The paperback will be available in a couple of weeks, too!
The Blurb
Who knew that an innocent trip to India in the year 2000 would have such an impact on his life?
Sunny had only gone as a chaperone for his sister and her best friend and to attend to a few business matters.
He’d ended up with a deal that would change the shape of his professional future and possibly his personal one too.
Battling the pressures of marriage by his family isn’t Sunny’s only fight, as he finds his feelings for a certain ‘friend’ may be more than just friendship.
But how can he tell anyone how he truly feels? Because the road to love isn’t always straight…
Ritu Bhathal is a fresh, new, and much-needed voice for British Asian fiction.
Straight As a Jalebi is Book 2 in the Rishtay Series, following the Gill family in the new millennium.
And a recommendation from best-selling author Jeevank Charika!
“This is a delightful male-male sweet romance. Sunny is just adorable, and Milan is the perfect guy for him! I raced through this book in one highly enjoyable weekend.”
At least I didn’t wait six months before posting this time! Only four… 🙈 Sorry!
Still, I come bearing some lovely news!
I was able to share the cover of Book 2 in the Rishtay Series, Straight As A Jalebi, last time, and today I am so pleased to let you know that the publisher has set up the pre-order on Amazon for the Kindle version!
That little treat? Well, if you preorder Straight As a Jalebi and send me proof (use the ‘contact me’ form here, or message me via Instagram), I will put you in a draw to win a signed copy of the book when it comes out in paperback a little while after the Kindle release date!
I’m nervous but so excited to bring book baby 2 into the world in two short months!
Firstly, let me apologise for not posting for around half of this year.
What can I say…
Being a full-time teacher in management, having recently been through the OFSTED debacle (we got Good, so I’m not complaining, but still, STRESS!), on top of being mum to two teens at critical points in their lives and development, as well as wife and daughter… yadda yadda… well, put it this way, it leaves little time for the creative side of me.
Still, I have news and lots of it!
Over the summer, I finally completed the manuscript for my second book, which will be book two in the Rishtay Series, following on from Marriage Unarranged.
It was sent off to several readers, my editor and my publisher, and though tweaks are still happening, we have a release date of 1st June 2023 to coincide with PRIDE month!
We also have a COVER REVEAL for this next offering, entitled Straight As A Jalebi!
Aaaand… here is the cover! I’m a little bit in love with it. I hope you like it, too!
Here is a micro blurb to whet your appetites:
Who knew that an innocent trip to India in the year 2000 would have such an impact on his life? Sunny had only gone as a chaperone for his sister and her best friendand to attend to a few business matters while out there. He ends up with a deal that will change the shape of his professional future and possibly his personal one, too. But how would he be able to explain that to his family, who are gearing up to get him married off?
I am so excited about this one, but nervous, too, as some of the subject matter is out of my direct experience. This is why I have found a couple of sensitivity readers to ensure I have done the story justice.
And as an additional bonus, Marriage Unarranged is on offer this weekend at the bargain price of 79p/c!
The year 2000 and Aashi’s life was all set. New Millennium, exciting beginnings, new life. Or so she thought.
Like in the Bollywood films, Ravi would woo her, charm her family and they’d get married and live happily ever after.
But then Aashi found the empty condom box…
Putting her ex-fiancé and her innocence behind her, Aashi embarks upon an enlightening journey to another country, where vibrant memories are created and unforgettable friendships forged.
Old images erased, new beginnings to explore.
And how can she forget the handsome stranger she meets? A stranger who’s hiding something…
I’ll also be in the My Book Friends Group tomorrow as one of a whole host of guest authors, with a paperback giveaway of Marriage Unarranged, too, if you fancy popping over!
´¨) ¸.•´¸.•´¨) ¸.•¨) (¸.•´ (¸.•
CALLING ALL BOOK LOVERS! JOIN THE FUN with LOADS OF AUTHOR GIVEAWAYS on December 4th as over 50 authors will be visiting with readers in the Season of Giving Bookapalooza!
Don't forget to join us in My Book Friends. #MBFBookapalooza2022
Can you believe it’s been a week since Marriage Unarranged was officially released?
It has been amazing, and I can’t thank everyone enough for all your support and encouragement though the week – as well as your patience wading through these daily posts, recounting all that has been going on.
I tried to relax a bit more today since we are back at school tomorrow, but it never quite happens, does it? I’ve done lots of reading and sharing posts on Social Media, as well as making several trips to the Summer House as Hubby Dearest was on a mission to rejig the furniture in there! A bit of cooking, some laundry and a smidgen of cleaning, and we are done!
Of course, I had to end the week with a little recap Tiktok video, too!
It was the final day of the blog tour organised by the lovely Zoe-Lee O’Farrell (Click here for the full details!) and, we have two more lovely reviewers featuring Marriage Unarranged on their blog or Instagram!
If you’d like to take a peek at them, here are the links:
Saturday has been and is pretty much gone now. It’s World Gin Day today, too, did you know that? Might have to raise a glass to me!
