Review: Hot Tamara

Meet Tamara Contreras. She is 26 and still living at home, but desperate to break out on her own. Especially after her boyfriend Ruben proposes at a family wedding, and Tamara turns him down in front of everyone. Now her mother is angry with her, and her family thinks something is wrong with her.

With her mother getting more and more controlling, Tamara decides to put her dreams to break free into reality. She gets a part-time job at a gallery in Los Angeles and a tiny apartment. Much to her mother’s strong protest and threats that she will no longer speak to her, Tamara moves out. And that’s not all – there is the handsome Will, with whom she went to kindergarten, and have always been attracted to. Now that she is on her own and forced to be in contact with him (because of her job), their mutual attraction begins burning out of control. (more…)

Review: Bollywood Confidential

I absolutely love chick lit that feature Indian characters, so I was glad when I learned Sonia Singh had a second novel out entitled “Bollywood Confidential”. Although her first novel was average at best in my opinion, this latest book was a great read.

Raveena is a struggling Indian actress currently living in Los Angeles. She is tired of not getting anywhere in her acting career. After much deliberation, she decides to accept her agent’s latest offer: the lead in a Bollywood film – that takes place and shoots in Bombay, India. Despite her misgivings about living in another country for six months, she figures it would be worth it; after all, she is playing the leading role!

Despite the fact that she is of Indian decent, Raveena has grown up in the USA and is unprepared for how India really is: extremely dirty, crowded and hot. Her hotel is a dump, and she is forced to move in temporarily with her seemingly crazy uncle. The director is lecherous and determined to get her into bed, and her costar, the extremely handsome and famous Indian movie star Siddharth, is charismatic and famous, but aloof and uninterested. Too bad Raveena is attracted to him. (more…)

Review: Imaginary Men

Imaginary Men
by Anjali Banerjee
Downtown Press
Published October 2005
4/5 stars

Lina’s extended Indian family is wondering when she’ll ever get married. Lina herself is wondering when she’ll find the right man. In the meantime, she makes her home in San Francisco, working at a match-making company, and using her talents at finding people their Mr. or Mrs. Right.

After a particularly grueling wedding back home in India, her family tries to set her up with a bachelor she has absolutely NO interest in. (more…)