When we went crazy in love

Love can make you do things which you have never ever imagined that you would do. It is the feeling which will make you go weak onto your knees and confess your love for the apple of your eye and heart. Likewise love and its melodious sound can also make your partner to do things or rather 'force' to do things for you. 

But before coming to that let me tell you from where it started.

It was the day when we had taken that seven vows, looking exquisite in those traditional wear and were officially turned into a married couple but two years hence. Yes, it was our second anniversary and it all started with cute love notes placed 'strategically' in all most every part of our home, some easy to find, some hard to locate, with each one of them having some message, altogether forming a sentence of sort. But there were many such notes to be found which I realized later but chose to go with the flow and enjoy all those cheeky and naughty messages that he had written for me, for us. 

I had all the day's time as unfortunately he didn't get a leave from his work. Or rather I should now safely conclude that he purposefully left me with the notes to be found. And in the evening, sharp at 6, the door-bell rang and I welcomed him with yet another bouquet in his hands. Ahh... going back into the memory lane is all nostalgic, isn't it? Pardon me going into those sweet memories as I forgot to tell that apart from those notes, I also received a bouquet of red roses in heart shape, sharp at midnight, an all tulips bouquet received in the morning along with a hand written letter and now the third one.

A delighted squeal left out of him as he saw me all ready, dressed immaculately decoding the message left in the love notes and off were we to a place untold to me. Blindfolded and left to hear the favourite music as he maneuvered the car through the evening traffic to finally halt at some place. There were some chattering and noises heard which gave some upmarket kind of a feel as he handhold-ed me out to a different place through some backdoor exit which I realized later on.

And very very teasingly he removed the blindfold, giving me shivers of a lifetime. For once, I knew it was a public place and to think of him doing something so passionately and teasingly with me left me in a state of a pleasant shock. And there I was standing in front of a beach where laid a table and two chairs with a bottle of champagne placed upon it. And just then the lights came to life hanging mid-air with a message 'I Love You'. Flushed and totally awestruck by his gesture I had decided to return the favour but in my style.

Wait! You must be thinking that I am going overboard but no, sometimes there are special privileges on a personal request that is what I found out to be.

Now coming to my part, we were holidaying amongst the hilly and chilly climate of Manali. Me being the boldest in our family had decided to do some dare devilry in the form of river rafting. And he being the descendant of the 'Stay away from risk family' was adamant of not allowing as well as joining me for the adventure. But when a lady decides to do something no matter what, she will eventually do it, by hook or by crook and that involves some sensuous teasing and flirting. Of course with him.

And so it started with me giving some suggestive hints, light hearted playful teasing over and over again for the entire day but being careful of not getting too close to him. As the day passed, he knew what I was about to as he nodded his head with a sly smile on his face and murmured coming dangerously close to me, his heart beating like a drum, 'you wicked girl' and I knew I had won.

The next morning we were rafting along the river, me being merry and he 'as if he has seen a crocodile' face with terror written all over it. But somehow he managed to smile every time my eyes met his. I was happy that I was shredding all his fears and inhibitions about small, fun adventures in life which can turn out to be an experience of a lifetime. 

And as the ride concluded, I hugged him as tight as I could and muttered an almost mute, barely heard 'Thank you' and sealed it with a peck on his cheeks.

'Anything for you baby' is what he replied and started gushing about how scared he was initially before the ride and how it has liberated him from his fears and inhibitions that gave a sense of relief as he got his heart beating out of his chest and eventually we surrendered to the ever crazy thumping sound of love.

"Love is not only measured by what you do to keep it afloat and unique but it is also measured by what you do to bring down the fears and inhibitions, pushing the boundaries of your loved ones and helping them evolve as a better person."

“I am participating in the #SoundOfLove activity atBlogAdda in association with Bluestone”.

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Book Review: Matches Made in Heaven

Matches Made In Heaven 

by 

Sundari Venkatraman

Review: With the boom of anthologies and short stories here comes another one, a collection of 13 romantic short stories. But for me this collection has come with a difference. Most of the collection or anthologies that I have read have a feel of love but somewhere that overwhelming effect is missing. For me it comes as 'trying hard' to let out an emotion as simple and complicated at the same time that as Love. But Sundari Venkatraman's 'Matches Made in Heaven' is class apart from these collections and anthologies. Simple yet striking stories with a tinge of honey and creamy layer of Love, these stories are sure to keep you happy and smile as you read them. 

Moreover when you have a foreword by Milan Vohra, India's first M&B author, it surely adds to the credibility of the book and I must say I was not left disappointed. In fact I am completely in awe of her writing. Each story, each character and the situations kept me entertained without going overboard at once. Thus conveying a message in a subtle yet striking manner and also weaving a magic of love which for me as a reader and as a writer is highly commendable. 

