It is very Monsoon like in Southern Califorina today. So, lets go to where the real Monsoons are--India.

Enjoy these great Contemporary Romance Novels set in India.

My lists are never in any particular order. 

1. THE ZOYA FACTOR by Anuja Chauhan

When the younger players in India's cricket team find out that advertising executive Zoya Singh Solanki was born at the very moment India won the World Cup back in 1983, they are intrigued. When having breakfast with her is followed by victories on the field, they are impressed. And when not eating with her results in defeat, they decide she's a lucky charm.The nation goes a step further. Amazed at the ragtag team's sudden spurt of victories, it declares her a Goddess.So when the eccentric IBCC president and his mesmeric, always-exquisitely-attired Swamiji invite Zoya to accompany the team to the tenth ICC World Cup, she has no choice but to agree.Pursued by international cricket boards on the one hand, wooed by Cola majors on the other, Zoya struggles to stay grounded in the thick of the world cup action. And it doesn't help that she keeps clashing with the erratically brilliant new skipper who tells her flatly that he doesn't believe in luck…

2. Spice and Smoke by Suleikha Snyder

When the cameras stop rolling, the real scene begins. 

To their adoring public, Avi Kumar and Trishna Chaudhury are Bollywood’s sweethearts. Behind closed doors, their open marriage lets them freely indulge in all manner of forbidden passions. The arrangement suits them both, but as they begin filming on the set of their new movie, the heat of new and rekindled flames singes the pages of what they thought would be a fresh script. 

When costars Michael Gill and Harsh Mathur arrive on set, the sexual temperature goes up exponentially—at least for Trish. She can’t take her eyes of Harsh, for whom she’s carried a torch for years. Avi’s instant attraction to Michael, however, bounces off Michael’s solid wall of resistance. 

Meanwhile, ex-boyfriends Vikram Malhotra and Sam Khanna, cast as fictional enemies, are finding it harder and harder to control the very real demons that once cost them the love of a lifetime. 

Once the music starts, though, they all have no choice but to dance . And pray the fallout doesn’t ruin all their careers…and destroy their love.

3. A Trip with the Tycoon by Nicola Marsh

Determined to forget her husband's infidelity and bring her confident, fiery self back, Tamara Rayne is in India on a trip of a lifetime. Love isn't on her itinerary, so she hardly notices when blast from her past Ethan Brooks boards her train….

The maverick entrepreneur has wanted Tamara ever since he met her. Under the shimmer of the Indian sun, Ethan decides he's waited long enough….

4. A Bollywood Affair by Sonali Dev

Mili Rathod hasn’t seen her husband in twenty years—not since she was promised to him at the age of four. Yet marriage has allowed Mili a freedom rarely given to girls in her village. Her grandmother has even allowed her to leave India and study in America for eight months, all to make her the perfect modern wife. Which is exactly what Mili longs to be—if her husband would just come and claim her. 

Bollywood’s favorite director, Samir Rathod, has come to Michigan to secure a divorce for his older brother. Persuading a naïve village girl to sign the papers should be easy for someone with Samir’s tabloid-famous charm. But Mili is neither a fool nor a gold-digger. Open-hearted yet complex, she’s trying to reconcile her independence with cherished traditions. And before he can stop himself, Samir is immersed in Mili’s life—cooking her dal and rotis, escorting her to her roommate’s elaborate Indian wedding, and wondering where his loyalties and happiness lie.

5. The Marriage Bureau for Rich People by Farahad Zama

Bored with retirement, Mr. Ali sets up a desk, puts up a sign, and waits for customers for his new matchmaking business. Some clients are a mystery. Some are a challenge. Mr. Ali's assistant, Aruna, finds it a learning experience. But without a dowry, Aruna has no expectation of a match for herself. Then again, as people go about planning their lives, sometimes fate is making other arrangements.

6. Monsoon Wedding Fever by Shoma Narayanan

Coming home one night, Riya was not expecting to find the man who broke her heart sleeping on her floor! He's a guest at her roommate's wedding, so she's stuck with him 24/7—and the sparks are already flying!

Six years ago Riya fell for Dhruv, whereas he didn't believe in love. Not then, not now—the other reason he's in India is to consider an arranged marriage! But as the monsoons start, Riya and Dhruv are forced to confront what drove them apart. Could this wedding fever be…contagious?

7. The Elephant Girl by Henriette Gyland

Peek-a-boo I see you… 
When five-year-old Helen Stephens witnesses her mother’s murder, her whole world comes crumbling down. Rejected by her extended family, Helen is handed over to child services and learns to trust no-one but herself. Twenty years later, her mother’s killer is let out of jail, and Helen swears vengeance. 

Jason Moody runs a halfway house, desperate to distance himself from his father’s gangster dealings. But when Helen shows up on his doorstep, he decides to dig into her past, and risks upsetting some very dangerous people. 

As Helen begins to question what really happened to her mother, Jason is determined to protect her. But Helen is getting too close to someone who’ll stop at nothing to keep the truth hidden …

8. Bollywood Fiancé for a Day by Ruchi Vasudeva

Winning the chance to meet the ultimate Bollywood heartthrob, Zaheer Saxena, is just what Vishakha needs to take her mind off her recent humiliation—being jilted the week before her wedding! And when gorgeous Zaheer offers to be her fake fiancé, the chance to save face with her family is just too tempting….

