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3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
For full review - The Takeover Effect on The Inked In Book Blog
*ARC provided by Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. The thoughts are entirely my own and in no way biased.*
The Takeover Effect is a fast paced, intriguing, and sexy story that centers around our two protags – Hemdeep “Hem” Singh and Mina Kohli, in the background of corporate espionage, hostile takeovers and mergers, and corporate politics thrown in with a bunch of family issues and angst. It was an amazing read and I finished it in one sitting. Once I started reading, it was almost impossible to stop because it was just so good. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. So very, very, very much.
The writing and plot in this story are very intense and gripping. I mean, there is so much happening with the takeover attempt and everyone seems to have their own agenda and then you just don’t know what is going to happen in the end, as regards to the takeover (I mean, it is a romance so the HEA/HFN is guaranteed, but I WAS SO INVESTED IN FINDING OUT WHAT WOULD HAPPEN TO THE COMPANY!) Frankly, I have never really been interested in the background as something more than tools to move the story forward. But in this one, I was genuinely into the whole backdrop scenario and what would happen. So, points for that.
Mina, the female lead in the story, is a lawyer who wants to oust her uncles and take control of the law firm her mother built from scratch and which had been taken over by said uncles when she was just a teenager. She’s absolutely amazing. Her sheer determination to get back what was stolen from her is so nice to see and I absolutely rooted for her the minute she came on page. Her quick wit and snarky comebacks are just as brilliant. I loved her banter with Hem.
And then there’s Hem. Quiet, complex, and understanding Hem who comes home at the first sign of trouble for his father despite their disagreements not too long ago. It is established right from the start that even though he doesn’t see eye to eye with his parents and they have all this shit between them, he cares a lot about his family and there isn’t anything he wouldn’t not do for them.
He is a fierce entrepreneur and lawyer and has the power to shut a room down with his presence and command over the room. But, he is also soft and understanding and supportive – for his brothers and Mina. He is also determined and doesn’t give up easily.
Over all, this was definitely a book I would recommend to every romance reader out there! ❤
*ARC provided by Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. The thoughts are entirely my own and in no way biased.*
The Takeover Effect is a fast paced, intriguing, and sexy story that centers around our two protags – Hemdeep “Hem” Singh and Mina Kohli, in the background of corporate espionage, hostile takeovers and mergers, and corporate politics thrown in with a bunch of family issues and angst. It was an amazing read and I finished it in one sitting. Once I started reading, it was almost impossible to stop because it was just so good. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. So very, very, very much.
The writing and plot in this story are very intense and gripping. I mean, there is so much happening with the takeover attempt and everyone seems to have their own agenda and then you just don’t know what is going to happen in the end, as regards to the takeover (I mean, it is a romance so the HEA/HFN is guaranteed, but I WAS SO INVESTED IN FINDING OUT WHAT WOULD HAPPEN TO THE COMPANY!) Frankly, I have never really been interested in the background as something more than tools to move the story forward. But in this one, I was genuinely into the whole backdrop scenario and what would happen. So, points for that.
Mina, the female lead in the story, is a lawyer who wants to oust her uncles and take control of the law firm her mother built from scratch and which had been taken over by said uncles when she was just a teenager. She’s absolutely amazing. Her sheer determination to get back what was stolen from her is so nice to see and I absolutely rooted for her the minute she came on page. Her quick wit and snarky comebacks are just as brilliant. I loved her banter with Hem.
And then there’s Hem. Quiet, complex, and understanding Hem who comes home at the first sign of trouble for his father despite their disagreements not too long ago. It is established right from the start that even though he doesn’t see eye to eye with his parents and they have all this shit between them, he cares a lot about his family and there isn’t anything he wouldn’t not do for them.
He is a fierce entrepreneur and lawyer and has the power to shut a room down with his presence and command over the room. But, he is also soft and understanding and supportive – for his brothers and Mina. He is also determined and doesn’t give up easily.
Over all, this was definitely a book I would recommend to every romance reader out there! ❤
The Takeover Effect is my first foray into corporate romance (is that even a genre?). I found the legal drama and corporate espionage fascinating, so far removed are they from what I experience in real life or tend to read about.
