read the books / a book of the list: Do you think the songs are good choices? Do you have any other songs in your head that would fit?
For those who haven't read all books, which of them would you like to pick up just judging by the songs?

​If there was ever a book with a perfect title, then it is this one…
I had a certain inkling about the first ‘hero’ to show up in the story, then thought I had my light-bulb moment, only to be left…dangling. It happened again. And again. Amar. Akash. Adi. All names with A, all standing for something, all appearing when… Woops, I don’t want to give anything away, I’ll just be a clever tease like the author and leave you—yes, dangling.
 
I fell in love with “Dangle” by Sutapa Basu for two reasons. Reason 1 is the story itself. I loved reading about the heroine Ips (I love that name, I associate it with “if” in a way, which fits) finding her inner strength, fighting the demons of her past, embarking on a quest of she knows not what and ending up with one thing first and foremost: love. For herself, for the broken girl she was, for the determined woman she is, for those around her and those inside her. The setting added to the allure, and let’s not forget the thrill of action and suspense throughout. I swear my heart jumped right out of my chest several times. Oh, and let me mention that the first chapter was one of the best I have ever read. Looking back now, I’m even more impressed and taken in by it than I was when I started reading the book.
 
Reason 2 is the author’s style. At times lyrical, philosophical and poetical, at other times lucid and lush, modern and emotionally evocative, it fits the story’s themes to a T. Not a word seemed out of place or too much. Some lines stuck with me. I fell for the poetry included among the prose too, feeling faint echoes of old Hindi songs and great poets like Tagore well up to shimmer in the air and weave a net of an almost nostalgic magic around the protagonists despite the decidedly contemporary set-up. Here’s a short excerpt that captures what I’m struggling to put into words:
 
“The lilt of a flute fills the half shadows. Emerald green silk unfurls to lavender hills. Mist gives way to a golden spectacle. Thickly embroidered into flowing waters are hundreds of lotuses. Sunlight dazzles on ruby, sapphire, turquoise and amethyst that reluctantly open their layers to reveal honeyed hearts. The humming of multitudes of bees reverberates in the room. Intoxicated by the sun-drenched perfume of blossoms, they weave in and out of the pattern. Sheer colours daze the senses. Drumbeats intrude softly, only to rise to a crescendo.
Another shape enters the frame. Hazy at first, the outlines darken gradually. It is an empty square etched in bold strokes holding within it diagonally a metallic piece curved to the bent of an index finger. The picture zooms out. The shape takes definition. It is the trigger of a snub-nosed AK-47. The drums fall silent.”
 
I had already read some books edited and / or coauthored by Sutapa Basu (and from Readomania), but I have to say this gem of hers is my favourite. Do yourself a favour and read it, you won’t just dangle but fall for its charms hook, line and sinker.
 
Rating: 5/5

Genre: Historical Romance (mid nineteenth century)
Release Date: 31st March 2016
Publisher:  Áccent Press

SWORD DANCE (Book 3)
​
Cape Wrath, Scotland, November 1847.

Bruce McGunn, laird of Wrath in the far North of Scotland, is as brutal and unforgiving as his land. Discharged from the army, haunted by the spectres of his fallen comrades and convinced he is going mad, he is running out of time to save his estate from the machinations of Cameron McRae, heir to the McGunn's ancestral enemies.

When the clipper carrying McRae’s new bride docks at Wrath harbour, McGunn decides to hold the woman to ransom and use her to get more time to repay his debts. However, far from the spoilt heiress he expected, Rose is genuine and funny - a ray of sunshine in the long winter that has become his life. She is also determined to escape.

As Rose runs away to be reunited with her husband, she discovers there is a sinister side to the dazzlingly handsome aristocrat she married after a whirlwind romance. Why was Cameron so desperate to get her father's military journal? Why did he insist on keeping their wedding a secret? She is even more confused when Bruce catches up with her and she starts to feel irresistibly attracted to him. Soon she risks her marriage to help Bruce find the truth about his past and solve the mystery of the brutal murders committed on his land. Will her love be enough to heal his haunted heart?

