The Peshwa: The Lion and the Stallion #BookReview

If history fascinates you then this novel "The Peshwa: The Lion and the Stallion" by Ram Sivasankaran takes you a few centuries back in Mughal - Maratha period. In the 18th century, when Mughals were loosing their grip over Indian sub-continent and Maratha empire was gradually taking control over Indian states, under the guidance of Chhathrapathi Shahu (son of late Chhathrapathi Sambhaji) and the leadership of Balaji Vishwanath Bhat (Peshwa of the Maratha Confederacy), the empire was rising and building a path to achieve Mughal free India for the Maratha generations to come. The events described in this book mainly revolves around the royal families of Maratha empire and Nizam Ul Mulk of the Mughal empire.


The story begins with Bajirao Bhat riding alongside his father,Balaji Vishwanath Bhat and some soldiers of Maratha Confederacy to Delhi for negotiating the release terms of Chhathrapathi Shahu's mother from Mughal captivity. After being beaten by Maratha Confederacy in several states of Indian sub-continent and under the weak leadership of Mughal emperor, Farrukhsiyar, the Mughals had developed the diplomatic ties with the Marathas to maintain control over their existence in India. Nizam Ul Mulk , the loyal nizam of Peacock Throne of Delhi is a sharp personnel who believes in the Mughal Empire's domination. He convinces the Emperor to demolish the Peshwa's plan to release the Queen mother of Maratha Confederacy but all his plans of assassinating the Peshwa fails and things fall against his will. Later on,with the motive to destroy Maratha Empire and to avenge for the wounds the Peshwa had caused him, the Nizam builds his army and due to an internal rebellion among the Maratha Confederacy, things fall in favor of the Nizam and then how things take turn? and how the Peshwa's son, Bajirao Bhat, comes in the picture and takes control of the leadership and deals with toughest of situations is what engages the reader to the core of the narration.

Now the things which I like about the book

1) The cover of the book is appealing and grabs attention at first glance.
2) The chapters are beautifully bifurcated and doesn't make things boring from a reader's perspective.
3) The characters are well described and never appeared to be left out throughout the narrative.
4) I found the storytelling very poised and engaging.

Now the things which I didn't like about the book

1) I found the font very small and difficult to read in some of the chapters where the text is written in italics.
2) Though the use of graphics in books is common these days but I didn't like them in this book, as the objects depicted were not of great significance.


Final Thoughts

Overall, I liked the book as it gives you a taste of history and makes you learn about some of the unheard and brave stories of the legends.

I give this book 4 stars out of 5.

A nice weekend read!




I received the copy of "The Peshwa: The Lion and the Stallion" from Writersmelon in exchange of an honest review.

It's not Right..but It's Okay #BookReview

If you believe in love and second chances in relationship, then this novel "It's not right..but it's okay" by Anuj Tiwari is a good mix of friendship, love and betrayal. This is the story of a career oriented girl, Angira - a Fashion designing student and Ved (the male protagonist)- a footballer and their friends Arjun, Anushka, Charu and Iona.

Angira, who's good at fashion designing, lives in Delhi with her parents and sister. She's an independent girl but with a broken heart (unsorted past relationship). Her sister Anushka, wants her to shift to Mumbai for further studies and to start a new life from beginning. With the help of Anushka and her friend Arjun, she moves to Mumbai and starts her college life with career being the only priority. Ved, who's a footballer and an MBA student, is a good looking guy, who's pursuing his MBA from Mumbai. A twist of fate happens and Ved meets Angira thru social networking medium. After months of chatting and meetings, they develop a strong bond of friendship and love for each other. After this what happens next and how love prevails over emotions is what keeps the reader's interest alive in this novel.

Now the things which I like about the book

1) The book is beautifully paced and all the characters have given equal weight-age in terms of their respective roles.
2) The emotions of pure love are nicely portrayed.
3) I like the cover page of the book. Font used for the chapter titles is also very good and stylish. 
4) I also like the simplicity of the author in describing the intimate scenes (not at all vulgar).

Now the things which I didn't like about the book
 
1) Though size of the book was good, but I felt that at places the description was shortened in an indefinite manner. Could have been better with little elaboration of the events (at very few places).
2) Editing team has done a good job overall, but while reading I encountered few spelling mistakes. Must be human errors (no role of author in this)

Final thoughts

Overall, I would say that this is a light read in romantic genre. A good partner while traveling.

I give this book 3.25 stars out of  5.

A nice read!



This post is written for the #HalfMarathon blogging challenge at #Blogchatter DailyChatter.

Suggestions and feedback are most welcome.

Regrets: Dream Desire Destiny by Shahrukh Ahmad #BookReview

If you are an entrepreneur or planning to set up your start-up in near future, then this debut novel "Regrets: Dream Desire Destiny" by Shahrukh Ahmad is the perfect book which will give you ideas about how a person starts a firm from initial level to the million dollar company. Its basically the story which rotates around Sameer; the main protagonist of this novel. He is an enthusiastic person when it comes to business, and a person who has a haunting past which he hides from everyone. He has a best friend and business partner in Nishant, who is more than a brother to him. And a caring girlfriend in Preeti, who loves him madly.

Its a story of Sameer's life, in which his desires, dreams and his accomplishments are showcased. A story where love, friendship and aspirations of Sameer are blended together in a wonderful manner. And above all the message which Shahrukh has tried to convey thru this book, is portrayed perfectly.

Now the things which I like about the book

1) The book is very well paced. Its a light read, and at no point you feel like taking pauses in middle.
2) It has a story which any college going student can easily relate to. The experiences shared of Sameer's collge life are very realistic and very much relatable.
3) The story is new and fresh. It has all the ingredients like love, friendship, pain, broken relations and chase after dreams. Shahrukh has wonderfully mixed the ingredients and made this book a perfect recipe from reader's perspective.
4) This being author's first book, I must admit that editing team has done a very good job.


Now the things which I didn't like about the book

1) I felt that Preeti's role was very strong, but somehow Sameer's and Preeti's relationship was not explained properly. There was no mention of their budding relationship after the chapter where Sameer stays at Preeti's place and then leaves for Indore the very next morning. What happens after that and how their relationship comes on track afterwards, is one thing which I felt was incomplete in the narration.
2) The cover is not very appealing. Its okay but could have been better.

Final thoughts

Overall, I would say that this is a light read that engages the reader completely. You can feel for the protagonist when he suffers from his darker side as well as you can show your anger when he takes wrong decisions and regrets later.

I would give it 3.25 stars on 5.

A nice read!

Unofficially Yours: Saga of Friends Who Fell in Love by Ayushi Jain #BookReview

I never wrote a single review for any novel before, but this novel made me to write about it for the very first time.I must admit that writing reviews is not an easy task at all, and writing a book with all the ingredients put together in perfect balance is even more difficult than anything else.And this novel has definitely passed on every parameter that a novel must possess.Its a beautiful piece of impressive writing and very well narrative script.This being author's first novel surely has managed to touch the audience's heart and soul.I always feel that a good novel is that which makes you imagine about the story and its characters, and the style of writing the author has showcased thru this novel justifies that statement.Its always hard to maintain the pace in stories like these, but the author did justice to what she wrote and there was no sign of boredom faced while reading it. There were so many things which one could relate thru this tale of friends who fell in love, some from the college days, some from the company days and some from the personal relationships.Sometime it brings tears to your eyes, and at times it brings smile to your face.Everything is blended together so very well that it stands out as the novel which is a must read for everyone.

To say the least, its that kind of a book which attracts its readers and makes them experience the sheer joy of being in friendship and relationship together.