The questions of family and legacy in the lives of both protagonists were carefully explored and then answered with feeling. I enjoyed the Singh family dynamic (even when things got tense), and Mina's journey to seek revenge for her mother was engrossing.
Ironically, the part of the book I struggled with the most was the actual romance, even though it's the genre in question. It's a whirlwind love story, whereas I prefer a slow burn to get fully invested. Each character was strong individually, but I wasn't convinced by the two of them as a couple.
I look forward to reading the sequel soon so that I can dive back into this family's high powered drama.
The questions of family and legacy in the lives of both protagonists were carefully explored and then answered with feeling. I enjoyed the Singh family dynamic (even when things got tense), and Mina's journey to seek revenge for her mother was engrossing.
Ironically, the part of the book I struggled with the most was the actual romance, even though it's the genre in question. It's a whirlwind love story, whereas I prefer a slow burn to get fully invested. Each character was strong individually, but I wasn't convinced by the two of them as a couple.
I look forward to reading the sequel soon so that I can dive back into this family's high powered drama.
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
I had high hopes for THE TAKEOVER EFFECT and my hopes were realised. I have really enjoyed previous desi contemporary romantic reads so I knew this was a book worth taking a chance on. THE TAKEOVER EFFECT was about equality in the workplace, legacy and it had an office setting with a whole spaghetti of problems because the mix of family and work is complicated.
Mina was a feminist to the core and I delighted in her character. This was a woman who knew herself, had drive and was a realistic beacon for readers. Mina's work as a lawyer found her in an unbiased role assessing an attempt to buy out a multi-million dollar company. Here she met Hem, eldest brother and ex-CEO of the organisation. Hem was a strong Sikh man with feminist sensibilities (hooray) and what ensued between these two was a slow-burn of sizzling chemistry set in a great plot. I loved watching the connection between these two grow.
The story was interesting from the start with some fast-paced excitement towards the end. I really enjoyed the other characters, they gave depth to the read and I am envisaging future stories for a number of them; I want books with Raj and the other brothers. I have found a new author to keep watch for and I am delighted. More of these desi diverse reads please, the book world needs them.
I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.
Mina was a feminist to the core and I delighted in her character. This was a woman who knew herself, had drive and was a realistic beacon for readers. Mina's work as a lawyer found her in an unbiased role assessing an attempt to buy out a multi-million dollar company. Here she met Hem, eldest brother and ex-CEO of the organisation. Hem was a strong Sikh man with feminist sensibilities (hooray) and what ensued between these two was a slow-burn of sizzling chemistry set in a great plot. I loved watching the connection between these two grow.
The story was interesting from the start with some fast-paced excitement towards the end. I really enjoyed the other characters, they gave depth to the read and I am envisaging future stories for a number of them; I want books with Raj and the other brothers. I have found a new author to keep watch for and I am delighted. More of these desi diverse reads please, the book world needs them.
I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.
Nisha Sharma won me over as a fan with her debut, My So-Called Bollywood Life. When I heard she was writing an adult romance series, I knew I had to read it, and all I can say is - book two, please!
Who?
• Hemdeep - The oldest Singh son, who had been estranged after a falling out with his family. He had left his post as CEO of Bharat, Inc., his father's business, to start his own firm, but returned to the fold to help his brothers save the company.
• Mina - The sharp and smart attorney sent to review the takeover offer per her uncle's orders. Her goal was to get an equity partnership in the law firm started by her deceased mother without having to agree to an arranged marriage.
What?
Both Hem and Mina smelled a rat, and were trying to uncover the mole, who was sabotaging Bharat, but will they be able to expose the criminal before it was too late?
Why?
This was a sort of different kind of romance for me, because there was a lot of plot, which wasn't really central to the romance, but you know what? I throughly enjoyed it. The takeover brought Hem and Mina into each other's orbits, but it also had them running an investigation linked to corporate espionage. I found all the suspense and business elements rather intriguing, and was eager to nail the bad guys.
Sharma wove the romance into the story without taking away from it. She managed to balance the plot and the love story quite well, and I thought the two parts complimented each other.
