by Zeenat Mahal
He retorted somewhat guiltily, “Yes, I am. And I’ll have you know that she’s a very nice girl.”
“Nice girl?” Fardeen asked in a tone loaded with meaning. Then added, “Now, Zo—ella here is a nice girl. Mahnoor, on the other hand…” Fardeen gave his brother a wicked grin and shook his head.
Zoella felt a warm prickle of embarrassment. First he’d forgotten her name. He’d been seeing her in his house for the last decade and a half at least and he didn’t even know her name. Now he was calling her a nice girl.
She felt insulted. Nice girls were boring. Nice girls were to be avoided like the plague. Nice girls married the first man who asked their parents, bore said man two children, and got fat. Nice girls did not have fun. Nice girls did not have rich, handsome Adonises hankering after them. She was not a nice girl. Nope. Hell, no.
Was she?
“I’m…I’m…” Zoella stuttered, wanting to change the impression Fardeen had of her as the bland vanilla nice girl. She didn’t want to be a nice girl. She wanted to be the girl Fardeen would fall in love with, marry and live with happily ever after. She needed to say something clever. She certainly did not want to appear gauche and awkward by saying the wrong thing, or worse, not saying anything at all. She wanted to be witty and funny and dazzling. Instead, she was stammering, frantically searching her blissfully blank mind for a droll retort.
Fardeen however, had moved on already and was addressing his brother, “I can smell nice girls from across the galaxy. Take it from me, that girl you’re seeing is not nice.”
There was too much noise to think, Zoella consoled herself, as Fardeen casually snagged Neha’s hand and was halfway across the rooftop before anyone could say anything more. There, he turned and asked Salaar with another wicked grin, “What do you want with a nice girl anyway? You’re not thinking of marrying her, are you?”
“F…Get off my back,” Salaar said with open irritation. His brother’s laughter at Salaar’s discomfiture made Salaar glower even more.
Chuckling, Fardeen walked towards the winding stone staircase, with Neha on his arm.
“Fardeen, how very naughty of you! What’s wrong with nice girls?” Neha batted her eyelashes at him. Still chuckling, Fardeen walked towards the winding stairway with Neha on his arm.
His eyes warmed as he looked at Neha. “Nothing, I’m sure. I’d have no clue what to do with them, however.”
A dark, bitter disappointment swelled within Zoella. He’d just called her a nice girl. Her brain however, chose that moment to register, yet again, the dark hair that fell in soft waves, his perfect profile and the broad shoulders that carried his designer jacket so well. She sighed again.
She’d lost count of her sighs long ago. There were too many. There were different kinds. There were those she secretly enjoyed because they were for Fardeen. Then there were those that escaped from the depths of her troubled soul because her mother never took her side against her domineering brother, who treated her like his personal slave. There were some she tried to suppress because she realized that perhaps she was too much of a dreamer.
Perhaps it was her youthful arrogance born of optimistic inexperience that kept her dream of true love alive, because without it, her life was desolate. There was a part of her that understood that Fardeen’s sexy smile, his black unruly hair that fell roguishly across his forehead, the angles and planes of his chiseled face, were not meant for the likes of Zoella Khan, the wretched of the earth, who would neither inherit said planet, nor Adonis-like older brothers of best friends.
***
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MORE BY ZEENAT MAHAL
Title: Haveli
ISBN: 978-1-927826-02-7
Genre: Romance
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Book Blurb:
Abandoned by her father, C. is brought up by her domineering, intractable grandmother, whom she privately refers to as ‘The Broad’. Raised in the closed environs of a haveli in Jalalabad, C. is rebellious, quick-witted and a self-proclaimed cynic.
So, when The Broad presents her with the ‘suitable’ Taimur as a possible husband, C. isn’t too happy with the arrangement, no matter how gorgeous ‘Alpha Male’ may be. As it happens, the feeling is mutual. Or is it?
And when C.’s long lost father enters the scene, things get really complicated…
Praise for Haveli:
Though Austen might have taken pause with some of Chandni’s wardrobe options, I think she would whole-heartedly approve of the buildup to the romance between Chandni and Taimur (who turns out to be a respectable gentleman even Mr. Darcy would approve of
The Lemon Review
Dear Ms. Mahal, I love your voice here!
Dear Author (Jayne S)
A reading treat both for eyes and for minds alike.
Books News India
A sweet romance with sparkling dialogue and a gallant hero. Just my favourite type of read. I look forward to more from this worthy author.
