Now & Forever by Simi K. Rao

About the Book:

Can Shaan and Ruhi face their biggest fears and unite together?

Shaan and Ruhi Ahuja, very much in love Indian newlyweds, discover each other in Simi K. Rao’s Now and Forever—the sassy and sexy sequel to Inconvenient Relations. After getting the scare of their lives while traveling in the Grand Canyon, Shaan and Ruhi go back home to one dilemma after another. Shaan’s job is in jeopardy, and one of Ruhi’s closest friends, Sunshine, needs her. How will Shaan and Ruhi handle life’s hurdles, while still trying to get to know each other as husband and wife? Will they be able to forsake all others and consolidate their relationship?

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Personality talks, it walks and rocks

This statement is absolutely true. At least it is for me. For example, how often have you come across someone who’s gorgeous to look at but then they start talking and you realize they aren’t so hot at all. You almost wish they hadn’t opened their mouths. The opposite also holds true.  

Its personality or character that makes or breaks a person. The same goes for a good novel too. What I’m getting at is character development. I may get drawn to a book by its attractive cover and plot summary but if the characters are insipid, if they don’t talk to me or get under my skin my interest quickly dissipates and I will usually dump the book.

I’d like to say the characters in my books have several dimensions (they aren’t necessarily schizophrenic), with subtleties that are revealed slowly or kept hidden like many people we all know and acquaint ourselves with. I cannot write my characters unless I know them or I am them. Often I also live and dream them. They are my friends; I talk to them. I ask them how they feel then jot down what they say.

Inconvenient Relations and its sequel Now and Forever have some interesting characters. Please note that it is vital to read Book 1 to enjoy Book 2 because essentially this story is a study of a relationship and its various phases.

An imperfect yet perfect couple---

Ruhi or my chile dulce (sweet chili pepper) as her spouse Shaan likes to call her, starts of like any young woman from a cherished background, with dreams of building a future with her one-in-a-million husband who has been carefully picked for her by her parents. But her hopes are challenged right from page one. She is coerced into taking on a role that is quite alien to her or maybe had been held back and didn’t have the chance to manifest thus far. It isn’t uncommon for certain personality traits to reveal themselves only under times of duress. Instead of bowing down and mutely accepting what destiny has doled out to her, Ruhi chooses to stand up to it. She shows her husband the mirror by turning the tables on him. She disguises her vulnerability in a bold and brazen avatar. She is a novice hence perhaps rash in her ways and often undiplomatic in her conversation yet she is also coy and secretive. All in all, she is a clever and maddening bundle of fun and mischief who adroitly twists her willing hubby around her little finger and exhibits no qualms about it. She loves him with a passion and won’t stop at anything to get him what is rightfully his. She is a woman to be reckoned with.

Sona munda Shaan Ahuja (heat factor to the power of infinity) is a gorgeous nerd who falls for the wrong woman and ends up paying for it dearly. He quashes the dreams of his new bride by announcing on their wedding night that he loves another and then surprise, surprise finds himself in a pickle. Shaan is a sensitive man with an arrogant streak who is devoted to his wife and his job. He is at once a jealous lover and a possessive husband. He falls for his wife at the outset and doesn’t recognize it or is kept from acknowledging it by his ego and maybe his insecurity. Regardless she drags his feelings out in the open after a cat and mouse game and they have a grand time until life tests him again. But then he has his trump card at his side.

I cannot conclude without talking about Sunshine, who happens to be my favorite character in the books. A frail septuagenarian, she is the catalyst in Ruhi and Shaan’s bonding. But don’t be deceived, this little old lady has a verve for life that is rare even among those a quarter her age. Enough said, I need to leave something for my books. Happy reading!

About the Author:

Simi K. Rao was born and grew up in India before relocating to the U.S., where she has lived for several years. The inspiration for her books, and other projects, comes from her own experience with cross-cultural traditions, lifestyles and familial relationships, as well as stories and anecdotes collected from friends, family and acquaintances.
Rao enjoys exploring the dynamics of contemporary American culture blended with Indian customs and heritage to reflect the challenges and opportunities many Indian-American women face in real life.
Much of Rao's down time is devoted to creative pursuits, including writing fiction, poetry and photography. She is an avid traveler and has visited many locations around the world.
A practicing physician, Rao lives in the United States with her family.


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Other Books in the Series:

Shaan Ahuja found himself bowing to tradition and agreeing to an arranged marriage to the beautiful Ruhi Sharma. He went through the motions but had no intention of carrying through on his vows. His last foray into matters of the heart with an American girl had left him scarred and unwilling to try again. Thoroughly disillusioned and disgruntled he wasted no time in making his intentions clear to Ruhi on their wedding night. But, he was completely unprepared for what his new wife had in mind.

This multi-cultural contemporary romance story of an arranged marriage is a beautiful blending of showing the Indian and American cultures. Readers will learn more about the Indian heritage and the romance that happens behind closed doors in an Indian relationship in Simi K. Rao's Inconvenient Relations. This coming of age story about true love explores multi-cultural issues.

Goodreads * Amazon

Giveaway:
1)  A $10 Amazon Gift Card 
2) A kindle copy each of Inconvenient relations and Now and Forever. 

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