Hello Everyone!

Today I’m reviewing Tastes Like Shakkar by Nisha Sharma! I did receive an advanced digital copy of this book through NetGalley, however my procrastination led me to read the physical copy that I preordered. Either way, thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for providing me with the advanced digital copy of this book and like always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Title:Tastes Like Shakkar
Author: Nisha Sharma
Age Category: Adult
Length: 352 Pages
Published: August 1, 2023
Buy the Book: Amazon
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Bobbi Kaur is determined to plan a celebration to remember for her best friend’s wedding. But she has two problems that are getting in her way:

1. The egotistical, and irritatingly sexy, chef Benjamin “Bunty” Padda is supposed to help her with the menu since he’s the groom’s best friend, and

2. Someone is trying to sabotage the wedding.

With aspirations of taking over her family’s event planning business, Bobbi knows that one misstep in managing the Kareena Mann and Prem Verma (#Vermann) party, along with the other weddings on her plate, will only give her uncle another reason not to promote her. That means Kareena’s big day and Bobbi’s future career are on the line.

Bunty will do anything for his best friend, even though he has his hands full in finding a new location for his next restaurant while also playing mediator between his brother and father, the celebrated Naan King. When Prem asks Bunty to help with the wedding menu, he agrees, especially since it puts him in close proximity to the delicious Bobbi Kaur. When a mystery shaadi saboteur starts leaving threatening notes, and cancelling cake orders, Bunty and Bobbi have no choice but to call a truce and face the volatile attraction they have for each other.

Through masquerade fundraisers and a joint bachelor-bachelorette trip to Vegas, this chef and wedding planner explore their growing connection all while trying to plan a wedding at Messina Vineyards in a time crunch. But once the shaadi saboteur is caught and the wedding is over, will their love story have a happily ever after

With the return of the meddling aunties (who are scary good at finding information) and a lot of hilarity and hijinks, Bobbi and Bunty’s romance is an event you don’t want to miss.

This book is exactly what I needed! It was fun, it was steamy, and it made me laugh-out-loud. I loved the characters and I also loved the mystery aspect of this book.

My favourite thing about this book is just how fun it was. I enjoyed reading about wedding planning and all of the chaos that comes with it. I also enjoyed the twist of someone trying to sabotage the wedding and trying to stay one step ahead of them. I loved Kareena’s aunties and the scene where they were in the restaurant made me laugh-out-loud.

I also loved the chemistry between Bobbi and Benjamin in this book. I enjoyed their banter and their initial reluctance to work together. I also liked that both Bobbi and Benjamin were driven and focused on their careers. I loved that this book was dual point-of-view. I also loved how much Bobbi loved herself and how confident and unapologetic she was. It was nice reading about a plus-sized female main character who was confident and who loved her body and herself.

I love the friendship between the characters in this series. I love Bobbi’s friend group and Benjamin’s friend group. I loved that they could call an SOS and that their friends would be there for them. The romance was fun to read, but the friendships brought me just as much joy.

I thought the mystery aspect of this book added a fun layer to the story. I enjoyed trying to figure out who was trying to sabotage the wedding. I also enjoyed reading about Bobbi and Benjamin trying to problem solve and get past all of the hurdles that were being thrown at them.

I liked the family aspect of this book. Both Bobbi and Benjamin are having issues with their families and what their family expects of them on a professional level. I liked reading about them trying to navigate the situation, and I loved that they each had a moment where they stood up for themselves. I also enjoyed the idea that family can take different forms and that friends are just as important as family.

As far as steam goes, this book was steamier than I was expecting, not that I’m complaining about that. This book has multiple, descriptive, open-door scenes. There were also some scenes with bondage, which I’m still trying to process because while there was still clear communication and consent, something still felt a bit off about it. As far as tropes go, I this book has enemies-to-lovers and forced proximity. As far as a third-act break-up goes, this book did have one, but it was relatively minor. Technically, this book can be read as a standalone, but I recommend reading Dating Dr. Dil first because it’s a good introduction to the characters and the events in Tastes Like Shakkar are very much connected to Dating Dr. Dil.

Overall, this was a fun and steamy read and I cannot wait for the next installment in this series.

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