I loved this so much. I read Dating Dr. Dil when it first came out and so I was so excited when I got approved for this arc through Netgalley. This was such a fun and quick read. I adore all of the main 6 characters but I absolutely loved Benjamin and Bobbi. Their relationship was so fun and while there was a third act breakup, it was done well in my opinion and kind of needed to happen for the sake of their relationship.

I love Bobbi as a character and can definitely relate to her in some senses. She is a bigger character but her love for her body was so refreshing to see. I feel like normally bigger/plus size characters always have some fat phobia hidden within their thoughts and just book context, but that was not the case with Bobbi. Her initial conflict with Benjamin was also justified when she thought he was referring to her body. Bobbi is such a strong character who truly knows her worth and what she deserves.

Benjamin was such a great example of dealing with family expectations and obligations while also trying to be his own person. I also loved how he never once made or thought negatively about Bobbi but instead absolutely adored her from the very first moment we met him. He was so caring towards Bobbi. Their chemistry together was top notch.

The aunties have my entire heart also, I wish we got to see more of them but it’s understandable we didn’t since they are Kareenas aunties. Also, Bobbi calling out Bindu made my entire experience with this book so much better since I really couldn’t stand her in Dating Dr. Dil. I’m bumping this up to a 5 stars for Netgalley, but I am so excited for the third and final book in this series about Veera and Deepak.

I loved this. If you liked Dating Dr.Dill you WILL LOVE THIS! The characters are relatable and lovable, I love the enemies to lovers plot line. Plus we get plus sized desi girl representation! Over all I loved this book and yes there is spicy 🌶️

" <i> Two planets orbiting each other until they get too close and were drawn together with impossible force. </i> "

There is just no one who can write RomComs like Nisha. Dating Dr. Dil was one of my favorites of last year, and this is a continuation of the story, you are just following two new characters, Bobbi and Bunty.
Bobbi is a wedding planner and she has now tasked herself with planning Kareena and Prem's wedding. Bobbi, Kareena, and Veera are three best friends and so are Bunty, Prem, and Deepak. Bunty is a chef and owns multiple restaurants in New York/New Jersey and California. Bunty and Bobbi had a huge blow-up when Bobbi asked Bunty to cater a wedding for her and he completely shot her down, as well as said some not-nice comments.
Now, because of the wedding, they are forced to be around each other a lot and they both can't be in a room with each other without going at it about everything.
We LOVE a good rivals to lovers and this had just the right amount of banter.

Both Bobbi and Bunty are such amazing characters. I love Bobbi's sass and how is so unapologetically herself. She is strong, fierce, and loyal, and she gets shit done! Bunty also has a lot of sass on him, which makes them such a good match. Bunty comes off as a super bachelor life forever guy, but he is so sweet and thoughtful and he definitely can make you swoon!

There was just one little part of the book that I was not super convinced about, but I quickly got over it. Just after Bunty goes on a tangent saying he is going to be single forever and never settle down, he freaks out about Bobbi and immediately decides he needs to be with her. It was just a complete 180, but obviously, I am totally okay that he made that decision!

Honestly, Bunty is the perfect book boyfriend. He sets up delivery services for Bobbi to make sure she eats every 4 hours, he knows his way around ropes😉, and he calls her <i> sapno ki rani, </i> which means queen of my dreams!😍

This story also had a wedding saboteur which added another fun layer to everything. As well as all the auntie shenanigans!

If you want a book that is going to make you laugh, swoon, and smile the entire way through, this book is for you!💜

Tastes like Shakkar by Nisha Sharma is the second novel in her If Shakespeare Was An Auntie series. The novel is a hilarious nod to Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing that starts with a rocky relationship between Bobbi—a vivacious, workaholic wedding planner and Bunty—a charismatic and charming chef. They are forced to call a truce to their tempestuous relationship when their best friends ask them to work together to plan their wedding. The novel is filled with wonderful banter, amazing characters, romance, and a bit of mystery. Tastes like Shakkar by Nisha Sharma is another standout novel by Sharma that gives the readers a perfect blend of spice and shenanigans.

(Suggestion—Don’t miss out on Dating Dr. Dil, the first novel in her If Shakespeare Was An Auntie series.)

