Blog Tours


The Prophecy of Trivine 
By
 Tnahsin Garg,  Srivatsan Sridharan and  Pulkit Gupta




Blurb 
An emissary of an advanced alien race travels to the Earth to undertake responsibility of an experiment that has gone out of control. The outcome of this fateful experiment, which was conceived millions of years ago by her species, now rests in her hands. As she prepares to deliver her final judgment, she comes across three young men in a sacred forest who change her life forever. 
These three men- a scientist, a hacker and an artist, happen to take refuge in that forest, trying to escape from the oddities of their own unfair lives. Struggling with their dreams and demons, they begin to explore the dark and paranormal behavior of the forest by forging a companionship. From the rare flora and fauna breathing alive on the ground to the deadly wide expanse of the whimsy black sky, everything they find is yet another puzzle unsolved. 
Little did they know that four of them hold in their hands the future of mankind and much beyond imagination, they are connected through an ancient Prophecy that was long lost in the sands of time

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MY REVIEW


I have seen a few sci-fi films but this is probably my first book in that genre. First, I would like to congratulate the authors - Tnahsin Garg, Srivatsan Sridharan & Pulkit Gupta - on such a tremendous achievement at so young an age. 

The story begins quite interestingly with the hacker and his flight from the police. Phil has been hacking for a reason but has no choice but to escape the powers that be. He runs into the wild forest not too far away from his college hostel. 

There he meets Siv, a scientist who prefers being alone in the wilderness. Siv is kind of a brilliant but eccentric scientist who reminds one of Dr. Jekyll to begin with. Soon, we know he is quite different. Phil stays in Siv’s shack in the forest despite the latter’s disapproval. They grow used to each other. 

Suddenly, Arty comes into their lives. It’s surprising for Siv as he has lived in the forest for months without meeting a single other human being. Arty is the calm one who meditates a lot. Who is he? And what was he doing in the forest? He appears completely attuned to nature. 

The story revolves around the three men and the strange adventures they get into along with the advent of a fourth person - Agni. Agni is a red-haired beauty who steps into their lives quite unexpectedly. What was a young woman doing in the forest all by herself? Was it a safe place? 

I am not going to say anything more in case I let out spoilers.

A lot of research has gone into this work and the story is seamless despite three guys writing it. A special kudos for that! The story makes for an interesting read revolving around the personal histories of the four characters and what they are doing in the forest. The description of the forest and how alive nature is has been beautifully brought out in the book. 

The story is obviously a build up of more to come and the mystery has been well maintained. I am looking forward to reading a sequel soon.

What I would have liked is a tighter editing that could have made the story a crisper and sharper read. Since that’s not the fault of the authors, I go with 4 stars for this Sci-fi novel. All the best to the authors Tnahsin Garg, Srivatsan Sridharan & Pulkit Gupta that their debut novel is well received all over the world.  

Meet the Authors 

Srivatsan Sridharan 
Srivatsan is a Computer Scientist, who recently graduated with a Masters degree from Purdue University in the United States. He completed his Bachelors in Engineering from Thapar University, India in 2010. Along with computers, he is extremely passionate about writing. Most of his artistic ideas have taken shape in the form of short stories, speeches, travelogues, and essays. Some of them can be found in his BLOG
Tnahsin Garg 
Tnahsin was born and brought up in India where he got a Bachelor's degree in engineering. After that he travelled to United States in search of higher education and adventure, and ended up getting a Master's degree in 2012.  When tired of his scientific pursuits, he's often found scribbling something unintelligible on some decayed corner of the Internet. You can find him in his BLOG
 Pulkit Gupta
Pulkit is a Computer Science professional who completed his Bachelors in Engineering from Thapar University, India in 2011. He has been an avid reader and an enthusiastic writer since his childhood days. He maintains a number of blogs which are in various stages of decay, but his most recent short story work can be found on his recently created BLOG
  

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Daniel's Diary by Rajeshwari Chauhan


The Blurb
When Mrinalini, an art restoration expert, ventures into the ruins of Rang-Mahal and the Palace of Sumangarh, an accidental discovery of a skeleton and a manuscript detailing the exploits of Daniel, a Portuguese artist, opens a window to the forgotten era of grace and grandeur. The blossoming of love between a Moghul Emperor and a Rajput princess, is seen through the eyes of a foreign traveller, who himself falls in love with Jodhabai.

