[Wattys Shortlist - 2025] Hiral Kashyap is a homemaker - conventional and burning, fragile yet unflinching, just another woman smiling through the burns and life. Riddhan Nanda is a dangerous man, a widower - the prime suspect in his wife's murder. A lawyer by profession, he has always straddled the blurred line between power and lies. Bitter by nature and trapped in the chains of patriarchy, he speaks louder than his beliefs. When destiny strikes, secrets unfold, hope shatters, and hearts wither. Twisted and unhinged, Riddhan desires her for a motive, and he won't stop until she gives in. Timid and scared, Hiral picks up the battle, for she is done being treated as dirt and a burden. Passion sparks while enmity intensifies, as they are forced to wrestle for control over their lives, future, past, and present. Join Hiral as she embarks on her journey to find peace and discovers that courage is beyond defeat and love is beyond heart. Flowers are beyond fragrance while life is nothing without a start.

𝔇𝔞𝔴𝔫 𝔱𝔬 𝔇𝔲𝔰𝔨: 𝔐𝔞𝔫𝔢 𝔄𝔡 𝔙𝔢𝔰𝔭𝔢𝔯𝔲𝔪 A man to save, a dynasty to break and a love to die for. Come dive into a modern and desi retelling of a beloved classic, Beauty and the Beast, part two of 'The Legacy Duet', Taimoor's story. *** 25-year-old Daania Mansoor had no idea that her life would be altered so drastically by her father's miscalculation and her mother's silence. To make it all worse, her dreams are ripped away when she's ambushed with an unwanted engagement. With no options left, Daania strikes a deal with a man she once believed a myth... a man who introduces her to a world she never knew existed. Taimoor Ali Haider Mughal had chosen to spend his life in the shadows, and he had no intention of stepping into the light. After his confrontation with the vivacious, courageous nuisance of a girl, he realizes that he's being offered the revenge he's spent years craving. It's all the excuse he needs to help her - for a price. Now if he could just get her out of his mind so he could decide how far he's willing to go to exact his vengeance. But as lines blur and loyalties shift, they both realize that there's a much bigger game in play. Will Daania be able to conquer her own fears to fight for her family? Will Taimoor be able to get his revenge? Or will they both succumb to the woes of the anarchic, patriarchal, and aged Mughal dynasty? ** This is a standalone novel, however, reading the first book, a prequel novella, will help in a deeper understanding of the characters. - Cover by @sssournothings 🖤

𝕯𝖚𝖘𝖐 𝖙𝖔 𝕯𝖆𝖜𝖓 She was the face of a dynasty, The fierce beauty, the Koh-I-Noor of the Mughal family, And she was never up to be claimed. A love story that shook the foundations of Mughal Manor, book one of 'The Legacy Duet.' Before Daania and Taimoor, there was the fairytale of Zeenia and Asfand. *** As a Mughal, you either have the power to rule...or you are ruled. Zeenia Mughal is the epitome of grace, class, and elegance. The perfect role model, twice valedictorian, honors student, socialite, philanthropist, and an upcoming woman in business, she's the crown jewel of the Mughal family. Zeenia takes on the role she was born for, until the burden of expectations threatens to destroy her. To everyone else, she lives her life on her own terms, but in reality, the truth isn't always how it's presented, especially not by a Mughal. Blindsided by her brother, Zeenia has to fiercely contend with the future of being forced into an arranged marriage to advance the family business and its interests. Her brother may have decided Zeenia was his to give away, but she has her own plans. Just as things look bleak, enter her knight, her savior, her charming partner in arms, the one person who's off-limits to her, her brother's best friend... Asfandyar Affandi. Unfortunately, there are those who would rather see her fall than lead her own life. Stuck between dynastic norms and patriarchal expectations, Zeenia and Asfand have to fight for their chance at love, but to do that, they also have to fight for themselves. Can they really believe in fairytales when their lives are a constant battlefield? **This is a standalone novel, a prequel and first of the duet. To continue the series, read Dawn to Dusk. - Cover by the beautiful @sssournothings 🤍