Maria Perry Mohan – Contemporary Romance Reviews
I will revisit it whenever I want to read a modern, Asian version of Jane Austen books.
Rekha Seshadri
What comes to mind with a setting of 1971, Nawabs and Haveli? Iridescent chandeliers, flowing gharara, shimmering dupattas, tinkling bangles, and an intense, magnetic hero, each of these things came alive for me from the first page when ‘C’ starts to pour tea under the watchful eyes of ‘The Broad’.
Ruchi Singh
Though Austen might have taken pause with some of Chandni’s wardrobe options, I think she would whole-heartedly approve of the buildup to the romance between Chandni and Taimur (who turns out to be a respectable gentleman even Mr. Darcy would approve of).
L Gregory Blog Review
Title: The Contract
Author: Zeenat Mahal
ISBN: 978-1-927826-15-7
Genre: Romance
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Book Blurb:
“…I’ll pay you a monthly salary to behave and appear for all practical purposes as my wife…If you agree, the marriage vows can be taken on the phone on Saturday, since I have an hour free in the morning.”
Circumstances have forced the young divorcée, Shahira, to accept Hussain’s unusual proposition. As per their contract, she’ll have his name, will be paid to look after his ailing mother and motherless daughter and will be left well alone by him. Perfect!
Until her new husband decides to stop playing by the rules…
Praise for The Contract:
One reason I love to read books set in a country other than my own is for the chance to vicariously live there for the duration of the story. "The Contract" allows me to do just that. It's packed with little details about life in Lahore, Pakistani families, weddings, Daahta Saheb and life in general."
Dear Author (Jayne S)
She is a blessed writer who spreads ‘the fragrance of motherland’ through her prose. She hails from Pakistan and her understanding of Pakistani culture and her admiration oozes from her stories and characters alike.
Books News India
A perfect leisure read which thrills and excites
NjKinny's World of Books
Read this story for the brilliant language, portrayal of emotions and strong female character (that is an indireads norm, I guess). A very enjoyable, short read.
Readers’ Muse
This book sure is a hidden gem that only a few lucky bookworms have discovered.
Prity Malhotra
ABOUT INDIREADS
Indireads was started with the aim to revolutionizing the popular fiction genre in South Asia. We showcase vibrant narratives that describe the lives, constraints, hopes and aspirations of modern South Asian men and women. We take great pride in our role as a channe
l for South Asian writers to engage readers at home and abroad.
Please visit us at www.indireads.com to learn more, and browse our entire collection. Please subscribe to our newsletter at http://www.indireads.com/subscribe/ to hear about our new releases, get access to member-only promotions and more.
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We welcome your feedback at [email protected]
ABOUT ZEENAL MAHAL
Zeenat Mahal (@zeemahal) is an avid reader and has been writing for as long as she can remember. She has an MPhil in English literature from Government College Lahore and recently completed an MFA in creative writing from Kingston University, London.
Zeenat has eclectic tastes and an insatiable desire to learn. Her romances are a heady mix of the traditional and the contemporary, old world values face the challenges of a shrinking globe that impinge upon and help shape South Asian sensibilities.
She can be contacted on her FB page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Zeenat-Mahal.
MORE BY INDIREADS
Title: A Scandalous Proposition
Author: M M George
ISBN: 978-1-927826-03-4
Genre: Contemporary Romance
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Book Blurb:
“What is your price, Mira?”
“You’ll never be able to afford it!”
Feisty, small-town girl Mira Talwar is just finding her feet in Delhi when she encounters the hottest bachelor in the country, Ranbir Dewan. The sparks flying between them sizzle with sexual tension, but when Ranbir puts a scandalous proposition before her, she turns him down spiritedly.
However, thrown together by unhappy coincidence, Mira is finding it hard to resist Ranbir’s attentions. And he isn’t the kind to give up easily…
Title: Butterfly Season
Author: Natasha Ahmed
ISBN: 978-1-927826-55-3
Genre: Romance
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Book Blurb:
On her first holiday in six years, Rumi is expecting to relax and unwind. But when she is set up by her long-time friend, she doesn’t shy away from the possibilities. Ahad, a charming, independent, self-made man, captures her imagination, drawing her away from her disapproving sister, Juveria.
Faced with sizzling chemistry and a meeting of the minds, Ahad and Rumi find themselves deep in a relationship that moves forward with growing intensity. But as her desire for the self-assured Ahad grows, Rumi struggles with a decision that will impact the rest of her life.
