Love laced stories and emotional sagas (IANS Books This Weekend)

A woman hopelessly falls in love with a suave hotelier; her good-looking best friend enters and she realises how fickle the heart can be. Another woman finds unexpected friendship and experiences love in strange situations and a couple go through a turbulent phase of their life. All these stories reflect contemporary tales of love. Take a look at the IANS bookshelf.

1. Book: When Only Love Remains; Author: Durjoy Datta; Publisher: Penguin Metro Reads; Pages: 278; Price: Rs. 175

I have imagined this in my head so many times. I have always thought about what I would say and what I would do, and how it would all turn out to be.

And every time I would remove some detail....

She is a flight attendant - young, bright and living her dream. He is a heartbroken singer on his way to making it big.

She is an ardent fan of his. He can't imagine why and yet seems to find comfort in her words.

It's the first time they are together and in their hearts both wish, hope and pray that the night never ends. That the time they are spending together

lasts and lasts...

In the world of imperfection, there is always someone just right.

2. Book: Secrets and Second Chances; Author: Anita Shirodkar; Publisher: Rupa; Pages: 308; Price: Rs. 295

Nandita Dharkar, a strikingly beautiful and talented architect, relocates to Mumbai from Delhi, seeking new horizons and compelling explanations about ghosts from her mother's past.

As she revels in her new-found independence and forges new friendships, her job at a prestigious architect's firm brings suave hotelier Aryan Rai into her life - and she falls hopelessly in love with him. But when her best friend, the carelessly handsome Aditya Arora, suddenly lands on her doorstep, Nandita realises how fickle the heart can be. In the midst of it all, she is unable to forget the mysterious letter she had discovered in her mother's jewellery box. When she embarks on a quest to find out the identity of the writer, shocking secrets about her mother's past come to the forefront.

3. Book: It's Complex; Author: Shoma Narayanan; Publisher: Rupa; Pages: 262; Price: Rs. 295

Jai, an aspiring scriptwriter, and Nikita, the consummate modern working woman, live in the same high-rise in Mumbai. One night, the two have a dramatic encounter when Jai rescuses Nikita from a near-fatal accident and then offers to moonlight as her driver. Thus begins a tempestuous romance which takes many unexpected twists and turns.

Jai, desperate for a break in Bollywood, enters a love-story contest in Nikita's name. Will this rash act on his part lead to a nasty break-up or will the two let their barriers fall and discover each other anew?

Find out how the young couple navigate their complicated relationship even as they deal with the many colourful characters who enter their lives.

4. Book: The City of Palaces; Author: Sujata Massey; Publisher: Penguin; Pages: 472; Price: Rs. 499

Bengal, 1930. Young Pom's life changes forever when her family is wiped out in a devastating flood. She becomes a maidservant in a British boarding school where she discovers her gift for languages. Amidst the drudgery of her duties, she finds unexpected friendship and experiences the stirrings of first love. However, tragedy soon strikes, and she is forced into hiding.

Alone and desperate, she makes a dangerous journey from the secretive, decadent world of an exclusive brothel to the grand metropolis of Calcutta, the city of palaces.

Swept into the rising tide of the Indian freedom struggle, she creates a new life for herself, one that holds the promise of happiness and true love...until the past returns to haunt her.