Devika Fernando's Blog, page 7

Bookish New Year's Challenge - Day 2

Eeks, I'm super late with this one! In my defense, I went to the temple and enjoyed a nice dinner out with hubby and sis-in-law yesterday evening...
​
As Tabatha has pointed out here, this is in no way meant to be a judgmental post. No author bashing, no belittling what others might like. It's more of a "I loved this book" and "this one didn't quite live up to the hype/just wasn't my cup of tea" post.

Best Book of 2019

I'm going to cheat and make that the two best book series of 2019 because I can't choose.
- One is the All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness, including "A Discovery of Witches" (I loooved the TV series too and can't wait for season 2). Vampirs, witches, daemons, amazing historical facts, gorgeous contemporary settings, authentic characters, an epic love story, suspenseful sub-plots... This series has everything I love.
- The other is the Crossfire series by Sylvia Day - so so SO hot, with a thoroughly messed-up but amazing hero and heroine. Where do I order my own Gideon Cross??? ​
​Worst Book of 2019

I picked up a paperback of "Against All Odds" by Danielle Steel at a local bookstore, keen to finally read something by this famous author. However, I just couldn't get into it. Too...I don't know...bland? Reads like a ton of exposition and descriptions, almost like nonfiction. It does get better eventually, with more dialogue. But I couldn't connect to any of the protagonists.

Bookish New Year's Challenge - Day 1

Happy new year, everyone! I hope 2020 will bring you what you wish for!

I've decided to join the Bookish New Years Challenge hosted by the fabulous Tabbs Book Blogger, and today is Day 1. There's a prompt for each of the 15 days to ease our way into the new year and give our blogs some TLC. As she so eloquently puts it: "​This challenge is designed to get you into your blogging groove for 2020. To reflect on 2019, set 2020 goals; meet new bookish friends; generate discussions, and overall it is meant to HAVE FUN!"
​ This blog is connected to my author website, so most of my book blogging is either related to my own novels or to author friends. So here's hoping I'll find many more amazing authors and books to feature.
​By the way, if you read this (and don't write erotica, sorry) and would like to be featured here with a guest post, an author or character interview or a book spotlight or cover reveal, message me.

As for book goals in general, here are a few:
- re-read the All Souls books by Deborah Harkness (fell in love with them in 2019)
- read more books by Indian authors
- post more regularly on my new Instagram account
- read at least 50 books this year
- take part in other (book) blogging challenges
​

Bookish New Years Challenge - Day 1

Happy new year, everyone! I hope 2020 will bring you what you wish for!

I've decided to join the Bookish New Years Challenge hosted by the fabulous Tabbs Book Blogger, and today is Day 1. There's a prompt for each of the 15 days to ease our way into the new year and give our blogs some TLC. As she so eloquently puts it: "​This challenge is designed to get you into your blogging groove for 2020. To reflect on 2019, set 2020 goals; meet new bookish friends; generate discussions, and overall it is meant to HAVE FUN!"
​ This blog is connected to my author website, so most of my book blogging is either related to my own novels or to author friends. So here's hoping I'll find many more amazing authors and books to feature.
​By the way, if you read this (and don't write erotica, sorry) and would like to be featured here with a guest post, an author or character interview or a book spotlight or cover reveal, message me.

As for book goals in general, here are a few:
- re-read the All Souls books by Deborah Harkness (fell in love with them in 2019)
- read more books by Indian authors
- post more regularly on my new Instagram account
- read at least 50 books this year
- take part in other (book) blogging challenges
​

Featured - Cover Reveal for "Saved by Love" by Shilpa Suraj

~ Cover Reveal ~Saved by Love by Shilpa Suraj

About the Book:
They meet under impossible circumstances.
She is kidnapped by terrorists blackmailing her father, a Supreme Court Judge. He leads the team sent to rescue her. 
Trekking to safety through Ladakh... They are in danger of falling in love. But, Lt. Col. Arjun Rathod knows that Naina Ahuja, engaged to politics' rising star, is not meant for him.
Forever changed by her trauma, Naina walks out of her controlling family and forges a new life.
And then, she meets Arjun again. But this time, he is engaged to someone else.
Can they save their love or is it too late?

About the Author:
Shilpa Suraj wears many hats - corporate drone, homemaker, mother to a fabulous toddler and author.An avid reader with an overactive imagination, Shilpa has weaved stories in her head since she was a child. Her previous stints at Google, in an ad agency and as an entrepreneur provide colour to her present day stories, both fiction and non-fiction.





