One Way to Love is the first book in Andaleeb Wajid’s Jasmine Villa series. Twenty three-year-old Tehzeeb Hasan lives in Jasmine Villa with her father Yusuf and her two younger sisters Ana and Athiya. Her mother died of cancer several years back. The family has a modest income with a non-lavish lifestyle. Tehzeeb is a beauty and it’s no wonder that well-meaning aunts bring rishtas aka proposals for her.

One day Yusuf’s college friend Bakhtiyar Ahmed, who bumps into him in the mosque, asks him for Tehzeeb’s hand for his only son Ayub. Bakhtiyar is rich; he lives in a palatial villa and has an enviable lifestyle. The girls are puzzled about the fact that a rich man wants Tehzeeb as his daughter-in-law without even seeing her. They fear that there is a defect in Ayub or perhaps he is gay and the marriage will be a front for the sake of society.

Tehzeeb agrees to meet Ayub in a coffee shop. Ayub is handsome, an eligible bachelor in their community. A comedy of errors ensues. He assumes she has come for a job interview for the post of his personal assistant and Tehzeeb’s interest lies in finding out about Ayub’s sexual orientation. Needless to say, sparks fly and Ayub falls head over heels in love with this beauty.

The marriage takes place a few months later. Though Tehzeeb’s father-in-law adores her, she doesn’t find an ally in her mother-in-law Aafreen, but her sister-in-law Maira warms to her. Tehzeeb is weighed down under the expectations of her mother-in law who demands that she dress to the hilt and attend vapid parties. She is caught between her desire to work and play the demure bride to appease her mother-in-law. Though Tehzeeb and Ayub get along like a house on fire, both in bed and out of it, certain events rock the couple’s marital bliss, bringing them on the road to estrangement. Can their marriage get back on track?

Loving You Twice is the story of the second daughter Ana, reserved and astute, who falls in love with her brother-in-law Ayub’s best friend Luqman Ahmed. Though they had met a couple of times before, when they bump into each other on a long flight, the sparks that flew during their earlier meetings, become a conflagration. Sadly, during the flight they don’t exchange phone numbers. Ana assumes he isn’t interested in her and Luqman thinks that she has no feelings for him.

After Ana returns to India, her father fixes up her alliance with a boy. Saddened by the silence from Luqman’s side, Ana agrees to the proposal. The boy turns out to be Farhaan Ahmed, Luqman’s elder brother. When Ana comes to know about the boy’s identity she is horrified. Can she spend the rest of her life as Luqman’s bhabhi, living under the same roof?

Hearing about Ana’s impending marriage to her brother, Luqman cuts short his business trip and returns to India. On the way home he meets with an accident and suffers memory loss. Can Luqman marry Ana with Farhaan’s help? Can such star-crossed lovers outwit fate?

Three Times Lucky is the last book in the series. It’s the story of Athiya the youngest sister, a spitfire with a devil may care attitude. She thinks marriage isn’t for her. When Farhaan Ahmed, the man who was supposed to marry her sister Ana offers her a job in his real estate company, she agrees instantly. A reckless modelling assignment earns Athiya her father’s wrath and a bad reputation in the community. Farhaan steps in gallantly, like a knight in a glittering sherwani to save her image and reputation by marrying her. Athiya is madly attracted to her saviour, older to her by nine years, but doesn’t tell him. Likewise for the Prince Charming, he loves her but doesn’t confess. Can love knock on the door of this odd couple, a potty-mouthed girl and a handsome brooding guy? Can the stars align for them? This book, too, has a lot of melodrama and emotional scenes like the first two books of the series.

Wajid puts her heroines through emotional turmoil. The writing is decent with good surprise twists in the plot that take the readers unaware. Of all the characters, I liked Farhaan the most. Something about this handsome, brooding and shy hero appealed to me a lot. I also liked Yusuf’s character. The quiet and ethical man, bringing up three young daughters all by himself after his wife’s demise, just made me root for him. Wajid’s heroines are no prudes; more often than not they initiate the lovemaking. They are also sassy with a non-nonsense attitude. Though the last book in the series is about Athiya, all the characters from the first two books return to take a bow. That kind of makes it sweet.

One Way to Love

By Andaleeb Wajid

Westland

pp. 270, Rs.399

Loving You Twice

By Andaleeb Wajid

Westland

pp. 367, Rs.399

Three Times Lucky

By Andaleeb Wajid

Westland

pp. 367, Rs.399