Entries Tagged 'India' ↓
April 25th, 2009 — 5 Stars, Comedy of Manners, Contemporary, Executive, India, Indian, Interracial, Movie Reviews, United States of America
If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. It's free and a great way to keep up to date. Thanks for visiting!
I saw this movie 3 times within 3 days and enjoyed it every time.
Todd Anderson is the vice president of customer relations and order fulfillment for a company that sells over the phone patriotic kitsch. Within five minutes of the movie starting, Todd learns that despite his excellent record and that of his team they’re being outsourced. If he wants to keep his job he must head to India for the purpose of training his replacement and the new team. Part of the job description is to get the minutes per incident down to six, a nearly impossible feat due to the accent and cultural differences.
Culture shock hit the minute Todd lands in India and gets off the plane. Frustrated, irritated, and disappointed with everything Todd bungles his way through 24 hours. Some of the things he misses that seem common knowledge enough to me are worthy of a little eye rolling. If it’s a social gaffe to double dip in America why would you think it’s okay to lick your fingers before putting your hand back into a bowl of food?
In any case, the more Todd resists India the bleaker things seem. Will he ever be able to return home to America or will he be stuck in India forever? Luckily he learns quickly that the best way to get what he wants is to stop resisting India’s culture and charm. Within the month this movie takes place becomes a top notch manager and teacher.
As the story develops, Todd also finds a love interest. He learns the differences of courting and just how important appearances are for women. The romance is referred to by Asha, the girl, as a Holiday in Goa, which means the love affair before one has to enter an arranged marriage. She is accepting that it’s not a love match, but expects love to develop over time. When confronted by how crazy it was to agree to something so archaic, Asha tells Todd it’s crazier that Americans have a 50% divorce rate.
They fall in love and naturally must part ways, but wait!!!! Without giving too much away I will say this: the ending is positive and open ended with enough leeway to write any conclusion a viewer wishes.
Rating: 5 Stars
Buy: Outsourced
Online Stores
April 10th, 2009 — 5 Stars, Book Review, Bride Stealing, Children, Counts, Marquis, Viscounts, Eloisa James, England, Handicap, Headaches, Heiress, Historical Romance, India, Plump/Endowed Heroine, Scarred Hero, Virgin Heroine
Book three of the Pleasures Trilogy staring plump little Gabrielle from India and Erskine (Quill) Dewland soon to be Viscount Dewland. Right off the bat, this was my kind of book and I loved reading every word. I’ll tell you why:
First, the alpha male is one of those wounded and brooding alphas. Quill was hurt from a horse riding accident that left him scarred. He walks with a slight limp most of the time but when tired it is more pronounced. He can’t dance. Repetitive motions cause him intense migraines and this includes riding horses but more importantly intercourse. As alpha males goes, Quill is decidedly masculine. He likes women – he just doesn’t know if they’re worth the three day recuperation.
Second, this story also involves one male character basically stealing the bride out from another man’s nose. This doesn’t always go well for me, but in this case it was just icing. Upon learning that his son was practically incapable of siring progeny, the elder Viscount Dewland orders his second son Peter to take the heiress sight unseen as his bride. Peter doesn’t want to marry, positively shrinks back from the idea, but eventually under pressure agrees. To his dismay, Gabrielle is the antitheses of beauty, grace, and lacks the instinct to navigate smoothly with society’s haut ton.
Third, Gabrielle is a completely charming heroine. She is as gabby as her nickname implies and loves to talk. Gabby is protective, open, loving, kind, and sharp. She is smart enough to keep her half-brother safe from harm. She also knows that Peter finds her a great disappointment. Despite knowing from experience with her father in India, is determined to do her best to please Peter so that he will fall in love with her. This makes her equally stubborn.
She makes friends early with the Duchess of Gisle who has just returned from her honeymoon on the continent. They meet at the dressmakers. Peter has brought her there to clothe her properly so she won’t shame him in public and prays the Madam will be able to transform his ugly duckling of a future wife.
Quill of course, thinks his younger brother is nuts. In fact most of the men in the ton that have seen luscious Gabby agree with Quill. They congratulate (quite crudely) Peter on his good fortune to snare such a well endowed beauty who will surely be a hellcat in bed. They think it’s doubly clever of Peter that she is an heiress.
When Gabby laughs her way into one social scandal, Peter is determined to throw her over but doesn’t know how. Quill gladly informs his brother that he will marry Gabby and happily. Of course, he’s worried about what she’ll think of him later, but Quill can hardly bring himself to care about his own problems. He burns for her and is happy around her. This is enough for him. His only true concern is will it be enough for Gabby?
Rating: 5 Stars
Originally posted 2008-12-11 09:29:18. Republished by Old Post Promoter
Online Stores
April 2nd, 2009 — 3.5 Stars, England, Gaelen Foley, Guest Reviews, Historical Romance, India, Queen or Princess
By: Marcia, guest reviewer
Her Every Pleasure is the third book in the Spice trilogy about three siblings, British citizens, who have grown up in India. It is a story of duty, honor and destiny which would seem predictable for a romance novel; but add an ambitious Sheik and ruthless Janissaries bent on conquering Europe and converting it to Islam, and it becomes much more interesting.
Gabriel Knight has retired from the Regulars and withdrawn from life while recuperating from an arrow in the abdomen as well as the horrors of war. Having had an after death experience, he believes that he has a destiny to fulfill. At six feet, four inches tall and heavily muscled, he is the epitome of tall dark and handsome. A warrior and leader of men he must learn to follow before fulfilling his destiny.
Princess Sophia has been attacked on the road to London and has fled to hide in a barn on what she supposes is an abandoned farm. She intends to masquerade as a servant while waiting to be rescued by her security team. Over the years, one by one, her entire family has been assassinated until she is the last in line to rule the Greek island kingdom of Kavros. She has been taught to defend herself by her head of security and will kill when necessary. When Gabriel finds her asleep, he assumes that she is a gypsy with loose morals that his brother sent to ‘take care of his needs’. They are strongly attracted to each other but each resist because of duty, honor and destiny, not understanding that those are the very reasons that they should be together.
Her Every Pleasure is told with vivid visual descriptions and a tightly constructed plot. The characters are fully developed and sympathetic. Although the characters and events are entirely fictional, the story is told with historical realism. Galen Foley is always a good read.
3.5 Stars
Buy: Her Every Pleasure
If you too would like to write LRP a guest post, Keira would be thrilled to include you on her blog. Please check out the provided link for guidelines.
Originally posted 2008-12-03 15:12:22. Republished by Old Post Promoter
Online Stores
