Publisher: Penning Publishing
Blurb:
What if the one you completely love is the one you simply can’t!
Twenty-six-year-old Eila Sood moves to America to mend fences with her estranged older sister, Sheela. Eila and the rest of the family in India had cut off ties with Sheela after she married Steve Jacobs, ‘out of caste, and out of color’. Elia soon realizes that Sheela’s marriage is on the rocks. To help pay Sheela’s household bills, Eila takes a second job at an afternoon strip club. When she crosses paths with the owner, the handsome Brett Wright or ‘blue-eyed ogre’ as Elia calls him, he both infuriates and fascinates her. Brett turns out to be her reluctant and unquestionably sarcastic knight in shining armor.
As Eila and Brett spend more time together their desire for each other builds. However, when Brett discovers the true reason for Eila’s refusal he storms out of her life, accusing her of being a prejudiced coward. Will Eila find the courage to break stereotypes and embrace her love?
My Review:
The premise of interracial relationship in Indian context is refreshing in contemporary romance category. OWNW deals with the effect of parents’ insecurity and close-mindedness towards unchartered culture, on the children. Their preconceived notions and impassioned black-mail leads to vacillation and emotional scarring in the next generation. The issue is handled well by Ms Dixit in ‘Only Wheat Not White’.
Eila Sood comes to America on H1 visa, with the intention of bridging the gap with her sister, Sheela, after her mother suffers a stroke back in India. But she is shocked to see Sheela’s marriage and life falling apart. She tries to maintain status quo and helps Sheela to bring her life on track. While Eila settles in USA, she bumps into Brett Wright, the handsome hunk with blue eyes, many a times and always under unusual circumstances where he rescues her most of the times.
Though the build-up was a little slow but momentum picked up as things began getting complicated when Eila is forced to work at a strip-club. The drama that unfolds is very entertaining with an excellent twist at the end.
Eila comes across as an intelligent, smart girl who had a tendency to attract misfortunes, like some people are prone to accidents. I loved the subtle wit and humor and the quiet strength of her character. Brett was perfect as his feelings for Eila change from bewilderment to exasperation to deep attraction and love. I loved the build-up of romance between the main protagonists. The charm is all about the journey not the end.
All the sub-characters were distinct and well introduced, including Eila’s cute nephews and Randall, who used to call her ‘Quickie’. All of them were human with flaws and engaging. The settings of the club, restaurant painted delightful pictures making the story appealing.
The style of narration is smooth and flowing. The fresh and crisp language, invoked right kind of emotions. I felt for Eila and Brett when she tells him that she would prefer wheat over white.
On the flip side, initially Eila’s actions and dialogues felt a bit disjointed and unnatural, but as the story took flight I connected with her. Another peeve was the oscillating point-of-view whenever Eila and Brett came together. The frequent change in POV took away the romance depth and immersion in the story. I would also have loved to see how Eila would have dealt with her parents about her choice, some kind of closure to the issue.
Overall OWNW is an engaging, entertaining read, which also focuses on the interracial cultural conflicts, recommended for all romance lovers.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this ebook from the author (via Blog Tour hosted by ‘The Book Club’) in return for my honest review.
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