#BookReview :: The Sari Shop Widow by Shobhan Bantwal

Since becoming a widow at age twenty-seven, Anjali Kapadia has devoted herself to transforming her parents' sari shop into a chic boutique, brimming with exquisite jewelry and clothing. Now, ten years later, it stands out like a proud maharani amid Edison's bustling Little India. But when Anjali learns the shop is on the brink of bankruptcy, she feels her world unraveling. . .

To the rescue comes Anjali's wealthy, dictatorial Uncle Jeevan and his business partner, Rishi Shah a mysterious Londoner, complete with British accent, cool gray eyes, and skin so fair it makes it hard to believe he's Indian. Rishi's cool, foreign demeanor triggers distrust in Anjali and her mother. But for Anjali, he also stirs something else, a powerful attraction she hasn't felt in a decade. And the feeling is mutual. . .

Love disappointed Anjali once before and she's vowed to live without it though Rishi is slowly melting her resolve and, as the shop regains its footing, gaining her trust. But when a secret from Rishi's past is revealed, Anjali must turn to her family and her strong cultural upbringing to guide her in finding the truth. . .

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Anjali Kapadia has spent the last ten years of her life turning her parents’ sari shop into a chic boutique. After being widowed at an early age, Anjali has given everything to this shop and is in a dilemma after finding out that they are close to bankruptcy. Enter Uncle Jeevan and his business partner Rishi Shah who plan to rescue them from bankruptcy by taking over part of the business and giving it a makeover. Anjali doesn’t trust Rishi, and Anglo-Indian with business all over the country. As they learn to work together, they slowly fall in love. But Anjali has been hurt before and is reluctant to give love a second chance…

I liked the character of Anjali as she seemed very well balanced. She is very artistic and independent. Yet she has traditional values. She has invested herself in the boutique so much that it hurts her to even imagine giving up part of it. Rishi is a discerning businessman with a beating heart. He realizes from the beginning that Anjali doesn’t trust him and tries to win her trust. Their relationship is a slow boil. Nothing happens out of the blue and it builds up slowly right in front of the readers. I liked the characters of Uncle Jeevan and Anjali’s mother. The plot as such is pretty simple and straightforward. There were hardly any twists hidden in the pages which was a downer. None of the characters surprised me either. The book has a steady pace and what you predict will happen, happens.

Overall, it can be treated as light read for a lazy afternoon.