Title- Boy Toy
Author-Nicola Marsh
Rating– 3/5
Genre- contemporary romance
POV- third person, past tense
Trope- arranged marriage, off-limits, younger man, career vs. love
My emotions- calm
Comments-
I love reading about a variety of cultures. From the very first chapter I was surrounded by Kushi’s fragrant aromas from the kitchen, Samira’s hesitancies about another arranged relationship to an Indian boy, and immediate references to Bollywood. However it felt a little forced and overkill in the way the story was being “told” instead of shown. The strengths were in the dialogue/ here and now moments. But I lost interest when back story was brought up early and often.
I’m so glad for a fresh perspective regarding the location setting being in Melbourne, the romantic interest being younger than her, and addressing her fear of difficulties conceiving a child.
Since I’m a speech language pathologist by trade I was a bit thrown off by the fact that a physical therapist was performing dialect coaching instead of an SLP, but it’s fiction so I needed to let it slide.
Overall, this is a quick read romcom with positive diversity. In the end it didn’t stand out and will blend in with many others I have read recently.
Plot/Blurb-
For almost a decade, successful 37-year-old Samira Broderick has used her bustling LA practice as an excuse to avoid a trip home to Australia. She still resents her meddling Indian mother for arranging her marriage to a man who didn’t stick around when the going got tough, but now with a new job Down Under, she’s finally ready to reconnect with her. And while she’s there, a hot international fling might be just what she needs to get out of her recent funk.
Aussie stuntman, Rory Radcliffe, has been hiding his stutter for years by avoiding speaking roles. When a job he can’t refuse comes up as a reality show host, he knows he’ll need some help for the audition: a dialect coach. But he finds himself at a loss for words when he discovers it’s the same sexy woman with whom he just had a mind-blowing one-night stand…
Samira can think of many reasons why Rory is completely wrong for her: he’s ten years her junior, for one, and he’s not Indian–something Samira’s mother would never approve of. Even if things were to get serious, there’s no reason to tell her mother…is there?
Best part-
Happily ever after
What I’d change-
Sometimes the writing felt forced/more like “telling” than showing
Pacing- medium
Cassie Swindon 