M is for Zee Monodee: Light My World- Review and Mauritius #atozchallenge #newrelease #romance

I’m excited to talk about this gorgeous African island.  I only heard of it last year when my fabulous editor for Midwife To Destiny, Zee Monodee, proudly proclaimed it as her homeland.

Image from Bing.com

Not only is she one of the best editors in the world, but she writes fabulous novels. Her latest book in the Ubuntu line, Light My World, has just been released. I loved this book. Check out my review below.

The Blurb

So what if a girl has to kiss a few frogs to find her prince?

Tired of her Indian-origin mother’s relentless matchmaking, Diya Hemant is determined to find her Prince Charming on her terms. Armed with a definitive list of requirements, she is sure she’ll know her man when she meets him…

But looking and finding are two different things, especially on the tiny island of Mauritius…

When her path crosses surly British widower Trent Garrison’s, it’s hate at first sight. And though fate keeps pitting her against him, she’s certain he can’t be turned into a frog let alone a prince.

Can this modern-day princess overcome her own expectations and see beyond the ogre to the man beneath?

 Buy Links: Amazon US ~ Amazon UK ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Decadent Publishing ~ AllRomance Ebooks

My Review

Ms. Monodee has done it again by creating a captivating, engaging, passion filled romance. I rated the first book in the Island Girls series, The Other Side, as fantastic, but the second one supersedes the first. Not that it's not necessary to read book one before delving into Light My World.

Set on the African island of Mauritius, the setting is gorgeous with beaches, gorgeous sunsets and towns with lovely sounding French names. What impressed me most was the heat between Diya and Trent from the onset. Initially flamed by anger and annoyance, it transitioned into a huge ball of red hot passion. The two moving from enemies of a sort, to friends, then progressing to lovers set the story on a realistic keel.

Diya is a woman after my own heart - Strong, sassy, independent , compassionate, and a gets anything she sets her mind onto done. Trent, is delicious and full of love, if not a little spooked by the past. Best of all he has no fear of Diya. These two had me laughing at their antics, and sighing at their romantic interaction.

A wonderful book that I recommend to romance lovers all over the world.

I give this book 5 out of 5 SUV shaped chocolate bars.

Note: I was given a copy of this book for an honest review.

Here is the first book in the series, but you don't need to have read the first to enjoy the second. See my review here.

Blurb:

Divorce paints a scarlet letter on her back when she returns to the culture-driven society of Mauritius. This same spotlight shines as a beacon of hope for the man who never stopped loving her. Can the second time around be the right one for these former teenage sweethearts?

Indian-origin Lara Reddy left London after her husband dumps her for a more accommodating uterus—at least, that’s what his desertion feels like. Bumping into him and his pregnant new missus doesn’t help matters any, and she thus jumps on a prestigious job offer. The kicker? The job is in Mauritius, the homeland of her parents, and a society she ran away from over a decade earlier.

But once there, Lara has no escape. Not from the gossip, the contempt, the harassing matchmaking...and certainly not from the man she hoped never to meet again. The boy she’d loved and lost—white Mauritian native, Eric Marivaux.

Back when they were teens, Eric left her, and Lara vowed she’d never let herself be hurt again. Today, they are both adults, and facing the same crossroads they’d stood at so many years earlier.

Lara now stands on the other side of Mauritian society. Will this be the impetus she needs to take a chance on Eric and love again?

Buy links: 
Amazon US ~ Amazon UK ~ Amazon CA  ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Smashwords ~ Kobo ~AllRomance Ebooks ~ Decadent ~ ~ Kalahari (Paperback)

This is a gigantic blog hop so click here to see what other bloggers are discussing for this letter. Have fun.

Book Review: Once Upon a Second Chance by Zee Monodee

The Blurb

Leila Hassan Al-Nadir spent ten years in a forced, abusive marriage in the United Arab Emirates, before her husband divorced her...and another man stepped into his place to make her his wife. But before she can look at a future with this new man, he abandons her, dropping her off on the island of Mauritius in the care of his stepmother.

Khalid Al-Nadir wants nothing more than to be with Leila, his wife. But he hides a deep, dark secret—his intentions when he made her his weren’t noble. Despite falling in love with her in the end, he knows she will be better off without him.

Leila craves answers; Khalid desires salvation. Fate, in the form of Khalid’s stepmother, intervenes and sets this estranged couple up for a one night stand date with Madame Eve’s agency.

Can Leila and Khalid have a second chance, once they both face the truth that brought them together?

My Review

The book was short, but wonderful. Ms. Monodee writes with a delightful descriptive flair. I could see every scene in my mind's eye as clearly as if I was there. Mauritius sounds like a beautiful island.

The relationship between Leila and Khalid was intense. I did not expect the depth of emotions that Ms. Monodee was able to bring forth in such a short read, but she was able to portray a myriad of them. I learned quite a few things about the Muslim faith that I didn’t know before and this impressed me.  The words of love were so pleasant to my sight that I wanted to hear them out loud.

I really enjoyed Once Upon a Second Chance and look forward to reading more work by Zee Monodee.

I give Once Upon a Second Chance four out of five chocolate bars.

I purchased this book from Amazon.com.