Devika Fernando's Blog, page 62

#FreeDailyRead - When I See Your Face, Part 18

When I See Your Face, Part 18Michael gazed at her during those last words, his eyes dark and his voice full of a hidden meaning, making her feel as though she were the apple he felt tempted to take a not so innocent bite of. Shaking the feeling off, Cathy cut a slice of the moist cake covered in white frosting and handed him the plate. She watched him take a hearty piece on his fork and eat it, actually biting her lower lip in anticipation. When his head came up to look at her, he opened his mouth and closed it again, eyes fixed on her mouth.

“You had better stop biting that lip, sugar. It’s a lip that should be kissed and not bitten.”

His voice had grown husky. The pet name that had slipped out so unexpectedly was a caress that was loaded with implications. For an instant, she remembered that evening when he had first kissed her, the white hot flash of desire that had shot through her, the almost painful longing. Her tooth dug deeper into her lip and the pain of it brought her back to reality.

“The cake,” she prompted, sounding much too nonchalant to be true.

He grinned ruefully, looking like a schoolboy caught at some mischief or other, then ate another forkful.

“Do you want my honest opinion?” he asked.

She was full of trepidation again. She nodded, on tenterhooks. Why, oh why did it matter so much to her whether he liked her first cake?

“That’s good, because I hate lying. I’m no good at telling lies.”

He sounded strangely intense, as though there were a point to be proven.

“If you want the truth, here it is: This cake tastes awesome! Seriously, I have never tasted something like this before, but it’s not too exotic to be absolutely tasty. What the hell did you put into it? Coconut? Some nuts? Tropical fruits? Wait, I know, there must be pineapple in there.”

She beamed at him. She knew she must be grinning like mad with her happiness and relief, but she couldn’t help it. He liked it! She actually felt like jumping up and down or high-fiving somebody. There was no mistaking that he liked it, seeing how he was already forking more of the cake into his mouth and had guessed most of its ingredients correctly.

Still smiling from ear to ear, she explained, “It’s a sort of exotic cake indeed. I put ground roasted cashew nuts, coconut flakes, finely grated carrots, a pinch of crystallized ginger and cinnamon into the cake. And yes, there are pieces of canned pineapple in the cake. The frosting and filling between the layers is cream cheese with cream of coconut and some more nuts. Are you sure it’s not overly outlandish and experimental?”

“Definitely not! I’d never have guessed this is a carrot cake!”

He shook his head, stared at the left-over slice of cake and continued to eat with gusto until his plate was empty.

Cathy was glowing with satisfaction. Oh yes, giving him her first cake to taste had been a good idea. If only he didn’t look so bloody handsome without a shirt on, eating cake. She’d never been so physically attracted to someone, not even to Mark whose perfect face and slim body was every woman’s dream, but who had lacked the emotion and substance behind the frame to have her long for him.

He had eaten his last morsel of cake. There was a tiny white smudge of frosting on the left corner of his mouth. Impulsively, she leaned forward and wiped it off with her index finger. For want of a tissue or serviette at hand, she brought the finger up to her mouth and licked the cream off. Only afterward did she realize what a provocative move that must have looked like. His gaze was as hot as fire, wandering from her finger to her lips and back to her finger. Did he think she had deliberately done this to flirt with him? She couldn’t blink, couldn’t say anything, felt like writhing under his gaze, waiting for his reaction.

A shrill shrieking sound had them both start and broke the magic of the moment.

“What…what the hell is that?” she asked, the sound feeling as though it wanted to match the alarm bells going off inside her head.

He looked dazed and glanced to where the sound came from, increasing in volume now.

“Dammit, the kettle,” he shouted and darted off the couch to run into the kitchen. Apparently, he had put an old-fashioned kettle of water on the stove for making coffee. The whistling stopped and moments later, he carried a tray with coffee, milk and sugar into the room.

Time passed in silence while they prepared their coffee, Cathy wondering at how some of the things he surrounded himself with were so out of fashion and ornate and somehow feminine and how others looked like modern, bare necessities.

When they were sipping their steaming coffee and Michael was working his way through another slice of the cake, she decided to give in to her curiosity.

“So, is this your house?”

“Not exactly. I mean, I did buy it, but it feels like I live here on rent. It used to belong to a formidable old lady of Aunt Grindle’s generation who was loved by everyone and loved everyone back. She died here shortly before I happened on this village and was looking for a place to stay. I couldn’t find anything better, so I settled in. This house is not my home, though. It’s bigger than needed and the furniture is too old and most of it I never use. Lots of her things I gave away or sold for a pittance, restocking with modern amenities I can’t live without. It doesn’t look like a bachelor’s place, does it?”

