Plot : ⭐⭐⭐
Story :⭐⭐⭐
Spice :🌶️🌶️
Rating :⭐⭐⭐
Tropes : enemies to lovers, contemporary romance, arranged marriage, happy ending.
Pacing : medium.
Story : I won’t go into detail, because I read this book some time ago, but i remember loving agastya, miss shilpa’s writing in this series of books is amazing. From the first word, this book was captivating. I hadn’t even planned to read this, i just wanted to read the prologue, and then i had read 5 chapters in.
What I loved : the plot, the different references of Indian culture, the start was slow, but it did pick up, and I found myself liking the story. This is the second book in the dynasty rebels series, what i loved most and would like to see more of is rashi and harsh’s hate toward each other. They stole the show for me. Even if it was at the end.
What I struggled with : nothing.
Loveable characters or not : yes.
Strong character development : likeable.
Plot driven / character driven : plot driven.
Favorite quotes/ highlights : “We need a show of strength when we speak, all our allies need to be present. And our constituents!”
“I’ll get it done.” Agastya wondered if that weight on his chest was physical or just symbolic of what he was feeling right now.
“And we need your wife.”
The weight doubled as he met his father’s unblinking stare.
“She won’t come,” he told Nanna.
“Make her.” His father’s inflexible response was exactly what was expected from him.
“No.”
“Show of strength,” his father reminded him.
“No.”
“Agastya-“
“I said no!” Agastya shouted.
Silence descended around them. Agastya was dimly aware of his mother walking into the drawing room from the kitchen, her worried gaze darting between her husband and her son.
“Whatever you did,” his father growled. “Fix it. I want that girl back here.”
“That girl, my wife, will not be forced to do anything she doesn’t want to do. Don’t even think of pulling some in-law stunt with her.”
His father glared at him. “Vedhava.”
Agastya agreed with his father. He truly was an ass.
“I want her back here because it’s better in this house with her around. Better or worse, whatever. She should be here.”
Agastya blinked.
“She’s a very bad influence on everyone you know,” his father continued. “She’s telling your Amma to try out sleeveless blouses. Can you imagine? Your Amma has nice arms and must show them off, it seems! Arms!! She’s convinced Harsh to get up in the morning and join us at the breakfast table. It’s very bad for my digestion to see his grumpy face in the morning. And-“
“And?” Agastya prompted, his throat thick with unvoiced emotion.
“And she reads the newspaper to me every morning because my eyes burn when I squint at the small print.” His father looked down at his feet, his cheeks turning a deep red. “She reads them in voices,” Nanna said, looking like a schoolboy who got caught with his hands in the cookie jar.
“Voices?” Agastya’s own voice cracked.
“It’s very silly,” Nanna informed him. He paused before adding, “But sweet.” Another pause. “And funny. ”
- “Did you hear me?” Guruma raised her voice. The other dancers shifted uncomfortably glancing from Veda to their teacher. “This will not be acceptable again, no matter how much money your husband steals to fund your private jets.”
The rubber band of Veda’s patience snapped with an audible crack. Hand clenched around her ghungroo, she rose to her feet. Whatever the other woman saw on her face had her stepping back.
“Do you have proof of that accusation?” she asked, her voice cracking like a whip in the dance hall.
Guruma stared at her, surprise darkening her face.
“Do you?” Veda demanded. “Because if you don’t, I will be taking you to court for slander.” She straightened, her shoulders going back as she faced the bitter, old woman. “And we both know that I can afford better lawyers than you.”
The last dig struck true and Guruma flinched, her lips tightening into a thin line.
“My husband,” Veda said softly. “Has more integrity in his little finger than everyone in this room put together. He did not take that money. If anyone in this dance troupe dares to even infer otherwise, forget actually saying it, I will not dance with them or for them. Good luck finding another dancer to headline this performance in two days.”
A deathly silence filled the room as Guruma stared her down. Veda held her head high, refusing to buckle. Whatever she might feel about Agastya in private and his reasons for marrying her, on this she had no doubt. He would never touch money that he hadn’t rightfully earned. She knew that with every inch of her soul and she’d be damned if she’d sit by and allow anyone to say otherwise in her presence.