Confronted by her scandalized sister, a forbidding uncle and a society that frowns on pre-marital intimacy, Rumi has to decide whether to shed her middle-class sensibilities, turning her back on her family, or return to her secluded existence as an unmarried woman in Pakistan.
We follow Rumi from rainy London to a sweltering Karachi, as she tries to take control of her own destiny
Title: Done With Men
Author: Shuchi Singh Kalra
ISBN: 978-1-927826-32-4
Genre: Romantic Comedy, Romance
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Book Blurb:
Travel journo, Kairavi Krishna (Kay) has had it with men. After a series of disasters (losers, philanderers, leeches, mama’s boys and possessive psychos), she is all too tempted to walk out on the prospect of ever finding love. But just when Kay is Done With Men, she meets Mr. Right.
Accompanied by her best friend and flat-mate Baani, she sets off for Goa, hoping to get away from her miserable love life and vowing to stay clear of the male species.
Goa however, has a host of surprises in store for her. Ricky, her pesky ex-boyfriend, is busy painting the town red with his hot new girlfriend. Now what is poor Kay to do, other than overdose on vodka, smoke pot, get an outrageous tattoo and fall off the hotel balcony?
She wakes up in the hospital to the tender ministrations of Dr. Vivian D’Mello—young, suave and handsome as hell. Will Kay stick to her guns or will she fall for his ridiculously sexy charms? And what’s up with the mixed signals he’s giving out?
Title: The Perfect Groom
Author: Sumeetha Manikandan
ISBN: 978-1-927826-14-0
Genre: Women’s Literature
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Book Blurb:
Very little has gone right in Nithya’s young life. So, when a proposal from a young, handsome NRI comes along, her mother jumps at the opportunity and packs her daughter off to the US with her perfect groom.
Nithya seems to have settled in with Ashok, ostensibly happy, if as yet childless, in her new life. When an old flame comes back into her life, however, the cracks in her perfect marriage begin to show…
Title: Girl from Fatehpur
Author: Sarita Varma
ISBN: 978-1-927826-18-8
Genre: Romance
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Book Blurb:
“I love you Rajan,” she had blurted out, hands clenched tightly at her sides.
“Sana, you are only a kid…you will soon forget all this. Besides, don’t you also love Shahrukh Khan?”
A decade has gone by and Sanjana, now a highflying professional in Mumbai, thought she was over her childhood crush on the enigmatic Rajan. Back in her hometown Fatehpur for a family wedding, she bumps into him; he’s still enigmatic and the sparks are still there. Just when things begin to heat up, though, in walks Krish, a colleague from Mumbai, who seems to be very possessive of Sanjana…
Title: A Newlywed’s Adventures in Married Land
Author: Shweta Ganesh Kumar
ISBN: 978-0-9919600-4-0
Genre: Women’s Literature
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Book Blurb:
“Dependent!!?”
Mythili has just moved to the Philippines to be with the love of her life and new husband, Siddharth. From being a hard-as-nails reporter who covered crime stories of the goriest kind, Mythili is now just a ‘dependent’. On top of that, unemployment, encounters with expat-wives and culture shock leave her feeling like she has fallen down a rabbit hole.
Mythili and Siddharth slowly come to realize that being newlywed in a foreign country is very different from being passionately in love, long-distance. Will this real life Alice find her way out of her own little Wonderland, or will the Red Queen take her head?
Title: Only a Dream
Author: Jazz Singh
ISBN: 978-1-927826-09-6
Genre: Romance
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Book Blurb:
Rhea is successful, accomplished and perfectly content in the comfortable little niche she has carved out for herself. She’s moved on from the heartbreak of her past, and hasn’t looked back in years. When Varun comes waltzing into her life again, however, Rhea is unprepared for the rush of memories that upset her neat little life. Nor is she able to push back her broken dreams, and learn to trust again.
Varun wants her back, but it looks like an uphill task, at best…
Title: Unsettled – A Search for Love and Meaning
Author: Neelima Vinod
ISBN: 978-1-927826-07-2
Genre: Women’s Literature
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Book Blurb:
The hundred-room house is a rich tapestry of memories and hidden secrets, a dark, forbidding place, rumoured to be haunted by a vengeful Yakshi. Propelled by a desire to save their marriage, Divya and Raghav journey to the haunted mansion in search of the mythical Scrolls of Love.