You know it is a great day when you are feeling a bit mushy in the brain, and a nice, romantic comedy comes in your delivery. Invisible Lives is exactly the kind of book that I was needing.

Set in Seattle, its the story of Lakshmi, who helps run a sari store with her mother. With an incredible talent for knowing exactly the right sari for all her customers, Lakshmi is trying to help keep her mother's business afloat. Meanwhile, she's 28 and not yet married. Oh, the horror! Finally a suitable candidate is found: his father is a friend of Lakshmi's late father, he's young, handsome and a doctor.

But of course, complications arise. One day a famous Bollywood actress comes to the store with her driver. The account could help keep the store afloat, but Lakshmi can't even concentrate on it, what with Nick the driver standing around being hunky. (Please note, I hate the word hunky, but that's exactly what Nick is.) So Lakshmi has to choose between the Indian doctor, and the American driver.

Now, I will say personally, that I love a good romance novel, the key characteristics of which include a beautiful woman as heroine, who is also kind and smart, a beautiful and brawny man as hero, who is also kind and smart, a misunderstanding that threatens to tear the two apart, and a conclusion that can be seen a mile away. Invisible Lives has all that in spades, and the writing isn't bad either. The only element of a romance novel it doesn't have is steamy sex scene. However, if any of those elements cause you an ulcerous rage, you should probably stay away.

Invisible Lives by Anjali Banerjee
ISBN 1416517057
278 pages