The plot revolves around Daniel’s quest for beauty and passion, the ecstasy and agony of love. He marries the famous courtesan Mahamaya only to lose her. It also draws a modern day parallel in the life of Mrinalini, a woman who seeks refuge in artistic pursuits and architectural ruins when relationships in life confuse her. 

Will she and Surajsinh be able to decode the clues left behind by Daniel? Will the curse of centuries-old unfulfilled love break into a happy ending for Mrinalini?

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My Review of DANIEL'S DIARY by Rajeshwari Chauhan

THE STORY

The story begins with Mrinalini’s arrival at Sumangarh. The Palace of Sumangarh is being converted into a heritage hotel and she’s come over to restore the age-old paintings, a job she loves. Driver Surajsinh receives her at the station and he is a guy with an attitude much to her irritation.

Arvindsinh aka Arrow and his obnoxious girlfriend Suzan are the ones who have hired her company for the restoration work. Mrinalini settles down in a small cottage within five minutes of her palace and gets involved in her work soon. She gets to meet Dadasaheb aka Laxmansinh and his grandson Bubbles. 

Dadasaheb gifts Mrinalini with a painting that sets off a string of events. From here on the story goes back and forth in history and present day intertwining the events in Daniel’s life as Akbar’s protégée and the painting restoration conducted by Mrinalini.

Ten-year-old Bubbles and she get along like a house on fire and it’s Surajsinh who accompanies them on a visit to Rang Mahal. Rang Mahal is a crumbling structure and is in danger of falling apart. 

It is here they discover a skeleton that probably belonged to Daniel, a Portuguese travelling during the times of Emperor Akbar’s reign. They also find a diary that has been written by him in Portuguese. Surprisingly, Surajsinh appears to know Persian and translate the diary to Mrinalini and Bubbles who are both fascinated.

MY PERCEPTION

The novel is off to a slow start. Some of the characters have been introduced well with interesting scenes and dialogue. But the others have been introduced in the way of narration. The author could have made the novel a lot more interesting by letting her characters speak for themselves rather than her talking about them.

While Daniel’s Diary is a mine of fantastic information about Akbar’s court and the people in the emperor’s life, it reads more like a history lesson than a work of fiction. A lot of research has obviously gone into this work and the author should definitely be applauded for the same. I only wish the presentation had been way more interesting. 

Despite all that, I would still recommend the book as it gives one a fascinating look into history.

I have kept the best for the last. The sequence between Daniel and court dancer Mahamaya along with many characters of her household - Chhimiya, Fufi, Paro and the rest were really brought to life by Rajeshwari Chauhan’s pen. 

I also liked the way the author connects the various objects and paintings that influenced or affected Daniel’s life to many things that are found in Dadasaheb’s palace.

All in all, it’s worth a read and I will go with 3 stars for Daniel’s Diary by Rajeshwari Chauhan. 

Disclaimer: I received this book from the author in return for a honest review. 

Meet the author


The Author's Thoughts

A freelance writer, artist, and teacher, Rajeshwari Chauhan has contributed as a script and content writer for many creative and promotional literature, short movies, and plays. 
A passionate artist, she loves to create realistic paintings on canvas as well as doing wall paintings. For her, painting and creative writing are complementary to each other.
Being from the Royal family of Chhota-Udepur, she has always had a fascination for history and conservation of heritage.
     
  
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Love's Labor by Andy Paula



The Blurb

Piali Roy has run away from home and the two stubborn men who love her. One is her beloved Baba; a rigid traditionalist, he refuses to accept anyone from outside her caste and community. And then there is Sathya, the unsuitable outsider. He loves her truly, madly, deeply and has even called off his marriage for her sake. Neither man will budge, and the small town of Jampot, where everyone knows everything, is not big enough for the two of them.

