ENEMIES TO LOVERS

A career con woman teams up with a man who’s hiding the truth about himself to save his missing brother.

Sejal Chaudhary knows her family doesn’t look like anyone else’s. With her mother, the former head of the infamous Cobra crime organization, now behind bars, Sejal’s made every effort to keep her head down—even if she can’t resist fleecing one or two creeps. After ending up on the wrong side of a small con job, she grabs the first handsome stranger she sees as cover. But while Krish Anand is happy to pretend to be Sejal’s boyfriend to scare off her angry mark, their meet-cute is no coincidence. The truth is, Krish needs Sejal more than she needs him; his FBI-agent brother, Avi, has gone missing, and he’s convinced Cobra had something to do with it. Given Sejal’s connection to the organization, she’s Krish’s only hope of finding Avi. After convincing her that he’s the FBI agent, Krish still has to talk Sejal into driving across the country with him. When she realizes that her dangerous ex-boyfriend is hot on her tail, it doesn’t take long for Sejal to agree to Krish’s terms. The road trip that ensues is a whirlwind of rundown motel rooms, junk-food dinners, and shots fired, but every hour that passes is a chance for Sejal and Krish to learn more about each other—and realize that their mutual attraction is giving way to something more. The clock is ticking, though, and Krish is going to have to come clean about who he really is, even if it means losing Sejal forever. Rai’s latest is a delightful blend of romance and suspense that doesn’t sacrifice humor in spooling out its thrills. But as the story races toward its finish, it does become slightly overwhelmed by side characters and the need to resolve multiple narrative threads; the faster pace affords less opportunity to wrap up the main couple’s arc. Overall, though, it’s a fun adventure that delivers an irresistible slow-burn romance.

This action-packed romance is a road trip worth taking.