Nisha Sharma

Hemdeep Singh knows exactly what he wants. With his intelligence and determination, he has what it takes to build his own legacy away from Bharat, Inc. and the empire his father created. But when his brother calls him home, Hem puts his dreams on hold once again to help save the company he walked away from. That’s when he encounters the devastating Mina Kohli in the Bharat boardroom, and he realizes he’s in for more than he had bargained. Mina will do whatever it takes to recover control of her mother’s law firm, even if it means agreeing to an arranged marriage. Her newest case assignment is to assist Bharat in the midst of a potential takeover. It could be the key to finally achieving her goal while preventing her marriage to a man she doesn’t love—as long as her explosive attraction to Hem doesn’t get in the way. As Mina and Hem work to save Bharat, they not only uncover secrets that could threaten the existence of the company, but they also learn that in a winner-takes-all game, love always comes out on top.

The Singh Family Trilogy

The Takeover Effect

Lauren Sullivan

I had previously read and loved Ms. Sharma’s My So-Called Bollywood Life, which was YA, so I was ridiculously excited to hear she was writing an adult own voices romance! While there were some parts that were a bit rough, the book generally lived up to my expectations!

After a falling out with his father over his ex-fiancee, Hem left his dad’s company to found his own and distanced himself from his family. But when his father has a heart attack, he agrees to return as interim legal counsel in order to prevent a takeover. There he meets Mina, a lawyer hired to help decide if the takeover would be in the company’s best interest, and sparks fly. Like Hem, Mina has her own issues – her scuzzy uncle has ordered her to find in favor of the takeover if she wants to remain at the company her mother founded. Mina’s determined to come to her own opinion, however, and it’s soon clear that someone’s trying to ruin the company. Between corporate espionage, an arranged marriage, and strained family relations, not to mention professional ethics, what chance do Mina and Hem have?

I adored Mina. She’s strong, capable, and unafraid to stand up domineering men, and though there wasn’t that much of her actually doing her job in the book, the parts that were made her seem very competent. I liked that Mina and Hem were from the same background – both Punjabi Sikhs – so they had a similar background to work from, and I loved that their food, traditions and language that were so important to them were incorporated so well into the book. I definitely had a humongous craving for paper dosa! Hem was an interesting character, simultaneously both grounded and rich playboy, buying expensive clothes for Mina randomly. I liked his relationship with his family, especially with his brothers, and how connected and responsible he still felt for his family’s company, even though he walked away from it. The relationship between Hem and Mina moved quickly, and was initially pretty insta-lust. At times Hem bordered on just plain too alpha for me with the way he pushed Mina, but she was also quick to set boundaries with him. Their banter was amazing and the thing I loved most about their relationship.

While I’d normally save the cons for later, there’s a lot about Hem’s ex-girlfriend, Lisa, so much that she felt like a third person in their relationship. I had mixed feelings about it. On one hand, I can understand why he’d compare his next girlfriend to the last woman he was involved with. On the other hand, it felt weird that he viewed literally everything Mina did in comparison to her. Plus, Lisa was white, and, well, almost stereotypically culturally incompetent – viewing everything from multi-day weddings, to his family dynamic, to his religion with mild contempt. Perhaps it’s the environments I’ve been in (working in IT, especially), but while I don’t doubt there are plenty of white women who would feel the same, I can’t imagine someone dating someone while rejecting everything about the culture that made him who he is. The thing that bothered me most, though, was a throw-away sub-plot about them having a drug dealer who’d been involved with an uncle “taken care of” in India. While I don’t think anyone would disagree there are corruption issues in the Indian government, I’m not sure that these rich families would have such a cavalier attitude towards murder.

Going back to the positives, I love Ms. Sharma’s writing style. It’s very emotionally laden, very soap opera-y or Bollywood-y, but while I think it worked perfectly in her YA novel, there were a few times it was too much in this book. The corporate plot was interesting and held my attention. Well, to be honest, the whole book did – I couldn’t put this book down and tried to read it in one setting!

Overall, despite my critiques, I very much enjoyed this book, and I’m very much looking forward to the next in the series! If you’re looking for an enjoyable romance with diverse characters and don’t mind an overly alpha hero, I think you’ll love this gem!

Sahi K

What do you do when you are in a sort of reading slump and nothing looks interesting - I decided to pick up the latest romance by my favorite author, because Nisha Sharma totally delighted me in My So-Called Bollywood Life and I expected nothing less from this book. And I’m so glad it lived up to all the promise and hopefully, my slump is a thing of history.

