Book Review: The Runaway Bridegroom by Sundari Venkatraman

Introduction

• ASIN: B00N7IN69E
• Genre: Romance
• Publishers: Amazon ( Buy the book from HERE)
• Price: Rs. 199/- (I got this book for review from the author)

Chanda Maheshwari’s family is shaken when her thirteen-year-old bridegroom Veerendra runs away immediately after the wedding. The eight-year-old child doesn’t even understand the impact on her life. Unable to face their neighbours and friends, the Maheshwaris move from their village to Jaipur and begin a new life in the city.

Fourteen years later, Chanda is studying in a Delhi College. She takes up a temporary job at RS Software Pvt. Ltd. and falls head-over-heels for the boss of the operation. But what about Ranveer Singh? Is he interested in her?

Ranveer’s secretary Shikha is desperate to make him fall for her. All she wants is life-long security with a rich man. But it’s nerd Abhimanyu who keeps getting in the way. Abhi is Ranveer’s second-in-command and Shikha isn’t keen on him as she’s eyeing the main chance.

When Ranveer appears to show interest in Chanda, she’s faced with a new problem. Astrologer Vidyasagar insists that she would get back with her husband Veerendra. Does anyone want to know what she wants?

Chanda feels torn between the man she has fallen for and the family values that have been instilled in her. Will she ever find happiness?

Behind The book

Source: Google Images

About the author

Even as a kid, she absolutely loved the 'lived happily ever after' syndrome as Sundari 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, she switched her attention from fairy tales to Mills & Boon. While she loved reading both of these, she kept visualizing 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 could not write to save her life. She was bad at writing essays in both school and college. Later, when it was time to teach her kids, she could manage everything from Science to Mathematics and History & Geography.

When it came to writing compositions, her kids found her of no help at all. All this changed suddenly one fine day in the year 2000. She had just quit her job at a school's office and did not know what to do with her life. She was saturated with simply reading books. That's when she got home one evening after her walk and took some sheets of paper and began writing. It was like watching a movie that was running in her head - all those years of visualizing 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.

With the advent of self-publishing, Sundari is the proud author of three books as on today.

P.S: A detailed interview with the author on my blog HERE

Me thinks

When you think about Sundari as an author the immediate reaction is a smile for the simplicity of romance that she brings forth in her writing. I have always been in awe of the way she makes some of the most predictable tales seem so intriguing and gripping for a reader to enjoy it till the last word.

The story is about Chanda and Veera as it is written in the blurb. Two people who are married in childhood and are now living independent lives unaware about the others existence. Chanda’s life is undergoing major changes when she falls in love with Ranveer while Ranveer already has his secretary vying for him and his best friend Abhimanyu playing his savior at all times. Amidst this confusion is the slim chance of Ranveer noticing Chanda and falling for her the way she did. Well, the only other hiccup is her childhood marriage!

Sounds complicated? Fret not trust the author to make is a nice, enjoyable roller coaster ride. One that will leave you with tons of smiles and a warm feeling inside, one that comes after a good read.

The author’s easy style of narration makes the characters come alive to an extent that they become very relatable as if it could be someone you know. And the romance! Words fail me when I want to describe the candy floss romance brought alive by the author.

She is undoubtedly one author I can recommend to one and all for a nice breezy read any day.

Foodie Verdict

This book is like fafda - crunchy, tangy, tasty and simply delicious! One that is like a delectable treat any time, any moment!

Source: Google Images