The simple narrative and excellent editing also adds to the aura of love is this collection of short stories. 

Out of all the stories, I liked 'Beauty Is Skin Deep', 'An Arranged Match' and 'Red Rose Dating Agency' the most. But somewhere I wished few of the stories to be a bit longer than it is. 

Overall: A good and highly entertaining read in this season of love. I recommend this book for all the romance lovers. Do grab it right now!!

Rating: 3.5/5*

Sneak Peek

A collection of 13 romantic short stories based in India; a culture rich country steeped in tradition. Inspiration struck me from newspaper articles, TV shows and hearing people talk. The short stories are based on that fact that arranged marriages thrive right alongside love matches in India.

1. Groomnapped is Ameya-Surekha’s story as a light romantic take on the serious issue of groom kidnappings. 
2. Dark skin on a woman puts off men in general or so says the society. Beauty Is But Skin Deep is Nitin-Simran’s story that proves it wrong!
3. Ritu is twenty-five and wants to wait for her Prince Charming but her parents are desperate to arrange her wedding. Does she find her prince in An Arranged Match?
4. Dating Agencies are doing their best to get young people together to tie the knot. My friend Diti runs an informal one; inspiring the Red Rose Dating Agency. 
5. A guy’s complaint about his fiancée of a few years dumping him after becoming successful in her film career felt like a rant to me. Chahti Hoon Tumhe is an ode to the successful actress. 
6. Soumya actually lives life like Soul Mates but how many have the guts to? This, incidentally, is the first short story that I ever wrote.
7. Does Madeinheaven.com help bring Menka & Jeetu together with technology driven Matchmaking website? 
8. I originally wrote Rahat Mili for an anthology; Rahat means ‘relief’ and is a name too. Read the story with the word in mind and it will fall in place.  
9.  Reema’s Matchmakers brings Arjun and Prisha together at a get-together through a matchmaking network. But will they get married?
10. Nikita wants Krish for a friend and not her husband. As The Reluctant Bride she manages to have her cake and eat it too.
11. Shweta Ka Swayamvar is inspired by the practice of Swayamwar in ancient India of choosing a husband, from among a list of suitors, by a girl of marriageable age. 
12. Pappa’s Girl is about daughters of Industrialists taking over fathers’ businesses.  
13.  Mythology romances intrigue me; Love Match For Velan is my take on Lord Murugan falling in love with his consort Valli. 

Buy @

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The Story Told In Visual 

Meet the Author

Sundari Venkatraman has authored four novels and a short story anthology till now, Matches Made In Heaven (anthology) being the latest. The Malhotra Bride; Meghna; The Runaway Bridegroom; Flaming Sun Collection 1: Happily Ever Afters From India (Box Set) and Matches Made In Heaven have all been self-published on Amazon under the banner of Flaming Sun. The three novels are regularly seen on Amazon’s Top 100 Bestsellers’ Contemporary Romances list. The Box Set and Anthology are bound to catch up soon. 

A great fan of Mills & Boon romances over the past four decades, Sundari has always believed in ‘Happily Ever Afters’ and all her books promise happy endings. 

Matches Made In Heaven is a compilation of thirteen short stories – all romantic – based on many situations anyone can come upon in their day-to-day lives. The stories revolve around the different ways a couple can get to meet and tie the knot in a culture rich country like India. Those reading the stories will definitely be able to connect realising that one of the situations has definitely been a part of their lives. 

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The Wilted Love

He leafed through the stack of pages with an eye of intent on them, standing across the balcony early morning. Just then his eyes fell on a pot that had been hanging from one of the walls of the balcony. 

For a moment he felt a tinge of sparkle gleaming on one of the leaves of the plant as a soft breeze made the leaves to shiver and wave a quick 'good morning' to him. 'Must be early morning dew', he thought and smiled in reply.

Moving closer, he looked at the plant with a bit more intent and felt that they had a strong desire for some sunshine after some extreme chilly and windy days as well as nights. It was winters. 

Just then his insides churned as he realized that he had been holding the torn pages for quite some time. He lay his eyes upon them and kept it fixated upon it, shuffling from one page to another. After a while, with a bit of stoic expression on his face, he took the pot in his hands and ran outside in search of some sunshine. Luckily, he did find some place where the early morning sun-rays were warming the earth and immediately placed the plant below.

"I'll not let you wilt", he said with teary eyes unable to control his emotions as he sought joy through pain.

