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| ISBN: 9781370271825 ASIN: B01M09X76D Publisher: Tirgearr Publishing CLICK HERE TO BUY |
Cover artist: Cora Graphics
Models: Vikkas Bhardwaj
Hannah Maguire and Sudesh Kumar had been lovers in Dublin City, both studying for their degrees in similar areas of Archaeology. What she had treated as a college romance, Hannah realized, as he was leaving Dublin for the job of a lifetime back home in India, was she had lost her heart to him.
Now, five years later, Hannah is working as an archivist in the National Museum in Dublin when she's invited to the National Museum of India in New Delhi to inspect a new and rare artefact found on an archaeological dig.
The last person she expects to see when she enters the museum is Sudesh. She didn’t know where he was, or even if he was still in India, but soon learns he's the one who made the discovery, and had been the one encouraging the museum to invite her onto the project.
On meeting, everything they'd shared washes over Hannah—all of the love and passion, and a heart so broken, she still hadn't recovered. To make things more difficult, it's Deepavali/Diwali and Sudesh has promises to make it a memorable experience.
Will this one night really be one to remember, or will Sudesh's secret send Hannah into a tailspin she might not recover from this time?
New Delhi, India
“Hannah?”
Startled, I spun at the sound of my name and stumbled into the newcomer’s arms, my feet slipping out from under me, and the dupatta falling off my head.
Shock rushed through me. As much as I hadn’t expected to see Sudesh while I was in New Delhi, it hadn’t really occurred to me that if I did, it would be in the museum. It was an illogical thought. He was as much an archaeologist as I was, so why wouldn’t he be here?
My flesh came alive as I slid against him, his familiar scent washing over me in a tidal wave. My heart pounded in my throat, cutting off my air. I was sure I looked as startled as he did.
The weight of my body in his arms compounded our closeness, as he stumbled to keep us both from falling to the floor. A few inches more, and I’d be supine with him on top of me. The thought made that place between my thighs thrum to life.
I’d always loved the way he pronounced my name. His soft accent made the old-fashioned name I never liked sound sensual and beautiful. Even now, after so long, that one simple word was like a punch in the gut that brought up all the feelings I thought I’d cried out of me.
“Sudesh.”
Even to me, his name sounded like a caress on my lips. I clung to him, praying he’d opt for the floor, even as he pulled me up to stand before him.
“Namaste,” he greeted me.
He didn’t release me but embraced me tenderly. He cupped my cheek in one hand and kissed me. I felt his fingers at my nape as his palm seared its imprint on my face. I gasped against his mouth.
His kiss was too short to be passionate, too long to be casual, but just long enough to muddle my thoughts. I tasted Masala tea on his lips, and this morning’s dream flashed before me. The short stubble around his mouth heightened the electricity building inside me.
I fisted the fabric across his back and sensed muscle mass beneath that I didn’t remember from our time together in Dublin. I knew every inch of his body—or I had, anyway. His time working dig sites had obviously filled him out, and I was curious to see him as he was now.
I didn’t push him away—I couldn’t—but I had to fight my instincts to pull him closer. He’d left me heartbroken, but damn it, I suddenly didn’t care.
It was Sudesh who finally ended the kiss, though he didn’t take his arms from around me.
His dark eyes, framed with black lashes, darted over me as if searching for something. I couldn’t look away.
His black hair was a little shaggier than I remembered. It fell around his face as if he’d only finger-combed it.
The stubble around his mouth was also new. The short whiskers surrounding his perfectly-shaped, full lips told me he hadn’t just missed a couple days’ shaving, but was now his style.
At college, Sudesh had presented himself as a clean-shaven young man with a short haircut. On the outside, he’d been very businesslike. He wasn’t my type, so I’d only reluctantly agreed to go out with him. But I quickly realized never to judge someone by their looks. It was in the bedroom that his inner tiger emerged. Now, that tiger was very much in evidence. And I liked it.