Today comprised of getting up earlier than anticipated as Sonu Singh insisted that he needed to be fed RIGHT NOW otherwise he was going to chew at anything that made a noise in the bedroom, cheeky feline! Then I ended up reading and having a tidy-up before dropping Lil Man at this week\s cricket match. Coming home, I had the joyful task of helping to get Lil Man’s revision folder up to scratch for him, as he isn’t the most organised young man. So, three hours of printing, sorting and labelling later, I realised that the binder he had was broken. Lil Princess and I paid an emergency visit to the local Sainsburys to get a new folder, dividers and more printer paper (which is so expensive now, due to another national shortage!). I know how to live, don’t I? We had a Chinese takeout for dinner and chilled out for the evening. I watched My Name is Leon on BBC Iplayer. What a sad film! Have you watched it?
I honestly thought that this week I would be able to balance the release and all it encompasses, as well as some school work, then add some new words to book two. I was a little overconfident in my ability to keep all the plates spinning, what with also being mum-taxi to the kids twice a day! So I made another silly Tiktok! Thought I would share it with you all!
It is day six of the blog tour organised by the lovely Zoe-Lee O’Farrell (Click here for the full details!) and, we have two more lovely reviewers featuring Marriage Unarranged on their blog or Instagram!
If you’d like to take a peek at them, here are the links:
It’s Friday already, so that means, amongst other things, that I only have a weekend between me and being back in school for work! EEK!
If I am being honest, though, I was actually in school today. I had a load of printing to get done, as well as sorting out a little bit of the classroom, and some errands to run in town, meaning it wasn’t worth the drive back home in the middle (plus, with diesel prices the way they are at the moment, I’d rather stay put, thank you very much!)
Though, I did have a bit of exciting bookmail, today. The author copies of Marriage Unarranged are still in the pipeline, and I am rather impatient, so I ordered one off Amazon, as I was so keen to see what it looked like compared to my self-published version. You interested? Please take a peek at the TikTok I created! There is a minor colour change, as well as slightly different formats to the colour banding at the bottom, and that special Call to Action sticker at the front. Oh, and it is bigger than before, too!
It is day five of the blog tour organised by the lovely Zoe-Lee O’Farrell (Click here for the full details!) and we have two more lovely reviewers featuring Marriage Unarranged on their blog or Instagram!
If you’d like to take a peek at them, here are the links:
Thursday has almost come to an end, marking four days since Marriage Unarranged was released by Spellbound Books. It has been lovely reading reviews, and one, specifically mentioned a book I really enjoyed, earlier this year, comparing the two, and let’s just say, mine came off extremely favourably!
So, today, the school run was the first job of the day, and once I got back. I was good, getting on the treadmill for a speedwalk and a read. (Doesn’t everyone read their kindle while they walk?) A quick breakfast was followed by a little more school work, then I reviewed one book, and finished reading another. Lunch eaten, I had a go at some house cleaning, so the weekend was freer for me, then I headed off, Mum -Taxi, to pick the kids up again. And here I am now, after making dinner for the kids (hubby and I are eating a little later) typing up this recap! Still no new words written, but I know they will come, I can feel it in my bones!
It is day four of the blog tour organised by the lovely Zoe-Lee O’Farrell (Click here for the full details!) and today, one of the posts is an extract, and another is an interview about my writing process!
If you’d like to take a peek at them, here are the links:
Day three, and I am still flying high, I have to say! The reviews are starting to pop up, and I think paperbacks will hit some doormats soon, too! I think we are teetering between #2 and 3 in the Hot New Release chart for Asian fiction, still, too!
Wednesday, during half term for me, looked like this: dropping the kids off to school, taking an unplanned visit to Lidl for bananas, and coming out with an airfryer, several other things, (and, of course bananas!) getting home, making more work related calls, making lunch (I mastered poached egg!) then reading, and scrolling on my social media! A meeting at my kids school was followed by two and a half hours sat in the car as Lil Man had his cricket practice. I could have taken my laptop, but I ended up reading, instead! A rushed dinner of Chicken Fajitas, and now here I am writing this as I catch up on Eastenders!
Today is the third day of the blog tour organised by the lovely Zoe-Lee O’Farrell (Click here for the full details!) and we have Bookstagram, as well as another lovely review! I was blown away by some of these lovely words people have written about Marriage Unarranged.
If you’d like to take a peek at the other posts, here are the links/posts:
It was a quieter day in some respects, but , there was still so much happening, which I had to balance along with doing a little school related work! (Day job is still there, Peeps, what can I do?)
As it is Tuesday, I popped my happy announcement on Twitter with the RNA #TuesNews hashtag and got so much love, there, too!
Today is the second day of the blog tour organised by the lovely Zoe-Lee O’Farrell (Click here for the full details!) and we have Bookstagram, as well as another lovely review! I was blown away by some of these lovely words people have written about Marriage Unarranged.
If you’d like to take a peek at the other posts, here are the links/posts:
Marriage Unarranged is available to purchase and download from Amazon in eBook and Paperback! EEEK!
Here is a little peek of the front and back as they will be on the paperbacks! Note the little green circle with the gorgeous Amanda Prowse’s quote!
It’s been a manic, but lovely day so far, posting about the release, receiving and responding to the numerous beautiful messages of support I have received for today, too!
Hubby Dearest and I are making the most of it and he took me out to lunch to celebrate!
The book tour also kicked off, and all four of the posts have been lovely, which has warmed my heart ❤
If you’d like to take a peek at the other posts, here are the links:
Ritu Bhathal 