Book Review: Sunshine and Spice by Aurora Palit

Around the holiday season I like to dive into a romance novel. Partially because this is the month I like to ‘treat’ myself to lighter reads, but also because I aim to include one romance novel in my ‘books as gifts’ round-up each December for the CBC. Sunshine and Spice by Aurora Palit does not take place during the holidays, (sorry Hallmark fans) but it does take place in the city of Kelowna, British Columbia up here in Canada which is not a common setting – and I loved that!

Plot Summary

Naomi Kelly has opened her own brand-consulting business, and is struggling to make ends meet. She left a cushy job at an agency to strike out on her own, but without a wide personal network in Kelowna landing the contracts is proving harder than she originally thought. She successfully wins a bid to rebrand a store called “Gia’s Bazaar” which previously sold cheap knick-knacks and imports from India. It belongs to the Mukherjee family, an affluent group of Bengalis who are well known and respected in Kelowna. They have three sons, the middle son being Dev, who is frustrated with his mother Gia’s attempts at finding him a wife. Dev has always been the good son, always abiding by his mother’s wishes, but recently quit his accounting job: something else Gia doesn’t know about. After Dev and Naomi meet by accident (Dev assumes Naomi is just another woman his mother has set in his path for marriage) they realize they can help each other; Naomi will occasionally pretend to be Dev’s girlfriend to ward off the marriage prospects being constantly sent his way, while Dev can help Naomi ensure the rebrand is successful and up to Gia’s impossibly high standards. Dev’s grumpiness is of course no match for Naomi’s positive spirit, but what he doesn’t know is that Naomi is actually Bengali too, but raised by a mother that ran away from her cultural roots and believes the Bengali community is something to be avoided at all costs, which is the exact opposite of Gia’s view. Will these two fall in love, and win their family’s approval? Of course they will!

My Thoughts

There’s a few things that drew me to this book, one of them being the aforementioned setting. I’ve driven through Kelowna a few times, never spent much time there but I always enjoy a Canadian setting, especially when it’s not a major city. The cultural complications of this book also offer readers something else to chew on. For Caucasian readers like myself it’s a lighter lesson on the extra challenges that second generation immigrants may struggle with, and I appreciated that it shows both sides of this struggle. Dev pushes against the strict cultural norms that his mother abides by, insisting upon a relationship and marriage that makes sense for the entire family, not necessarily Dev as an individual. It’s not an arranged marriage she’s insisting upon, but having been in an arranged marriage herself, Gia wants to very involved with Dev’s decision. On the other side of this is Naomi who grew up in a family that has completely shunned their Bengali roots, believing it to be a close-minded and judgmental community . But Naomi is desperate for a large family that hovers, pesters, and shows their love through culture. Like most romance novels this secret between Naomi and Dev grows bigger and bigger, until it’s finally revealed in a big blow-up.

The writing is light, simple and fun. It fits the tone of the book perfectly, and never got in the way of what was happening on the page. Like the title suggests, scent and taste are senses that are frequently played upon in the book, and the lovers’ descriptions of each other always relate back to this:

“The desire to draw closer to him spilled through her, thick like caramelized sugar. She wanted to blanket herself in the woodsy freshness that clung to him and feel his warm skin against her own. She wanted to fold her curves around his hard edges.

She wanted to taste him.” (p. 149, Sunshine and Spice by Aurora Palit)

Some may roll their eyes at the above quote, but in the romance genre this kind of writing is common; and you must admit, it’s quite fun! One of my favourite parts about the romance genre is its encouragement to get in touch with one’s senses (ALL your senses) which this book excels at.