Away from their unreasonable demands, Piali strives to find peace in the mountains. But within six months, her lover tracks her down. Once again, she betrays the one by trusting the other.

Will her labor in the name of love be in vain, or will love transcend all differences?

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My Review

Piali is a teacher who works with 12th standard students in Mussourie. She lives by herself at the accommodation close to her school. She is in charge of the centenary celebration that’s being organised at the school. In the middle of a busy day, she gets a call from Sathya, the love of her life. He has discovered her whereabouts.

From this point, the story takes you in flashback. If Sathya is the love of her life, then why are they not together? You have to read the story to find out.

I somehow feel that Piali’s character is very similar to author Andy Paula’s. It’s just an instinct. Both are teachers who love teaching English. Piali has a powerful leadership quality that also somehow tells me is a lot like the author. The President of the country visiting the school again appears to be based on Andy’s connection with Ex-President Abdul Kalam.

Apart from that, I liked the way Piali Roy has been etched. Her struggle with her parents, her father’s stubborn attitude and her mother’s silent support of her father – everything has been framed well.

I loved Sathya’s character. He is the perfect character for a romance and really came across as a hero. Lucky Piali!

One thing disappointed me, though. The end was abrupt and I was startled to see that that was it, the story was over. Quite unexpected!

All in all, a very well written, lovely story that is worth a read. Congratulations Andy Paula -  looking forward to reading more of your work!

I will go with a 4-star rating for Andy Paula's Love's Labor

The cover is perfect for the book and has been done by Naila Ahmed. Kudos Naila!

Meet the Creator of Love’s Labor

This is the first in my ‘Meet the Creator’ (read ‘author interview’) series. Do be kind and post your positive views.

Andy Paula is the author of Love’s Labor, a romance novella published by Indireads. It’s her debut novel and obviously a labor of love. I enjoyed reading Andy Paula’s Love’s Labor and I am happy that I got this opportunity to meet the creator of this beautiful romance. 

Sundari Venkatraman: Give a description of your novel ‘twitter’ style, in 140 characters. 

Andy Paula: #PialiRoy #SathyaNair Impossible mission-love! Domineering fathers, doting mothers. Can lovers beat odds? No Love without Labor http://www.amazon.in/dp/B00H6UARAK 

SV: Can you describe your journey from Anindita Sarkar to Andy Paula?

AP: Anindita was christened Andy by her schoolmates and assured that she would win the Pulitzer some day. Andy laughed at the idea knowing full well that good compositions in the grammar paper did not translate to a literary award. She grew up, mastered in English and picked up the red pen. As an educator, she lived out her childhood dream of teaching English. Working in various public schools of India brought her the experience, the adulation and the spondylitis.  It was when the last happened -with the heaps of notebook and exam paper corrections- that a corporate training opportunity arose. Relieved at dropping the red pen and picking the mouse, the corporate trainer went on to train the IT sector in Voice and Accent, Culture and Behavioural modules. Six years into that and UK beckoned. 

Quitting my corporate career - without batting an eyelid! – it was when I was savouring the English sounds, sight and smell that the blogging bug bit me. As my dormant muse raised its pretty head, and surprised me by keeping it raised, Indireads happened. Love’s Labor, a story untold, was waiting to be told and by now I remembered the Pulitzer ‘prediction’. So revisions, edits, give-up stages later, I finally went with the flow (read, editor) and the book saw the light of the day. Some labor, that!

SV: They say that debut novels generally verge on a lot of incidents from the author’s life. How much of Love’s Labor follows yours? 

AP: A lot. The plot, the characters, the settings, the conversations – all are real. What is not is the end. And the names. 

SV: I see that you are a corporate trainer. Do you see yourself becoming a full-time writer?  

AP: Had Love’s Labor sent me laughing to the bank, I could’ve answered this with more certainty, Sundari! Since I’m still reeling under the impact of the lack of zeroes on the paycheck, I am unable to say.  

