An emotional, page-turning read about love, family and the secrets we keep, for fans of Amanda Prowse, Ayisha Malik and Balli Kaur Jaswal.

Shortlisted for The Goldsboro Books Contemporary Romantic Novel Award 2020.

It was the perfect marriage... until they fell in love.

After attending Oxford University, Chaya is torn between her duty to family and her life in the UK since her traditional Sri Lankan parents want her to settle down.

Gimhana is hiding his sexuality from his family, and it’s getting harder and harder to turn down the potential brides his parents keep finding for him.

When Chaya and Gimhana meet, a marriage of convenience seems like the perfect solution. Together they have everything - friendship, stability and their parental approval. But when both Chaya and Gimhana find themselves falling in love with other people, they’re left with an impossible decision – risk everything they’ve built together or finally follow their heart?

Jeevani Charika writes women's fiction and contemporary romances with a hint of British cynicism.

There's a whole lot of other stuff she could tell you - but mainly: she's a former scientist, an adult fan of Lego, an embarrassing mum, a part-time geek, and a Very Short Person.

She also writes romantic comedy under the pen name Rhoda Baxter. So why the two names? Well... Jeevani writes about British-Sri Lankan main characters. Rhoda, not so much.