Wednesday, September 17, 2014

{Review} Priya In Heels by Ayesha Patel

New Adult Contemporary Romance
Published September 15th 2014
ARC provided by publisher for review


Love doesn’t conquer all…does it?

Priyanka Patel is the epitome of an obedient daughter. She’s finishing up her medical residency at one of Houston’s busiest emergency departments, and has agreed—albeit reluctantly—to marry the man her family has chosen for her. The only thing that can derail the “perfect” life laid out before her is the sexy musician down the hall who wants into her life…and into her bed.

Tyler O’Connor has been infatuated with Priya since she treated his sprained ankle in the ER, and after saving her from a brutal attack, he can't get her out of his head. When Priya puts her family's wishes before their relationship, agreeing to an arranged marriage with another man, Tyler is devastated. 

But love is fierce and unreasonable and clashes with the carefully sculpted life her parents want for her. Is going after her heart such a big deal, or will it truly unravel Priya’s world?




A few years ago I got hooked on an NBC show called Outsourced. A hilarious comedy about a young white guy who moves to India to manage a call center for a novelties company. From watching the show and learning all the things the Indian people taught the main character I fell in love with the culture. Sadly the show was cancelled but my love for India and the beautiful diversity it's people bring to the landscape of humanity remained. That's where my curiosity for Priya In Heels came in. The story of a young Indian girl studying to become a doctor who meets and falls in love with an American Irish lad named Tyler. I love diversity in books so Priya and Tyler's story caught my attention in the synopsis.

The meeting between Priya and Tyler is just your ordinary "By Chance" meet cute. She's doing her medical rotation in the E.R. for her residency and Tyler is in for a busted ankle. He's obviously interested in her but despite her silent attraction to the handsome stranger Priya keeps her cool and brushes him off with the Doctor/Patient excuse never to see him again....until she realizes he lives in her apartment building and just happens to play live music at her and her friends' favorite hangout. No big deal right? Priya was a total handful. Standoffish, stubborn and stuck in her ways, it took a while to warm up to her. Fully ingrained in her family's traditions and customs she doesn't make it easy on Tyler to get close to her. Tyler had the patience of a saint though because he waited her out, pushed when she pulled and knew exactly how to push her buttons to make her see what she refused to. These two had an adorable courtship filled with some sweet and at times cheesy romantic professions. 

Being from a traditional Indian family where the parents find you a man to marry is something I find interesting but at the same time thankful I don't have to endure. My mom had shitty taste in her own men, you think I'd trust her with mine? Although I couldn't do much better. Thankfully Priya's parents found her a nice attractive dentist for her to settle down with. Manuk was basically a third wheel who was sometimes charming and sometimes borderline creepy. After a tragedy involving her mother Priya ends up pushing Tyler away to honor her mother's wishes by marrying Manuk. Against the advice of her friends, being with Tyler's family and falling more in love and her own gut instinct Priya had me nervous for her decision throughout. Caught between doing what's right and following your heart is never easy but Priya had an amazing support group and it was sweet to see her bond with her father.

Priya In Heels was a a cute story and I have been vacillating between a 3.5 to 4 star rating. While I found it endearing and interesting I didn't fully FEEL the love story between Tyler and Priya. I didn't connect with it or them very much honestly. Yes it's true that I couldn't put it down but I think that had more to do with seeing how the story played out than a general all consuming need to experience more from the love story. Some aspects of the story felt a little rushed to move the plot along when I would have liked to see how it panned out. Especially the part of Priya's mother having complications with Diabetes and how quickly it went down. My own mother lives with diabetes and you can't kill her lively ass with a pick ax so I'm not really certain the events surrounding Priya's mother are genuine. Maybe just thrown in for posterity sake. I'm not a doctor myself but I like to think I know enough about this particular subject to feel that it wasn't completely accurate but thrown in for dramatic purposes. If that's the case it did the job because it was pretty sad.

In the end though, Priya In Heels was a nice little surprise. I wanted a diverse story between two people of different backgrounds and I got it. All her friends and their different personalities brought more character to the story to balance out Priya's rough edges. Tyler's family was a nice contrast of east meets West. His cousin Miranda was adorable and I loved how she took to Priya instantly. Patel throws in a glimpse of India as I had hoped and brought to life the traditions and daily ins and outs of living over there. I've always heard it's a very magical part of the world and all the little glimpses I have seen make me yearn to experience it for myself. I was already in love with India and her people when I picked up Priya In Heels so this just added one more to my list. If you're looking for something different and sweet with mild angst then Priya In Heels is the perfect choice.



Quotes:

Sweat beaded on her skin, catching the light so that she shimmered. It took everything in me not to lick her throat, her chest, and taste the saltiness of her skin. eARC 24%

He chuckled as I drifted closet to slumber. I vaguely remember him remove the sheets between us so that we were full flesh on flesh. And I barely heard him, or thought I heard him, mutter in my ear, "Damn girl. I am so in love with you." eARC 46%




About The Author:
Ayesha Patel was born in the rich and colorful state of Gujarat in western India before moving to Texas. She quickly found her footing in languages and creative writing and weaves her diverse background into her stories. She currently lives in the beautiful, though rainy, state of Washington with her husband and two puppies, Gambit and Rogue. With a splendid view of Mt. Ranier behind her, a cup of coffee in her hand, and a ridiculously fast laptop at her fingertips, Ayesha is thrilled to explore the literary world.

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1 comment:

  1. I do love finding a bit of diversity in my reads like that. Can make for such an interesting time :)

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