ILLUSIONS OF FIRE by Nisha Sharma

(Union Square & Co., February 2025)

Unlike most of her classmates, Laila Bansal doesn’t roll out of bed and head to school. Instead, she wakes up early and trains in hand-to-hand combat with her adopted aunts who, when not tending to their thriving vineyard, are immortal Rakshasi demons sworn to protect Laila. Laila was born into a mythological bloodline—one infused with magic and entrusted with Lord Krishna’s secrets of the universe. By all appearances, though, Laila leads a peaceful, protected life.

Then Ahvi, the new boy in town, arrives and immediately seeks out Laila. He happens to be a descendant of a demi-god. Both his and Laila’s origin stories (found in the Mahabharata, an ancient Hindu epic poem about the great war between demi-gods, witches, and demons) come crashing to the forefront. Magical powers are activated, dark forces converge, and it looks like Laila’s quiet town in upstate New York might be the setting of the next epic battle.

Author Nisha Sharma deftly weaves together romance, magic, and mythology in this contemporary young adult urban fantasy novel.

Nisha Sharma is the author of the contemporary YA novels My So-Called Bollywood Life (a Kirkus starred review, NPR Best Book of 2018, and RITA Award Winner for Best Young Adult Romance) and Radha and Jai’s Recipe for Romance. She is also the author of The Singh Family trilogy (contemporary adult romance) and the rom-com series If Shakespeare Was an Aunty. You can find her online at nisha-sharma.com. She’s also on Twitter and Instagram at @nishawrites. Nisha and her family live in Pennsylvania.

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THE LETTERS WE KEEP by Nisha Sharma

(Skyscape, 2024)

Two students—worlds apart—unite to solve the mystery of a legendary decades-old love story gone tragically wrong in a captivating romance by the award-winning author of The Karma Map and Dating Dr. Dil.

It doesn’t take long for ambitious freshman and aspiring engineer Jessie Ahuja to learn about two university legends. One is the haunted history of Davidson Tower, where more than fifty years ago, two ill-fated lovers disappeared in a devastating fire. The other is Ravi Kumar, a privileged billionaire nepo baby who’s aggravatingly charming and occupying more brain space than Jessie has room for. Things change when a campus prank locks them both in the old tower’s ghostly library.

There, Jessie finds letters from the fabled lost lovers, forgotten in a hollowed-out copy of Persuasion. One by one, the letters suck Jessie and Ravi into a beguiling mystery and an achingly beautiful long-ago romance destined to go up in flames. It’s also drawing Jessie and Ravi—every bit as star-crossed—closer together. Can they overcome whatever fate has in store for them? Or are they just as doomed as the young lovers whose tragic end has become legend?

Nisha Sharma is the award-winning author of The Karma Map, Dating Dr. Dil, and other adult contemporary and YA romances. Her books have appeared in best-of lists by the New York Times, the Washington Post, NPR, Cosmopolitan, Teen Vogue, Buzzfeed, and more. Nisha lives in Pennsylvania with her Alaskan husband; her cat, Lizzie Bennett; and her dogs, Nancey Drew and Madeline. For more information, visit nisha-sharma.com.

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Marriage & Masti by Nisha Sharma

(Avon, August 2024)

The third and final installment in Nisha Sharma’s beloved Shakespeare-inspired rom-com trilogy—an ode to Twelfth Night—is the perfect friends to lovers romp featuring an accidental wedding, meddling families, and plenty of sizzling chemistry.

Veera Mathur has been through a lot in the past year. Both of her friends found soul mates, the man she fell in love with got engaged to another woman, and her father fired her before selling the family company. When her twin sister, Sana, tells her there is no way of getting her old life back, Veera feels lost at sea: a single, unemployed mess with a bad tattoo and tons of talent, but nowhere to go.

Deepak Datta hasn’t had the best luck either. To secure enough board votes for the CEO position at his family’s company, Illyria Media, he’s ready to marry board member and famous beauty influencer, Olivia Gupta. That is until he wakes up to a get ready with me video announcing their separation. Despite his immediate relief, Deepak needs to do something fast to repair his image.

After a series of convenient mishaps bring them together again—including a literal shipwreck, way too many drinks, and a sunset elopement on the beach—Deepak and Veera realize their accidental wedding might be the solution to their career aspirations. Together, they plot against the very company that ruined their lives in the first place.

As they try to convince the world their friendship was a ruse for romance they’ve felt all along, the line between fake and real begins to blur. Now Veera and Deepak must ask themselves the terrifying question that has haunted them since the first time they met: will love ruin everything?

With her signature humor and heartfelt storytelling, Nisha Sharma writes a messy, spicy romance about identity, family honor, and love. In Marriage & Masti, readers are sure to love the highly anticipated finale of this beloved trilogy.

Nisha Sharma is a YA and adult contemporary romance writer living in the Philly suburbs with her Alaskan husband, and a plethora of animals named after characters in literature. Her books have been included in best-of lists by the New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, Cosmopolitan, The Washington Post, Time Magazine and more. Before leaving the corporate world, Nisha spearheaded DEI initiatives at billion-dollar companies. She has continued her advocacy work by fighting for equity and equality in publishing. When she’s not writing, Nisha can be found hitting the books for her PhD in English and Social Justice. For more on Nisha please visit nisha-sharma.com.

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Tastes Like Shakkar by Nisha Sharma

In the hilarious follow-up to the breakout rom-com Dating Dr. Dil, Nisha Sharma adds shakkar and mirch to Shakespeare’s iconic comedy Much Ado About Nothing for one sweet and spicy love story.

