Review - - Tastes Like Shakkar

Tastes Like Shakkar

by Nisha Sharma

If Shakespeare Were An Auntie - Book 2

Publisher: Avon

Release Date: August 1, 2023

Reviewed by PJ

 

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.

PJ's Thoughts:

The Aunties are back and funnier - and scarier - than ever. I've decided that if reincarnation is real I want to come back as a South Asian Auntie. Seriously, these women are da bomb!

Nisha Sharma takes readers back into the New Jersey South Asian community she introduced in last year's hilarious Dating Dr. Dil for the second book in her If Shakespeare Were An Auntie series. This time, it's the best friends of Kareena and Prem (heroine/hero of Dating Dr. Dil) who are in the spotlight in an enemies to lovers romcom that kept me laughing, and flipping pages, from start to finish.

This book overflows with snappy dialogue, family dynamics, solid friendships, impeccably placed humor, and some sizzling romance. I really enjoyed Bobbi and Bunty together. Their chemistry is off the charts, even when they don't like each other, and threatens to set the sheets on fire when they do. They test their limits with some bondage that may not be everyone's cup of tea. Easy to skip over that part if it isn't or indulge in a little kink if it is. What I especially enjoyed between these two is (1) the sweetness of Bunty's nurturing side which comes through in his determination to feed Bobbi by leaving her baskets of delicious food with adorable notes and (2) the fact that he loves her curves as he continuously shows her (after they clear up that miscommunication from their first meeting). 

The supporting cast in this book is all that and more, including meddling friends, meddling family, meddling Aunties. Let's face it, everyone's a meddler in this book but it's done with love and I loved it. Well, except for the wedding saboteur. That's done with malice but never fear, the person is finally caught and dished up their just desserts. 

You could read Tastes Like Shakkar as a standalone but I think it's a lot more fun if you've read Dating Dr. Dil first. Whichever order you decide to read these books, they both have my enthusiastic recommendation. I'm already eagerly anticipating the next book in the series.