SV: Love’s Labor was born out of the impact of a real incident in the life of someone you know. What about your next book?

AP: Love’s Labor is one real life incident; my next is many people, many lives. 

SV: Love’s Labor is a romance. Do you plan to continue writing in the same genre or…?

AP: Everyone loves a love story. So romance has a huge market that Indirom, the flagship of Indireads, decided to tap. 
For now, I don’t have a roadmap but my stories will always be about human relationships, I think. That is what fascinates me the most.  

That was a lovely conversation with Andy Paula, the creator of Love’s Labor. It was fun talking to you about your journey as a writer Andy. I hope you get a number of ‘zeroes’ in your upcoming paycheck. Looking forward to reading your next book. 

     The Book Club Presents Andy Paula's Love's Labour 

Meet the Author

Andy Paula is a corporate trainer by profession and a writer by vocation. After the innumerable essays, poems, articles, editorials, congratulations & condolence letters she wrote for herself and others refused to satiate her writer's Self, she finally put herself seriously to the task and wrote Love's Labor,a romance novella that is now on Goodreads. 
To know more about the versatile author click here.

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Grays Hill By Barbara T. Cerny


The Blurb

After her father committed suicide, rather than face his mounting gambling debts, Oksana Wallingford knows she will have to work in order to keep food on the table and her younger brother, the new baron, in school. When her best friend finds her a position as the nanny of his brother's children, it is the opportunity Oksana needs. But what she didn't contend with was Rafe, the recently widowed Duke of Essex and her new employer.

Oksana and Rafe's personalities are like oil and water. However, what begins as mutual hate slowly begins to change into something more. But what future can they have when Rafe has sworn off marriage for good?

As the mismatched pair struggles to come to terms with one another, a disaster that throws everything into question strikes them both.

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My Review

I had been keen to read this book when I read Rubina’s review on her blog. The blurb was quite interesting. Before I went and bought the book, I received a copy to review for this blog tour. Am I lucky I landed with this wonderful book by Barbara T. Cerny!

The Book

The story begins with Geoff aka Lord Tarkington, a sunny character and the younger brother of Rafe, the Duke of Essex. Geoff sees that his friend Lady Oksana Jane and her family are in deep trouble when the king’s men take away all their possessions and their home to pay off the loans of her dead father. He immediately jumps to their rescue. 

Geoff sees to it that her mother is settled before offering Oksana the post of governess to his nephews at Grays Hill, the duke’s country mansion. While the dour duke is not too keen on the arrangement, he is convinced of the advantages.

Soon, Oksana takes over Rafe’s household and runs it smoothly, too much so for his liking. The servants adore her and are ready to do her bidding at the flick of her fingers. Was she aspiring to become the duchess? 

Sparks fly when Oksana and Rafe come together – every time. Soon, the anger turns to passion. But will the duke ever escape his dead wife’s shadow to marry again? 

My take on it

I like a story that starts with dialogue on Page 1. I could see that it was going to move fast with that kind of a beginning. The conversation set the background as the author introduces the characters. 

Oksana is a strong woman who is loving, hardworking, truthful and determined. She is a bundle of energy who takes to living in Grays Hill as a duck takes to water. Her friendship with Geoff, her guileless nature and her playacting skills have been woven so beautifully into the story. What really touched my heart is the way she tames Lucifer, a wild horse that refuses to be handled by anyone. Oksana’s huge build should have been off-putting. But somehow, it makes her all the more endearing. 

Rafe is angry with what life has dealt him. He loses his parents at a very young age - left to deal with the Duchy, his two younger sisters and a kid brother - a lot of responsibility for a man of 20. He does not have a choice but to grow up fast. His marriage has left him totally bitter and he has forgotten to smile, let alone laugh. The transformation of the duke under Oksana’s influence has been dealt with so wonderfully that it is a joy to read. One could see the resemblance between Lucifer and Rafe. 

Then there is Geoff. He is fun, a truly loyal friend and an adoring uncle. I just loved his character and his relationship with Rafe and Oksana. He is totally unpretentious. 