“No, it doesn’t. Why don’t you make it your home? I’m sure with a bit of time and money invested and some shopping in the next big town, this place would look totally different and suit you more.”

He shrugged and didn’t seem to want to answer at first, then did so anyway.

“I have never felt the need to make it more of a home. Not the whole house, anyway. There are two rooms where I spend most of my life if I’m not outside working or enjoying nature, and these two feel more like me. I can’t be bothered with the rest.”

He paused and shot her a meaningful glance.

“Maybe it lacks a certain female touch. I’ve always thought it takes two people to make a house a home.”

She let that sink in. Did he…No, he couldn’t be meaning that he’d like to live here with her, as a couple! He was just stating something obvious, something general. To cover up the sudden fear that awoke in her because he was boldly flirting—and for God’s sake, why couldn’t he don a T-shirt already?—she asked him the next best thing that came to her mind.

“So what about the two rooms you live in? I had expected tons of plants inside your home. Do those rooms at least have some green in them?”

He smiled, finishing his second slice of cake and getting up with that energetic grace of his that made him look taller and fitter.

“Come and see for yourself!”

He was actually holding out his hand to her. After a moment’s hesitation, she told the nagging voice inside her to shut up and not spoil the good mood. She put her hand in his and let him tow her out of the living-room and through a long corridor and up a staircase. Along the way, he jutted his chin to the left and right several times, calling out the names of the rooms they were passing. They didn’t register with her, and neither did their surroundings, because she was much too focused on how right her hand felt in his strong, rough-skinned, slender fingers that were a shade darker than hers and held her in a warm, firm grip that felt natural and comfortable.

Immediately after taking the stairs, he turned left and tugged her after him into a big room that took her breath away.

(To be continued tomorrow.)

Previous Part
Back to the Beginning

Tornado Giveaway 2: Book 9: LOVE (Lots of Volatile Emotions) by Faraaz Kazi

Go to Book No. 8 Check all the Books Here





Name of the Book : LOVE: LOTS OF VOLATILE EMOTIONS
Author: Faraaz Kazi

Read a review:

Dipika Kumar


The Story :
From a man who lives in his past overhearing the whispers of the present to a woman who rescues dying souls through her blessed aura. From a little boy who must realise the truth of his life so that he can face the fears of the future to a pair of lovers who are reborn with little clue of what fate has in store for them. From a granddaughter who recollects the warm fuzzy days of her childhood to an old lady who still reminisces about the time she first fell in love. From a girl who must return to her roots to discover the reality of her true love to a stalker who tries to hide his worst secret, even from himself.
This promising anthology featuring modern Indian writing aims to capture love in all its raw forms and diverse states. For contrary to popular belief, love is just one word with many volatile emotions.
Join best-selling author, Faraaz Kazi in this journey through that one word that defines us all and one that we cannot define, as he unravels the mystery of love through a first of its kind work that features fourteen vivid stories that span across genres connected by that thing called LOVE.
You can also buy @

About The Author 


Faraaz Kazi 
The winner of the 2013 National Debut Youth Fiction Award and also the recipient of the YCOF National Excellence award in Creative Writing apart from being the first Indian author to win the coveted ‘Best Debut (Romance)’ title at the international Goodreads choice awards, Faraaz Kazi has been tagged as the 'Nicholas Sparks of India’ by many and is rated amongst the top male romance writers in the country.

A certified soft-skills trainer and a three-time post grad, Kazi is the Founder and CEO of DigiImprint Solutions, India's first exclusive promotional agency for authors and artists that recently forayed into handling corporate brands. He also consults for a few public relations firms and publishing houses. Felicitated by numerous institutes, bodies and organizations alike, Kazi is a well-known name in the social media and literary fraternity. He is fondly referred to as 'The Young Marketer' and operates a revolutionary blog with the same name and writes for major media houses.

