12/07/2020
A fake engagement sparks real romance on the set of a cooking contest in this delightful rom-com from Heron (The Chai Factor). Reena Manji, an aspiring baker, is initially charmed by the flirtatious smile and “brown Captain America” good looks of her new neighbor, Nadim Remtulla—until she discovers that their meeting was not serendipitous but the result of a business deal between their fathers. Reena immediately rejects the idea of an arranged marriage with Nadim, but when an opportunity arises to appear on a Toronto cooking show for couples, she turns to him for help. For the chance to win a scholarship to the Institute of Culinary Arts, she’ll need Nadim to pretend to be her fiancé. Their chemistry leaps off the screen in their audition tapes, and soon fact and fiction blur as they fall for one another off camera. But Nadim’s checkered past and their fathers’ complicated business relationship present complications for their budding relationship. Heron enhances the love story with mouthwatering descriptions of Indian cuisine and a rich glimpse into Toronto’s Indian Muslim community and Reena’s family culture. Equally sweet and spicy, this is sure to leave readers smiling. Agent: Rachel Brooks, BookEnds. (Mar.)
Reena and Nadim have electric chemistry, buoyed by Heron's crackling banter. But it's their tenderness, for each other and the food they adore, that lends the comedy some beautiful heft. ... Accidentally Engaged is voraciously readable…fresh, warm, soft in all the right places…both its comedic and emotional moments sing. We dare readers not to devour it. Grade: A."—Entertainment Weekly
“Accidentally Engaged is an engaging read with authentic characters who continue to surprise you." —USA Today
“Farah Heron spins a delectable tale brimming with wit, emotion, and deliciously sexy banter that will leave readers hungry for more.” —Farrah Rochon, author of The Boyfriend Project
"A mouthwatering romantic comedy... This book is undoubtedly what Heron would pull out during the Showstopper Challenge on a literary version of The Great British Bake Off.”—BookPage
“Full of heart and humor. …Farah Heron balances the ingredients for a charming romance: a heroine finding her way, a swoonworthy love, a complicated but loving family and a happily ever after.”—Shelf Awareness
“Heron delivers an engaging romantic comedy that explores culture, family expectations, and personal growth.”—Library Journal
“A-. Accidentally Engaged has an optimism that I couldn’t help but carry with me past the end of the book.”—Smart Bitches Trashy Books
"Farah Heron writes with the keen eye of a satirist and the big heart of a romantic."—Jenny Holiday, author of Paradise Cove
“Farah Heron has written a feast of a book! Accidentally Engaged gives us a banquet to enjoy, from the tantalizing cooking competition, the delightful breadmaking, the delicious family dynamics, to the sumptuous romance. It’s a must-read.”—Tif Marcelo, author of The Key to Happily Ever After
“Equally sweet and spicy, this is sure to leave readers smiling.”—Publishers Weekly
“Heron writes a compelling story . . . [that] will appeal to readers looking for complex family dramas and sumptuous descriptions of food and cooking.”—Kirkus
"A fantastic romance with sassy characters, delicious food, Indian culture, a meddling family, and a sexy hero with a British accent."—Living My Best Book Life
“Accidentally Engaged does what all good romance novels do best: It’s full of emotion, fun, and family, with that ultimately satisfying HEA that will settle in your stomach like a home-cooked meal.”—Vulture
“Heron really hit the mark with this book and produced a wonderful addition to the rom-com genre.”—Fort Hood Sentinel
01/01/2021
It's extremely unfortunate that Reena Manji's new neighbor is cute because he also happens to be the most recent Good Muslim Man her parents have decided she should marry. She's worked too hard in a job she hates so that she can break away from familial decrees about her future. While Nadim Remtulla may be cute and appreciative of her baking obsession, friendship is all that Reena can offer. That is, until a cooking competition for couples with a grand prize scholarship to an expensive culinary school means Reena needs to find a partner—and fast. Surely, pretending to be engaged on the Internet without your family finding out will be no problem. As the duo make their way through the competition, Reena realizes she's more attracted to Nadim than she thought, and she could be risking more than a scholarship. VERDICT Heron delivers an engaging romantic comedy that explores culture, family expectations, and personal growth in her second outing after The Chai Factor. Pair this one with a cookbook or two, as readers will want a snack after reading about all the delicious food.—Kellie Tilton, Univ. of Cincinnati Blue Ash
Soneela Nankani narrates this delightful contemporary romance with her whole heart, drawing listeners in with her enthusiasm. She embodies Reena Manji, capturing her anxieties about her meddling Indian Muslim family, her boring finance job, and a series of lackluster boyfriends. When she bumps into her new neighbor, Nadim Remtulla, she’s initially intrigued by his British accent and easy charm—and then appalled when she discovers their parents have informally arranged their marriage. Nankani brings all the characters to life, smoothly shifting accents and vocal timbres to differentiate them. She takes listeners on an emotional roller-coaster ride as Reena and Nadim navigate their growing attraction, a fake engagement scheme, a Canadian reality-TV cooking contest, and explosive family secrets. E.E.C. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine
Soneela Nankani narrates this delightful contemporary romance with her whole heart, drawing listeners in with her enthusiasm. She embodies Reena Manji, capturing her anxieties about her meddling Indian Muslim family, her boring finance job, and a series of lackluster boyfriends. When she bumps into her new neighbor, Nadim Remtulla, she’s initially intrigued by his British accent and easy charm—and then appalled when she discovers their parents have informally arranged their marriage. Nankani brings all the characters to life, smoothly shifting accents and vocal timbres to differentiate them. She takes listeners on an emotional roller-coaster ride as Reena and Nadim navigate their growing attraction, a fake engagement scheme, a Canadian reality-TV cooking contest, and explosive family secrets. E.E.C. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine
2020-11-27
A Toronto woman joins forces with her handsome neighbor to win a scholarship to culinary school.
Reena Manji’s strong circle of friends and her cooking and baking projects keep her happy despite her lackluster finance job. However, being 31 and having a dozen failed relationships behind her means that her loving but overbearing parents have stepped up their efforts to find her the perfect Muslim husband. Their newest prospect is Nadim Remtulla. He grew up in Dar es Salaam, attended boarding school in England, and now he’s in Toronto working on a real estate deal important to both of their families. Reena can afford her city apartment since her father owns the building, and he offered Nadim an apartment next to hers, hoping to throw them together. Reena has artfully dodged all of her family’s previous matchmaking attempts, but Nadim proves impossible to resist. He’s charming and attractive, but most importantly he agrees to be her partner in a local cooking contest. If Reena wins, she can attend culinary school and leave her boring finance job behind. Heron writes a compelling story of a woman trying to balance personal fulfillment against the intense pressures of familial duty and cultural expectations. Reena’s relationships with her father, mother, and sister are filled with past hurts and secrets, creating a realistically thorny and complex family dynamic. Although Reena makes progress in understanding her place in the family, the solutions are not pat and easy. Nadim is not a point-of-view character and not as well developed; Reena’s personal journey is the main focus of the novel.
Will appeal to readers looking for complex family dramas and sumptuous descriptions of food and cooking.