EXCERPT
Excerpt from SWORD DANCE (608 words)
 
‘What are you doing? Please stop,’ she breathed, as his lips trailed along the curve of her throat. 
          If only he could... He looked up and the seductive power of her sultry, heavily made-up eyes gleaming in the moonlight hit him like a bolt of lightning. Every fibre of his body reacted to the feel of her soft body against his, the warm fragrance of her skin. She was right, though. What the hell was he doing? Once again he reminded himself that he had no right to feel that way, no right to want her, but damn it, the woman would tempt a saint. And he was no saint.
          He swallowed a deep, hard breath, released her and made himself step back. ‘All right. We’ll stay here a while and wait until McRae and his remaining guests have gone to bed. Where’s your horse?’
          ‘I left it tied to a post behind the hunting lodge.’
          ‘What about your bag?’
          ‘It’s still strapped to the saddle. By the time I spoke to the girls and the musicians, we had to get ready to come here.’
          ‘How did you manage to get into the hunting lodge without being seen by McRae’s men?’
          ‘It wasn’t easy. I got stuck as I sneaked in through one of the downstairs windows and ripped my - ’
          ‘You got stuck?’ He would have laughed if he weren’t so angry.
          ‘The musicians had to pull me in. We had to be quick and very quiet, because Cameron’s men were in the kitchen.’
          Damn the woman. Didn’t she care about the danger she put herself in?    ‘So, after clambering through a window, you had the brilliant idea to disguise yourself as a dancer and throw yourself into the lion’s den.’
          She flinched at the harshness of his tone. ‘I thought I could avoid bumping into Cameron.’
          ‘You bump into everything and anything you come across, why not McRae?’ he interrupted, taut with temper. ‘He could have recognised you when you were with the others in the music room.’
          ‘Then I would have confronted him and exposed him for the liar and the debauched rake he is in front of all his guests!’ The baubles on her necklace tinkled like little bells as she shook her head.
          ‘Weren’t you afraid of all those men ogling you, lusting after you?’ Me included, he remembered, guilt tightening his chest.
          ‘Well, I... I didn’t think I would have to dance. My plan was to get into the castle and hide until I could speak to Lady Sophia. Unfortunately, Cameron’s manservant was watching us like a hawk and I had no choice but to go into the music room with the others. The girls promised to create a diversion so that I could sneak out unnoticed.’
          ‘A diversion? That’s a mild way of putting it,’ he sneered. ‘The girls’ dancing was... ahem... striking, to say the least. Ask that poor old man who collapsed.’ He drew in a deep breath. ‘Anyway, where did you learn to dance like that?’
          She lowered her eyes, snapped a leaf from a nearby bush and tore it into tiny pieces that spiralled to the ground. ‘Malika taught me, in secret. She always said I was good enough to be one of them.’
          She was right, her dancing had been entrancing, mesmerising, but he wasn’t going to tell her. ‘I still can’t believe you took such risks tonight, just to talk to McRae’s fiancée. It was stupid and foolhardy.’ And damned brave, too, even though he would never admit it. Gripped by conflicting urges, he towered above her, his fists clenched and his jaw set. 
 
 
BUY LINKS
AMAZON UK
AMAZON US
​

​Originally from Lyon in France, Marie has lived in the beautiful Rossendale Valley, Lancashire, England, for the past few years and likes nothing more than dreaming up romance stories and handsome, brooding heroes. She writes historical and contemporary romance. Her contemporary romance A SPELL IN PROVENCE, as well as her historical romances, ANGEL HEART, together with the award-winning THE LION'S EMBRACE, and the DANCING FOR THE DEVIL Trilogy (which includes THE DREAM CATCHER, BLUE BONNETS and SWORD DANCE) are all published by Áccent Press.
 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marielavalauthor/?ref=ts&fref=ts
Twitter: @MarieLaval1
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6538479.Marie_Laval
Website: http://marielaval.blogspot.co.uk/
​

​Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Release Date: Torch Rock April 1, 2014
Publisher:  Urban Fey Press
Sometimes you find home, sometimes it comes looking for you.

Callie knows a lot more about pain than she does about family. She’s never belonged, at least, not until she falls through a portal into her true home. The beautiful faerie city of Eirensae doesn’t come free. Callie must find her amulet and bind herself to the city, and most importantly, avoid the Fallen fae who seek her life. Seems like a small price to pay for the family she’s always wanted.

