Bøger af Shobhan Bantwal

A goddess in the temple. A burden in the family. Children are a gift of God, they say. But do they really believe? Isha and Nikhil Tilak are expecting their second child. Hardwired to favor a grandson, Nikhil's egotistical parents have resented and coldly rejected their first granddaughter. So ever since the day Isha discovered that she's expecting, this question has obsessed her: ' Is it a boy? Or . . . God forbid . . . a girl?' And finally the answer is there on the gynecologist's screen-- it's a girl! What will Nikhil and Isha do now? As their decisions add to their nightmare, Nikhil is found murdered in cold blood. And their innocent unborn daughter is blamed for it. With her five-year-old at her heels, grief-stricken and relentlessly oppressed by her in-laws, who believe the baby to be a bad omen, Isha sets out on her own to build her life around her forbidden daughters. Will she be able to protect them from the grave dangers that lie ahead? A thrilling, captivating, and thought-provoking portrayal of the dark secrets hidden in the Indian culture, this novel is bound to stir your conscience.

I've had it with your attitude, Siya. Go ahead, get on your high horse and stay there. I refuse to beg anymore. Goodbye." What makes a marriage? Love or compatibility? Passion or pragmatism? Shobhan Bantwal's compelling new novel explores the fascinating subject of arranged marriage, as a young Indian-American woman navigates the gulf between desire and tradition. To Siya Giri, arranged marriages have always seemed absurd. But while her career as an environmental lawyer has flourished, she remains a virgin, living with her parents in suburban New Jersey. However, she now wants to get married and for that she is finally ready to do the unthinkable! Siya's first few bridal-viewings are as awkward as she anticipated. But then she's introduced to Roger Vadepalli and things seem to change. or do they? Self-possessed, intelligent and charming, Roger is clearly interested in marriage and seems eager to clinch the deal, but Siya, who is attracted to him in spite of her mistrust, is also drawn into a flirtation with Lou, a widowed colleague who is far from her family's idea of an acceptable husband. In choosing between two very different men, Siya must reconcile her burgeoning independence and her conservative background. And she must decide what matters most to her not just in a husband, but also in a family, a culture and a life.

What if your boss asks you for a favour you cannot decline? At thirty-one, Meena Shenoy is single and enjoys a flourishing professional life at a New Jersey high-tech company. She is admired by her colleagues, lauded by her seniors and is on the road to a highly promising future. But all this fails to impress her mother and aunts, who continue making dire predictions about her ticking biological clock and dropping not-so-subtle hints about finding a groom. Meena, who has always attracted a fair amount of attention with her dainty looks, hasn't really found someone interesting enough to spend the rest of her life with, though she hasn't been averse to looking. But when her treacherous heart finally likes someone, it happens to be her new boss, the reticent Prajay Nayak! As her thoughts turn to romance, Prajay makes an astonishing request that leaves Meena flabbergasted. She has to craft a personal matrimonial ad to help him find a suitable wife. His criteria: a sophisticated Indian-American woman who complements his striking height. Walking a tightrope between her personal and professional life, Meena is now caught in a rather obnoxious yet interesting predicament! How will she find a 'Mrs Right' for someone who she feels is her 'Mr Right'? The stage is set for a saucy, highly witty story that will warm its way into your heart.

Bantwals debut novel delves into the life of a contemporary Indian woman caught between tradition and the truth in her heart, in this wonderful novel that is at once romantic, exotic, and unforgettable.

