As my first read by this author, I really enjoyed this book. I love the marriage of convenience/arranged marriage trope and this book just hit the spot. I couldn’t get enough of Rani and Arjun’s story. I loved their chemistry and how perfect they were for each other. Overall, this book was enjoyable and I look forward to read more from this author.

FULL REVIEW ON FRESH FICTION
MARRIAGE BY ARRANGEMENT by Sophia Singh Sasson is an emotional contemporary romance. Rani is a heroine to root for--she wants to prove her worth, not just to her supervisors, strict parents, or potential love interest, but also to herself. She’s made some missteps in the past and is ready to move forward. Arjun was also a complex character, though it took him more time to open up and also realize some things needed to be changed. Both Rani and Arjun have very traditional Indian families who demand respect and have high expectations for their adult children to be successful. Because of these expectations, both Rani and Arjun have to come to terms with how they view themselves and how they need to change over the course of the novel. While some of the events in the novel aren’t too surprising, Sophia Sasson Singh thoughtfully tells the story of Rani and Arjun overcoming obstacles to ultimately fall in love. Indian culture is celebrated as well as examined under a modern lens. There are side characters aplenty, many of whom will hopefully receive stories of their own! MARRIAGE BY ARRANGEMENT is an enjoyable romance from an author to watch.

I wanted to love this book, but I couldn't! The main flaw is with the writing style. It did not engage me in the way that I hoped it would.

Unfortunately I started and stopped this book multiple times since I received the ARC of it. At this time I am not able to provide a review on the book because I can never get passed the first chapter.

Marriage by Arrangement is the first book in the Nights at the Mahal series by Sophia Singh Sasson. Architect Rani Gupta will never let a man compromise her career or freedom again. Which is a problem now that her newest client is irresistible hotelier Arjun Singh. Rani falls hard for Arjun to only learn he has been engaged to someone else the entire time.

This was a pretty good read. I liked looking at this aspect of real issues in the Indian culture that I’ve only seen very briefly. I liked Rani right from the beginning. I eventually got to liking Arjun. I had some issues with how things were wrapped up in the end, but still enjoyed the book. I recommend.
**I voluntarily read and reviewed this book

Arranged marriages and marriage of convenience are my JAM! I was really excited to try this one, especially since both characters are Indian. I enjoyed the plot but there were some parts that fell flat and were a tad frustrating. 3 stars

Arranged marriages aren't usually my cup of tea, so to speak, but since this one wasn't exactly a fake relationship, I dove in. What I found is an engaging story and interesting characters in a fast-paced, quick read. Rani and Arjun have good chemistry, and the story has the required relationship angst without going overboard. I would've liked to see Rani realize her own worth by book's end rather than have her happiness all wrapped up in Arjun, but I suppose we can't have it all. Other than that, the story was a good way to spend a lazy afternoon, and I'll be interested to see what's next for the series.

Sophia Singh Sasson blends red-hot passion, steamy sensuality and blistering emotion in her immensely enjoyable debut for Harlequin Desire, Marriage by Arrangement.

After her marriage had come to an acrimonious end, architect Rani Gupta had vowed to give relationships as wide a berth as possible. Her career had been nearly destroyed because of her marriage and she is adamant that it will not happen again. Nothing and nobody is going to stand between her and her career and she vows to prove all her doubters wrong and show her detractors just how talented she is. Impressing hotelier Arjun Singh is of paramount importance and she has worked as hard as she possibly can to ensure that she wins her firm the prestigious contract. The stakes have never been higher and when Arjun hires her for the job, Rani is delighted – even if she had been ill-prepared for the intense chemistry that sizzled between the two of them.

Arjun had been drawn to Rani from the very first moment he clapped eyes on her. The two had connected on a visceral level that had surprised him and even though Rani seems keen to keep their relationship strictly platonic, Arjun still finds himself attracted to her. When giving into temptation proves inevitable, Arjun and Rani succumb to the attraction that has flared between the two of them. As one of the world’s most eligible bachelors who has women throwing themselves at him on a regular basis, Arjun has never been the settling down type, but could Rani make him change his mind?

Rani has worked her to show everyone how capable she is and she is not about to let this inconvenient attraction she feels towards Arjun ruin things. Yet, keeping him at arm’s length becomes harder with each passing day as Rani has fallen head over heels in love with him. But dare she trust him with her heart? Or will she continue to be held hostage by past mistakes and persistent fears that prevent her from taking a chance on love?