Kazi is a fellow member of the esteemed 'Film Writers Association of India.' Truly Madly Deeply, his debut mainstream romance novel is the only Indian book to have seven category nominations in the Goodreads annual readers' choice awards and is also the only Indian book in the 'Top 100 YA Global Fiction' list. Kazi is a voracious reader and counts singing as his second love. 
Stalk him @Website | Twitter | Facebook
Go to Book No. 10
Now for the Rafflecopter: Gather as many points as you want to. The more points you get, the more you have a chance to win it all. Show your love for books.. Tweet, Like and Spread the Word... Thank you for being a Reader... You keep the Authors motivated... This is our way of saying a Thank you :) 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

#TornadoGiveaway  is an initiative of The Book Club. Click on the icon to go to the event page of the Tornado .. Lots of fun awaits you :)

Tornado Giveaway 2: Book 8: KINGDOM COME by Aarti V Raman

Go to Book No. 7 Check all the Books Here

Name of the Book : KINGDOM COME
Author: Aarti V Raman

Read some reviews:

1. Sundari Venkatraman
2. Devika Fernando
3. Inderpreet Kaur Uppal

The Story:

How do you kill a man with no Achilles heel? You cut off his foot Tom Jones.Set against the serene beauty of Kashmir, Ladakh and Tibet, Kingdom Come is a gripping story of death and loss, vengeance and retribution, love and life. Krivi Iyer is an embittered former spy and bomb defusal expert with only one regret. That he couldn't catch The Woodpecker, a dangerous, mentally unstable bomber who ended his partner's family. He has a second chance to go after his arch enemy with the arrival of Ziya Maarten, the manager of 'Goonj Business Enterprises' in Srinagar, Kashmir, who is alleged to be The Woodpecker's sister. Except, Ziya is a beautiful distraction and not a terrorist's sister. When a tragedy in London tears Ziya's life apart, she can only rely on Krivi to give her the absolution and vengeance she needs to move on. Between training to be an anti-terrorist squad member and finding The Woodpecker, Ziya uncovers the secrets of Krivi's tormented past. But will two tortured souls find the courage to love?
You can also buy @

About The Author 


Aarti V Raman 
Aarti always wanted to be either a lawyer. Or a writer. So she tossed a coin and picked writer. Or rather, it picked her. Since then, she has valiantly struggled to put words to paper and bring characters and stories alive that make people sigh and laugh and enjoy every moment of. She has studied Journalism from Mumbai University, Creative Writing at Deakin, and considers herself a student of life. Her three favorite words are, Happy-Ever-After.
Stalk her @Website | Twitter | Facebook
Go to Book No. 9
Now for the Rafflecopter: Gather as many points as you want to. The more points you get, the more you have a chance to win it all. Show your love for books.. Tweet, Like and Spread the Word... Thank you for being a Reader... You keep the Authors motivated... This is our way of saying a Thank you :) 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

#TornadoGiveaway  is an initiative of The Book Club. Click on the icon to go to the event page of the Tornado .. Lots of fun awaits you :)

Tornado Giveaway 2: Book 6: WITHOUT YOU by Preethi Venugopala

Go to Book No. 5 Check all the Books Here




Name of the Book : WITHOUT YOU
Author: Preethi Venugopala

Read some reviews:

1. Swathi Shenoy
2. Simran Kaur
3. Tushti Bhatia

The Story :

When Ananya, a bubbly twenty-year-old engineering student, reaches her Grandmother's house in Sreepuram on a month long vacation, romance is the last thing on her mind. However, she meets Dr. Arjun there and falls head over heels in love.

As it often happens, the path of true love never runs smooth. Circumstances force them apart even though they were madly in love. She becomes a victim of depression. When everything fails to return her to normalcy, help arrives from an unexpected source. Will she ever find happiness again? Will time allow her heart to heal and forget Arjun? What indeed is true love? What is that strange secret that locks all the circumstances together?

Travel with Ananya to the picturesque Sreepuram, face the chaos of Bengaluru, and relish the warmth of magical Dubai in this heartwarming tale of love, betrayal, friendship, and miracles.

You can also buy @

About The Author 


Preethi Venugopala 
Preethi Venugopala is a Civil Engineer by education and an avid blogger, artist by passion.

After working in many prestigious civil engineering projects for more than a decade, she quit her job to become a full time mother.