I have a request of Barbara T. Cerny – please, can you create a sequel for this book with Geoff as the hero?

I loved reading this period romance and will go with 5 stars. Looking forward to reading more by this author! 


                
Grays Hill


Meet the Author


Barbara T. Cerny grew up in Grand Junction, Colorado. She served twenty-two years in the US Army Reserves, retiring a Lieutenant Colonel in 2007. She is an information technology specialist and supervisor. Barb writes historical romances good for late teen and adults. She puts a lot of history and adventure into her work. Words are her passion, they do matter.

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Sirens Spell Danger 
By 
C.Suresh, Radha Sawana & Karthik L



The Blurb

There are sirens and, then, there are sirens. Some warn you of danger and some lure you into danger...Lured by a sexy siren, Vicky is mistaken for a secret agent, kidnapped, tortured and slated for death. Will he survive and save Bangalore from going up in flames?...There is a serial killer loose in the city leaving mysterious messages around the bodies of the victims. Are the messages a challenge to the police or a siren call to lure another victim...Jay is sent to Bellary to investigate a possible ISI plot. Was it merely a murky political plot or was there something more sinister in the offing? And why were two women suddenly singing siren songs of love?...Three tales of nerve-racking suspense and pulse-pounding action.

MY REVIEW

This book consists of three stories that have been written by different authors – Suresh C, Radha Sawana & Karthik L. The common touch is the sirens who lure the protagonists into danger. Are they what they appear to be? 

Femme Fatale by Suresh C

The story is about Vikram who goes to Bangalore for an interview. He doesn’t bother to attend it when his mother calls him to say that he has been selected for IPS. Celebrating at a bar, he gets attracted to the gorgeous Tanya who leads him on a wild goose chase. Vikram lands in trouble – big time.

The story is fast-paced and takes you on a crazy ride as Vikram keeps getting into situations. Who is Tanya? Why is she leading him on? Why does he trust her despite the problems she creates in his life? You have to read the full story to find out.

I liked the narration and style of Suresh’s way of story-telling. My eyes rushed over the lines trying to find out what happens next. The situations and characters are quite believable and interestingly fleshed out. It’s definitely worth a read.

I have one peeve though. Right at the beginning, over the first 2-3 pages I noticed a number of words that have been oft-repeated. Case in point – “ogle”. Some of the sentences could have been better framed, definitely. It calls for better editing. The similes used are not very relatable. 

I will go with 3.5 stars for this story. 

Bella Dona by Radha Sawana

This story begins with a bang – a murder, no less. Inspector Shardul Reham is at a loss to understand how the dead body happens to be where it is. The man is a rich industrialist. Why would he book himself into a shady hotel? 

The post mortem does not come up with all the answers. Soon, the head of the forensic department, Rajinder Sharma, connects this murder to another that had occurred under similar circumstances. Where they on to a serial killer?

Sharma’s assistant Girish is intelligent and good at his job. But that still does not stop the next couple of murders from being committed. Shardul is desperate to find the killer. Will he be in time to stop the next murder?

The murder mystery by Radha Sawana is fast-paced and well-narrated. I enjoyed reading the book that almost drove me to tears at the pathos behind the murders. It makes one feel that the murderer is justified. A very well thought out plot that’s been neatly put together. The language is also very good. 

Just one complaint – I see that the author is a chemistry expert. So a story based on the subject is perfect. But this is a work of fiction. I love to read fiction and am quite picky about how it is presented. I liked the description about ‘atropos’, etc. even if some of them were repeated. But I draw the line at a Google search result with a lot of chemical formulae. It takes the joy away from reading the story. I hope the author makes note of this point and adapts it in her next work. I do look forward to reading her future works. 

Another point that I noted – not a sin, but a mite surprising! The story is set where? In which city or town or country? 

I will go with 3.5 stars for Bella Dona by Radha Sawana. 

Bellary by Karthik L

Jay is an Intelligence Bureau agent who is sent on an assignment to Bellary. His boss Vasu had given Jay clear instructions on saving a situation that is to occur on the 25th. 