Cupid never had a chance in their messy, parental-restricted love story Karishma Jha, a twenty-one-year-old recent graduate with the world at her feet if only she chose to face it. Plagued with the worries of the future and yet healing from the scars of her past, she was yet to pay any heed to the present. She was the queen of the world of What-ifs What if I never get a job? What if I never do anything worthwhile? What if I am not here tomorrow? What if someone new moves next door? Still struggling to live one day at a time, she is hit with yet another surprise: a new neighbor, Rishabh Mehta. His arrival gives her the opportunity to take a step out of her cocooned world, to do something daring for once in her sheltered life. What if a girl with perpetually cold feet chooses to befriend a boy who lives like there is no tomorrow? When Rishabh Mehta moved to his aunt's place in Bangalore, the last thing he expected was to deal with the girl next door. Shrew, grump, ornery, he knew the many nicknames of her, except her real name. She proved true to her description when, one night, she cuts off the wire of his music system in the middle of a raging party. That was his first impression of hers. He also never expected her unrelenting efforts to befriend him. When he finally gives in, the possibility of tomorrow increases with every shared laughter and stolen glance. Will their love survive self-imposed obstacles, helicopter parents, and the two-foot gap between their balconies? Or, will it remain a fond memory to smile upon when a day gets a bit more difficult than the rest? TRIGGER WARNING: Though this story is mostly a feel-good rom-com, it does address certain heavy topics like illness, suicide attempts, and domestic violence.

꒰ desi soft romance novel x winter vibes ꒱ ──── On a hazy winter season, many years ago, they met. Now they meet again. And it's another winter season. "The answer to my life's puzzle is you." ──── wordcount : 22k part 2. of the UTS series ade © 2023

꒰ desi soft romance x light-hearted & slice-of-life ꒱ ──── Anu and Vineet's relationship can be summarized in many ways - tutor and student, friends, grade-mates, neighbors. After 10 years, they can confidently add another to the list - lovers. ──── part 1. of the UTS series wordcount: 28k words ade © 2023

One snowy night, one dead body, one alive, two hearts; and three fates to change forever.

| shortlisted for the wattpad india awards. eleven times ambassador featured | Five teens. One medieval manor. And, of course, a dead girl. Figuring out how you're collectively guilty of murder isn't the ideal way to catch up, but it's exactly what Diego, Alison, Hunter, Matt, and Emilie have got to do if they want to make it out alive. Because their mysterious host has a promise - if they don't, they die. mature content includes mentions of drug use, violence (not gore), bullying, trauma, ptsd, mentions of sexual abuse. recommended for ya audiences. *** One Of Us Is Lying meets And Then There Were None in this coming-of-age YA whodunit, complete with secrets, lies, and sweet revenge. *** Cover by @AlexVonnG *** Hot List Rankings : #2 in #mysterythriller #4 in #murdermystery #27 in #ya ***

#3 in Pakistan ( 4-1-2021) #1 in Pakistan (19-1-2021) What will happen when two opposite souls are betrothed to each other? *But both are stubborn in their own ways, one doesn't want to hold on, while the other doesn't want to walk away. Faryal Ismail Khan is 21 years old; a kind, pure, and bubbly girl. She believes in the power of good deeds that gives her the strength to turn the storms in her life into light. Zohaib Ahmed Durrani is a 28 years old doctor; the father of a baby named Zahra while his wife is dead. The trauma has turned him into a man, who is totally opposite from his past. A.N: The initial chapters are extremely short because at that time I had no idea about the ideal length of a chapter. Kindly bear with it.❤

HIGHEST: #6 IN HUMOR "Your command over sarcasm appalls me." "As does your ability to comprehend it." With a practically non-existent social life, extra study sessions at the best coaching institute in the city, a mind numbingly boring job and a best friend whose sole purpose seems to be getting her a boyfriend, Alankrita Sundar was content with the hand she'd been dealt. But when she receives a text from Ruhan Das, a boy whose very presence made her skin crawl, she realises that the bland oatmeal that is her life was in dire need of some spicing up. What began as a message sent to the wrong person soon turns into a twisted game of Guess Who, as Alankrita realizes faking an identity opens a lot of previously bolted doors- including one that leads to the darkest secrets of one of the most well-known students in school. The series of messages exchanged between Alankrita and Ruhan explore several aspects of each other's life, and through their shared experiences they realise that they aren't as different as they'd previously imagined.