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storytimed's review
2.0
I really loved the female protagonists and ensemble cast, especially Priya, but I didn't really enjoy the douchey hero and contrived misunderstandings.
crystalisreading's review
2.0
Disappointing. Having started this trilogy on the third book, Bollywood and the Beast, and enjoying that darkly romantic retelling of Beauty and Beast set in Bollywood, I was looking forward to working my way backwards in the trilogy. I was really disappointed in this book, though. Neither of the primary romantic relationships seemed healthy to me at all, so I could not root for them to succeed. Both romantic heroes were pushy and creepy and refused to take no for an answer. Because 'love'.
Both heroines, despite being such otherwise strong and controlled women, always ended up giving in to the demands because 'love'. There's a sex scene early in the story that I found to be an especially stomach turning example of this. I just found it all very off putting. I won't be reading the first book in the trilogy. Which is a shame, because I find the setting within the culture and world of Bollywood fascinating, if sometimes horrifying, and enjoy reading the mix of languages in the dialogue in these books--never interpreted, but generally clear from the context. But I want to read about relationships in which I can become invested, where the relationship, no matter how flawed, doesn't make me creeped out and uncomfortable, and where I can enjoy the HEA ending (and the sex scenes). This was just not one of those books for me.
Both heroines, despite being such otherwise strong and controlled women, always ended up giving in to the demands because 'love'. There's a sex scene early in the story that I found to be an especially stomach turning example of this. I just found it all very off putting. I won't be reading the first book in the trilogy. Which is a shame, because I find the setting within the culture and world of Bollywood fascinating, if sometimes horrifying, and enjoy reading the mix of languages in the dialogue in these books--never interpreted, but generally clear from the context. But I want to read about relationships in which I can become invested, where the relationship, no matter how flawed, doesn't make me creeped out and uncomfortable, and where I can enjoy the HEA ending (and the sex scenes). This was just not one of those books for me.
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