First he meets Shenaya and later Ruksana. Both the women land Jay in trouble, even jail. Were they out to stop him from completing his assignment? You will have to read the story to find out whether Jay is successful in his venture.

I was surprised by the strange twist in the story is to say the least. It makes for an interesting read as the author works around the plot, making it suitable for 21st century reading. 

While the language Karthik uses is very good, the book needs to be edited thoroughly. 

I will go with 3 stars for Bellary by Karthik L.

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Meet the Authors

C. Suresh
(Femme Fatale)

Fiction has been an addiction but the need to make a living took Suresh through Chemical Engineering and an MBA at IIM-Bangalore and, from thence, to a long 16 year stint in the area of finance with specific expertise in fertilizer subsidies and a further two years as consulting expert in the same area. That, in his words, about sums up the boring part of his life, except for the people he was privileged to meet.

Otherwise, he can be described as a mess of contradictions – a bookworm but avid trekker; alone but never lonely; enjoys solitude but loves company; lazy but a perfectionist, the litany is endless. Trekking, which side-tracked him from the writing for which he quit his job, is a major passion and he does, at least, one trek in the Himalayas every year in addition to numerous local treks.

He reignited his passion for writing with a fairly popular blog www.jambudweepam.blogspot.in and, currently, also has a short story – A Path of Thorns - published in a collection “Uff Ye Emotions”. His short stories The Gates of Hell and Yesterdays and Tomorrows have won contests. You can read a sampling of his fiction here.

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Radha Sawana
(Bella Donna)

Radha Sawana is part secretive, part playful, part ambitious, part indolent, and as a result, completely confused. She has been a bookworm as long as she can remember, and so it came as no surprise to her when suddenly the thought of starting her own blog occurred to her. Thus, in the 4th year of her education at BITS Pilani, she started her blog ‘Entropy’, the name paying homage to her subject of specialization – chemistry. 

Entropy began with random thoughts from her mind and before she realized it, she had started writing short stories too. Her first stories – The Late Goodbye and 48 Hours – are widely loved. Her personal favourite on her blog is her still untitled collection of three short pieces called Harakiri, Saisei and Wind. She is currently writing a seven-part story called Seven 

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Karthik L



Karthik, a management consultant by profession, has always had fondness for stories from his early childhood when he used to keenly listen to stories told by his grandfather. Over the next twenty five years, he has been voraciously consuming fiction starting with Enid Blyton and moving on to Arthur Conan Doyle and then Isaac Asimov. One fine day he decided he had heard enough stories and he start telling them instead and so he started his blog ‘Lucifer House Inc.’ in 2008. He has been continuously striving to entertain his readers through his blog posts over 5 years, winning some blogger awards as well in the process. The blog has a Google page rank of 3 and figures in the Top Indian blogs directory.

Do click on these links to check out some of his short stories.


One of his stories ‘Nootropic Egress’ won the best story award under science fiction category in a story telling contest and was published in the multi-genre anthology ‘Ten Shades of Life’. He has recently started another blog ‘Three Realms of the Mind’ to share his passion for his three favorite fiction genres – science fiction, fantasy and historic fiction with the rest of the world. He dreams of being a bestselling author in one of these genres. Last but not the least, he shares alma maters (IIT and IIM) with some of the most popular contemporary Indian authors and hopes he can share their success in garnering readers as well.
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Blog Tour Schedule

(19th Jan- 25th Jan 2014)

19th January '14
Sonia Rao (Spotlight)

19th January '14
Rubina Ramesh (Spotlight/ Review)

20th January '14
Janaki Nagaraj (Review)

21 st January '14
Byrappa (Spotlight)

21 st January '14

22nd January '14
Sridevi Datta (Spotlight)

22nd January '14
Jaibala Rao (Review/ Interview)

23rd January '14
Ruchi Vasudeva (Review / Interview)

24th January '14
From the Heart - Neel

25th January '14 (Review)
Dola Basu Singh
Shiuli

25th January '14 (Interview)
The Tales Pensieve







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