It's a deal that benefits them both—Zaheer is warding off any unwanted female attention until his next film is finished—but can Vishakha trust herself not to hope that her dream fiancé for a day could turn into forever?

9. The Runaway Bridegroom by Sundari Venkatraman

Chanda Maheshwari’s family is shaken when her thirteen-year-old bridegroom Veerendra runs away immediately after the wedding. The eight-year-old child doesn’t even understand the impact on her life. Unable to face their neighbours and friends, the Maheshwaris move from their village to Jaipur and begin a new life in the city. 

Fourteen years later, Chanda is studying in a Delhi College. She takes up a temporary job at RS Software Pvt. Ltd. and falls head-over-heels for the boss of the operation. But what about Ranveer Singh? Is he interested in her? 

Ranveer’s secretary Shikha is desperate to make him fall for her. All she wants is life-long security with a rich man. But it’s nerd Abhimanyu who keeps getting in the way. Abhi is Ranveer’s second-in-command and Shikha isn’t keen on him as she’s eyeing the main chance. 

When Ranveer appears to show interest in Chanda, she’s faced with a new problem. Astrologer Vidyasagar insists that she would get back with her husband Veerendra. Does anyone want to know what she wants? 

Chanda feels torn between the man she has fallen for and the family values that have been instilled in her. Will she ever find happiness?

10.  Prince Charming Wanted; Dowry Seekers Kiss Off! by Vidya Samson

Nisha Desai is a young Indian woman who pines for romance in a country where love is in the same class as malaria, and where mates are selected using a calculator.

Normally deluged with ghastly suitors of her father's choosing, she suddenly finds herself on the short list for a bride-seeing tour by a rich and handsome nephew of a neighbor. This is the stuff of which dreams are made.

A nightmare materializes when a very un-Indian ruffian moves in next door, complete with beard and obnoxious Harley motorcycle. He might play the bad boy in one of Nisha's beloved romance novels, but in real life, he terrifies her.

So she tries to ignore the thundering engine of the bike while anxiously awaiting the arrival of Prince Charming--or at least, Prince Rich. 

But arriving first is a long-lost black-sheep American aunt and her trouble-magnet teenage daughters. The aunt proves to be a New Age space case, while the cousins’ appetite for disasters threatens to level the city of Ahmedabad. In short order, the demented cousins instigate an elopement, a public protest, and a riot that gets Nisha thrown in jail. 

Nisha’s family comes to the conclusion that while East and West may meet, sometimes they shouldn't. The guests are seen as an invading force, equipped with weapons of mass corruption.

While Nisha wonders how she can hide her now corroded reputation from the dream suitor's family, insanity marches on. Nisha's father adopts a pet cow and convinces half the city it's the reincarnation of a Hindu deity. The two families are finally united in a common goal: to bilk thousands. The result is Madison Avenue's idea of a religious experience, which is not a controllable situation.

Indian Maidens Bust Loose is a hilarious romantic comedy set in the land of cows, curry, and the Kama Sutra.

Do you have a rec? Let me know! Vote on my Goodreads list: Contemporary Romance Set in India

(Edit: The correct cover now shows since Booklikes added a book database. Yay!)

When I downloaded and read this it was titled Indian Maidens Bust Loose and had a completely different (and slightly horrible) cover. If I had seen this post-cover/title change I probably wouldn't have picked it up. I don't generally gravitate toward book covers featuring male torsos, clothed or otherwise. I'm thinking this new cover and title are kind of misleading, since the book is very much about Indian maidens and not so much about the search for Prince Charming. In fact, our protagonist, Nisha, and her sister spend most of their encounters with eligible bachelors trying every trick in the book to prevent a marriage from being arranged. The only man Nisha makes an effort to impress is the one who offers the best chance of getting her out of India. If I had come into this hoping for a straight-up romance I would have been disappointed, as a large part of the story focuses on cultural clashes with Nisha's privileged American cousins and the romance is almost an afterthought.

Luckily for me, I wasn't expecting a straight-up romance and therefor I wasn't disappointed. I have no idea how accurate this is in terms of depicting Indian culture. My gut says it's more satirical than accurate ... not that satire can't be accurate, but a lot of stuff, especially toward the end, just felt way over the top. Like the author was going for the cheap laugh when the natural, genuine laugh was right there and didn't have to be forced. This is why I didn't give this four stars. I found Nisha very easy to relate to and there were several laugh-out-loud moments. This was a fun, quick read and if the author writes more books like this I will give them a try.

This sounds different and zany.

Fun enough, but in the end tried too hard. Three pretty much said everything I would have to say. 

A shame, I liked it rather well until quite far along. I think I might take a look at anything else this author wrote, but not exactly top of my TBR. 

Previously published under the (better IMHO) title "Indian Maidens bust loose", this is exactly what I needed to read right now. Lighthearted and a little off the beaten track.

At this point: Nisha and her sister Vinita are typical young indian women, stuck at home until a suitable marriage is arranged. Unfortunately their father manages to choose and present ridiculously unsuitable matches, which they find creative ways to either put off or reject. Now things are about to change, a long-banished aunt who committed the mortal crime of running away to America with a boy is returning, bringing her two daughters along with her.

So far it's funny and charming. Nisha is very likeable as narrator, Nisha's pappa is hilariously horrible, but rather ineptly so, and I like the way it drops you straight into the culture, which is probably unfamiliar to most of us, but without mountains of exposition explaining anything. Sink or swim.