The protagonist Shefali is an orphan who is raised by Kalpana, the best friend of her mother. At the time the story opens, Shefali is working for Kalpana’s gallery as an expert art curator.

Kalpana is approached by a once-upon-a-time royal family to curate their art collection at their haveli in Rajasthan. It is prestigious undertaking, for the family are not only royalty of yester-years but a contemporary corporate giant. They are rich, powerful and command much respect. Kalpana can only trust Shefali to conduct the job of curating the massive collection with meticulous efficiency and dispatch. The young Shefali is excited and also a little intimidated.

Old world charm and some barely concealed animosity meet her upon arrival at the home of the Ranaut family in Rajasthan. The world she steps into is ensconced in the grace and opulence of the royal family. The only aberration is the heir and the driving force behind the family’s corporate presence, Aryan.

Power, passion and ruthlessness sit naturally upon the handsome young heir’s shoulders. But there are a few invisible destructive monkeys riding his back too!

Aryan is accustomed to have women flocking to him. Shefali is the first one who stands her ground and shows him she is not to be swept off her feet. Inevitably, they fall for each other and the drama picks up pace with just the turn of a page.

When the family heirloom, a Fabergé called The Angel, disappears the same night as the panicked Shefali- who has picked up her skirts and to run away from her overwhelming love- things were bound to get absolutely sticky. They did, and how! High voltage drama just about fits the description. With the protagonist getting shot, it sizzled with lip-smacking tension.

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What was awesome:

I usually take my time reading a book. Moreover, romance is not a genre I delve into often. To add to it all, I am yet to acquire even an adequate level of comfort with e-books.

Yet, I read Finding The Angel in one single breath. No one was more surprised than I was. The credit goes to the pace of the book and the likability of the protagonist. Shefali comes across as a sincere and earnest girl with no frills about her. She is easy to relate to.

The other characters were authentically drawn as well. I particularly like Hariram- rthe family retainer, and Kalpana- Shefali’s aunt/ boss. 

The action and the love scenes buzzed with the exact degree of heat, at the exact moment.

What could have been better:

There are a few places where a more appropriate word or phrase would have added greatly to the story,

While Hariram did have a voice, I do wish Kalpana had more of a role. Specially when Shefali was in doldrums, wouldn’t it be natural to reach out to her mentor and guardian?

The story could also have done with a little more Indian-ness. The Fabergé could easily have been replaced with a priceless ancient Indian artifact. The story read more like a western romance set in India.  A more overt ethnicity would surely have added to the charm of the story.

 

All in all, the story is good read. It is a satisfying happily ever after story that appeals to most of us.

Star Rating: 4.5/5

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Note: This is not a paid review. However, the auther Rubina Ramesh did graciously gift me a copy of the book. Thank you Rubina!

Book Review: Finding The Angel By Rubina Ramesh