My Not So Perfect Life - Just like mine

It is great to have a humor side to a romance cadre novel. After Princess diaries this book is the one I had seen with humor touche. Realized now that my favorites are with these type of quirky books. You have silly girl, family bonding, building a career, independent life, love comes to you at the end. Everything I need and it's perfect. Just reading the words from the book, cleared my clogged brain. Started reading this book just to keep my brain getting damaged with all the romance from On Dublin Street series. And look what I have here. A winner that is. My mind is now completely free of jargon. It got dumped in a dump yard. And I can see myself floating in the air with new ideas projecting all around me.

First of all the things I like to give clarity on. I do not want a perfect life. I like clutter. I like my ups and downs. May be I learnt that too quickly. May be I got the image of happy life reading books, May be I always knew every beginning has a happy ending. May be I always knew we have to search for happiness in tiny little things that life has to offer.

God I missed this type of writing. It is now officially decided I have to read Sophie kinsella's books just like I read Meg Cabot's. Looking forward to more fun !! This is FUN !!

- SwEthA ChAlAmAseTTy

Castle Hill - Book 3.5 of On Dublin Street series

The story is narrated by Joss in the first hand and covers all the missed bits of her life story with Braden. Though we get to learn from other books what Joss and Braden are up to, here in Castle hill only we have a look at their life in detail. Reading the story tells about how comfortable they are with each other in their relationship. A girl can only dream about being comfortable with her partner. Both of them should be approachable. 

As the cover says, First comes Love, then comes Marriage - I don't quite agree with it. See in my case, I had an arranged marriage. We never shared love before our wedding. It only occurred gradually after I get to know my hubby. The first time we met at our parents place, we didn't have a bond or spark. It is not until the week before our wedding we met and I realized there is some serious heart-to-heart connection going on here. How-so-ever, I feel that true love (that comes from the bottom of the heart) only grows stronger with time. Well, Best Of Luck to me !!

My mind is now full of Joss and Braden and their love. I am not able to think much other than these three words. I need a break from romance. I am dead serious. Don't you dare get the idea that I am acting like Joss. I am out of words to write a review about any other book. Hands and brain ran out of romantic words to write in a blog. See I am blabbering here. I seriously mean it. I need a break !!

- SwEthA ChAlAmAseTTy

Before Jamaica Lane - Book 3 from On Dublin Street series

I expected the story to be of Olivia after reading the last chapter of 'Down London Road'. She is the new girl in town and I wanted to know more about her. Again Samantha Young did not disappoint in making us learn the story of Olivia. 

It is about a person who wants to have confidence in herself. She is always fighting to get her confidence in front of boys as all her adulthood had been full of responsibilities and she doesn't even know how to approach the opposite sex. The character Olivia from the story makes us learn an important thing and that is - Always believe in you.. and be you. No matter what. 

Talking about belief if you consider my opinion, a life is not worth living if you get to act. We can only enjoy each and every moment if and only if we be our self. None can be a perfect human being at the beginning. We need to stick to the originality in us, as long as it doesn't hurt others. We can have attitude, as long as it doesn't hurt others. By any chance, you feel that you are hurting your love by your attitude, immediately change. If the change you made is good for others, then it makes you happy. If you are happy, that is all that matters in this world. From what I said above, it doesn't mean you have to think about other and make changes in yourself. Sometimes, you need not think of the world as long as you stick to your character basics.

What I observed from beginning of the series is that the female characters in the story are of the below age groups:

1) Joss - Just graduated
2) Jo - 24 years
3) Olivia - 26 years

Had I not been pregnant with my girl by the time I read this story, I would have definitely felt left out. The reason is that Joss is pregnant with Braden's child and then there is Olivia at the end of the story who confirms her pregnancy too. Well, I now know how awesome it feels to be pregnant with a child from your beloved one. Hatsoff to being a mother !!

- SwEthA ChAlAmAseTTy

Until Fountain Bridge - Book 1.5 from On Dublin street series

Ellie is such a sweet girl with lots of romance in her head. She has positive attitude and brings about positive vibes in the people around her. It is fun learning about her love story with Adam. Since she is a romance freak, great learning the story from Ellie's numerous diaries. She is quite detailed about the events in her life. Samantha Young, you sure can surprise me. I am happy to learn the love details of each and every character from the story. Thank God there isn't much SXX from Ellie side. A reader like me want to see her as a sweet and loving girl of the story instead of a woman who can choose any man she wants. Glad to learn the possessiveness of Adam and how Braden had been a great brother to her little sister.

- SwEthA ChAlAmAseTTy

Christmas and Halloween On Dublin Street

It is good to know about the life of Braden and Joss after they confessed their love for each other. Though the characters are still alive in the later parts of the series, it is fun knowing how they celebrated Christmas and Halloween together before there are lots and lots of characters jumping in to the story. Can't wait to read more from the series.

- SwEthA ChAlAmAseTTy

Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon.. Ek Baar Phir

I loved watching this show on hotstar. Though it took 8 months for me to complete the show, the end is worth the time. The last episodes had been great. Simply great. While the first part is more fun watching. Ek Baar Phir is more on the emotional side. Every character is related to the story and lead characters emotionally. In the first part only Dee is emotional and sentimental. But here, wow there are lots and lots of characters and each one of them is apt to their role. Every story line has a detailed ending and it is good. The love shown at the beginning is not much. But in the final episodes, Shlok's efforts are to die for. Who doesn't want his man to fight for her. Who doesn't want his man to make her realise his love for her though she doesn't remember anything.

Look at Shlok - who wouldn't love his character. 

His attitude - I loved it.

His approach towards love - He feels Aastha is his everything. Without her there is no life worth living.

The way he treats Aastha - wow apt description to the character. He is a negative lead role.

It is rude to not talk about Aastha. Well, Aastha is Aastha. She is simple and fun-loving.

Overall, loved the show from the beginning. None of the characters plot is disappointing.

- SwEthA ChAlAmAseTTy

Down London Road.. You can overcome insecurities

Surprise ! Even though this book is 2nd in the series "On Dublin Street", the story is not about Joss and Braden whom I adore. But about another random character from Book One. Guess who? Jo from Joss's night bar. Interesting to learn that Joss and Braden characters are still there as part of "Down London Road". It is a different idea to continue books in a series. Good to know that the series evolves with different characters as main lead. 

The story is not as interesting as Joss and Braden's was. I did not quite like Jo and Cam's chemistry. After reading most part of the story, learnt that the story is not about Cam and Jo relationship. Funnily, it is about the relationship between Jo and her insecurities. There isn't as much passion in love as expected. After reading Book 1, obviously the hopes for reading another passionate love story would be high. But I am dissapointed here. 

Anyways, the story is about how Jo overcome her insecurities and settled in life. What I observed is that, when the right person comes to our life it is only then we take the initiative to overcome the negatives we have in us. God would definitely send the right person at some point or the other in life. "Ravatam koncham late aina, ravatam mathram pakka." We just have to wait patiently for that moment to come in our life. I am glad that I waited for my hubby to be in my life. Got a feeling that he is the one. He is the one who triggered a lot of changes in me and I am definitely loving the new me. 

The story only got interesting when Cam suddenly disappeared from Jo's life after a fight and she got attacked brutally by her dad. And the ending is the obvious. Jo and Cam became a couple only after Jo overcome her insecuirites because of her trust in Cam.

- SwEthA ChAlAmAseTTy