Meanwhile, she took a Masters Degree in English literature to complete her dream of studying English literature. She tried her hand successfully at crafts, crocheting, portraiture and painting before venturing into writing.
Stalk her @Website | Twitter | Facebook
Go to Book No. 7
Now for the Rafflecopter: Gather as many points as you want to. The more points you get, the more you have a chance to win it all. Show your love for books.. Tweet, Like and Spread the Word... Thank you for being a Reader... You keep the Authors motivated... This is our way of saying a Thank you :) 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

#TornadoGiveaway  is an initiative of The Book Club. Click on the icon to go to the event page of the Tornado .. Lots of fun awaits you :)

Tornado Giveaway 2: Book 5: WARRIOR by Olivier Lafont

Go to Book No. 4 Check all the Books Here





Name of the Book: WARRIOR
Author: Olivier Lafont

Read some reviews :

1. Inderpreet Kaur Uppal
2. Privy Trifles
3. Geeta Nair

The Story :

In Mumbai, driven to its knees by a merciless blizzard, Saam the watchmender is cornered into an intolerable position. As Shiva's only earthly demigod child, it falls upon him to stop his indomitable father. Bred to war, son of destruction, Saam rides with six extraordinary companions into the horror of a crumbling world to face Shiva. He is forced to join hands with Ara, his half-brother he can never fully trust and take with him his own mortal beloved, Maya, on this desperate attempt to stop the End of Days. But his path is littered with death, danger and betrayal. Interweaving mythology, epic adventure and vintage heroism, this enthralling novel will change the way you see gods, heroes and demons.

You can also buy @

About The Author 


Olivier Lafont 

Olivier Sanjay Lafont is a French actor and author living in Mumbai, India. He has acted in Hindi feature films such as blockbuster hit 3 Idiots and the critically acclaimed Guzaarish, as well as over 80 television commercials for top Indian and international brands. He has written the screenplay for the award-winning feature film Hari Om. He is also a regular columnist for MW, a gentlemen's monthly magazine, and for Men’s Health magazine. 
Lafont’s novel Warrior was published by Penguin in November 2014. 

Stalk him @Website | Twitter | Facebook
Go to Book No. 6

Now for the Rafflecopter: Gather as many points as you want to. The more points you get, the more you have a chance to win it all. Show your love for books.. Tweet, Like and Spread the Word... Thank you for being a Reader... You keep the Authors motivated... This is our way of saying a Thank you :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

#TornadoGiveaway  is an initiative of The Book Club. Click on the icon to go to the event page of the Tornado .. Lots of fun awaits you :)

#FreeDailyRead - When I See Your Face, Part 17

When I See Your Face, Part 17Chapter 6

Doubt was on her mind. Doubt and a bag full of other emotions like anticipation, pride, hope, worry and determination.

It was afternoon and Cathy was standing in front of Michael’s front door with a covered tray in her hands, aromas of nuts, fruits, spices and sweet cream wafting up from time to time. She had spent the first half of the day in Aunt Grindle’s kitchen, baking the first special cake out of a range of new recipes she had thought of and wanted to put to the test. The cake looked rather unspectacular, but her old landlady had been so taken with the taste that she had actually eaten two pieces instead of the one thin slice she had timidly accepted from her at first.

Cathy liked the cake. A lot, in fact. This was different, however. She was waiting for the verdict of somebody who played an unreasonably big part in her life by now. Judging from the way her palms sweated and her pulse raced and from how she had chosen her favorite blouse—turquoise with some lace at the collar and sleeves—and applied some light pink lipstick, she was caring too much for his opinion.

Maybe she shouldn’t have come here?

There was no turning back. She had rung the door bell and could now distinctly hear footsteps approaching. Before she knew it, the door swung wide open and her mouth went completely dry.

As usual when she beheld his face, a stab of pain and guilt and fear and uncertainty pierced her heart. At first glance, these two men, who were so different in character, did look like twins. A second later, all these feelings were replaced by something warm and fuzzy spreading its wings inside her when Michael’s face broke out into the handsomest of smiles, broader and toothier and more crooked than she had remembered it.

“Cathy!”

He sounded like a child on Christmas when it saw Santa Clause packed with gifts, she thought to herself, inwardly turning summersaults that seeing her could make him so obviously happy.

“Hi,” she said meekly, and actually managed to tear her eyes off his flashing smile. When she did, she blushed to the tips of her hair, but couldn’t help staring.

It was clear that Michael hadn’t been expecting any visitors because he wasn’t wearing anything apart form a pair of faded, paint-splattered, torn jeans. His feet were bare, and so was his torso. She admired the fine muscles of his chest that she had always guessed at while working alongside him and that looked more pronounced with the T-shirt off. His tanned chest was not broad but hard and sculpted. There was a faint trace of dark hair leading from his chest to his navel and into the waistband of his jeans, his stomach flat and hinting at a six pack. For a moment, she wondered whether the downy black hairs would feel as soft to her fingers as they looked, whether his body would be hard and cool or warm and inviting as was his earthy, masculine smell. Breathing became rather difficult.

