Partners in Crime by Alisha Rai

Title: Partners in Crime

Series: n/a
Author: Alisha Rai
Source/Format: Publisher (Avon Books); Paperback ARC
More Details: Romantic Suspense
Publisher/Publication Date: Avon Books; October 18, 2022

Goodreads     Amazon     Barnes & Noble     Book Depository

Synopsis from Goodreads...

Indian Matchmaking meets Date Night in this fun, romantic adventure by Alisha Rai — “One of the very brightest romance writers working right now.” (Entertainment Weekly)

Mira Patel’s got a solid accounting career, good friends, and a whole lot of distance between her and her dysfunctional family. All that’s missing is a stable romantic relationship. Armed with a spreadsheet and professional help, she sets out to find her partner in only legal activities, but much to her matchmaker’s dismay, no one is quite right. Including Naveen Desai, the very first match she unceremoniously rejected. Lately Naveen’s been too focused on keeping his sick grandfather’s law firm afloat to think about love, and he’s stunned when Mira walks back into his life to settle her aunt’s affairs. He’s determined to keep things professional…though it’s impossible not to be intrigued by all of the secrets piling up around Mira. If getting back together with an ex is a bad idea, getting kidnapped with one is even worse.... Suddenly, Naveen and Mira find themselves in a mad dash through Las Vegas to escape jewel thieves, evade crime bosses, and follow the clues to untangle the mess her family left behind. As her past comes back to haunt her, Mira despairs of ever finding someone who might understand her…but maybe, over the course of one wild night, she’ll find that he’s right by her side.

It’s been a minute since I’ve picked up a romantic suspense, and I’ve wanted to try one of Alisha Rai’s romances. Her latest book, Partners in Crime (which I received an ARC for), is sold as “Indian Matchmaker meets Date Night.” So it seemed right up my alley. And ultimately, I had a lot of fun reading this book.

Partners in Crime struck a good balance between the romance, suspense, and mystery. The cat-and-mouse situation was written in a way that gave a sense of constant danger, and it was exciting to read. It could have been over-the-top, considering the set-up with the matchmaker, jewel thieves, big family secrets, and relationship troubles. But the dynamic between Naveen and Mira added that personal aspect into the story, which made the whole scenario work for me by drawing all the threads of the story together and raising the stakes that much more. They were both complex and had secrets about themselves and their past they wished to hide, and because of it there was this constant tension between them that was delightful.

At the end of the day, Partners in Crime was excellent. I truly enjoyed the way Alisha Rai put these particular characters together, and the suspense/crime aspects offered all the risks I could want from this type of story. It was a great read.

About the author....

Alisha Rai pens award-winning contemporary romances. Her novels have been featured on the IndieNext and the LibraryReads lists, and been named Best Books of the Year by Washington Post, NPR, New York Public Library, Amazon, Entertainment Weekly, Reader’s Digest, Kirkus, “O” the Oprah Magazine, and Cosmopolitan Magazine. When she’s not writing, Alisha is traveling or tweeting. To find out more about her books or to sign up for her newsletter, visit www.alisharai.com.

Goodreads     Website     Twitter     Instagram

Disclaimer: this copy of the book was provided by the publisher (Avon Books) in exchange for an honest review, thank you!