Marriage by Arrangement is a passionate, emotional and captivating read I devoured in a single sitting. Sophia Singh Sasson has written a compelling contemporary romance about a strong, determined and dedicated woman who falls in love with a seductive, powerful and devastatingly handsome hero it is impossible to resist.

Marriage by Arrangement is a fun tale that sizzles with intensity, drama and pathos and it’s one which will have contemporary romance fans adding Sophia Singh Sasson’s name to their auto-buy list.

This book does a lot of interesting things in terms of plot and character that I really liked.

Firstly I loved having two Indian leads (one Indian, one Indian-American). An Indian woman lead who is a divorcee?? Amazing. This book really nailed exactly how divorced women get treated. I've never seen this in a romance novel before. Sophia Singh Sasson is also brutally honest about how abusive Indian men can be, and how they are supported and enabled by traditional family structures. The way financial independence is held over the heads of women, here to Arjun's sister Divya, as a means of control is very real and a nightmare many of us never escape. I was cheering every time Rani calls Arjun out for defending this bullshit.

Rani is a sweet character but falls prey far too often to Not Like The Other Girls-ing. I cannot root for anyone who needs to reduce other women to feel better about herself. Rani had some serious issues with lack of self esteem, understandably so after her toxic marriage and abandonment by family after her divorce, but I wish that was addressed more instead of magically cured by Arjun's attention. She needed therapy not a hot billionaire. While the book rightfully calls out and rejects many regressive aspects of Indian culture, it reaffirms and plays into some others, like colourism. For instance Rani's reasons for marrying Naveen:

"She’d liked the idea of joining a family where she was the lighter-skinned one, rather than the one who was constantly being handed skin bleaching creams."

NO. You can't fight colourism by making sure you're the fairest one in the room. That's clown behaviour, gtfoh.

Arjun, the apparently hottest man in India, was irritatingly lacking in self awareness in the beginning. I have no sympathy for him whining that the women in his life are so disenfranchised that they are all dependent on him. YEAH ARJUN YOU'RE THE REAL VICTIM HERE. Ugh -.-
I was totally unsurprised by his lying about his engagement to Hema - Indian men, being trash fellows, are famous for this kind of thing.
"Hema was a not a problem to solve. She was an obligation he had to come to terms with."

He does however grow and admit to many of his mistakes, thanks to Rani challenging him.

In a book that was so daring about confronting the toxic power dynamics in Indian families, I'm so so disappointed that Sophia Singh Sasson failed to do that finally with Rani's family.

**spoilers** Her parents using her father's illness to force her into situations, and another marriage she doesn't want is ABUSE. Call it what it is. **end spoilers**

This is abuse and coercion and I can't explain how hurtful it was to read it being handwaved away as love and concern. Absolutely fucking not. I cannot explain how angry it made me to read that. I anticipate this being very triggering for other Indian women in similar situations, which are all too common.

I honestly wasn't expecting much caste discourse because diaspora stay wilfully ignorant of it, even though it is the very basis of arranged marriage. To write an arranged marriage trope in a traditional Indian family, all savarnas of course, and not even mention it is a big negative for me.

Lastly, the writing was a little clumsy. It's very old school mills and boons style, which was fun as a throwback, but I can't read too many of these. It almost sounds like a travel guide sometimes explaining 'Indian culture' for tourists, which may be a requirement of publishing for an american audience. The cover was what attracted my attention first, and it's beautiful with TWO Indian leads. Two! Just lovely.

Okay last LAST thing: Russell Peters???? No seriously Russell Peters?! My gods why? He's a talentless hack who plays into racist parodies of Indians for laughs from white people. Gross. Really, I promise you no one other than pre teenage boys circa 2003 like him or his 'humour'.

Rani is a fabulously independent, driven, intelligent heroine, and while I found some other aspects of the book frustrating, her journey was a real triumph and a delightful read!

My review was published at All About Romance on August 8, 2020: https://allaboutromance.com/book-review/marriage-by-arrangement-by-sophia-singh-sasson/

I also cross-published the review on my personal Goodreads page: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3492427757?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1

I thought this was a fun and interesting story. I really enjoyed the Indian culture and traditions within the story and the characters' internal struggles. I think it did a good job showing the family pressure. I was surprised that the arranged marriage didn't show up until over half way through.