I loved Dating Dr. Dil and read it twice, and this was even better! I'm obsessed with Bunty and Bobbi and honestly wish there were more of them -- the book went too fast and there wasn't enough. This book turned into one of those reads that you just can't get away from. I finished the book this morning, but my mind has been running around in their world all day. I'm already daydreaming about Veera and Deepak's book. *Squeal*

Tastes Like Shakkar is the story of Bobbi and Benjamin (Bunty). It’s a retelling of Much Ado About Nothing, returning to the world of Dating Dr. Dil. Kareena and Prem are getting married and Kareena’s friend Bobbi is the wedding planner. Unfortunately, this means having to interact with Prem’s annoying chef friend Bunty. A misunderstanding leads to a contentious relationship between the two of them until they’re forced to call a truce to support the wedding. But someone is trying to sabotage the wedding and they will need to work together to uncover the saboteur. Along the way, will they find romance themselves?

I was thrilled to read the latest book from Nisha Sharma! I enjoyed Dating Dr. Dil, but loved Tastes Like Shakkar even more! I absolutely loved the dynamic between Bobbi and Benjamin. I really enjoyed the steamy scenes between them which were scorchingly hot! They fight and love equally hard, while being ambitious and caring. I loved the witty banter between Bobbi and Benjamin and the hilarious dialogue that at times literally made me laugh out loud.

Sharma effortlessly juggles a large cast of characters including Kareena and Prem, their families, and friends. I loved the cameos from Dating Dr. Dil. Of course, this includes the aunties!! Truly, where would everyone be without the help and chaos of the aunties? Tastes Like Shakkar is an excellent romance with plenty of chaos to navigate, swoonworthy scenes, and a rewarding resolution. I can’t wait to see Deepak and Veera’s story next!

Thank you so much to Nisha Sharma, Avon, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review

For publisher: My review will be posted on Instagram, Goodreads, Amazon, Storygraph, and Barnes & Noble etc

I love Nisha! Her writing style is so approachable. I loved that she had a index in the beginning with who’s who. My favorite part has to be that the FMC is curvy and confident and all about her career and didn’t have to sacrifice her career for love. The spicy was spicing!

Tastes Like Shakkar is Book 2 in the If Shakespeare Was an Aunty retelling series based on Much Ado About Nothing

Bobbi Kaur and Benjamin “Bunty” Padda have disliked each other since *almost* the moment they first met. An unintentional insult from Bunty to Bobbi quickly squashed any initial chemistry they may have felt. Ignoring and antagonizing each other worked just fine until Bobbi and Bunty had to call a truce to work together on their best friends’ wedding planning.

I absolutely love Bobbi and Bunty! Their snappy and spicy banter and antagonism of each other was perfection. Their chemistry leaped off the pages and the charts as their interactions heated up. Bunty was majorly swoon worthy, and him surprising Bobbi with delivered meals totally won me over.

Oh Bobbi. I could see so much of my enneagram 2 self in her as she thinks her ability to help her friends and family is the only reason they love and care about her. Watching her burn herself out trying to be worthy of their love hit me hard. I loved her journey to understanding that she doesn’t have to do anything other than be herself to be loved.

In addition to beautiful love stories between the romantic pairs, this series really feels like a love letter to Nisha Sharma’s culture and community. I will admit I have had to google a number of terms throughout reading, but I love learning more about this beautiful South Asian culture. The aunties are delightful and the coming together of the community in support of each other feels like a warm hug in a book.

You have to read this if you love: ✒️ modern day Shakespeare retellings 🩷 plus sized,
powerful, confident heroines 🪷 well meaning but meddling aunties 💭 nicknames ranging from “dream girl” to “good girl” and “my queen” 🪢 extra spicy spice 🍛 food as a love language ✈️ catching flights & feelings 🪷 meaningful grand gestures & declarations of love

Avon and Harper Voyager, Avon and NetGalley provided an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed here are solely my own.

The cover and synopsis drew me in and BOY did this book deliver. Bobbi and Bunty are the stars of this delightful enemies to lovers rom-com and they are supported by a cast of characters that include family, friends, and aunties that I would love to brunch with. There’s a little mystery that helps keep things interesting and a liberal dash steam.

This is my first book by the author and it was so good, I want to check out more of her work.

I give it 5 enthusiastic stars overall.

A fun sequel to dating Dr Dil . I loved the plus size rep Bobbi in this as I am plus size myself and her chemistry with. Bunty is 💥💥💥💥 off the charts. I was glad to reunite with Kareena and Prem in their shaddi planning and i did figure out the sabotageur early on 😂. Overall a fun seqel in the If Shakespeare was an aunty trilogy and it sets the stage for Veera's novel

Love women supporting women yayyyy

5/5! I was so excited for this book! We love the aunties meddling. I was giggling and laughing and gasping all at the same time. This book is another perfect summer read, fun, witty, and steamy.

