Sunshine and Spice

Palit debuts with an addictive grumpy sunshine romance starring a hero whose one-liners are worthy of a modern Mr. Darcy. Canadian Bengali Naomi Kelly grew up in a rural community with a mother who rejected everything Indian and a stepfather with no connection to her heritage. Now an adult, she feels culturally isolated and yearns for Bengali connection. She also desperately needs a contract as the brand consultant for a recently reopened Indian shop in a quickly gentrifying neighborhood. The store belongs to Dev Mukherjee’s very traditional Bengali mother, whose other major project is finding Dev a wife—with no regard for his feelings on the matter. When Dev and Naomi meet, they see a solution to both their problems: Dev will be a cultural cheat sheet for Naomi as she works to impress his mom, while Naomi will keep potential brides away by pretending to be Dev’s girlfriend. The result is an un-put-downable charmer brimming with serious themes of cultural identity, family estrangement, and the struggles of the first generation born to immigrant parents. As sparks fly and real feelings grow, readers will be unable to keep the smiles off their faces. Agent: Jemiscoe Chambers-Black, Andrea Brown Literary. (Sept.)