The one thing that The Crunch Factor succeeds in making you feel is hungry. Which is a downer when you pick up a book billed as a love story. But the food, well, that the author has got it right. The protagonist is a food photographer, Aliya. The hero is a chef named Sameer and the obsolete angle of the love triangle is a restaurant owner, Kamaal. Added to the mix is a helpful aunt who happens to be a food historian. In her late 20s, Aliya, is torn between unfurling her wings, and her parental duties. This leads her to accept a marriage proposal from Kamaal, whom her parents think is the best thing to have happened to the whole family. But, in secret, Aliya pines for Sameer, with whom she had exchanged feverish kisses after tuition classes. The fabled Sameer, who had disappeared just as the kisses reached their crescendo, makes an appearance on the day of her engagement. The book gets your pulse racing, and tummy growling. But it will not make you fall in love.