With an effort of will, she somehow managed to lift her eyes from his naked chest to his face again, her blush deepening when she saw that he had caught her staring and seemed to enjoy it.

Without another word, she held up the tray in her hands and almost shoved it in his face.

“Here.”

He cocked an eyebrow at her.

“Now let me guess what we have here.” He scrunched up his face all funnily and pretended to ponder a weighty question. At length, he said, “Could it be a cake?”

She chuckled.

“Genius. Actually, it’s only half a cake. Mrs. Grindle is salivating over the other half minus three pieces eaten by her and me.”

“Salivating, is she? Well, let’s get you and your half cake inside and give me a chance to drool too.”

The way he said it made her laugh out loud. Trust this man to lighten the mood with one of these quips she had grown to love.

“As long as you don’t drool on the whole cake…”

He stepped aside with a theatrical bow and sweep of his arm and she walked in, still giggling and feeling much more at ease now, though at the next moment she was acutely aware of brushing his bare chest with her arm in the narrow corridor, feeling as if the touch singed her and left a visible burn mark.

Michael led her into the living-room and hurried off to get some things from the kitchen. She placed the tray on a polished oak coffee table and looked at her surroundings, more than a little curious as to how he was living.

The room appeared huge compared to the confined, orderly spaces she was used to at the guest-house, probably because there was hardly any furniture. Next to an impossibly old-fashioned couch with flowery upholstering, sagging seats and faded satin cushions as well as two equally old armchairs stood one cupboard with glass doors. It was mostly empty. There was a low sideboard with a modern flat screen TV in one corner of the room and a high, plain shelf with books in the other corner.

That was it. Everything around her looked old, barely used in recent times but probably intensively used decades ago. There were no photos of anyone to be seen, only one huge, round, ornately decorated mirror right in the center of the longer wall. Strangely enough, there was not a potted plant or flower vase in sight. And that in the home of a gardener by profession and passion. If she were living here, she would—hold on, she was not living here and never would, so why should she let her thoughts wander like that?

Her musings as to what this room said about its inhabitant and as to why she was so interested in that were interrupted by Michael’s teasing voice preceding his entrance.

“I feel so honored that you’ve brought me your first cake to taste. This is your first cake for the business, isn’t it?”

 “No need to feel honored, Mr. Newland. I haven’t come here in search of your expert advice in culinary matters. I’d rather poison you than one of those sweet village folks, that’s why I came here,” she said, astonished at being in such a joking mood.

Laughing good-naturedly, he placed two intricately painted plates and two incongruously plain white coffee mugs on the table. He lifted the cover off the tray, sniffed at the cake and whistled in a low, appreciative way.

“I daresay this is how Adam must have felt with Eve. This cake of yours looks and smells so tempting, I wouldn’t want to miss a bite even knowing it was chock full of poison. I’m defenseless against this temptation.”

(To be continued tomorrow.)

Previous Part
Back to the Beginning

Tornado Giveaway 2: Book 7: PRADYUMNA, SON OF KRISHNA by Usha Narayanan

Go to Book No. 6 Check all the Books Here

Name of the Book : PRADYUMNA: SON OF KRISHNA
Author: Usha Narayanan

The Story :

‘I see a dark future that makes me quake,’ Devarishi Narada said. ‘One of these newborns will ravage the world and erase the name of Krishna from the face of the earth.’

As the world trembles on the threshold of Kali Yuga—4,32,000 years of unprecedented evil—it waits for a saviour to rise.

Meanwhile, in the dark netherland of the asuras, the meek Vama shudders as he learns that he is actually Pradyumna,
the son of Krishna. And that his journey has just begun.

From the asura kingdom to Dwaraka and then Kurukshetra, destiny forces him to battle monsters, angry
gods and blazing weapons, and overpower his own weaknesses. Will he be able to rise to the challenge in time to save
the world? Or is he the destroyer prophesied by Narada?

Pradyumna is the gripping saga of the rise of this mighty, swashbuckling hero whom all of humanity awaits.