I adored the first book in this series but this one was even better! These two were steamy, the banter was great, and I was really happily surprised with the level of spice the author included. Each time I read a book from this author, I feel like I always learn so much about Indian culture/language/food, etc so it's always so refreshing and I feel so immersed in her storytelling.

I am so excited to read the next installment in this series. Absolutely loved this book.

I LOVED this book. It brought me so much joy reading it and falling in love with Bunty and Bobbi (as they fell in love with each other). The banter, the spice, the Aunties, the wedding shenanigans — ugh, all of it was just so good. Nisha Sharma's writing is fantastic and she really knows her source material re: Shakespeare/Much Ado About Nothing. This is a truly fun and delicious romance novel.

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my review.

I absolutely devoured Tastes Like Shakkar. I thought Dating Dr. Dil was just fine, but I liked the If Shakespeare Was An Auntie world that Nisha Sharma came up with, so I was intrigued by Tastes Like Shakkar. And I wasn't disappointed at all.

Prem and Kareena, from Dating Dr. Dil, are getting married, and one of Kareena's best friends, Bobbi, who is a wedding planner, is planning their wedding. The problem? Weird mishaps keep happening. Not to mention the fact that Bobbi has to work with Benjamin (aka Bunty), one of Prem's best friends, and a major thorn in her side. We got a glimpse into their fighting in Dating Dr. Dil, but at the start of Tastes Like Shakkar, we see the scene that starts their enemy relationship. And reader, it's a good one. From the start, it is obvious that Bobbi and Benjamin are attracted to each other, and there's a spark. But Benjamin put his foot in his mouth and, unknowingly, made things hard for Bobbi, and so she can't stand him. But if they're going to plan a wedding, they're going to have to spend a lot of time together. And that spark doesn't go away.

Individually, I really loved Bobbi. She is spunky and knows what she wants and isn't afraid to call people out. But she also puts everyone else's needs ahead of her own, and that includes Kareena and her wedding. And I also liked Benjamin -- he's a hot shot chef and an heir to the Naan Kingdom, but he manages to mostly not have an enormous ego and be a jerk. Especially once he's gotten back on Bobbi's good side.

And the chemistry between these two -- whew. The enemies to lovers spark is perfect. Bobbi is comfortable in her body, and Benjamin is comfortable in his. Which means that they get... very comfortable with one another. The spicy scenes in this book are just *chef's kiss* (pun intended).

Tastes Like Shakkar also fits into one of my favorite categories, which is "bad-ass lady detectives." Among other things that Bobbi and Benjamin have to deal with, there's a shaadi saboteur who keeps messing with the wedding planning, from little pranks to big catastrophes. Bobbi, Benjamin, and the aunties have to figure out what's going on, and this subplot added some intrigue and mystery to what was already a really solid romance. And who doesn't love bad-ass lady detectives?!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for providing me with an eARC of Tastes Like Shakkar in exchange for my honest review.

I had to giggle at the end of this when reading the acknowledgements, especially the line about aunties asking if it was like 50 Shades... As I read some steamier bits, I thought the EXACT same thing!
OMG. Does that mean I am an aunty now??
Okay, back to the book!
I only recently read Dating Dr Dil, so the cast of characters was fresh in my mind and Tastes Like Shakkar was another fantastic addition to the Shakespearean-styled series that Nisha Sharma has crafted.
This time we go Taming of the Shrew.
Bobbi is an event planner hoping to take the reins of the family business she has worked hard to support over the years. But things aren't going as smoothly as planned, and she needs to prove herself to her uncle while planning her best friend Kareena's wedding.
Bunty is trying everything he can to avoid becoming the successor to his family business - frozen naan bread. And not any old naan bread, but the best in the US! Instead, he wants to focus on his passion, cooking. Plus he has to support his best friend through his wedding to the above-mentioned Kareena.
This means they need to be together a lot. And that is a problem because they really don't get on.
Well, there is crazy hot chemistry, but it's like a lust/hate relationship... or is it?
I loved the plus-sized heroine, Bobbi, and Bunty, the Punjabi chef/son of the Naan King!
Nisha Sharma touched on some great topics through this story, especially the expectations of society when it comes to looks and familial expectations.
And she took the spice factor to another level!
I am eagerly awaiting the third book, taking the story further with another possible couple within this friendship!
Many thanks to NetGalley and, Harper Voyage, Avon Books for an arc.