Yes, I liked the whole find-the-mole-save-the-company thing, but I LOVED the romance. Hem was super swoony. He had a little bit of alpha going on, but he was also a very modern man, raised by a super strong woman. He showed a lot of respect for Mina and saw her an equal. I thought the two were fantastic together. There was chemistry and heat, and many beautiful and tender moments too. Lots of swoon.
Most importantly, though, was that Mina fit into the Singh family. Hem might have been on the outs with his parents, when the story began, but when his family needed him, he did not hesitate to come to their aid, and due to this, family played a huge role in this story.
The dynamic between all the Singhs was wonderful, and their home was filled with so much love. I was such a fan of Hem's mom. I adored every second I spent with her, and the interplay between the brothers was also stupendous. Sharma made me fall in love with this family, and by the end of the book, I cared for each an every one of them.
Some more things to gush about:
• This book was a lot of fun. They took their jobs seriously, but when away from work, Hem, Mina, and the gang knew how to cut loose.
• Once again Sharma gave a shout out to Central NJ. It's fun to see places local to me mentioned in a book, because it does not happen often.
• You many not want to read this on an empty stomach, because these characters share a LOT of meals, and each one was described in mouthwatering detail. Yeah, this had me wanting to head down the street to Moghul Express.
• I love when characters come to terms with things causing them pain. Both Mina and Hem had some baggage, and they dealt with it, and were able to move on to bigger and better things.
This was an easy book for me to love. It sort of had it all - fantastic characters, a hot and swoony romance, an intriguing plot, and fabulous family focus. All these things left me chomping at the bit for the next Singh romance.
*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.
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Who?
• Hemdeep - The oldest Singh son, who had been estranged after a falling out with his family. He had left his post as CEO of Bharat, Inc., his father's business, to start his own firm, but returned to the fold to help his brothers save the company.
• Mina - The sharp and smart attorney sent to review the takeover offer per her uncle's orders. Her goal was to get an equity partnership in the law firm started by her deceased mother without having to agree to an arranged marriage.
What?
Both Hem and Mina smelled a rat, and were trying to uncover the mole, who was sabotaging Bharat, but will they be able to expose the criminal before it was too late?
Why?
This was a sort of different kind of romance for me, because there was a lot of plot, which wasn't really central to the romance, but you know what? I throughly enjoyed it. The takeover brought Hem and Mina into each other's orbits, but it also had them running an investigation linked to corporate espionage. I found all the suspense and business elements rather intriguing, and was eager to nail the bad guys.
Sharma wove the romance into the story without taking away from it. She managed to balance the plot and the love story quite well, and I thought the two parts complimented each other.
Yes, I liked the whole find-the-mole-save-the-company thing, but I LOVED the romance. Hem was super swoony. He had a little bit of alpha going on, but he was also a very modern man, raised by a super strong woman. He showed a lot of respect for Mina and saw her an equal. I thought the two were fantastic together. There was chemistry and heat, and many beautiful and tender moments too. Lots of swoon.
Most importantly, though, was that Mina fit into the Singh family. Hem might have been on the outs with his parents, when the story began, but when his family needed him, he did not hesitate to come to their aid, and due to this, family played a huge role in this story.
The dynamic between all the Singhs was wonderful, and their home was filled with so much love. I was such a fan of Hem's mom. I adored every second I spent with her, and the interplay between the brothers was also stupendous. Sharma made me fall in love with this family, and by the end of the book, I cared for each an every one of them.
Some more things to gush about:
• This book was a lot of fun. They took their jobs seriously, but when away from work, Hem, Mina, and the gang knew how to cut loose.
• Once again Sharma gave a shout out to Central NJ. It's fun to see places local to me mentioned in a book, because it does not happen often.
• You many not want to read this on an empty stomach, because these characters share a LOT of meals, and each one was described in mouthwatering detail. Yeah, this had me wanting to head down the street to Moghul Express.
• I love when characters come to terms with things causing them pain. Both Mina and Hem had some baggage, and they dealt with it, and were able to move on to bigger and better things.
