Smexy Books

Romance and Urban Fantasy Reviews

  • Review Request
  • Contact
    • Smexy Reviewers Profiles
    • New Reviewer Application
    • Contact
  • Advertising
  • Home
  • Reviews
    • By Genre
      • BDSM
      • Contemporary
      • Erotic
      • Fantasy
      • F/F
      • Historical Romance
      • Historical PNR
      • LGBTQ+
      • M/M Romance
      • New Adult
      • Urban Fantasy
      • Paranormal Romance
      • Sci-Fi
      • Romantic Suspense
      • Young Adult
    • By Letter Grade Rating
      • A Reviews
      • B Reviews
      • C Reviews
      • D Reviews
      • DNF Reviews
  • Features
    • New Releases
    • Smexy Deals!
    • Retro Review
    • Weekly Wrap-Up
    • Blog Tour
    • Scenic Sunday
    • To Be Read
    • Guest Post
    • Top Ten/Happy Friday
    • Smex Scene Sunday
  • The Psy/Changeling Channel
You are here: Home / #OwnVoices / Review: The Marriage Game by Sara Desai

Review: The Marriage Game by Sara Desai

July 1, 2020 by Kini Leave a Comment

CW: death of sibling, discussion of secondary character’s relationship that included Intimate Partner Violence, ailing parent

This is Desai’s debut, although she was previously published as Sarah Castille. She had some super sexy boxing series that I know I read at least one of those. I didn’t know what to expect from this book. I wasn’t sure if it would skew more women’s fiction than romance. For me it was a good blend of both. 

Layla, our female protagonist, is a little down on her luck. She returns to her hometown after a break-up with her boyfriend. Her parents own a restaurant and her father offers Layle office space where she can work as a recruiter. Her father previously agreed to rent out the space to someone else but he says he will cancel that. Then her father has a heart attack. And fails to cancel the rental agreement. 

Sam, our male protagonist, is the person that Layla’s father agreed to rent out the space to. He shows up and fighting begins on who gets to claim the space. Sam at times is a huge jerk and I was not sold on liking him.

After Layla’s breakup, her father put her on websites to work on finding her a marriage partner. She is Indian American and her parents are traditional and her father believes he can find a husband for her. This sets up hilarity as Sam acts as a chaperone as Layla meets several of these potential suitors. This was the best part of the book. As Layla goes on these “dates”, she and Sam get to know each other better. It was because of these dates and banter that I bought into their love story and ultimately enjoyed the book. 

I really liked Layla. I thought she was a messy female character that sometimes said some mean things, sometimes drank more than she intended to. She was not a virgin and wasn’t shy about telling Sam. She felt no shame about this. She felt like a real person.

There were a few things I didn’t like.

There were times the author/editor decided to explain words/food items to the reader and used some non-English words in italics. 

Some examples-

“Hi, bhaiya.” Nisha smiled, using the affectionate form of address for an older brother.

Roti, a thin round bread similar to a tortilla, was an unforgiving beast.

As a reader, this feels like spoon feeding me information. I know how to look information up. 

As I said earlier, Sam was a jerk. One of his coworkers is attracted to him and he talks about her like this. –

“Sam bristled at her sarcasm. He was used to women melting at his feet. Karen had just sexted him with pictures of herself in the boardroom in provocative poses, a plastic medical kit in her hand. How did he tame this wildcat?”

And lastly, I found this quote upsetting enough to wrap it in a spoiler tag. It feels like a horrible example of toxic masculinity or something worse.
Dilip wouldn’t give it up. Sam gave an affronted sniff. “Do I look like someone’s sister?” “These are modern times,” Dilip said. “You could have gone through a change.” “I’m all man.” Sam leaned back in his chair and spread his legs. “Every goddamned bit.”

Overall, I enjoyed this story and did buy into their love story but had some complicated feelings about Sam and some of the things he said.

Grade: C+
Amazon l Goodreads

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
  • Click to share on Mastodon (Opens in new window) Mastodon
  • More
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp

Like this:

Like Loading...

Related

Filed Under: #OwnVoices, Berkley, C Review, Sara Desai

Leave a ReplyCancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Welcome to Smexy! If you are reader feel free to use our search feature to find a specific book or browse through our features to find Smexy Deals, New Releases, and book news!

As an Amazon Associate, we do earn from qualifying purchases. We also earn a small commission on affiliate links to Apple, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords,  Booksamillion, and Bookshop,org.

 

Shop our Affiliates!

Amazon

B&N

Apple

Smashwords

Booksamillion

Angela

Melanie

Jen

Kate

Iby

Kate H.

Sign Up for Daily Emails


Thank you!

You have successfully joined our subscriber list.

.

Follow Us!

Follow Us on FacebookFollow Us on TwitterFollow Us on Instagram

Top Posts & Pages

  • Smexy Deals- Deals for books by Lyla Sage, Maisey Yates, Sherry Thomas, and more!
    Smexy Deals- Deals for books by Lyla Sage, Maisey Yates, Sherry Thomas, and more!
  • New Releases- Week of June 2-6, 2025
    New Releases- Week of June 2-6, 2025
  • Review: All Superheroes Need PR by Elizabeth Stephens
    Review: All Superheroes Need PR by Elizabeth Stephens
  • Smexy’s Top Ten Favorite Sex Scenes of 2012
    Smexy’s Top Ten Favorite Sex Scenes of 2012
  • Review: Manacled by SenLinYu
    Review: Manacled by SenLinYu
  • Smex Scene Sunday
    Smex Scene Sunday
  • Review: The Last Letter by Rebecca Yarros
    Review: The Last Letter by Rebecca Yarros
  • Review: The Plated Prisoner Series by Raven Kennedy
    Review: The Plated Prisoner Series by Raven Kennedy
  • Review: The Road Trip by Beth O'Leary
    Review: The Road Trip by Beth O'Leary
  • Review: The Finish Line by Kate Stewart
    Review: The Finish Line by Kate Stewart

Disclosure

The majority of the books reviewed at this site have been provided for free by publishers, authors, or other third parties like NetGalley or Edelweiss. Acceptance of a free copy does not guarantee a review or a positive review.

As an Amazon Associate, we do earn from qualifying purchases. We also earn a small commission on affiliate links to Apple, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, and Booksamillion.

Shop our Affiliates!

Amazon

B&N

Apple

Smashwords

Booksamillion

 

Find Our Reviewers

Angela @fv-angela.bsky.social l Goodreads

Melanie @melonreads.bsky.social l  Goodreads

Jen .@thebooknista l Goodreads

Kate  @kateminasian l Goodreads

Iby Instagram l Goodreads

Kate H. @Naranjadia l Goodreads

Copyright © 2025 · Beautiful Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

%d