Then she meets cynical and gorgeous Rowan, who reads the darkness of her past in her eyes. He becomes Callie’s part-time protector and full-time pain in the ass. He has secrets of his own for Callie to unravel. What they don’t know is that the future of Eirensae lies with them, and the once peaceful city is about to become a battleground for power.

POISON TREE - BOOK 2

The road to the City of War is dangerous.

With their home in ruins, Callie and Rowan are Eirensae’s last hope of stealing the cauldron back from Fraeburdh. They must travel into the human world where the Fallen hide. The banished fae wait for Callie, desperate to sacrifice her before she comes of age.

If Callie and Rowan survive the journey, something worse looms in Fraeburdh. Rowan is destined for a dark family legacy too horrifying to accept, and his father is anxious to welcome him home. Once the truth is revealed, will Callie ever look at Rowan the same way?

Trapped between feuding cities lost in a centuries-old war, Callie and Rowan will face their biggest rivals yet, and neither of them will make it out unscathed.

TORCH ROCK - BOOK 3

​War is coming, and she takes no prisoners. Faced with an impending battle Eirensae cannot win alone, Rowan journeys to Macántacht to seek allegiance from its leader. The City of Honor is beautiful, still untouched by conflict, and full of surprises that bring Callie’s darkest experiences to the surface.

With her friends’ lives at stake, Callie must confront her past, and accept help from a faerie whose face torments her memories. Reconciling the power beneath her skin has never been more painful.

Amid persistent threats from Fraeburdh, an old enemy reemerges with deadly force. Even with Macántacht fighting beside her and Rowan at her back, the odds are insurmountable. Callie’s biggest trial will come not on a blood-soaked battlefield, but in the quiet moments when she must choose.

​
​BUY LINKS FOR THE BOOKS
Reflection Pond
Poison Tree
Torch Rock
​

​KACEY VANDERKARR has a penchant for fantasy and frequently listens to the voices in her head--most of whom are teenagers. Her favorite place to write is an old salon chair in her kitchen, with coffee in one hand and adoring cats sprawled across her arms. She prefers her music loud and her skeptics quiet. When she's not writing, Kacey coaches winterguard, works as a sonographer, and hangs out with other weirdos like her at the Flint Area Writer's club. In addition to her novels, The Reflection Pond Series, Antithesis, and The Stone Series, Kacey's short fiction is featured in Sucker Literary Vol III, Ember: A Journal of Luminous Things, and Out of the Green: Tales from Fairyland.
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If you follow my blog or social media, you'll notice that I feature other authors all the time, mostly with spotlights, but also with guest posts and interviews. Today is going to be special because I'm presenting you with an awesome book trailer too! Ladies and gents, please give it up for "A Sip of Love and a Sip of Coffee" by Ganga Bharani!

The book titled ‘A Sip Of Love and a Sip of coffee’ is a young adult romance aimed at bridging the gap between parents and teenagers. In India, parents consciously avoid talking about crush or love to their children when they go through adolescence. But it is quite natural for a teenager to like and be fond of a person of the opposite gender. Parents continuously asking a girl why she is talking to a particular guy always or vice versa will only make them assume the feeling they have for each other is love. Some kids consider this first crush or the puppy love as “THE THING” in their life and choose to run away, commit suicide or sometimes ruin their life leading to abortion at a very young age. So it is very crucial for parents to talk to their kids openly about how it’s okay to have a crush and the difference between love and fondness. Also, from the teenagers’ point of view this book would make them understand how it is okay to like a person of the opposite gender and how the puppy love is not the be-all and end-all. This book will be an opener for parents and kids to talk about love at home.
                                
TRAILER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IhzF5D3P0Y
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Title of the author's first book: Just you, me and a secret 
Publisher: Tales4 Publication 
​​
Blurb:
Meera wakes up to find herself in a strange place, she doesn’t recognize. Later she realizes that she doesn’t recognize who she was, herself; not even her own mirror image. On top of this confusion, Ashruth tells her that she was in love with him and their marriage was fixed. She doesn’t like him even a wee bit now. She gets to know her own past from her diary. There is a switch between the confused present and more confusing past in each chapter of the book. Finally, when the diary past and the past-forgotten present meets at a point, she falls in love; not with Ashruth but with her cousin Santhosh.
Her marriage is fixed with someone she loved in the past. She loves someone else in the present. She hates the guy her marriage is fixed with. But she understand the amount of love her parents have for her. All these confusion spin the story into a book.  What happens after that is the story.

Title of my second book: A Minute to Death 
Publisher: Half Baked Beans
​
Blurb:
​Murder most foul or an open-and-shut case of routine suicide?
 
Young, vivacious and an aspiring writer, Riya wants nothing more from her longtime crush/boyfriend than to let her in on one of his exciting investigations. After all, what better source material for a book than a real life tragedy?

No-nonsense veteran cop, Rohan picks a case of probable suicide to satisfy Riya’s needs. Little does he know that there is more to this case than meets the eye.

What made the victim hang herself at the break of dawn? What is the secret that her group of friends is hiding? Will Riya be able to salvage a workable plot for her upcoming novel out of this case of seemingly simple suicide?

Title of third book: A Sip of love and a sip of coffee
Publisher: Story Mirror

Blurb:
How many years did you have to wait to find true love? Avanthika didn’t have to wait too long. She met Gautham right at the age of ten and fell in love with him right at the first sight. She had no idea the way this guy was going to change her life.

(Gautham: Come on! Any relationship with a girl be it love or marriage, changes guys’ life not the girls’. Ask any man out there and edit your blurb accordingly.
Author: Relationships change people and when it is love or marriage it brings in a positive change to one’s life. I was trying to hide the quarrels that we had throughout the book from the readers but you did not give me a choice. Now, jump into the book or you will be found and replaced throughout the book by a different guy. )
 
Avanthika was a love-one-guy-all-through-life kind of girl.  Gautham was love-a-girl-sincerely-then-move-on-to-the-next-and-start-being-sincere-allover-again kind of guy. Though they were poles apart, no one could imagine them without each other. They remained such close friends for years together.  Before she could express her feelings to him at the age of sixteen, he proposes Avanthika’s good looking close friend. And before she could digest this, he breaks up with her and proposes Avanthika. Though he isn’t sure of anything they get into a relationship. Eventually he falls for her.
Will they retain the love till they become adults? Will maturity kill their puppy love? Will they move apart with the tide of time?
 
A story of how a puppy love transforms into a strong relationship as it collects maturity in its journey with time. 

​Author bio:
Website: http://gangabharani.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorganga/

I started writing stories as a hobby in 2010 and to reach a wider audience I started posting those short stories in my blog (GB LAND). Comments from strangers, new readers and the increasing page hits made me an addict to my blog. I had taken my blog seriously from then. I started writing something I call Blog books- series of chapters that make a story in my blog, for which I got an overwhelming response. I had written 6 blog books and each of these blog books have more than 300 dedicated readers. One of my short stories was made into a short film, titled ‘Bhimbam’, which was screened at the AVM Preview theatre.
 
Bhimbam’s short story: 
http://scribbledbygb.blogspot.in/2011/07/pages-from-bachelors-diary-we-people.html
 
Slowly, the interest to make short documentaries rose in me. I started making stop motion videos addressing various social issues. Two of my short films named ‘Tiny Steps’ and ‘Candles’ won best film and special mention award respectively at WE CARE Film festival and was screened in several cities. Both the short films are about physically challenged people and their inclusion in the society.
 
Short films: http://scribbledbygb.blogspot.in/p/short-films.html
 
As a blogger, I have won various prizes from Indiblogger.in and blogadda.com. When I won the grand prize worth 25,000 in a contest conducted by sunsilk and a kindle in another contest conducted by the same company, many readers started noticing me as a blogger. Also, I was awarded ‘Woman of Substance’ by Godrej and Blogadda. I was shortlisted for the UK Blog awards 2015.
 
I always wanted to become a writer and here I am holding my third book as I type this mail to you.
 
Being a hard core technical developer working for one of the world’s best MNC, the biggest challenge I had was time management. I had never let down my career as a techie for being a writer, also never gave up writing everyday due to work pressure. I work for a solid 9 hours and have 3 technical papers presented in international conferences with myself as the author. One of the technical papers is about a shoe for the blind which I presented at an international conference held in Singapore in 2010.

​Awards that I have won:
                My short film, Tiny Steps, won the Best Film Award at WE CARE international film festival.
                My short film, Candles, won Special Mention Award at WE CARE international film festival.
                I won the ‘Best Urban Chennai Blogger Award’ given by Urban Tree and Echovme.