This was an easy book for me to love. It sort of had it all - fantastic characters, a hot and swoony romance, an intriguing plot, and fabulous family focus. All these things left me chomping at the bit for the next Singh romance.
*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.
BLOG | INSTAGRAM |TWITTER | BLOGLOVIN | FRIEND ME ON GOODREADS
dark
emotional
relaxing
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I had previously read and loved Ms. Sharma’s My So-Called Bollywood Life, which was YA, so I was ridiculously excited to hear she was writing an adult own voices romance! While there were some parts that were a bit rough, the book generally lived up to my expectations!
After a falling out with his father over his ex-fiancee, Hem left his dad’s company to found his own and distanced himself from his family. But when his father has a heart attack, he agrees to return as interim legal counsel in order to prevent a takeover. There he meets Mina, a lawyer hired to help decide if the takeover would be in the company’s best interest, and sparks fly. Like Hem, Mina has her own issues – her scuzzy uncle has ordered her to find in favor of the takeover if she wants to remain at the company her mother founded. Mina’s determined to come to her own opinion, however, and it’s soon clear that someone’s trying to ruin the company. Between corporate espionage, an arranged marriage, and strained family relations, not to mention professional ethics, what chance do Mina and Hem have?
I adored Mina. She’s strong, capable, and unafraid to stand up domineering men, and though there wasn’t that much of her actually doing her job in the book, the parts that were made her seem very competent. I liked that Mina and Hem were from the same background – both Punjabi Sikhs – so they had a similar background to work from, and I loved that their food, traditions and language that were so important to them were incorporated so well into the book. I definitely had a humongous craving for paper dosa! Hem was an interesting character, simultaneously both grounded and rich playboy, buying expensive clothes for Mina randomly. I liked his relationship with his family, especially with his brothers, and how connected and responsible he still felt for his family’s company, even though he walked away from it. The relationship between Hem and Mina moved quickly, and was initially pretty insta-lust. At times Hem bordered on just plain too alpha for me with the way he pushed Mina, but she was also quick to set boundaries with him. Their banter was amazing and the thing I loved most about their relationship.
While I’d normally save the cons for later, there’s a lot about Hem’s ex-girlfriend, Lisa, so much that she felt like a third person in their relationship. I had mixed feelings about it. On one hand, I can understand why he’d compare his next girlfriend to the last woman he was involved with. On the other hand, it felt weird that he viewed literally everything Mina did in comparison to her. Plus, Lisa was white, and, well, almost stereotypically culturally incompetent – viewing everything from multi-day weddings, to his family dynamic, to his religion with mild contempt. Perhaps it’s the environments I’ve been in (working in IT, especially), but while I don’t doubt there are plenty of white women who would feel the same, I can’t imagine someone dating someone while rejecting everything about the culture that made him who he is. The thing that bothered me most, though, was a throw-away sub-plot about them having a drug dealer who’d been involved with an uncle “taken care of” in India. While I don’t think anyone would disagree there are corruption issues in the Indian government, I’m not sure that these rich families would have such a cavalier attitude towards murder.
Going back to the positives, I love Ms. Sharma’s writing style. It’s very emotionally laden, very soap opera-y or Bollywood-y, but while I think it worked perfectly in her YA novel, there were a few times it was too much in this book. The corporate plot was interesting and held my attention. Well, to be honest, the whole book did – I couldn’t put this book down and tried to read it in one setting!
Overall, despite my critiques, I very much enjoyed this book, and I’m very much looking forward to the next in the series! If you’re looking for an enjoyable romance with diverse characters and don’t mind an overly alpha hero, I think you’ll love this gem!
After a falling out with his father over his ex-fiancee, Hem left his dad’s company to found his own and distanced himself from his family. But when his father has a heart attack, he agrees to return as interim legal counsel in order to prevent a takeover. There he meets Mina, a lawyer hired to help decide if the takeover would be in the company’s best interest, and sparks fly. Like Hem, Mina has her own issues – her scuzzy uncle has ordered her to find in favor of the takeover if she wants to remain at the company her mother founded. Mina’s determined to come to her own opinion, however, and it’s soon clear that someone’s trying to ruin the company. Between corporate espionage, an arranged marriage, and strained family relations, not to mention professional ethics, what chance do Mina and Hem have?
