THE TAKEOVER EFFECT

Two bright and razor-sharp Sikh lawyers in New York discover that no amount of diligence will protect them from the consequences of their mutual attraction.

Not long after Hemdeep Singh left his family’s thriving tech company to carve his own legacy, he learns that Bharat Inc., painstakingly nurtured by his father, Deepak, is in troubled waters. Hem rushes to the aid of his younger brothers, Ajay and Zail, but while attempting to steer the company to safety, he is distracted by the presence of Mina Kohli. The gorgeous and ambitious lawyer has been appointed by the board of Bharat to head up a committee reviewing a takeover offer from a malicious competitor. Mina’s rise in the legal firm built by her late mother is contingent on her performance in the review proceedings. If she fails to impress, she is likely to be trapped in a marriage that has been arranged by her unsympathetic uncle. Although Mina enters the boardroom with a very clear agenda, she's thrown for a loop by her attraction to the charming man she meets there. Hem and Mina’s relationship is quickly propelled forward by mutual desire, but their journey toward lasting love and companionship is threatened by the twisting maze of corporate espionage. The first installment in Sharma's (My So-Called Bollywood Life, 2018) Singh Family Trilogy is full of sharply etched characters with vibrant personalities. Armed with an insider’s insight, Sharma sketches a culturally authentic and emotionally rich portrait of a typical Indian-American family, warts and all. Deliciously evocative descriptions of spicy Indian food compensate for the occasional blandness in the characters’ interactions with each other.

A sweet love story enlivened by energetic displays of cool intellect, warm familial ties, and hot sexual chemistry.