Contact the Author: Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram

Cover Reveal for "That Night in Paris" by Sandy Barker

I connected with Sandy Barker on Twitter and thought her first cover was beautiful. Now I've caught a glimpse of the author's second one and it's even prettier. (You all know I love purple!)
​ About the Book BLURB

Note to self: don’t sleep with your flatmate after a curry and three bottles of wine… especially if he’s secretly in love with you and wants you to meet his mum.
Cat Parsons is on the run. She doesn’t do relationships. After ten years of singlehood even the hint of the ‘L’ word is enough to get Cat packing her bags and booking herself onto a two-week holiday.
A European bus tour feels like a stroke of genius to dodge awkward conversations at home. But little does Cat realise that the first stop will be Paris, the city of love itself. 
Joined by new friends, Cat has got two weeks, eight countries and a hell of a lot of wine ahead of her. As they discover hidden treasures and the camaraderie of life on the road, will Cat find a new way of looking at love? 
Discover the beauty of Europe’s most romantic cities in this uplifting and laugh-out-loud novel for fans of Samantha Parks, Alex Brown and Mandy Baggot


PRE-ORDER LINK

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07ZG8C6L3

Featured - Spotlight for "Just Romance" by Jyoti Arora

#JUSTROMANCE
byJyoti Arora


Blurb

7 heart-warming love stories to make you smile

You raised a song in my heart
That I never knew before.
Now kiss me, Love,
For I yearn to know
What a dream must taste like.

Luxury adds glamour to romances, danger adds thrill. But it is real emotions that turn love magical. And when love casts its magic, even ordinary people can have extraordinary love stories.

It is seven such delicious and relatable Indian romances that this book brings to you.

With realistic characters that will live in your heart. With romance spanning across mountains, forests, glowing beaches, or coming alive in roadside dhabas and buzzing city streets. With myriad gripping emotions of friendship and love, these feel-good love stories are sure to touch your heart with delight.

If you are in love with love,

then these beautiful romances are a must-read for you!

Seven couples, seven clean contemporary romances, one delicious book.

#JustRomance

Because nothing matters more than love.     Read an excerpt



Grab your copy @

Amazon.in | Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk 


About the author




Jyoti Arora is an Indian novelist and blogger. Besides her books, her writing achievements include several wins in blogging competitions, over five years of freelance writing experience, developing books for kids and abridging 30 English novels like Jane Eyre, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, etc. 

Jyoti’s first novel ‘Dream’s Sake’ was published by V&S Publishers in 2011. It tells a beautiful love story revolving around the troubles of physically challenged people. Her second novel ‘Lemon Girl’ is based on the theme of gender crime against women and victim-blaming. It is featured in Ezvid’s wiki list of 9 Well-Written Novels That Put Women Front & Center. It also received appreciation from Ms. Maneka Gandhi. Her third novel ‘You Came Like Hope’ talks about the opposite side of the issue discussed in Lemon Girl. That is, it talks about the fake cases filed by women. This too is a case of gender crime and victim-blaming. But in this case, it is the man who suffers. The book received much appreciation for its unique theme and heart-warming love story. All three books are intense and based on serious social issues. For her fourth book, Jyoti decided to write something lighter and happier. That’s what has resulted in #JustRomance, a collection of happy love stories. 

Books have always been Jyoti’s best friends. In fact, books so fascinated her from early childhood that she learnt to read by herself even before she started going to school. And she considers herself fortunate that she is able to pursue her dream of being a novelist and work at what she loves best.

However, if books are her first love, the thrilling and steadily advancing world of technology also fascinates her. As a result, one of her blogs is a technological blog called TechnoTreats. One of her posts in this blog even won her the title of Samsung Mobiler in 2011. After that, she has won several other blogging competitions too.

She is a patient of Thalassemia which forced her to drop out of school too soon. But she did not let that defeat her. She studied on her own and completed her schooling through correspondence courses. Then she went on to Jyoti study BA English (Honours) from Delhi University and then achieved postgraduation degrees in English Literature and Applied Psychology from Annamalai University.

For her determination and achievements, she has received appreciation from several eminent dignitaries and her life story has been covered in various TV shows, radio programs, newspapers, magazines, and websites. In the year 2016, she was one of the 100 special women achievers of India that were invited as special guests to attend the Republic Day parade in Delhi. 

