“This novel has all the funny banter and sexy feels you could want in a romantic comedy.”–NPRA high stakes wager pits an aspiring entrepreneur against a ruthless CEO in this sexy romantic comedy. After her life falls apart, recruitment consultant Layla Patel returns home to her family in San Francisco. But in the eyes of her father, who runs a Michelin starred restaurant, she can do no wrong. He … restaurant, she can do no wrong. He would do anything to see her smile again. With the best intentions in mind, he offers her the office upstairs to start her new business and creates a profile on an online dating site to find her a man. She doesn’t know he’s arranged a series of blind dates until the first one comes knocking on her door…
As CEO of a corporate downsizing company Sam Mehta is more used to conflict than calm. In search of a quiet new office, he finds the perfect space above a cozy Indian restaurant that smells like home. But when communication goes awry, he’s forced to share his space with the owner’s beautiful yet infuriating daughter Layla, her crazy family, and a parade of hopeful suitors, all of whom threaten to disrupt his carefully ordered life.
As they face off in close quarters, the sarcasm and sparks fly. But when the battle for the office becomes a battle of the heart, Sam and Layla have to decide if this is love or just a game.
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The Marriage Game is the first book by Sara Desai, and enjoyed every page. I loved reading and following Kayla and Sam’s story. Two people from traditional homes, but for different reasons chose their own path. I enjoyed the banter they both have and how protective Sam becomes of Layla, not realizing that it’s his own feelings emerging. I love how family is important to them both. I hope read more from this author.
*ARC provided in exchange for a honest review*
I’ve been super curious to read “The Marriage Game” ever since I first saw the blurb, who doesn’t love a good romantic comedy.
The book started off kind of slow for me, I wasn’t really sure how to feel about the main hero, Sam (too frequent mentions of lush hips & boobs as an introduction into his character in the beginning), but he really grew on me as the story progressed, I loved his humor, how protective he was of the people he cares about & the fact he wasn’t completely oblivious to his actions & their impact. Layla was a a great heroine, her strength, determination, her devotion to her big family & empathy are to be admired.
Sam & Layla had great chemistry & banter, so many cute and swoon-worthy moments. The connection between them felt rare & real.
“The Marriage Game” would suck you right into the story with its colorful descriptions, the scenes genuinely felt like they’re unfolding right before my eyes. The food mentions would have you rummaging through your cupboards, gah, I’m so still craving some good donuts.
TMG has not only amazing main hero & heroine, but would also great secondary characters. I loved Layla’s hectic family & how they supported one another.
If you’re on the lookout for a wonderfully written romance novel with an amazing story & swoon-worthy couple and/or love reading books about different cultures & traditions, TMG is definitely the book for you!
4.5-stars
The Marriage Game by Sara Desai was such a fun and delightful read. I laughed so much and just lost myself in the story. Layla comes back home for a fresh start. Intent on starting a new business, she is shocked to learn due to some miscommunication and unexpected events, she is sharing the office with Sam. Sam who does not want to share with her. Add to that, her father, who I just loved, is determined to see her happy, decides to create an online dating profile and set her up on dates. What follows is story full of witty banter, laugh out loud scenarios and some steamy chemistry. I truly enjoyed this story and highly recommend it.
Read and reviewed for Sultry Sirens Book Blog.
Happy reading!
My Thoughts:
The Marriage Game was a fun, sexy, and sizzling rom-com! I love venturing in to stories that immerse me in another culture, delectable cuisine, a large close, boisterous, and entertaining family, and of course a romance where the individuals know how to exchange witty, sarcastic, lively, and snarky banter as a form of verbal foreplay!
Layla Patel leaves the big apple, and returns to San Francisco, when things don’t work out with her boyfriend and her job. Her father promises her the upstairs office, as she aspires to get her new business up and running. However, before he knew that she was coming home, he had already promised the office to Sam Mehta. Unbeknownst to Layla, her father had set up ten blind dates for his daughter, because he wanted her to be happy. Love hasn’t worked out for her thus far, so she doesn’t see the harm in arranged meetings.