"Just as you left your relationship to wilt", accused the love letters with an air of disdain evident in their ink, that he had held all the while in his hands. 

This post is written for Three Word Wednesday

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Book Review: Done With Men

Author: Shuchi Singh Kalra

Publisher: Indireads (e-book)

Genre: Chick lit / Rom-com

ISBN: 978-1-927826-32-4

Price: INR 100

Blurb: Travel journo Kairavi Krishna (Kay) has had it with men. After a series of disasters she is all too tempted to walk out on the prospect of ever finding love. Accompanied by her best friend and flat mate she sets off to Goa, hoping to get away from her miserable love life and vowing to stay clear from male species. Goa, however has host of surprises in store for her, especially on the new year's eve and since then. What happens when she meets the charming Dr. Vivian D'Mello and when her ex turns up around her is to be found.

Review: There are some book covers which make you feel 'I want to read this book' and 'Done With Men' is one such book for me. And when you have a very interesting story line it is all the more worth a read. 

Done With Men is a light, zippy and a delightful read with a tinge of humor which made me chuckle every now and then. One almost feels as if you are the main character and go through all the whirlwind of emotions that Kay goes through. The author has held together the plot with a simple and feel good yet somewhat realistic story which every person at some particular point in his life go through. It is a quirky tale of an easy going character who lambasts men in a funny way after a disastrous relationships with them and probably who is jinxed in love life. It is a perfect Sunday afternoon read.

The narration is witty with tongue-in-cheek dialogues ensure that there is no dull moment in this mushy and rom-com novella. One can easily relate to the 'Thought Bubble' that has been categorically mentioned and can also be described as one of the characters in the book, if I may say so. 

The characters are beautifully etched especially the two central characters of Kay & Dr. Vivian. The striking chemistry between Kay and her BFF Baani who are poles apart in almost everything is something that makes the story all the more interesting to read.

Overall: Done With Men is a perfect light read on a breezy Sunday afternoon which will keep you hooked from the word go. 

Ratings: 4/5*

I have received this book as a part of the Indireads Book Review Programme.

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No Fikar, Chat Quikr

Off late e-commerce has been booming with new ventures coming up almost regularly. And to try their luck came a website called Quikr.com  which is an online classified website. To much surprise it has over 10 categories to buy and sell products from, ranging from real estate to jobs to electronics and matrimony. Yes, you name it and then have it. Thus making buying and selling a bit easier where you post your requirements and within no time you have a list of people willing to inquire about your ad.

And in the constant process of giving its user a better experience Quikr has come out with a much better messenger service which will keep you away from incessant calls inquiring about your ad. Thus living it up to its tag line - No Fikar, Chat Quikr and is also being touted as the next big thing in online buying and selling.

So what has this update has actually done? Well for starters, it has taken away those calls which had the probability of being missed due to the busy schedules or for any other reason, thus missing out on a prospective buyer or a seller and sealing the deal. 

With this update a buyer or a seller doesn't need to keep calling every now and then. All they need to do is have a chat with the concerned buyer or a seller without giving away your contact number or email address to any one with your user id. 

Surely for any online buyer or a seller this service is definitely going to be a boon both for them and will go a long way in how the online classified buying and selling takes place over years.

So, Quikr NXT is definitely a huge thumbs up for me as it makes communicating easier and much more safe and reliable while conversing with unknown people and also for the following reasons:

1) A basic thing while conversing over the phone is that we have to remember what we have said. And when we are talking with lots of potential buyers and sellers, imagine the critical points, figures, amount etc which needs to be remembered. And this might vary from person to person irrespective of whether he is a buyer or a seller. Thus, the above problem gets sorted while chatting through Quikr NXT as we can have detailed idea of the conversation that have taken place over days before finalizing and closing on the deal as we can always check with the history of all the messages that have been exchanged. Also, it provides much needed transparency in the deal. And moreover as I said above we don't need to exchange our contact numbers and email ids, thus giving a feel of privacy. 

2) We can exchange photos and other details as per over convenience. Also, if the buyer or a seller requests for a picture from a particular angle or of a particular side of any product that can also been shared with ease. Thus, allowing a more prompt and detailed decision making. 

3) The most important advantage of this feature is that it is both non-invasive as well as in real time. Non-invasive as we do need to share our details and real time means by just a click you can send the details of the product along with the photograph with ease of not logging in to your emails and sending the mail. You can be at any place, any time and you can easily chat with multiple buyers or sellers at one time and can strike a deal as you don't always sit in front of your computer thus saving your time.

So what do you think? Buying and selling things all through chatting.

This post is for Happy Hour with Indiblogger and Quikr.

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