REVIEWS
The author does an amazing job of creating a setting so rich and vibrant in color, sight and smell, it gives the reader a real sense of being there in the marketplace with Hannah and Sudesh, touching the fabrics, eating the food and hearing the hustle and bustle of the people all around. A big plate of chicken tikka masala and garlic naan would have complemented this story perfectly. I highly recommend One Night In New Delhi if you enjoy traveling to exotic locales in the books you read, want romance between the main characters to be white hot in sensuality and passion and are looking for a good story that features vibrant characters who are easy to connect with and relate to. ~ Sharal Hunter, Goodreads
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So wonderful I am reading it again-- One Night in New Delhi is amazing
One Night in New Delhi is an emotional, erotic love story . . . I was there with Hannah, enjoying her reunion with Sudesh and the beautiful city of New Delhi. ~ Kathleen Rowland, Amazon
NAME
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PRONUNCIATION
|
MEANING
|
Babuji
|
bah-BOO-gee
|
Father—nickname, like daddy or papa vs father
|
Mataji
|
MAH-TAH-gee
|
Mother
|
Pitaji
|
PIT-AH-gee
|
Father
|
Rajkumar
|
raj-KOO-mar
|
Son of a king/nobleman . . . prince
|
Sudesh Kumar
|
soo-DAYsh Koo-MAR
Also SOO-desh
or in old Sanskrit–SWED-esh
|
|
Lakshmi, also Laxmi
|
LAHKS-mee
|
Goddess of prosperity and fortune (one of the Trinity Goddesses)
|
Parvati
|
PAR-vaht-ee
|
Goddess of love and fertility (one of the Trinity Goddesses)
|
Saraswati
|
SER-UH-swat-ee
|
Goddess of the arts and knowledge (one of the Trinity Goddesses)
|
CLOTHING
|
PRONUNCIATION
|
MEANING
|
Choli
|
CHO-lee
|
Short cropped blouse, part of the saree outfit
|
Dupatta
|
doo-PAH-tuh
|
Scarf made from silk or cotton
|
Jutti
|
JOO-tee
|
A type of slipper/soft shoe
|
Khussa
|
KUSS-uh
|
Men’s jutti slippers
|
Kurta
|
KOOR-tuh
|
A long shirt
|
Lehnga
|
LENG-uh
|
Wedding saree
|
Lungi
|
Lun-gee
|
Similar to a sarong, a single piece of fabric wrapped around the hips.
|
Pheta
|
Feh-tuh
|
Turban-style headdress
|
Pyjama
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puh-JAH-muh
|
Stemmed from the Persian word pāyjāmeh which means leg-garment.
Matching trousers worn with the kurta.
|
Pashmina
|
pash-MEE-nuh
|
Scarf made from fine wool
|
Saree, also Sari
|
SAH-ree
|
Woman’s clothing
|
FOOD
|
PRONUNCIATION
|
MAIN INGREDIENTS
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Bhaji
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BAH-gee
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Fried onion patties
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Burfi
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BER-fee
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Milk-based cake
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Galub Jamun
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GAH-lub jam-OON
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Fried milk dough soaked in sugar water with cardamom and rosewater
(like American donut holes in syrup)
|
Lassi
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LASS-ee
|
Liquid yogurt drink
|
Naan
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Nahn
|
Flat bread
|
Pakora
|
PAH-kor-uh
|
Batter fried vegetables
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Saag paneer
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SAG pan-EER
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Saag—wilted greens (usually mustard or spinach) with spices
Paneer—Indian cheese
|
Samosa
|
sam-OH-suh
|
Filled pastry, fried
|
MISC
|
PRONUNCIATION
|
MEANING
|
Akshardham
|
Uk-SHER-dum
|
A temple completed in 2010
|
Alamkara
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ahl-im-KAH-ruh
|
The practice of beautifying the body with adornments—colorful
clothing, jewelry, mehndi, etc.
|
Bahut dhanyavaad
|
Bah-HOOT thun-yuh-vod
|
Thank you very much
|
Bindi
|
BIN-dee
|
A red dot between the eyebrows at the sixth chakra
|
Deepavali
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dee-PAV-lee
|
Festival of Lights (traditional spelling)
|
Diwali
|
deh-VALL-ee
|
Festival of Lights (Anglicized spelling)
|
Diya
|
DEE-yah
|
Small pottery oil lamp
|
Haveli
|
huh-VEH-lee
|
Mansion house, open to guests, similar to a B&B
|
Kulhad
|
koo-LAWD
|
Pottery cup for lassi, tea, and other hot beverages and foods
|
Mehndi
|
MEN-dee
|
Temporary intricate design created with henna dye, aka henna tattoo
|
Namaskar
|
nam-uh-skar
|
The act of greeting—with the palms held together as if praying.
This means the speaker recognizes the holy spirit in the other person.
It is respectful to return the greeting in the same manner.
|
Namaste
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nah-mes-tay
|
Greeting while performing namaskar—“hello”
|
Priya
|
PREE-yuh
|
Beloved, my love, dear . . . also a female name
|
Puja
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POO-juh
|
Ritual or ceremony
|
Sone ki Chidia
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sown KEE chid-ya
|
The Golden Bird, India’s nickname
|
Main tumase pyaar karata hoon. Main tumhen bahut pyaar karata hoon,
priya , mere dil mein dard hai jab ham alag kar rahe hain. Aur main aap ko
chot pahunchaane ke lie bahut khed hai.
|
(Hindi)
I love you. I love you so much, my beloved, my heart aches when we are
apart. And I am so sorry for hurting you.
|
|
Ba é mo locht. Bhí eagla orm. Ní raibh sé cothrom a thabhairt duit,
agus Tá brón orm tú a hurting fad an am.
|
(Irish)
It was my fault. I was afraid. It wasn’t fair to you, and I’m sorry
you’ve been hurting all this time.
|
|
Kahate hain ki tum mere saath rahana hoga, priya.
|
(Hindi)
Say you will stay with me, beloved.
|
|
Bhfuil tú mo chroí agus m'anam, agus má tá mé le maireachtáil, ní mór
dom a bheith chomh maith in éineacht leat.
|
(Irish)
You possess my heart and soul, and if I am to survive, I must also be
with you.
|