What happens when a woman who's realized her dreams wakes up to a shocking truth? Shobhan Bantwal's poignant new novel weaves a captivating tale of one woman's return to India: the place where she lost everything-and now has everything to gain...It is a morning like any other in suburban New Jersey when Vinita Patil opens the battered envelope postmarked "Mumbai." But the letter inside turns her comfortable world upside down. It tells Vinita an impossible story: she has a grown son in India whose life may depend on her...Once upon a time, a naïve young college girl fell for a wealthy boy whose primary interests were cricket and womanizing. Vinita knew, even then, that a secret affair with a man whose language and values were different from her own was a mistake. He finished with her soon enough-leaving her to birth a baby that was stillborn. Or so Vinita was told...Now, that child is a grown man in desperate need. To help her son, to know him, Vinita must revisit her darkest hours by returning to her battle-scarred homeland-and pray for the faith of the family she leaves behind...Praise for Shobhan Bantwal and her novels..."Dazzles you with a taste of Desi culture in America." -Caridad Piñeiro, New York Times bestselling author on The Sari Shop Widow"Compelling and memorable." -Mary Jo Putney, New York Times bestselling author on The Forbidden Daughter"Vivid, rich...expertly portrays a young woman caught between love and duty, hope and despair." -Anjali Banerjee on The Dowry Bride

One sultry night, a young bride overhears an extraordinary conversation. The voices speak of a plot to murder a wife who has failed to produce a child and whose family has failed to produce the promised dowry... Megha is sick with horror when she realizes she is the intended victim. Her husband-the very man who tied the sacred necklace of marriage around her neck-and his mother are plotting to kill her! In the moment of panic, she runs for her life. Frantically racing through Palgaum's deserted streets, her way lit only by the lights strung up for the Diwali festival, her single goal is to escape death by fire. But fleeing from her would-be killers seems impossible-unless she can find someone to help her...To approach her best friend would bring scandal to an innocent woman's doorstep, and turning to her own strict, conservative family is out of the question. Instead, with nothing but the sari she wears and a memory of kindness, Megha finds her way to Kiran, the one man who has shown her friendship and respect. Hiding her in his apartment, Kiran becomes her protector. But the forbidden attraction that grows between them can only bring more danger...Caught between tradition and the truths buried in her heart, a dowry bride will discover the real cost of the only things worth having in life..."Packed with detail...splendidly depicts passion, brutality, and cultures in conflict."--Dorothy Garlock

From the talent behind "The Dowry Bride" and "The Forbidden Daughter" comes a fascinating novel set in a bustling and colorful neighborhood called Little India.

On a sunny April morning in West Windsor, New Jersey, Vinita Patil wakes up to find an envelope from Mumbai in her mail. The anonymous missive inside it claims that her son is dying of leukaemia and that his survival may depend on her. This confounds Vinita. She has been living with her husband and daughter for twenty-five years in America. She has no son. or does she Once upon a time, in a small town in India, a middle-class girl fell in love with an upper-class playboy from her college. The torrid affair inevitably ended in a catastrophe that turned her world upside down. Now, as transgressions from her past threaten to rattle her cozy suburban dream, Vinita must leave behind a family whose faith in her has been shaken and return to her hometown in India that's on the brink of bedlam. Amidst this turmoil, will Vinita be able to salvage her marriage? or will secrets from the past wreck her world forever? Find out in this riveting tale of one woman's emotional journey back home to make amends for blunders made in her youth.

Anjali Kapadia, a 37-year-old widow, is devoted to transforming her parents' sari shop into a chic boutique. The store has been her entire world, her only world actually. But life has strange twists up its sleeve. In spite of all her efforts, now, ten years later, the store stands on the brink of bankruptcy. Anjali could lose everything she has worked so hard for. Unless unless fate intervenes. And it does . . . that too, all the way from London. To the rescue comes Jeevan Kapadia, Anjali's rich, dictatorial uncle and Rishi Shah, his mysterious business partner. Forty-two years old, Rishi is half-Indian and half-British. His cool, steel-grey eyes and the deep air of secrets that hangs around him, trigger instant distrust in Anjali and her mother. But for Anjali, he also stirs something else, something more elemental and dangerous, a powerful attraction she hasn't felt in a long, long time. And the feeling is mutual. As Anjali and Rishi both get caught in the maelstrom of unexpected love, their once familiar worlds begin to change. But a startling secret from Rishi's past threatens to break them apart. Falling in love seems not so simple. What will Anjali do now? Will Anjali be able to rediscover the magic of love?