Book Reviews of The Dowry Bride

It was okay. The cultural part, learning about "dowry brides" and their fates when their families renegged on the dowry was both interesting and tragic. I found the hero, Kiran, much more interesting than Megha, the heroine, who acted like a petulant child a lot. And the romance was weak and the writing reeked of Harlequin romance---not modern day Harlequins, but the ones from the 80's. I really enjoy the "dot Indian romances", (I learned this term in one of my novels---it was what an Americanized Indian girl called herself to distinguish her and her family from "American Indians"). There's a lot better Eastern Indian novels out there than this. I just finished reading The Mango Season before this, and it blew this baby away. But the premise was good and I think once Bantwal's writing matures and is less self-conscious, she'll be a much more enjoyable read. (I am not being condescending---have you ever compared an early Nora Roberts--maybe one of her Harlequins--to her current books? She was never a bad writer, but the evolution---wow!)

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