Tastes Like Shakkar- Review
Tastes Like Shakkar
By Nisha Sharma
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: If Shakespeare Were an Auntie #2
Publisher: Avon
Publication Date: August 1,2023
Source: Received an ARC in exchange for an honest review
Rating: 4.75 Stars
Description:
In the hilarious follow-up to the breakout rom-com Dating Dr. Dil, Nisha Sharma adds shakkar and mirch to Shakespeare’s iconic comedy Much Ado About Nothing for one sweet and spicy love story.
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.
Review:
For someone who’s favorite Shakespeare is Much Ado About Nothing, it should not have taken me to chapter 25 to make the connection between the wedding venue being named Messina, which is the location of the play. There were on of the nose parallels between Tastes Like Shakkar and Much Ado (I live for the play on “‘I had rather hear my dog bark at a crow, than a man swear he loves me” with Bobbi declaring she’d rather hear a dog bark at her Jersey City apartment.) Plus the bickering between Bobbi and Bunty, with props for Nisha Sharma giving them a backstory as to why they bicker. There was Deepak in the role of Don Pedro, matchmaking friends, a villain trying to sabotage the wedding, and aunties as the night watch. But the story was also modernized with losing the Hero/Claudio/”dying” of grief storyline which admittedly would have been hard to pull off. Instead we get family drama from both Bobbi and Bunty’s families. There’s a lot going on in this book but it all comes together so well. And it’s so sexy too! We get to see Bobbi, the always in control wedding planner, submitting to and even being tied up by Bunty when they do get together. And those scenes are scorching.
One of my favorite things of Much Ado is how the bickering turns into love and then the devotion especially shown by Benedick. Our Benedick (Bunty) has a tougher time in this story as he is being pulled away from Bobbi by his family obligations. This is where Nisha Sharma ties the story with intergenerational immigrant families and guilt in such a skillful way. This story had heart and was so complex and beautiful at the same time. You get the quirky Shakespeare callouts, the steaminess, the caring moments between friends, as well as family pressure, stress as things go wrong, hysterical aunties and all come together to form a gripping love story you won’t want to put down!
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