I’m one of those readers who loves books with tropes, especially in romances because sometimes, the predictability can be comforting and just what I need. I also agree with the various discussions in the community that even though many readers are bored with tropey romances, it’s a fact that POC readers have not had much opportunity to enjoy these tropes with characters who look like them. And that’s why this book felt extra special to me. Nisha uses the common plot lines we see in lots of adult/erotic romances - billionaire alpha male hero, independent ambitious heroine, hostile business takeover and some good old corporate espionage - while rooting the story in desi culture, and that’s why it felt so relatable even though I’ve never met such rich people in my life 😉😉. While this book has a definite case of instalove, I found it convincing enough and the intensity of the interactions between the MCs was quite interesting. The author also managed to strike a great balance between the love story, the family dynamics of both the MCs and the subplot revolving around the business. All the references to delicious Indian food made me very hungry 😋, the discussions about nosy families were hilarious and I absolutely loved the little Punjabi words in conversations. 

Hem is an interesting character - he loves his family, takes his duty as the eldest son seriously but also wants to chart his own path in life and career. I liked his loyalty and drive and self assured nature. My only pet peeve is that he is too alpha and possessive for my taste. I absolutely adored Mina. She is spunky, confident, ambitious and knows exactly what she wants in life - though she might not always be sure how to get there. I liked their romantic dynamic - sometimes sweet and vulnerable, others highly intense - but I never doubted their feelings despite everything happening fairly quickly. I really loved Hem’s brothers Ajay and Zail. The trio make for some great scenes and I especially enjoyed their dynamic at the workplace. Their mom is the typical Indian mother - a strong woman, the rock behind her husband’s success, who loves feeding everyone and just wants her sons to get married. Their father and the genius behind the business can be slightly hardheaded and proud, but I came to like him towards the end. I completely fell in love with this family and can’t wait to get to know more about them all. 

This book was exactly what I needed for my current mood and I’m so thankful to Nisha for writing such wonderful books with Indian American characters. This is a fun, entertaining and exciting romance novel with very strong characters, rooted in our culture while also having a very interesting business takeover subplot. It also ends on a slightly mysterious note and I can only hope that the next book is going to be about Ajay and Mina’s bff Raj, with a whole lot of shenanigans.

b.andherbooks

Hemdeep Singh and his brothers' legacy, their father's company Bharat, Inc., is under threat of an outsider takeover. While Hem had left the company to forge his own way, he is compelled to return home and team up with his brothers to ensure the company stays under family control.

Hem is only home from business, still smarting from the ending of his relationship with a white woman he thought was his forever. But Hem didn't truly know what forever meant until he sees Mina Kohli in the Bharat boardroom.

Mina herself is struggling between honoring her mother's legacy and law firm, even if it means she may need to agree to an arranged marriage. She doesn't have time for Hem, even if she's rapidly falling for the delicious man who's Punjabi heritage and business morals are a perfect match for her own.

But the heart wants what the heart wants, and these two forge an alliance to do what is right for both them and their values, even if it means maybe losing what they thought was most dear to them, their businesses.

A super debut from an author to watch! If you enjoy non-angsty romances with an emphasis on the career intrigue, this is one for you! What I missed a bit from this story was tension between Hem and Mina. I was hoping for a little fight between them before succumbing to their HEA. Their isn't a lot of tension in their romance, and most of the drama is about the business. There is also a lot of setup, so I'm very optimistic this author will grow as the series continues!

Thank you to Avon for the ARC!

Becky

Hemdeep Singh knows exactly what he wants. With his intelligence and determination, he has what it takes to build his own legacy away from Bharat, Inc. and the empire his father created. But when his brother calls him home, Hem puts his dreams on hold once again to help save the company he walked away from. That's when he encounters the devastating Mina Kohli in the Bharat boardroom, and he realizes he's in for more than he had bargained. Mina will do whatever it takes to recover control of her mother's law firm, even if it means agreeing to an arranged marriage. Her newest case assignment is to assist Bharat in the midst of a potential takeover. It could be the key to finally achieving her goal while preventing her marriage to a man she doesn't love--as long as her explosive attraction to Hem doesn't get in the way. As Mina and Hem work to save Bharat, they not only uncover secrets that could threaten the existence of the company, but they also learn that in a winner-takes-all game, love always comes out on top.

The Takeover Effect The Singh Family Trilogy

Reviews