Now Layla and Sam have struck a deal. Sam will help her vet her dates, and if he can assist her in making a promising match, he can have the office to himself. If he isn’t successful in this endeavor, then Layla will get to have the office to herself; and so the Marriage Game begins…
I loved the whole “My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” feel when it came to all of Layla’s interfering, but well-intentioned “aunties.” Layla and Sam were opposites in many ways. Layla was fun, warm, loyal, impulsive, passionate, and liked to fly by the seat of her pants. She had curves, which gave her a more realistic and relatable feel. Sam was quiet, conservative, and a lot more rigid in his behavior and thinking. He was very loyal to his family, especially younger sister, Nisha. He had a lot of guilt for feeling like he had not protected her, and therefore, he kept everyone at arms length, and didn’t think he deserved happiness. As much as Layla drove him crazy, as he did her, the attraction these two had for one another, began to grow in to something more!
In The Marriage Game, we got sparks, heat, laughs, and a whole lot of fun, in a story that is sure to entertain!
3.5 Stars!
I fell hard for The Marriage Game from the moment I read Layla and Sam’s dynamite meet-cute. It’s a hilarious, heartfelt, and steamy enemies-to-lovers romance.
The Marriage Game is the most delicious read! From the humor, to the heartwarming family bonds, to the off the charts chemistry, it’s impossible for me to love this book anymore. I can’t wait for more from Sara Desai!
This book is a pleasant surprise! I didn’t expect to love it so much but it’s definitely an addition to my fave romance books.
Layla Patel is back home to her family in San Francisco. She is strong-willed, intelligent, snarky, and she wants to rebuild her life. She wants to start her own recruitment agency and decides to use the vacant office above her family restaurant.
Sam Mehta is charming (and he knows it), successful and confident, but he’s closed off. His sister suffered through domestic abuse, and he carries so much guilt in his heart from what happened. It led him to turn his back on his family because he thinks he had failed them.
Sam started to lease the vacant office above Layla’s family restaurant. Due to reasons, they get stuck sharing the office. Their friendly office rivalry led to the marriage game wherein Sam helps Layla find a guy to marry among the list her father had prepared. He goes on these dates with her because he gets the office space to himself if Layla moves out. But besides that: he also wants to make sure she’s safe. Along the way, he starts seeing Layla’s suitors as competition as his own feelings develop.
Their romance was the kind that develops quietly and sneaks up on them both. They have a really good banter which I love. It was so entertaining to read!! They have a lot of funny and swoon moments. I also felt satisfied with their own personal growth — Sam finally found peace and Layla is successful at reinventing herself.
The side characters are a delight as well. Daisy’s antics, Layla’s funny stories about her aunts, the days in The Spice Mill (their family business), and Layla’s conversations with her father shows the Patels’ amazing family dynamic. I also appreciate Sam’s best friend, John Lee. He would always put Sam in his place especially when he doesn’t agree with the things Sam does.
It’s a really good book overall and I highly recommend this!!
Fun, sassy, sexy. Desi love! Entertaining arranged marriage premise with the humorous Indian cultural backdrop in San Francisco. Wayward daughter, Layla comes homes to her family’s restaurant after a bad breakup and lands in the middle of her father’s scheme to arrange a husband for his beloved daughter. Layla is a fabulous heroine. Fierce, sassy, beautiful and has a healthy relationship with food. As she gets her life on track she has a run in with her father’s new tenant, the handsome and sexy, Sam. Sparks immediately fly between the two as they fight over office space and Sam insinuates himself into her husband interview process. It’s a laugh a minute with these two and Layla’s big family. But it’s not all fun as Sam grapples with a family tragedy and seeks justice. The story bogs down a little for me towards the end but for the most part this is as thoroughly enjoyable read with a sexy couple in Sam and Layla and a fantastic family and friends atmosphere. A page turner that I read straight through. Loved it! I voluntarily reviewed an ARC.
Oh, The Marriage Game was a whole lotta fun! This cute, romantic story gets four stars from this reader.
Layla returns home to her family after some bad luck with men, work, and life in general. Because of miscommunications, she ends up sharing an office with Sam who becomes a friend who ends up looking after Layla as she blind dates ten men. This part of the story is really great and very cute as Sam helps Layla escape some losers. There’s great banter between them that will have you smiling.