You can stalk her @

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
  
  This Tour is Hosted by 

Facebook | Website | Blog Tours | Twitter | | Linkedin
We Promote So That You Can Write 

Featured - Spotlight for "The Magician" by Sonia Rao

THE MAGICIAN 
(The Tarot Trilogy Book 1)
by 
Sonia Rao



Blurb

Fashion designer Sasha Kapoor always felt she'd missed out on love as she had an arranged marriage. And when her husband turns up at their 15th-anniversary party with a strange woman, she knows that her marriage is dying. With constant surprises and disasters to contend with, will Sasha ever get a chance at true love?

Shantha is much sought after for her tarot card readings on love, but can’t seem to help her own love life with a string of broken relationships behind her. Now, sparks are flying between her and a sexy bartender but will this relationship fizzle out too?

Young professionals Nilima and her husband are so besotted with each other, they give the word ‘soulmate’ a complex. Theirs is a match made in heaven…till tragedy strikes.

The Magician is a heart-warming story of these three dynamic women as they discover the meaning of true love through loss and longing.


Thoughts from the Author, Sonia Rao
Who is a Magician? If it is a Tarot Card, then it the Major Arcana card in the deck and symbolizes life-changing issues.

 But if it is a person, then it is Sasha, the main protagonist of my novel, The Magician. In this urban, contemporary romance, fashion designer Sasha, who caught within a loveless marriage, now seeks true love. It is also Shantha and Nilima who face their own challenges in love and try to rise above them.

 It is also every woman. This is because, as Shantha says to Sasha in the book, “Imagination is your strength. You have the power to visualize and then manifest what you want. You are the Magician.” Each one of us is The Magician because we hold within ourselves the power to create the life of our dreams.

But how did this cover happen? There is a lovely story behind it. While researching the many tarot decks online, I saw this card on the Attic Shoppe website and I knew at once that this was my “Sasha.”

Go back and have a look at the cover again. Doesn’t it just grip you too? Part practical, part whimsical, part traditional, part digital, this card, like the book, is a labour of love.

The designer, Bethalynne Bajema, created this card for her Black Ibis Tarot card deck.  The love she put in is very evident in the vibe one gets from it. Every time I see it, I am inspired to bring a touch of magic to the everyday routines of mundane life.

Carrying on the serendipity, Bethalynne immediately and graciously agreed to my request to make this card my book cover. Such generosity is hard to come by and I believe it is the Universe’s way of saying “you’re right on track.”  


(Bethalynne can be contacted here: Instagram)

Read an excerpt

 
Grab your copy @

Amazon.in | Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk 


About the author





"Sonia Rao is a writer, editor, and award-winning blogger. Her fiction has appeared in many prestigious anthologies such as Voices Old & New and Jest Like That (edited by renowned editor-writer Shinie Anthony).

 As NaNoWriMo’s Municipal Liaison for all-India and founder of the Wrimo India group on Facebook, Sonia has motivated thousands of people in India to write a novel every November since 2011. She has also curated and edited the first Wrimo India Anthology, Vengeance—A Sting In Every Tale.

Sonia likes to believe she is ‘high-minded’ but strangely, her fave hobby is thinking up torture devices for those autorickshawallahs who consider the roads to be their personal spittoon. Who knew?"


You can stalk her @

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
  
  This Tour is Hosted by 

Facebook | Website | Blog Tours | Twitter | | Linkedin
We Promote So That You Can Write 

Sneak Peek Sunday: First Look at My Upcoming Release "Sweet Surprises"

I haven't uploaded a #SneakPeekSunday post in a while but today seems like the right time to share my latest WIP (work in progress) with you. There's only one more chapter left to write, and then "Sweet Surprises" will move into the editing phase. I'm hoping for an October release for this 3rd book in the Inn Love series. Here's an exclusive first look at the cover and blurb, plus a short (unedited) excerpt to whet your appetite.

Blurb Italy has always fascinated Victoria. Now that the interior designer from America is there to help convert a grand old villa into an inn, it feels like a dream come true – even more so when she falls head over heels in love with the handsome gardener. The few precious days she shares with Riccardo make her rethink every decision she’s ever made in life. But just when Victoria is ready to make a leap of faith, she learns that her irresistible Italian isn’t who she thinks.
 
Will their love be enough to overcome the obstacles, or should she leave Bella Italia and her mysterious billionaire lover behind once and forever?
Excerpt Shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans, Riccardo strode around to the back of the vast building and found his way to the far corner of the property. He hadn’t come far in his quest last afternoon, although the worst of the debris and vines had been cleared away. Perhaps another three hours of work and he’d be able to reveal what lay hidden—and nearly forgotten—beneath. Searching for the right spot by memory more than by sight, he crouched low and touched the corner of a mossy stone peeking out.