Bobbi Kaur is determined to plan a celebration to remember for her best friend’s wedding. But she has two problems that are getting in her way:

1. The egotistical, and irritatingly sexy, chef Benjamin “Bunty” Padda is supposed to help her with the menu since he’s the groom’s best friend, and

2. Someone is trying to sabotage the wedding.

With aspirations of taking over her family’s event planning business, Bobbi knows that one misstep in managing the Kareena Mann and Prem Verma (#Vermann) party, along with the other weddings on her plate, will only give her uncle another reason not to promote her. That means Kareena’s big day and Bobbi’s future career are on the line.

Bunty will do anything for his best friend, even though he has his hands full in finding a new location for his next restaurant while also playing mediator between his brother and father, the celebrated Naan King. When Prem asks Bunty to help with the wedding menu, he agrees, especially since it puts him in close proximity to the delicious Bobbi Kaur. When a mystery shaadi saboteur starts leaving threatening notes, and cancelling cake orders, Bunty and Bobbi have no choice but to call a truce and face the volatile attraction they have for each other.

Through masquerade fundraisers and a joint bachelor-bachelorette trip to Vegas, this chef and wedding planner explore their growing connection all while trying to plan a wedding at Messina Vineyards in a time crunch. But once the shaadi saboteur is caught and the wedding is over, will their love story have a happily ever after?

With the return of the meddling aunties (who are scary good at finding information) and a lot of hilarity and hijinks, Bobbi and Bunty’s romance is an event you don’t want to miss.

Nisha Sharma is the award-winning author of the YA and adult contemporary romance.

Her books have appeared in the The New York Times, Washington Post, NPR, Cosmopolitan, Teen Vogue, Buzzfeed, and more.

Nisha lives in Pennsylvania with her Alaskan husband, her cat Lizzie Bennett and her dog Nancey Drew. You can find her online at nisha-sharma.com or on Twitter, TikTok and Instagram at @nishawrites.

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THE KARMA MAP by Nisha Sharma

(Skyscape, March 2023)

“A heartwarming story about personal growth.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Sharma smartly interlocks…classic road-trip novel tropes, capitalizing on the inherent freedom of self-discovery while navigating familial traditions and expectations…[and] issues of class, identity, and spirituality.” —Publishers Weekly

“The book wrestles with the spirituality and ritualistic nature of Hinduism and centers the struggles of being a not-here-nor-there diasporic teen.” —Teen Vogue

A youth group’s temple road trip through India is a liberating escape for a former mean girl and sunshine boy to explore their past and their feelings for each other in the much-anticipated novel about self-discovery by the award-winning author of My So-Called Bollywood Life.

Born and raised in the US, Tara Bajaj hides her family secrets. With beautiful clothes, a popular social media presence, and a spot on the Rutgers High Bollywood dance team, she does it well—until her carefully cultivated image shatters. Shut out by friends and with her future in flux, Tara accepts a guide position for a youth group’s temple tour through North India. Rediscovering the heart of her ancestry is as good a place as any to start over.

Silas D’Souza-Gupta is an aspiring photojournalist retracing the journey his two mothers took when they fell in love. The last thing he expects on this road trip through his roots is a girl with a history of her own. As Tara and Silas embark on the trip to remote pilgrimage sites from Punjab through the Himalayas, they each discover what it means to be a child in the Indian diaspora, the significance of karma, and the healing power of love.

Nisha Sharma is the award-winning author of the YA and adult contemporary romance.

Her books have appeared in the The New York Times, Washington Post, NPR, Cosmopolitan, Teen Vogue, Buzzfeed, and more.

Nisha lives in Pennsylvania with her Alaskan husband, her cat Lizzie Bennett and her dog Nancey Drew. You can find her online at nisha-sharma.com or on Twitter, TikTok and Instagram at @nishawrites.

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Radha & Jai’s Recipe for Romance by Nisha Sharma

(Crown Books for Young Readers, 2021)

“A tasty treat! Nisha Sharma always delights.” -Meg Cabot, author of The Princess Diaries

“A delicious YA rom-com full of heart, flavor, and just enough heat.” -JULIE MURPHY, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Dumplin’

For fans of When Dimple Met Rishi and To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before who are looking to fall in step and fall in love with their next literary romance.

Radha is on the verge of becoming one of the greatest Kathak dancers in the world . . . …until she discovers a family betrayal and pulls out of the biggest competition of her lifetime. Now, she has left her Chicago home to follow her stage mom to New Jersey. At the Princeton Academy of the Arts, Radha is determined to leave performing in her past, and reinvent herself from scratch.

Jai is captain of the Bollywood Beats dance team, ranked first in his class, and an overachiever with no college plans. Tight family funds means medical school is a pipe dream, which is why he wants to make the most out of high school. When Radha enters his life, he realizes she’s the exact ingredient he needs for a show-stopping senior year.

With careful choreography, both Radha and Jai will need to face their fears (and their families) if they want a taste of a happily ever after.

Nisha Sharma is the critically acclaimed author of My So-Called Bollywood Life, a Kirkus starred reviewed YA romance, and NPR best book of 2018. She is also the author of The Takeover Effect, a Library Journal starred reviewed adult contemporary romance, and the first installment of The Singh Family Trilogy. Her writing has been praised by Cosmopolitan, Entertainment Weekly, Teen Vogue, Buzzfeed, Hypable and more.

Nisha lives in New Jersey with her Alaskan husband, her cat Lizzie Bennett and her dog Nancey Drew. She credits her father for her multiple graduate degrees, and her mother for her love of Jane Austen and Shah Rukh Khan.You can find her online at nisha-sharma.com or on Twitter and Instagram at @nishawrites.

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