The Thief Prince’s Wife by Noor Juman
My take on the book:
Payal Lohani, an Indian who lived with her family in New York, just escaped an assassination attempt; to get back to her normal life she agrees to the match her parents have arranged for her. Her groom is Oleksiy Karmazin, son of a Ukrainian mafia gangster. Oleksiy hated his father’s profession and hence started his own fitness center and security group. Payal and her family believed marriage with Oleksiy guaranteed her safety, while Oleksiy’s family are desperate for this match due to the hefty dowry Payal’s father is ready to pay, which will help them clear their debts.
Oleksiy is already in love with Alice and due to his strong resolve to stay away from his family and their shady business, he did not want to marry Payal. During their meet before marriage Oleksiy reveals the truth about Alice to Payal and asks Payal to reject this match but Payal agrees to being housemate to Oleksiy while he continues his relationship with Alice.
As his parents and Payal refuse to cancel the marriage, Oleksiy is forced to marry Payal. Will this marriage help both the parties as they expected it to? Who is behind the attack on Payal and are her enemies connected to Oleksiy, forms the rest of the story.
The story at the outset sounds like a typical love story with the tropes of forced proximity, enemies-to-lover. But the contrasting backdrops of the protagonists makes this story different. Both Payal and Oleksiy have strong personalities and their individual dreams but had to compromise for this arranged marriage deal. It is however ironic that Payal planned to escape from her enemies by marrying into a mafia family.
The narration in the beginning of the story is a bit slow as the author maintains suspense about the backstories of the protagonists. But the slow burn romance means the reader will relish the narration. The author also touches on themes like rehabilitation and redemption through Oleksiy’s profession. It is also impressive how the author does not glamorize violence though the story has mafia background.
If you want to read a story that has multiple themes and has a fresh perspective, then this is a must read.
My rating:
4/5.