If you want a light easy romance then I definitely recommend this one.

I had high hopes for this one as it has one of my favorite tropes, fake relationship, but it was a let down.

- The fake engagement (if you could call it that) doesn't show up until the 60% mark
- The chemistry between Rani and Arjun was not there for me
- I thought Arjun wasn't as well-developed as a character
- Arjun also keeps a major piece of information from Rani while in a physical relationship with her
- There were some jealous catty women who served no real purpose to the plot

I did think the book did a good job at portraying what it's like having to live under family pressure in Indian families and I did like Rani's character a lot.

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a free copy of the book via NetGalley.

Marriage by Arrangement is a stand-out romance. Rani and Arjun are a great couple to fall in love with, and their relationship was, for me, both familiar and very new. Marriage by Arrangement is an especially enjoyable trip into the lives of two Indian characters and the challenges the come with romances that root deeply in the Indian world.

The romance itself is as timeless as the best romances ever are – a man and woman who belong together meet and fall and love. Sometimes, admittedly, it seemed that there was so much culture that the relationship between the hero and heroine got a bit lost, but I think that was part of the story itself, that romance can (does?) get lost when one’s culture makes such demands on one’s heart and head. I found the details about not only Indian marriages and family structure and expectation intriguing and new, but the way that Sasson wove them into the story left no doubt that these are intrinsic elements that are part and parcel of who the characters are and the choices that they make.

In many ways, Marriage by Arrangement definitely isn’t your usual Harlequin read, but at the same time it is very Harlequin. For those looking for warm and fuzzy comfort reads this story may not quite hit the spot, but it is one that I’d recommend wholeheartedly.

First of all, thank you to Harlequin and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. I have really struggled in how to rate or even discuss this book for many reasons. For one, I really liked a lot of the aspects of this book, but I also really didn't like the hero or the way that the relationship progressed once it, um, took a turn. I enjoyed other aspects like, the food descriptions, Rani (usually), and the writing was engaging and kept me turning the pages. But the further away I get from this book, the more aggravated I am about the actual plot points. I just really did not feel like Arjun displayed hero behavior. I can't fully describe what I mean without spoilers, so I'm going to go ahead and put in a spoiler tag here and also discuss why the HEA felt especially unbelievable.

[When Rani's father gets sick somewhere between 50 and 66% of the book, Arjun flies with Rani to the hospital in LA with her. He gets mad that Rani's parents are hateful to her about the fact that she got a divorce and then says they're getting married. He doesn't even really propose. Then he proceeds to not tell his own family and they wind up finding out through the media. So when Rani and Arjun fly back to Vegas, his parents are there to greet him and Rani. There are definitely cultural aspects I can't touch on, so I tried to stay neutral about how he handled everything from this point forward, but essentially he stays very deferential to his parents and doesn't really stand up for Rani at any point.

Now, Rani's divorce from her ex-husband was essentially entirely about how her husband just let his parents be really cruel to Rani. So, obviously, this brings up some issues. But she and Arjun love each other. So, without resolving any of these issues, there's a break up and then they get back together. For me, this just wasn't enough for me to feel confident in the HEA.

This is just one of those books for me that the further away I get from it, the less satisfied with it I am. I'm not sure if that's fair and I highly suggest looking at Own Voices reviews given how much of a cultural component this book features. The book was fun and easy to read, which takes skill. So hopefully you will enjoy it more than I did! And regardless, given how much I enjoyed Singh Sasson's writing, I know I'll be picking up the next book in the series, which I'm already really looking forward to.

Interior architect Rani Gupta is excited when her plans for a new hotel capture the attention of Arjun Singh, a hotelier with a big budget. Rani wants to own her own firm, and this job will be just what she needs to make her dream a reality. What Rani doesn’t need is to get involved with India’s hottest hottie!

Arjun Singh is in Las Vegas from India planning the family’s newest hotel. He wants the best of the best and when he meets Rani Gupta, he not only likes her plans for the hotel, but he thinks that maybe she can be a fling while he is in Vegas. When he goes home to India, he will be entering into an arranged marriage that he has been trying to postpone. Can he keep his promise to his family?