You can also buy @

About The Author 


Usha Narayanan 
Usha Narayanan is a gold-medallist with a Master’s degree in English Literature. She has had an eventful career in advertising, media and the corporate world, as creative director, features writer, web editor and communications manager. Her debut novel, ‘The Madras Mangler’, a suspense thriller, has received several positive media and reader reviews. Her next book is an epic fantasy,'Pradyumna: Son of Krishna,' published by Penguin. 
Stalk her @Website | Twitter | Facebook
Go to Book No. 8
Now for the Rafflecopter: Gather as many points as you want to. The more points you get, the more you have a chance to win it all. Show your love for books.. Tweet, Like and Spread the Word... Thank you for being a Reader... You keep the Authors motivated... This is our way of saying a Thank you :) 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

#TornadoGiveaway  is an initiative of The Book Club. Click on the icon to go to the event page of the Tornado .. Lots of fun awaits you :)

Tornado Giveaway 2: Book 3: MATCHES MADE IN HEAVEN by Sundari Venkatraman

Go to Book No. 2 Check all the Books Here 




Name of the Book: MATCHES MADE IN HEAVEN
Author: Sundari Venkatraman

Read some reviews:

1. Rubina Ramesh
2. Swathi Shenoy
3. Usha Narayanan

The Story:

A collection of 13 romantic short stories based in India; a culture rich country steeped in tradition. Inspiration struck me from newspaper articles, TV shows and hearing people talk. The short stories are based on that fact that arranged marriages thrive right alongside love matches in India.

1. Groomnapped is Ameya-Surekha’s story as a light romantic take on the serious issue of groom kidnappings.
2. Dark skin on a woman puts off men in general or so says the society. Beauty Is But Skin Deep is Nitin-Simran’s story that proves it wrong!
3. Ritu is twenty-five and wants to wait for her Prince Charming but her parents are desperate to arrange her wedding. Does she find her prince in An Arranged Match?
4. Dating Agencies are doing their best to get young people together to tie the knot. My friend Diti runs an informal one; inspiring the Red Rose Dating Agency.
5. A guy’s complaint about his fiancée of a few years dumping him after becoming successful in her film career felt like a rant to me. Chahti Hoon Tumhe is an ode to the successful actress.
6. Soumya actually lives life like Soul Mates but how many have the guts to? This, incidentally, is the first short story that I ever wrote.
7. Does Madeinheaven.com help bring Menka & Jeetu together with technology driven Matchmaking website?
8. I originally wrote Rahat Mili for an anthology; Rahat means ‘relief’ and is a name too. Read the story with the word in mind and it will fall in place.
9. Reema’s Matchmakers brings Arjun and Prisha together at a get-together through a matchmaking network. But will they get married?
10. Nikita wants Krish for a friend and not her husband. As The Reluctant Bride she manages to have her cake and eat it too.
11. Shweta Ka Swayamvar is inspired by the practice of Swayamwar in ancient India of choosing a husband, from among a list of suitors, by a girl of marriageable age.
12. Pappa’s Girl is about daughters of Industrialists taking over fathers’ businesses.
13. Mythology romances intrigue me; Love Match For Velan is my take on Lord Murugan falling in love with his consort Valli.

You can also buy @

About The Author 


Sundari Venkatraman 
Even as a kid, Sundari absolutely loved the ‘lived happily ever after’ syndrome as she grew up reading all the fairy tales she could lay her hands on, Phantom comics, Mandrake comics and the like. It was always about good triumphing over evil and a happy end.

Soon, into her teens, Sundari switched her attention from fairy tales to Mills & Boon. While she loved reading both of these, she kept visualising what would have happened if there were similar situations happening in India; to a local hero and heroine. Her imagination took flight and she always lived in a rosy cocoon of romance over the years.

Then came the writing – a true bolt out of the blue! She could never string two sentences together. While her spoken English had always been excellent – thanks to her Grandpa – she couldn’t write to save her life.

All this changed suddenly one fine day in the year 2000. She had just quit her job as a school admin and didn’t know what to do with her life. She was saturated with simply reading books. That’s when she returned home one evening after her walk, took some sheets of paper and began writing. It was like watching a movie that was running in her head – all those years of visualising Indian heroes and heroines needed an outlet and had to be put into words. That’s how her first novel, The Malhotra Bride, took shape. While she felt discouraged when publishing didn’t happen, it was her husband who kept encouraging her not to give up.

In the meanwhile, she landed a job as Copy Editor with Mumbai Mirror. After working there for two years, she moved to the Network 18 Group and worked with two of their websites over the next six years, as Content Editor.

Despite her work schedule, she continued to write novels and then short stories and had them published in her blogs. She also blogs voraciously, writing on many different topics – travel, book reviews, film reviews, restaurant reviews, spirituality, alternative health and more.

Her first eBook Double Jeopardy – a romance novella – was published by Indireads and has been very well received by readers of romance.

In 2014, Sundari self-published The Malhotra Bride (2nd Edition); Meghna; The Runaway Bridegroom; Flaming Sun Collection 1: Happily Ever Afters From India (Box Set) and Matches Made In Heaven (a collection of romantic short stories).

2015 brought yet another opportunity. Readomania came forward to traditionally publish this book – The Madras Affair – a mature romance set in Madras.

Stalk her @
Website | Twitter | Facebook
Go to Book No. 4 
Now for the Rafflecopter: Gather as many points as you want to. The more points you get, the more you have a chance to win it all. Show your love for books.. Tweet, Like and Spread the Word... Thank you for being a Reader... You keep the Authors motivated... This is our way of saying a Thank you :) 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

#TornadoGiveaway is an initiative of The Book Club. Click on the icon to go to the event page of the Tornado .. Lots of fun awaits you :)

#FreeDailyRead - When I See Your Face, Part 16

When I See Your Face, Part 16Some hours later, delicious beef stew smells wafted in from the door when Mrs. Grindle knocked and bustled into the room with a laden tray of food. Both of them glanced up with a disoriented look on their faces that spoke of having immersed themselves totally in their task. They actually blinked, glanced at each other, back at the old landlady and at the laptop screen. Then they simultaneously burst out laughing and shot up to help Aunt Grindle with her load, working like a team in synchronization, Michael clearing the table and seats, Cathy bringing dishes and cutlery from the kitchenette.

She caught herself humming a tune while foraging for an additional plate in the cupboards. Her head was so full, she felt like bursting. But in a positive way that she had never known, full of purpose and hope.

They had spent the time with so many things she had never considered before starting her business yet could now see made perfect sense. First, they had researched whether it was profitable to live on cake making and decoration. Next, they had checked out existing businesses like that on the Internet, taking inspiration from the services offered, the reactions earned and the prices cited. Then he had told her to pick a niche for her business, not to see things too broadly and end up with a load of work without enough clients. He had asked her whether she couldn’t specialize on some kind of cake or service. She hadn’t found a solution to that. Instead, she had come up with an idea of her own: She could structure her creations by different themes such as vegan cakes, cakes with unusual ingredients and cakes with lavish decoration. He had agreed with that and suggested to include seasonal offers too, like cake designs for Halloween or untraditional Christmas cakes.

With his help, she had outlined a budget for starting, collected contacts and thought of people to enlist for help in the village, downloaded forms for registering the business and compiled a Word document with a to-do list and helpful tips. They had done some brainstorming on a name and tentatively settled for Cathy’s Creative Cakes, thinking the logo should involve 3 C’s with a connection to cakes.

Turning around with three plates in her hand and a water bottle under one arm, she observed him and Mrs. Grindle in conversation while arranging lunch, and the sight actually brought tears to her eyes. For a moment, she allowed herself to bask in the glory of having two new friends who showed her so much kindness. Michael turned to her and his eyes grew all intense and dark again when he scanned her from head to toe before giving her his killer smile—and she knew that the term friends wasn’t all that correct.

Her heart skipping a beat, she joined them for lunch, feeling two feet taller and at the same time more unsure about her future than ever before.

* * *

It was evening. Mrs. Grindle had left after lunch, not before Michael had filled her in on their plan—he had actually called it “our plan” and not “Cathy’s plan”, which had caused her stomach to do a somersault—and the old lady had beamed with happiness and offered to test all of her creations and pressed her to use the downstairs kitchen because it was so much bigger and had a proper oven and all the dishes and items one needed for baking. They had plunged into more business planning.

Once again, it struck her how much in tune they were once they set out to work alongside each other, not only those two days when they were working for Mr. Thackeray, but also now when they outlined her future. It had been him the first half of the day who had known his way and given advice. In the afternoon, he had handed the reins to her and told her to familiarize herself more with the already existing cake businesses, to find out what she liked and didn’t like about them, what she wanted to copy, what she could make better.

He had leaned back with one arm folded across the back of the couch and watched and listened while she worked her way through page after page and commented and collected information in another Word document. Sometimes, her head would brush his arm, sometimes their knees would touch, and once he had actually reached out and tucked a strand of hair back behind her ear when she was in the middle of gesticulating wildly to prove some point or other. Their eyes had locked and she had felt the heat rise in her face and deep inside her belly, stopped in mid-word by the flutter of his finger against the side of her face. After a second, he had dropped his hand and urged her on, and she had forgotten the moment until now, when he stood at the door to leave and she wondered how to say goodbye.