I mean I know I was going to love anything Nisha Sharma rights, but damn this delivered. I absolutely adored the two main characters Bobbi and Benjamin as they found romance in a retelling of "Much Ado About Nothing." Nisha Sharma crushed it in the second in the "If Shakespeare was an Auntie" series. We got a sneak peak of this fiery couple in Dating Dr. Dil but getting to see their romance play out on the page of Tastes Like Shakkar was so much fun. The banter between the two was phenomenal, and the spice was perfect. I love the additional themes woven throughout, including Bobbi navigating body confidence in a cultural that may not be accepting of body types that aren't the "norm" and the pressures of family obligations. I cannot wait for more in the next book in the series!

Oh I loved this! I liked Dating Dr. Dil & this companion novel was lovely as well. Bobbi is a stubborn control freak, and she meets her match with Benjamin. Their chemistry was wonderful and the spice scenes were SPICIN’. Can’t wait for the third one!

Thanks to @netgalley for the ARC.

An easy 5 star I have no issues with this book at all. Will 100% be one of my favorite romances this year.

The most important thing I will say about this book is THIS IS HOW YOU DO ENEMIES TO LOVERS. So the E2L trop is built on the assumption that the two characters hate each other but that hate turns to love .The problem with that is so many of the E2L books they don't actually hate each other. They are deeply in lust with each other and just won't admit it. There is no reason for the hate. They don't actually try to sabotage or kill each other. And that makes the stakes so low. With this book,. Nisha starts with what causes Benjamin and Bobbi to hate each other - we get a glimpse in Dating Dr. Dil but never knew what happened until the beginning of this book. And that sets such a strong stage for hatred. But also shows that they actually are hot for each other, and were since the beginning. Had the issue not happened, it would've always gone into sexy, lovey time. And the reason why they hate each other makes the enemies to lovers extremely more believable. Because it sets a foundation for the "enemies" but also shows that the lust has been there since the jump.

Ok so why is this book so good besides this? Benjamin and Bobbi are both strong workaholics with quick wit so their banter is perfect, their outer shells are hard, and their falls into love are steep. They feel so damn relatable. The backdrop of Prem and Kareena's wedding and a shaadi saboteur (I LOVE THIS PHRASE NOW) keeps the stakes so high. I never knew who is was going to be and the reveal was so well done. Also the way I love the Aunties (and I love how they are named after Nisha's fellow writer friends). Everyone's annoyance with Sonali Auntie and her religious sayings legit kills me everytime. And don't let me leave here without talking about Bunty and how filthy he is. FILTHY. Get ready for some kink folks and dive right in.

Lastly, what I love about Nisha is that she puts you in this world of Indian immigrants and Aunties and makes you figure it out. I google so much shit when I read her books (a lot of it food, and a lot of it makes me hungry after lol) but I like to understand what people are eating, reading, saying, wearing. And that makes know I am learning something while getting swept up into a story. She is stellar at enveloping you into her world. And I fucking love that.

Now someone make me a pani puri water margarita for the LOVE OF GOD.

Oh man this was a great read. Having enjoyed Dating D. Dil, with some caveats, I was very excited to read more from Nisha Sharma I will confess to almost quitting in the first few chapters because the characters enacted my biggest pet peeve: "banter" that is just immaturity and unnecessary meanness. However, here it served a purpose, both characters realize that the behavior is unneeded and everyone gets it together for some personal growth. I should probably mention that Much Ado About Nothing is hands down my favorite Shakespeare, so I was 100% in for the hijinks from the start. Add in some of the best written chemistry I have seen in a while and...whoohoo, could not put this one down!

TW: fat phobia, racial bias, death of parent

This is a frenemies to lovers romance between wedding planner, Bobbi and chef/restaurateur, Bunty, who are workaholics. Their love story was inspired by the Shakespeare play, Much Ado about Nothing.

It is set in the same universe as Dating Dr. Dil as Bobbi is Kareena’s best friend and Bunty is Prem’s best friend.

While I liked the storyline of Dating Dr. Dil more, I enjoyed the yummy Indian food references, and the wedding planning & Desi parental pressure aspects of the story. I also appreciated that the female MC was a plus-size, confident woman.

I feel like Nisha Sharma is the flag-bearer of steamy South Asian romances, which I so appreciate!

She had already dialed up the steam level in Dating Dr. Dil and I didn’t think it was possible to top that but she managed to dial up the heat even more in this one! The spice and sexual tension was my favorite part of this romance novel! 🌶️🌶️🌶️

I do wish the story had ended with a wedding scene as the ending seemed anticlimactic given all the wedding planning. However, I’m looking forward to reading Veera and Deepak’s story next!