“Are we disturbing your peace?” he asked in soft Italian, whispering as though in a graveyard. “Or are we doing the right thing and actually bringing you peace at last?”

There was no reply, of course. The dead can’t speak, though he knew from experience that they could haunt you in your dreams if you gave them permission to.

“I’ve seen many different methods how people tame a garden gone wild but this is definitely the first time that someone is trying to use verbal persuasion,” a voice broke into his gloomy thoughts.

Startled, Riccardo rocked back on his heels so fast he lost his balance and toppled onto the ground. With a mortified ‘mierda’, he scrambled to find his footing and his scraped dignity and saw himself confronted with a held-out hand.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”

Sighing, he accepted the help that he probably didn’t need because it seemed impolite not to do so. The American’s hand wasn’t as soft as one would have expected it. A hint of callouses and blunt though neatly rounded nails spoke of a woman who wasn’t afraid to get hands-on, just as he’d suspected from watching her. Her grip was firm and warm when she pulled him to his feet, and Riccardo belatedly remembered his manners and murmured his thanks.

“There’s no need to apologize. I should expect you somewhere on the property at all times.”

He let go of her hand, wondering why he felt this odd spark and tingle where their skin had touched. His gaze traveled up, taking in her navy-blue jeggings that were now dust-stained at one knee and her figure-hugging yet modest black T-shirt. She wore her hair bound together in a high ponytail, accidentally adorned with a fallen leaf. His fingers itched to pluck it out, to run through her hair and find out whether it was as soft as it looked.

Their gazes meshed, and she must’ve seen something in his that brought color to her cheeks and made her break the connection.
​
“It’s my duty to be everywhere,” she said somewhat brusquely, wiping her hand on her thigh. To get rid of whatever dirt he might’ve left on it? Or because she’d felt this tingle too?

Catch up before the new release!
Books 1 and 2 of the Inn Love series will whisk you away to a cottage in England and a log cabin in the Canadian Rockies.
Tantalizing Temptations | Hidden Hopes

Featured - Book Spotlight for "The Mohanbari Murders" by Esha Pandey

About the Book Blurb
 
Simran, the swashbuckling, no-nonsense new ASP of the Mohanbari District is baffled when a nine-year-old is found dead in a busy market lane. Determined to crack her first heinous crime, she doesn’t leave any stone unturned. While trying to figure out the case her path crosses with Major Imran. Sparks fly, but she is determined to hate him. As the matter gets more complicated, Simran begins to trust Imran.
 
Running through the nooks and alleys of dingy Mohanbari and the mysterious forest nearby, Simran must solve the mystery before the murderer strikes again.
 
Excerpt
 
Simran mulled over her third cup of lal chai in the SHOs chamber. It was a typical police office. Portraits of Gandhi ji and Baba Saheb lurked in opposite corners, on the wall with the honour board, behind the wooden chair. A big whiteboard with details about court cases for the week and important investigations graced the south wall. The north wall was reserved for DKBasu's Guidelines on Arrest. The west wall in front of the chair was a glass partition from where the entrance and the duty officer's room were visible.
 
Deeply craving a cigarette, Simran involuntarily put her pen in her mouth as placebo. Investigation in a murder case, that too of a child, is urgent and should take precedence over everything. A police officer's life, however, is not that simple. Her small red notebook was filled with all that she had to do and an important page in that was dog eared and labelled "Murder: 9 years old". Her meticulous note-making skills while helping her in complying to all the orders passed by the seniors, were also a bane, because she never forgot anything.  Another page which was folded into half bore the name of Major Imran surrounded by multiple circles doodled in anger. A small devil caricature also graced the page.
 
Two months since her joining as Assistant Superintendent of Police, Simran had run into Major Imran on two occasions. Imran had tried hard to impress her in the first meeting, at the evening gathering at the Mess. Dressed in his best formals, Imran had paid attention to Simran all evening and cracked stupid jokes to make her laugh. All Simran could think about was how short he was. She had been kind to him, but there was no attraction. None whatsoever. Imran followed it up with a message next morning.
 
"Morning Ma'am! Shall we catch up on coffee in the evening?- Imran"
Aghast at his forwardness, she replied a curt no.
 "Morning…not possible...I am busy-Simran"
"L Imran"
Simran wanted to make a sighing smiley but held back. She was distracted the whole day and cursed Imran for making her uncomfortable.
 
