Inner Confines

Inside the Heart of Hope by Rishabh Puri My rating: 4 of 5 stars Blurb - We’re all a little broken, and that’s okay. Or is it? Rick has a medical condition that makes his life different from the rest. But unlike others around him, he sees this not as a curse, but as an opportunity to cherish life and all the bitter-sweet gifts it brings with it.   Amidst frequent visits to the doctor, multiple surgeries that risk his life being, and a life that meant surveillance all the time, Rick has to fight for himself each day. But he pulls through, thanks to his family and friend Jacob, who become his pillars of strength.   And then, at a time when he is least expecting it, and with someone he meets by accident – love happens. It’s a new feeling for his heart and he is scared to lose it.   Will Lisa really understand the goodness of his heart or just walk away?   Inside the Heart of Hope is a story of strong will, perseverance and optimism which w...

A Thousand Dreams Within Me Softly Burn by Sahil Sood My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars Blurb - Siddharth, a middle-aged school teacher, struggling with an unfinished manuscript, leads a solitary existence in a remote village in Shimla. Gautam, a twenty-two-year-old writer, burning with a desperate longing for romance, finds solace in Siddharth’s old essay on Thumri and spends years in search of him. Phil, a young Jewish traveller from Missouri, beset by a difficult alliance with his Christian girlfriend in the face of orthodoxy, travels around the world and meets Siddharth at a café in Manali. The answer to their longings resides in Siddharth’s letters and manuscript—the silent witnesses of the fate of two men and their love for each other. “A Thousand Dreams Within Me Softly Burn” explores the depths of love and the power of writing that helps the human soul triumph over loneliness, alienation, and shame. My views -      A Thousand Dreams Within Me So...

Zivame: How Richa brought innerwear out of the closet by Prachi Garg My rating: 4 of 5 stars Blurb - Richa Kar had a dream – to make lingerie shopping easy and comfortable, while allowing customers to make an informed decision without feeling embarrassed due to myriad reasons. Though she had a plan, there were multiple challenges in her path. Right from changing age-old buying habits to fighting taboos by setting up a business in an industry as personal as lingerie and innerwear – Richa faced it all. Follow Richa’s journey from conceptualising Zivame to taking it where it stands today as India’s leading online lingerie store. Richa’s story is one of the rare entrepreneurial success stories in India. Not only has she carved a niche for her talents, but has succeeded in inspiring many more women to take up the entrepreneurial route.   This is an excerpt from Prachi Garg's Superwomen which brings forth the stories of twenty women entrepreneurs who have struck a perfect ...

The Mahabharata Code by Karthik K.B. Rao My rating: 3 of 5 stars       The Mahabharata Code by Karthik K B Rao, An science fiction novel which is blended with Mythology, religious and fantasy. It is a unique plot for sure, the concept of mixing up mythology with new technology is interesting. Blurb - “The Mahabharata Code is a personal account of the main protagonist Narayan Rao (NR), who claims to be an astronomer with NASA. NR and a few other crew members agree to take part in the NASA mission to visit this mystery planet from which they had received mysterious signals. Here, they meet a man with a long flowing white beard, and he introduces himself as Vyasa. He reveals that he has a crazy plan in mind and seeks NR and his members’ help in implementing this plan. He intends to recreate the entire Mahabharata on this planet to restore the faith of the primitive simpletons here. As the Mahabharata incidents start unfolding, NR realizes t...

Parrot Under the Pine Tree by Surendra Pratap Singh My rating: 4 of 5 stars Blurb - Parrot under the Pine Tree is the powerful expression of love. In the girl’s heart; it’s subtle, sublime and eternal. But in the boy’s heart; it’s earthy, insecure and restless. The anxiety brings the two young hearts close. In the clean and tranquil environs of Kausani, Vedanta inadvertently meets Saranga under bizarre circumstances and both fall in love with each other. After a yearlong fairytale romance, they tie the sacred knot. And a few years later they are blessed with a son. But Alas! Their happiness doesn’t last long. On one fateful night, the young man falls prey to temptation. The storm that brews up in that night’s passion not only consumes his heart and soul but also shreds that of Saranga into pieces. On the insistence of her grandma, whom Saranga holds in reverence, she agrees to give a second chance to a repentant Vedanta. But misgivings remain in her heart. The gra...

Karma: World's First InstaRead by Kevin Missal My rating: 4 of 5 stars Blurb - KARMA IS WORLD's FIRST INSTAREAD Karman Malik a lonely man finds his wife standing outside his house. But there are two problems. One, she Karman Malik a lonely man finds his wife standing outside his house. But there are two problems. One, she had died eight years back. Second, she is not human anymore. (Italics) Can he love her again?had died eight years back. Second, she is not human anymore. (Italics) Can he love her again? Cover - My views -      Karma by Kevin Missal, is an thriller blended with mystery, horror, paranormal romance, supernatural and psychology. It is the first Insta Read book contains only 88-pages and a gluing story. What is Insta Read ? Insta Read will be a small sized book. Not as big as a novella and not as small as a pocket book. About the story - The story is about Kamran Malik's dead wife came after eight years to take revenge ...

Treacherous Desires by Kritika Sharma My rating: 3 of 5 stars About the author - Kritika Sharma is an author, blogger and Senior Manager in Nielsen, India. She is a woman of passion and spirit who believes in possibilities and loves to challenge her own limits by learning something new every day. She has been writing ever since she held a pencil. Writing refreshes her and energizes her. Treacherous Desires is her fourth book. Previously she has traditionally published three books under her name, ‘Manage your Manager’ (2013), ‘Live-in with a Ghost’ (2015), and ‘AbstracTales’ (2017). She has also participated in three anthologies, ‘The Master Stroke’ by Write India (2016), ‘The Scribbled Tales’ by Moments Publishers (2016), and ‘Life as it happens’ (2016). Blurb - They say everything has an expiration date. Kaya didn’t know her marriage had one too. Suffering silently in her marriage she finds herself attracted to a stranger. Things get worse as he, too, feels ...