Incense and Sensibility: A Novel

Sonali Dev

Jul 2021 · The Rajes Series Book 3 · Sold by HarperCollins

About this ebook

"Incense and Sensibility is a tender, well-crafted novel, as much about finding purpose as it is about falling in love. Dev writes with such rare empathy and humor that I often found myself holding my breath on one page only to be giggling by the next. This is the kind of book you finish with a whole-body, happy sigh and a warm ache in your chest where the characters will live on. Yash and India’s story will stick with me for a long time.”— Emily Henry, New York Times bestselling author of Beach Read

Yash Raje, California’s first Indian-American gubernatorial candidate, has always known exactly what he wants—and how to use his privileged background to get it. He attributes his success to a simple mantra: control your feelings and you can control the world. But when a hate crime at a rally critically injures his friend, Yash’s easy life suddenly feels like a lie, his control an illusion. When he tries to get back on the campaign trail, he blacks out with panic.

Desperate to keep Yash’s condition from leaking to the media, his family turns to the one person they trust—his sister’s best friend, India Dashwood, California’s foremost stress management coach. Raised by a family of yoga teachers, India has helped San Francisco’s high strung overachievers for a decade without so much as altering her breath. But this man—with his boundless ambition, simmering intensity, and absolute faith in his political beliefs—is like no other.

Yash has spent a lifetime repressing everything to succeed, including their one magical night ten years ago—a too brief, too bright passion that if rekindled threatens to destroy the dream he’s willingly shouldered for his family and community . . . until now.

Ratings and reviews

WOW!!! Words alone cannot express how much I loved Incense and Sensibility, by Sonali Dev, book three in her Rajes series. From the beginning I was pulled into a story focusing on the love between two people, true soul-mates, separated through misunderstandings, demands or pleasing of other people, and family. India and Yash spoke to me. This second chance romance is about so much more. It's rooted in family, culture, service, loyalty, and in pursuing not only what's in the best interest of others but in their own best interest as well. I enjoyed the dynamics within both families and how India's and Yash's journeys were entwined with them, with side-story threads bringing additional complications and richness to the main story without detracting from it. I loved what Yash stood for, admired his genuine dedication to public service, understood his reasons for past decisions (even if I didn't agree), and fully understood the inner turmoil those decisions caused. I adored India. I wanted to be friends with her, take her yoga class, and maybe just hang out with her. She and Yash are so good together, as if they had each been created for the other. I was pulling for them the entire way, despite some major obstacles in their way. Sonali Dev wove magic into her third Jane Austen-inspired novel. Dev allows us to connect with her characters, while adding an irresistible Indian-American flavor to her storyline.I really loved reading this book and had trouble putting this book down. Ms. Dev held me captive, drawing me into her book, making me forget the world around me and not letting me go even after I turned the last page. I highly recommend Incense and Sensibility to other readers. I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

When gubernatorial candidate Yash is injured in an assassination attempt, images of his long-time companion crying over him go viral. Everyone loves a love story—but unbeknownst to the public, the two of them are really just friends. That turns into a problem when India Dashwood comes back into his life. Holistic healer India fell hard for Yash a decade ago, and thought he felt the same. After he ghosted her, she tried to forget him. But seeing him again, she realizes the connection between them is still there. That's a complication she doesn't need in her life when her mother is sick and her sister is mooning over a closeted K-drama star. Yash's whole life has been leading up to this campaign for governor. Can he risk telling the public that his long-term relationship has been a ruse? Will he lose India if he doesn't? This novel is thoroughly addicting. I loved Yash and India—they've got so much chemistry together! This book is the most romantic in the series IMO, and not as dark as the first two. It's an emotional, and ultimately joyful, journey. Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

About the author

USA Today Bestselling author Sonali Dev writes Bollywood-style love stories that explore issues faced by women around the world. Sonali’s novels have been on Library Journal, NPR, Washington Post, and Kirkus’s Best Books of the year lists. She has won the American Library Association’s award for best romance, the RT Reviewer Choice Award for best contemporary romance, multiple RT Seals of Excellence, is a RITA® finalist, and has been listed for the Dublin Literary Award. Shelf Awareness calls her “Not only one of the best but one of the bravest romance novelists working today.”She lives in Chicagoland with her husband, two visiting adult children, and the world’s most perfect dog.Find more at sonalidev.com.