“I guess you will be awfully busy the next few days?”

She nodded, butterflies dancing inside her at the physical closeness to him that was intensified by the emotional closeness that had formed during the day.

“You have my mobile number. Give me a ring if there’s anything you need.”

“Okay.”

“Seriously, keep me updated.”

Inside her, someone did a happy dance that he cared, wanted her to stay in touch, inform him about her way toward Cathy’s Creative Cakes.

“Oh, and don’t forget to invest my starting capital in the joint venture when you buy ingredients for the first time,” he joked, motioning toward the forgotten envelope with money that had fallen to the floor during the day.

She groaned.

“Joint venture, my foot! Off you go before I make you take it back as payment for the business counselling you gave me today!”

Surprised that she could also joke, she caught herself shoving at him playfully, her hands striking against his firm, slightly muscular chest.

It brought them closer than close.

Her breath caught when his eyes grew dark with desire.

“You naughty little witch! You will keep that money, or else…”

His voice was a deep growl, so masculine and sensual despite the hint of humor. His scent hit her, a slight note of earth and grass and unobtrusive cologne that had enticed her since morning while having him sit next to her. It was so totally unlike Mark’s clean after-shave smell or alcohol stench and fit so totally to Michael’s character.

Before she knew it, he leaned down and brushed his lips against her cheek, coming precariously close to one corner of her mouth.

Abruptly, he stepped back.

“See you,” he said, that husky roughness to his voice again that tugged at her core.

“See you,” she whispered breathlessly after he had already turned and walked down the stairs.

See him. Yes, she wanted to see him again. But should she?

(To be continued tomorrow.)

Previous Part
Back to the Beginning

Tornado Giveaway 2: Book 2: FORBIDDEN by Mike Wells & Devika Fernando

Go to Book No. 1 Check all the Books Here



Name of the Book : FORBIDDEN Books 1, 2 & 3Author: Mike Wells & Devika Fernando
Read some reviews:
1. Adisha Kariyawasam 2. Babus Ahmed 3. A. P. Bullard
The Story :
When Lady Eleanor Sotheby unexpectedly enters the life of Jayne Clark, a 23-year old waitress from Wichita, Kansas, Jayne's world is turned upside down. Not only is she welcomed into a family that she never knew, but she is thrust headlong into the highest strata of European society. Nothing is too grand in the fairy tale lives of the uber-rich--the spectacular seaside villas, the sleek, chauffeured limousines, the outrageously expensive designer clothes. When Jayne plays her part and learns to fit into this new world, she meets Robert Astor, the man of her dreams. But her feelings for Robert are forbidden. Jayne's heady new life begins to unravel into a dark web of deceit, domination and greed...and she ultimately finds herself confronting an evil that truly has no limits.
You can also buy @

About The Authors
Mike Wells 
About Mike Wells in his own words: I'm American bestselling author of the Lust, Money & Murder series and over 20 other thriller and suspense books. I also have taught in the Creative Writing program at Oxford. I'm known for my super fast-paced, 'unputdownable' novels.

Stalk him @
Website | Twitter | Facebook


Devika Fernando


Almost as soon as Devika Fernando could write, she imagined stories and poems. After finishing her education in Germany and returning to her roots in Sri Lanka, she got a chance to turn her passion into her profession. Having lived in Germany and in Sri Lanka with her husband has made her experience the best (and the worst) of two totally different worlds – something that influences her writing. Her trademark are sweet, yet deeply emotional romance stories where the characters actually fall in love instead of merely falling in lust. She draws inspiration from everyone and everything in life. Besides being a romance novel author, she works as a self-employed German web content writer, as a translator, and as a faithful servant to all the cats, dogs, fish and birds in her home. What she loves most about being an author is the chance to create new worlds and send her protagonists on a journey full of ups and downs that will leave them changed. When she’s not writing, she’s reading or thinking about writing.
Stalk her @
Website | Twitter | Facebook
Go to Book No. 3
Now for the Rafflecopter: Gather as many points as you want to. The more points you get, the more you have a chance to win it all. Show your love for books.. Tweet, Like and Spread the Word... Thank you for being a Reader... You keep the Authors motivated... This is our way of saying a Thank you :) 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

#TornadoGiveaway is an initiative of The Book Club. Click on the icon to go to the event page of the Tornado .. Lots of fun awaits you :)