Today I’m joining the blog tour for In God’s Hands. My review is written with thanks to Zoe O’Farrell for inviting me on the tour and to the author for my copy of the book.

Blurb:

They kept hearing, “When will we celebrate your good news?”

The perfect partner, the perfect job, mostly perfect in-laws.

Bali and Kiran had it all.
Except for that baby.

After a few years of marriage, the natural step of starting a family beckoned, but nothing was simple or natural.

Constant whispers, superstitions, and rumours cause havoc in what was a solid relationship, and Kiran struggles to face the possibility that her dream may not come true.

Pregnancies and babies all around her. Why not hers?
All she can say is, “It’s in God’s Hands.”

Review:

I’ve absolutely loved the Rishtay series so far and I jumped at the chance to take part in the blog tour for In God’s Hands. It was great to be back with Kiran, Bali, Aashi, Arjun, Sunny and Milan and their families. Ritu Bhathal has created such vibrant and relatable characters and I really wanted to find out what path she has carved out for them. She does a very thorough job of explaining the context of the previous novels in the series, but to get the most from these characters and their stories, I recommend reading the series in order.

Through the Rishtay series, I have learnt a lot about Indian culture, as the central characters try to reconcile their Indian heritage with their lifestyles and personal stories. This continues in In God’s Hands as there is a strong focus on the expectation that Kiran, having been married for several years now, will soon be starting a family. I love the way that Ritu Bhathal conveys the pressure that Kiran feels, both from her own family and the Indian community, as this helped me to understand the dynamic of the community and the way in which they observe their traditions. The author clearly has in depth knowledge of the community and this shines through on every page and helps to bring Kiran’s story to life

Kiran’s story has several ups and downs and so I found In God’s Hands to be a very emotional novel. Ritu Bhathal pulled on my heartstrings right from the start and I felt deeply sympathetic towards Kiran, although her background and experience are very different to my own. I often had a tear in my eye whilst I was reading, but there were also plenty of moments that made me smile.

I hope we will see more of these characters, but in the meantime, they will stay in my heart for a long time.

In God’s Hands is available from Amazon.

You can follow the rest of the blog tour here: