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jencolumb0's review
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I found this to be an incredibly engaging read: I blinked and I was almost half-way through it. Mira and Naveen make for a very likable couple and Ms. Rai did a solid job with the arc of their emotional growth and growth together. The rest of the story was a wild, if not somewhat gritty (for Romancelandia), heist of a heist that had me thinking of Dial A for Aunties (but less absurd). My hang-up with all of this is just how much was supposed to be shoved inside, like, 18 hours. ( drive to Vegas, wake up and free themselves, drive to diner, eat and arrange new car, track Emi to two places, negotiate at the poker game, play poker, the whole charade to talk to Sunil, going to the party + talking with Steve, Walmart stop, sex, sleep . . . until sunrise, then a few piles of other things Then, we have how all of this stuff was wrapped up and that’s really what knocked a star off for me. I get how it couldn’t be a much deeper resolution but the resolution provided feels super cheap and is what I think would actually mess Mira up the most . . . but there’s just a passing mention of her PTSD when there had been pretty steady talk about her emotions. This produces a bit of a disconnect that is only bolstered by Ms. Rai ’s decision to keep it real with the resolution, or lack thereof, between Mira and her sister . The warm-fuzzies of the epilogue and Mira/Naveen smooth the experience for the reader but there is a definite gap between the rather realistic emotional experiences of the characters through the first, oh, 80% of the book and then that kind of crumbled at the end. I do think this book would make a very fun movie, though, where the issues at the resolution are easily smoothed over in a move visual medium.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Abandonment, Death of parent, Violence, Gun violence, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Alcoholism
Minor: Pregnancy
what_karla_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping and Violence
Moderate: Gun violence and Sexual content
Minor: Alcoholism, Death of parent, Cursing, and Grief
onegalonelife27's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Romance meets thriller in this one!
For the longest time, Mira has tried to find a nice, stable husband in order to avoid the life her father lived. Yet, just after getting dumped by the latest man her matchmaker set her up with, she finds out that her late aunt's attorney is actually the first-and best-match she had, whom she left. It only gets more awkward between these two exes, when they get kidnapped. Turns out her late father stole from the wrong person. Now they’re on the run in Vegas, trying to save their skins and loved ones. And along the way, find a chance to reconnect and come out with an even better relationship than before.
This story is a great blend of thriller, romance, and a bit of comedy! You hold your breath when things get intense and then cackle when some hilarious happens like Mira telling the owner of a strip club about body shaming! Then swooning as the characters find themselves falling back in love with one another.
This romance shows a lot of parallels between the two characters, coping with their pasts in different ways and it makes the connection they grow even more wonderful. Mira often tries to bottle up her emotions but Naveen helps her release them. Naveen often worries about how others perceive him, but Mira helps him become more confident.
The last hour or so had me going “Oh god!” so much with the twists revealed.
I highly recommend this one for anyone who’ll want romance but also love a good thriller too!
For the longest time, Mira has tried to find a nice, stable husband in order to avoid the life her father lived. Yet, just after getting dumped by the latest man her matchmaker set her up with, she finds out that her late aunt's attorney is actually the first-and best-match she had, whom she left. It only gets more awkward between these two exes, when they get kidnapped. Turns out her late father stole from the wrong person. Now they’re on the run in Vegas, trying to save their skins and loved ones. And along the way, find a chance to reconnect and come out with an even better relationship than before.
This story is a great blend of thriller, romance, and a bit of comedy! You hold your breath when things get intense and then cackle when some hilarious happens like Mira telling the owner of a strip club about body shaming! Then swooning as the characters find themselves falling back in love with one another.
This romance shows a lot of parallels between the two characters, coping with their pasts in different ways and it makes the connection they grow even more wonderful. Mira often tries to bottle up her emotions but Naveen helps her release them. Naveen often worries about how others perceive him, but Mira helps him become more confident.
The last hour or so had me going “Oh god!” so much with the twists revealed.
I highly recommend this one for anyone who’ll want romance but also love a good thriller too!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Kidnapping, and Sexual content
Moderate: Alcoholism, Blood, and Violence
Minor: Body shaming, Infidelity, and Death of parent
notsobinaryart's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Addiction, Cursing, Death, Confinement, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Child abuse, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Mental illness, Classism, Gaslighting, and Blood
Minor: Torture, Body shaming, Cancer, Sexual harassment, and Infidelity
bookish_afrolatina's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Solid fun romance mixed with the Hangover type storyline and a generous serving of parental abuse. So if you want a good mix of emotions, this is good for you!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
Moderate: Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Violence
justkarlah's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
▫️3rd person POV▫️
This was one of those books that hooks you in right from the start with a surprise and forced proximity, which always makes for a ton of bickering and chemistry that both main characters try to ignore.
I loved that even with all of their faults, they still managed to somehow understand one another and figure out how their past played into the way they lived their lives in the present. Naveen was perfect, patient and able to communicate a lot better than Mira, which worked great for the two of them.
The spicy scenes were pretty mild and short, but sweet.
It had plenty of twists and was full of adventure so it didn't feel boring at any point in the story. The ending felt kind of rushed, and sometimes it felt more like an action movie than a romance, but it was still entertaining to read.
If you like 2nd chance romances, forced proximity, and family drama (with a ton of adventure thrown in), then I would recommend this book!
This was one of those books that hooks you in right from the start with a surprise and forced proximity, which always makes for a ton of bickering and chemistry that both main characters try to ignore.
I loved that even with all of their faults, they still managed to somehow understand one another and figure out how their past played into the way they lived their lives in the present. Naveen was perfect, patient and able to communicate a lot better than Mira, which worked great for the two of them.
The spicy scenes were pretty mild and short, but sweet.
It had plenty of twists and was full of adventure so it didn't feel boring at any point in the story. The ending felt kind of rushed, and sometimes it felt more like an action movie than a romance, but it was still entertaining to read.
If you like 2nd chance romances, forced proximity, and family drama (with a ton of adventure thrown in), then I would recommend this book!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Violence, Sexual content, Kidnapping, and Grief
Minor: Body shaming and Gun violence
auudrey's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping and Sexual content
Moderate: Child abuse, Gun violence, Violence, Stalking, Abandonment, Alcoholism, and Grief
Minor: Body shaming and Panic attacks/disorders
gretchenplz's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Overall, this was a cute, lighthearted book.
Bonus points for being the only romance book I’ve ever read where the FMC pees after sex! No UTIs here!
I was not a fan of the huge cast of characters (could have used an edit there), or the 27 twists that happened at the end. It just wasn’t all necessary.
But it was a quick, cute, and fun read!
Bonus points for being the only romance book I’ve ever read where the FMC pees after sex! No UTIs here!
I was not a fan of the huge cast of characters (could have used an edit there), or the 27 twists that happened at the end. It just wasn’t all necessary.
But it was a quick, cute, and fun read!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Violence
Moderate: Gun violence
Minor: Cancer
tearexanne's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
l really love this fun, wild ride romance novel! The plot made it really easy to get through and the plot twists were surprising. The romance was pretty good as well. It was a second chance romance without a then and now chapters, which I am perfectly okay with and ultimately prefer. But I know some people don't like second romance without it. I do wish their relationship was more romantic, much of their romance was just moments of sexual tension. But there was enough cute moments so I let it slide. There was way more spice then I'm used too, like 5 out of 5 pepper emojis spicy!
I'll definitely be reading more from Alisha Rai in the future.
I'll definitely be reading more from Alisha Rai in the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Violence
angelfireeast24's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Violence, Addiction, Body shaming, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death of parent, Grief, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, and Kidnapping