Because of the time they spend together, Sam and Layla end up falling for each other. But Sam’s agenda to help his sister puts some roadblocks in their relationship, and carrying through with his downsizing plan knocks Layla’s family in a major way.
I love reading stories like this that describe families and their cultural customs. Not only was The Marriage Game entertaining, it was also diverse and that’s so very important in our world today. I adored Layla’s family, and the sweet ending was absolutely lovely with everyone in attendance.
Sam does screw up, but he does make it right. I will admit his actions are brutal, and he does suffer the consequences, but he also gets a clue about dealing with his sister’s situation which was a major upheaval in his life. Like Layla, he finds a way to move forward with his life, with a little help from the patriarchs from both families. There’s really satisfying character growth and development in this story.
I’m a big fan of this author’s prior titles under a different pen name, and I knew I wouldn’t be disappointed with The Marriage Game. The writing is terrific, the story is told in a way that kept me engaged, and I’m looking forward to more from Sara Desai. The Marriage Game is an entertaining, diverse romance that I really enjoyed.
I adored Sara Desai’s “The Marriage Game,” a sweet, heartwarming, and laugh-out-loud funny story featuring endearing, well-developed characters and an engaging plot. The enemies-to-lovers, slow burn relationship development between main characters Sam and Layla was a tremendous amount of fun, and I loved their snarky banter. They bickered a lot, especially when they first met, but the attraction between them was palpable even though they both refused to recognize it for some time.
The story’s secondary characters were phenomenal as well and added so much depth and humor to the narrative. I especially loved Layla’s cousin Daisy and the way she teased Sam by messing up his freakishly neat desk and through other means. I laughed so hard at some of the things Daisy said and did! I would love to read more about her in a future book.
I really can’t say enough positive things about this book. I highly recommend it for all fans of contemporary romance and romantic comedy and look forward to whatever Sara Desai publishes next!
*ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.
#FunFact: I first read this book one million years and a lifetime ago! At least that’s what it felt like this past weekend when I went to update with a review. I had a bunch of notes but Sara’s other identity is one of my all-time favorite authors, so I read it again! It made me feel just as good the second time around so YAY. Anywho, all that is just to tell you I really enjoyed this story. The book took me by surprise, tho … I shall explain …
Okay, so I was not expecting this entire package Sara delivers with this story. It is funny (like seriously well plotted humorous shenanigans all around), it is super sexy (okay, that one is to be expected) and it warmed my heart and pulled at every single heart-string I had available. ALL AT THE SAME TIME! All of those characteristics were in constant motion throughout the story. It’s a bit hard to describe without giving you plot points, but just imagine yourself laughing, turned on AND having a *happy sigh* moment all at the same time. That’s what reading this book does. GLORIOUS.
This book has some strong signature attributes that fit perfectly with Sara Desai’s pen-name, but it is also uniquely hers. It’s like taking a recipe handed down for generations and adding a few spices when it gets to you. Still that signature dish but with your own personal flare. That’s this book. I don’t know if Sara has alluded to who her other author name is because I didn’t have to stalk her to know who she was LOL so I have to keep the name reference vague (sorry lol) but MAN I wish I could just say it because I totally want to tell you to read all the books.
Sara has never disappointed me with any book I have ever read (and re-read) of hers. This beautifully crafted romantic comedy is no different. It has a well-developed plot with growth and purpose. There is chemistry from page one and I was so captivated by the story-line, that hours passed in a blink while reading!
I found this book to be different but I enjoyed the uniqueness of the story. The author found a way to be creative with the story but also offer humor throughout the story. Sam and Layla are unique pair. Layla just moved back home after losing her job and finding her boyfriend cheating. She is looking to start her own business. Then you have Sam he has a lot of built up guilt that he carries with him and it makes him pretty closed off. Layla gets ropes into a Marriage Game arranged by her father who is in the hospital and she feels it is the perfect opportunity to make a deal with Sam. The dates were so entertaining. It obvious there is chemistry between Sam and Layla. I enjoyed how Layla was sassy, smart, witty, but she was also brave. There was times where Sam drove me nuts! If you are looking for a unique book that has balanced emotions and unique storyline this is your book.