I adored Mina. She’s strong, capable, and unafraid to stand up domineering men, and though there wasn’t that much of her actually doing her job in the book, the parts that were made her seem very competent. I liked that Mina and Hem were from the same background – both Punjabi Sikhs – so they had a similar background to work from, and I loved that their food, traditions and language that were so important to them were incorporated so well into the book. I definitely had a humongous craving for paper dosa! Hem was an interesting character, simultaneously both grounded and rich playboy, buying expensive clothes for Mina randomly. I liked his relationship with his family, especially with his brothers, and how connected and responsible he still felt for his family’s company, even though he walked away from it. The relationship between Hem and Mina moved quickly, and was initially pretty insta-lust. At times Hem bordered on just plain too alpha for me with the way he pushed Mina, but she was also quick to set boundaries with him. Their banter was amazing and the thing I loved most about their relationship.
While I’d normally save the cons for later, there’s a lot about Hem’s ex-girlfriend, Lisa, so much that she felt like a third person in their relationship. I had mixed feelings about it. On one hand, I can understand why he’d compare his next girlfriend to the last woman he was involved with. On the other hand, it felt weird that he viewed literally everything Mina did in comparison to her. Plus, Lisa was white, and, well, almost stereotypically culturally incompetent – viewing everything from multi-day weddings, to his family dynamic, to his religion with mild contempt. Perhaps it’s the environments I’ve been in (working in IT, especially), but while I don’t doubt there are plenty of white women who would feel the same, I can’t imagine someone dating someone while rejecting everything about the culture that made him who he is. The thing that bothered me most, though, was a throw-away sub-plot about them having a drug dealer who’d been involved with an uncle “taken care of” in India. While I don’t think anyone would disagree there are corruption issues in the Indian government, I’m not sure that these rich families would have such a cavalier attitude towards murder.
Going back to the positives, I love Ms. Sharma’s writing style. It’s very emotionally laden, very soap opera-y or Bollywood-y, but while I think it worked perfectly in her YA novel, there were a few times it was too much in this book. The corporate plot was interesting and held my attention. Well, to be honest, the whole book did – I couldn’t put this book down and tried to read it in one setting!
Overall, despite my critiques, I very much enjoyed this book, and I’m very much looking forward to the next in the series! If you’re looking for an enjoyable romance with diverse characters and don’t mind an overly alpha hero, I think you’ll love this gem!
This review was originally posted on (un)Conventional Bookworms
*I received a free copy of [title] from [publisher] via Edelweiss. This has in no way influenced my voluntary review, which is honest and unbiased *The Takeover Effect was an excellent story on absolutely every level! A boardroom thriller / romance, it kept me riveted from start to finish.
Add in a very strong and intelligent female lawyer, and a strong-minded, honest oldest son in charge of his own company coming back to save the family, and you have a recipe for greatness!
*I received a free copy of [title] from [publisher] via Edelweiss. This has in no way influenced my voluntary review, which is honest and unbiased *The Takeover Effect was an excellent story on absolutely every level! A boardroom thriller / romance, it kept me riveted from start to finish.
Add in a very strong and intelligent female lawyer, and a strong-minded, honest oldest son in charge of his own company coming back to save the family, and you have a recipe for greatness!
I liked The Takeover Effect, but man, I wish I'd loved it. There was just a lot less romance than I was expecting, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I felt that the stuff with the company was overpowering the relationship between Hem and Mina. So much so that I didn't really believe that they'd fallen in love that fast, especially considering they barely knew each other and they'd hardly spent time together outside of work. AND there was character inconsistencies with Hem, when he got so weirdly possessive a few times. I was like omg dude chill the fuck out. So the romance disappointed me a lot, and I'm SAD. However, I adored the brothers and their banter, and I deeply care about the future of Bharat, Inc. I have a feeling about the next book and who the couple will be, and I'm very excited for it! I just wanted a lot more from this one.