Mishel Reviews: Secrets of a Bollywood Marriage - Susanna Carr

After the glitter settles…  

Tina Sharma and Dev Arjun's whirlwind romance made them Bollywood royalty, but beneath the glitz and glamour there's trouble—Tina is about to demand a divorce!  

But Dev won't give in without a fight, so he proposes a deal: play the dutiful wife for two months, then he'll let her go. Tina is furious! He clearly regrets their shotgun wedding, so why stay together a day longer? But it isn't the days she should be worried about….  

As Dev turns up the heat, Tina may just find herself wishing for a lifetime of pleasure with her devilishly delicious husband!

My Take:

I have to admit this is my first Harlequin Presents read. Secrets of a Bollywood Marriage marks book 3228, according to Amazon! That’s a crazy number of books! Anywho, my knowledge of Bollywood movies, fashion, lifestyle, etc is extremely limited. I’ve always been interested in learning more about Indian culture and it was really refreshing to read a romance in that setting. I can’t guarantee authenticity and accuracy but I’d like to think the author stayed as true to the traditions and customs portrayed in the novel as possible. I also loved the idea of a marriage on the brink of divorce and having a couple fight for their happily ever after. 

Tina is an underdog heroine married to the prince of the Bollywood world. Growing up in the slums and having to struggle her way to her current position everyone, from fans to fellow actors and actresses, is very skeptical and judgmental of their marriage. The tragic circumstances the couple faces soon after their marriage is definitely crippling but not beyond mending. Tina insists Dev married her only out of duty while the rest of the world thinks she seduced him just for fame, fortune, and a way into the Arjun Empire. She wants a divorce and she wants one now! But Dev refuses to give in without a fight. He demands Tina stay with him for a while longer so he can reel her back to his side. Love is a battlefield and it’s up to both parties and their arsenal of emotional tactics to determine who will win.

While I really enjoyed a lot of aspects of the novel I felt even at 192 pages it was too long for the story that was being told. I found myself a little frustrated at the lack of communication between Tina and Dev. The fact that they were both standing in each other’s way was very redundant. I felt their heartache and I felt the rip in their marriage but I wanted to smack them both many times! They were obviously making things a lot harder than it needed to be by simply not being forthcoming with their feelings about their lives, their emotions towards each other, and their outlook on life. While I was definitely rooting for them and their marriage to succeed I found their problems and petty jealousies got old and tired very quickly. However, I will say that every time the two came together was electric. I adored the realistic passion the couple shared.  

Things progressed quickly enough but nothing really stood out for me to love the book. This one had a number of pluses and minuses that balanced out to a pretty enjoyable read. I wasn’t blown away and I may or may not be reading another book by the author. I guess it all depends on the subject matter and if I feel like giving her another go. I think many people will enjoy Tina and Dev. They had pretty good personalities and were a very decent couple to read about. I can definitely see a lot of people liking this one more than I did and I say give it a go if the synopsis appeals to you.

Secrets of a Bollywood Marriage by Susanna Carr
Published March 8, 2014 by Harlequin
Mass Market Paperback, 192 pages
Rating: 3/5
Tags: Contemporary Romance
Received eARC for review