After another fraught second, Guruma nodded. “After this,” she said. “We don’t work together.”
Veda inclined her head. “Agreed.”
-And then he saw that she hadn’t come alone. Behind her stood her parents, brother, and sister. She hadn’t just come to support him. She’d brought her family too. It was a powerful statement to make to the world. It wasn’t just Veda Kodela who supported him. The might of the Gadde family and their media empire backed him too. Even if one family member looked openly murderous. He glanced at Raashi but found her glaring at Harsh who was returning the favour two-fold.
- Agastya exhaled. “What is it?” he asked.
“We always knew he was looking to implicate you,” Virat began carefully.
“Rip the band aid off,” Agastya advised. “Did he dump the money in an account in my name?”
“No.” Virat still had that strange, disquieting look in his eyes.
“You found some digital link to me I’m assuming.”
“In a manner of speaking,” Virat hedged, leaning forward in his seat.
“What the f••• did you find? If this doesn’t link to me, then who does it link to?”
“Your wife.”
For a second, Agastya thought he’d heard wrong. He sat there, speechless, as he stared at Virat.
“What the f•••?” Harsh exploded.
“I need to ask you,” Virat said, his hands steepling in front of his face. “Do you trust her?”
“What. The. F•••?” Harsh’s fist clenched. “That’s my sister you’re talking about.”
“Sister-in-law,” Virat corrected. “And one who is holding a grudge against your brother, if I’m not wrong. There is no more perfect revenge than this.”
“Sister,” Harsh insisted. “Veda would never do something like this.”
“Agastya-“ Virat began.
“Scrub it.” The words were harsh and uncompromising. “Scrub all trace of her from it.”
Virat’s jaw flexed. “It weakens the evidence we’ve collated.”
“I don’t give a f•••!” The words were a muted roar. “Scrub it.”
Virat leaned back in his seat. “I thought you’d say that,” he sighed. “You trust her?”
“With my life,” Agastya said simply.
“This isn’t just your life though,” Virat pointed out. “It’s your entire family’s. It’s your legacy, your career.”
Agastya levelled a viciously calm look at him. “Scrub it.”
Virat’s gaze searched Agastya’s. Whatever he saw there, he knew he’d lost. He gave up the fight and nodded. “Consider it done.”
-“She’s in this mess because of you. You’re f•••••• lucky she got you out of it but I’m telling you this, Agastya, if even one smear of this s••• show is left on my sister’s life, brother-in-law or not, most powerful man in this state or not, I will f•••••• wipe the ground with you.”
Agastya inclined his head in acknowledgement. “Noted,” was all he said.
“Given where we’re standing, I don’t need to point out that this wouldn’t be the first time the Gaddes brought your family to its knees.”
A humourless smile touched Agastya’s lips, the pain in his heart tightening as he looked at Veda’s shut car door. “There is only one Gadde who’s brought me to my knees, and for her, I’d gladly stay there forever.”
- “You had no right,” he repeated, his guilt landing a hammer blow to his already broken heart.
“I don’t know about rights,” Virat said quietly. “But if I have a way to help you, I will always take it. Irrespective of what path it takes me down.”
“You will never use my wife again.” Agastya stepped forward, holding the other man’s gaze. “If you do, you will never be a part of my life, in any way, shape or form.”
“No?” Harsh asked, wry humour twining through his words. Veda didn’t answer but he continued, “I thought so. Could you just put us all out of our misery though? The more he suffers, the more the rest of us suffer. Right now, the cloud of doom has descended over our home. In all fairness earlier, it was the cloud of misery,” he confided. “But mix it in with doom, and honestly, Akka, I’m tempted to sign a porn flick next just to lighten the mood over here.”
“I don’t think I know how to live without you either,” she murmured.
He pressed his forehead to hers, his heart shuddering in his chest. “Please don’t ever learn how to. I won’t survive losing you.”