The second meeting was more eventful. They met at a high-profile intelligence meeting, where Imran completely ignored her. A curt nod in acknowledgment of her existence was all she got from the Major, who looked dapper that morning in his Olive Greens. He was not that short after all. Simran's ego had been bruised by Imran's neglect.

Buy here
​
About the Author Esha Pandey, is an author and a police officer. She made her debut as an author with her book Kiss of Life and Other Stories, a collection of short stories. Esha currently lives in New Delhi. She is an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of the 2010 batch. 
Esha has a Masters in International Relations and Masters of Philosophy in American Studies from Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi. Before becoming a civil servant, she dabbled with the idea of being a journalist and worked with Times of India as a copyeditor. She has won a United Nations FPA Award for Excellence for the “Best Short Story”. 
Esha has kept her passion for writing alive through her tough assignments in policing because writing is music for her soul. Her TDH hero is her partner for life, her husband Rajiv, who supports her in all her endeavors. When she is not doing either, policing or writing, she is busy dealing with her two bundles of naughtiness, her sons.  She can be reached at:
twitter.com/PandeyEsha
https://www.facebook.com/EshaPandeyAuthor/

Featured - Book Spotlight for "Past Marriageable Age" by Sudesna Ghosh

I had the pleasure of beta-reading this enchanting novella and it left me with a smile. Let's celebrate its release!
​ About the Book ​Genre: Women’s Fiction
Length: 75 pages (novella)
Format: Kindle edition

Blurb

Koel is almost 40 years old and too old to be married — according to Indian society. She's a successful lawyer and a bookworm and quite happy living like a nun until she meets Ranbir Ray. Significantly older than her, Ranbir is hot and sweet and full of pleasant surprises. Can Ranbir teach Koel about life, love and happiness in this heartwarming, fun romance?

Excerpt
​
That ended our privacy as we found Reema and Aditi waiting impatiently. They had a table for four next to the bar. Ranbir greeted them politely, waiting for me to slide into the sofa before he sat on it too. We were like the perfect couple. So fast. So well dressed. Familiar with each other and getting more familiar at speed.
We ordered drinks and sushi. Ranbir stole glances and smiles at me, wrapping one arm around my waist until the drinks came. Aditi shamelessly measured his every movement. Reema asked him about his business. I was ignored.
Devouring my sushi, I listened to Ranbir describe his struggles setting up business in a political culture like Kolkata and how hard it had been at first. Reema was in awe. 
Ranbir asked about Reema’s work. He said he was aware of the competition in her field and knew of some of her campaigns. That won her over. Aditi was quiet until she interrupted with a silly question.
“So Ranbir, do you think my friend and you have a future together?”
I was livid. This age gap thing was getting out of hand. I asked her to apologise. However, Ranbir wasn’t annoyed. Or he was not showing it. Instead, he told me an apology wasn’t necessary.
“Aditi is concerned about her friend. It’s a good thing,” he acknowledged.
Ranbir really was a kind man. Glaring at my friend, I waited for his answer.
Clearing his throat, he confirmed that yes, we did have a future together. 
“You see, Aditi, at my age, you don’t spend too much time thinking about what you want -- you just go after it. What I mean to say is that, I have fallen hard for your friend and I intend to keep her by my side for a long time.”
How beautiful. Tears hit my eyes. Happy tears from the heart. I saw Reema and Aditi control their tears too. Ranbir hadn’t used the word ‘love’ but I knew what he meant. I felt the same way about him from that day at the bookstore and coffee shop.
Aditi took a swipe at her eyes and asked him what a long time meant at our age.
Taking my hand in his, he declared, “It means for as long as your friend wants to be with me.”
The three of them all looked at me. I said thank you. Everyone burst out laughing. Aditi behaved well for the rest of the meal. Afterwards, Ranbir dropped her home before he dropped me. She said sorry. Dismissing it with a wave of his hand, he handed her a chocolate bar. He joked, “Now don’t say thank you, Uncle, please.”
We couldn’t stop howling. He was so funny!
​
Buy your copy of Past Marriageable Age here:
https://www.amazon.in/Past-Marriageable-Age-feel-good-romance-ebook/dp/B07XHNQMRY/ 
​ About the Author ​Sudesna (Sue) Ghosh is an author based in Kolkata, India. She is a graduate of University of Rochester and an ex-journalist. When Sue isn’t reading or writing, she is busy doing her best to keep her rescue cats happy.
You can find her on Twitter @sudesna_ghosh and on Instagram @sudesna_meow