This was a fun, fast paced romance and one I thoroughly enjoyed. The characters were well written, and I loved getting to learn about the traditional Indian culture and how it affects the younger generation, not only in India, but in other parts of the world as well. This story has all the right ingredients for the perfect summer read. Thank you so much to the author Sophia Singh Sasson, Harlequin and NetGalley for an advanced copy of the book to review. It was fabulous! All opinions expressed for this review are unbiased and entirely my own.

When an interior designer architect scores the commission for her company that can launch her to where she wants to be, she is determined not to mix business with the pleasure of a certain debonair Indian hotel owner who could use this sort of distraction from the cares of life. A delicious work place romance is layered with the spices of family, tradition, and past pain.
Review

Marriage by Arrangement, the first of the Nights at the Mahal series, opens when Rani Gupta, a junior at her firm and passed over for promotion more than once scores the winning design proposal to refurbish India’s hottest businessman bachelor, Arjun Singh. She made the mistake of letting herself get tangled in a traditional Indian marriage and then a colossal workplace dating disaster. Her career is all she has left and she intends to prove her ability and her professionalism by making a smash hit of Arjun Singh’s new jewel of a hotel. The hotelier is charismatic, but getting to know the man himself is her downfall into a temporary arrangement which starts to feel all too real and the complications pile up fast.

Arjun is as taken with the designer as the designs for his new hotel. Rani gets exactly what he wants. Traditional and high class quality India motif in Vegas. He can respect her need to keep things all business. He himself refuses to do relationships and must eventually go back home to fulfill an arranged marriage agreement, but a few months with Rani couldn’t hurt and would be a great escape from the demands of his family with parents touting tradition and his younger siblings wanting a bit of modern independence. Rani gets all that and the struggle to balance the two. She gets it all too well and he struggles not to fall for this vibrant, intelligent, and talented woman.

At first, Marriage by Arrangement has the tug and pull of a secret romance set in the business world, whether they can keep it short term and cut ties, and whether they can be discreet and not get Rani in trouble with her bosses. There is no stinting on the flavor of India whether it is Rani’s Indian-American background or Arjun’s Indian background. Just as I expected from the blurb.

But, then the author takes things deeper letting the reader get to know the struggles they face because of their backgrounds and their histories. I went from moderately interested to totally vested in this pair, their stories, their families, and their relationship. Arjun kept his engagement to Hema a secret from Rani and I just knew it was a ticking time bomb. Just like the confrontations between Rani’s fierce need for independence and the restrictive traditions of Arjun’s family back home was looming over things.

I love when a book takes me by surprise like this and goes well and beyond expectation. I can’t wait to read more of the series and the author’s books. Those who enjoy spicy romance with well-developed characters, a bit of business, and a lavish cultural backdrop should give this one a go.

My thanks to Harlequin for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wealth, family duty and honor might be what keeps hotelier Arjun Singh from fulfilling his heart's desire - being with a woman that brings his heart joy. Arjun is in Las Vegas while his luxury hotel is being built. Working along with architect and designer Rani Gupta definitely has its challenges. They are drawn to one another, but as far as Arjun is concerned, he is engaged in an arranged marriage. Duty must win out over his heart.

Meanwhile, Rani has her own issues that are also part of her culture. She is a divorced woman, something that, as a woman raised by traditional Indian parents, is frowned upon, even here in America. It is so taboo that Rani has become estranged from them. So, her career is everything to her. It doesn't take long for Arjun and Rani to find each other irresistible. However, they both are more than aware that their cultures and responsibilities might forever keep them apart.

Admittedly while reading this book I struggled to see why it got the title Marriage by Arrangement. I imagined that it was due to the fact that Arjun was to have a pre-arranged marriage that the title sort of fit. Other than that one thing that kept me scratching my head, I did find the story to be enjoyable. As a reader, it is always good to read about different cultures, even in a fictionalized romance story.

This delightful story is the first I have read by Sophia Singh Sasson, but it certainly won't be my last. I was fully engaged as it was interesting to see how Arjun and Rani would overcome the obstacles facing them. I look forward to more books in this series.

Many thanks to Harlequin Desire and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

I am relatively new to Harlequin books, but have found the Desire collection to be so good. I loved the culture in Marriage by Arrangement. I loved the tension between Rani and Arjun. I appreciated that the major conflict in the story was a family issue that could be a real life situation. They had to communicate on more than one level to figure things out and that's not often a trope or premise seen in romances.