I really enjoyed this story of a god-bothered man who works as a PI. Ravi sees Gods, many, from the Hindu pantheon. They keep watching him as he goes around his life, the particular god seems to be related to what's going on. Ravi isn't sure if it's mental illness or real but he works with it as best he can. At one stage he did study religion but he dropped out and became a teacher which failed when accusations somewhat caught him in the crossfire. Now the job he's doing is barely legal but it pays well and intrigues him. As he becomes more involved he has to learn about himself and about his job and make some tough decisions.

I liked this. Having just been in India this did make me think about that trip and how things worked. ( )

CW: Sexual assault.

How does this book have so many positive reviews? I’m honestly flabbergasted. So let’s break it down, for the the author and folks in the back row:

1. This book was published in 2016. Playing a trans character for laughs, mystery, deceit, and clutching your pearls as you ask how a trans person could possibly have sex is not just passé, it’s ignorant and transphobic.

2. Women can rape men and when someone does it knowingly and repeatedly, they’re a rapist and a reprehensible person. Selling that character as a primary character’s love interest is insulting.

3. Bisexual people are not slutty sluts who will slut around with anyone, up to and including the person who tried to kill their romantic partner. FOH with that nonsense.

4. Bipolar disorder ≠ schizophrenia, mood stabilizers ≠ antipsychotics, and borderline personality disorder isn’t an adjective you can toss around instead of actually writing an interesting female character.

The author got so. much. wrong. here, and the way he was writes about sex in general is really creepy and off-putting. Of all the mentions of sex in this book (which included rape, videotaping unconsenting people, sex addiction, slutty bisexuals, pearl clutching and an oddly titillating voyeurism about different sexual practices, and a hapless man getting caught up in a false sexual assault accusation) I think there was one single mention that didn’t make me cringe. I don’t know if the TV show is still in the works, but I hope it gets a better writing staff because the core idea here has great potential, and we certainly need more diversity in media representation. ( )

I heard a lot of buzz about this book, so I decided to give it a listen on audio. HER NIGHTLY EMBRACE is the first in a series that follows the investigations of Ravi Chandra Singh, P.I.

I enjoyed Ravi’s character. He’s smart, witty, flawed, and conflicted. He can see visions of Hindu Gods, or are they really there? They even tweet about him to each other. Ravi was once a religious scholar, but left his studies to become a teacher, a career that didn’t last long. Eventually he landed a job with an exclusive detective agency called Golden Sentinels.

This book is set up differently than I expected. Instead of having one central plot, the book is a collection of stories covering a different case Golden Sentinels is investigating. I think it worked pretty well. I do wish the secondary characters had been fleshed out a little more, which was probably harder to do jumping from story to story.

One note of caution: there is a lot of bad language in this book. A lot! After a while it became jarring and distracting. Swearing is fine when it’s called for, but this was a bit over the top for me.

[Audiobook • 7 hrs, 30 mins • Sendhil Ramamurthy, Narrator]

As the blurb says, this book is “currently in development as a TV series set to star Sendhil Ramamurthy,” so it makes sense that he would narrate the audiobook! Loved his performance as Ravi, and also did brilliantly with the other characters’ accents and mannerisms. I will definitely keep an eye out for HER NIGHTLY EMBRACE to come to the small screen.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this audiobook from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. ( )

Hardcover (edit)
Review Her Nightly Embrace by Adi Tantimedh is a 2016 Atria/ Leopaldo &Co. Publication.

I had no idea what to expect from this book, but the publishers were so enthusiastic about it and their plans for audio and television projects featuring “Heroes” star Sendhil Ramamurthy, I couldn’t resist taking a look at it.

When Ravi Chandra Singh gave up his religious studies after his reputation was impugned, he is hired by Golden Sentinels, a detective agency located in London. While Ravi may not seem like detective material, he’s a quick study. However, he does have a few, shall we say, abnormalities. Every time Ravi is stressed out, he sees a variety of Hindu Gods, and they seem to be tweeting about him. No matter how many pills he pops the visions persists, causing Ravi to continually question his sanity.

This is an introduction to Ravi, but we soon learn a great deal more about him and his family, as he gives us an up close and personal view to his highly unusual adventures as a private detective and the offbeat and occasionally dangerous cases he and the eclectic team at Golden Sentinels are hired to handle.

It’s no secret this book is being shopped for a television series and I do think the book was written in such a way that it would appeal to anyone who enjoys media tie-in material, perhaps with the hopes the book will enjoy cross-media attention and sales.

There are four complete short stories in one book, all individual cases worked on by Ravi and his team, but there is a common thread or continuance that binds the stories together.

I like Ravi’s voice and the stories are imaginative, fast paced, quirky and are even humorous on occasion. Over the course of the four installments, the cases become more serious, more dangerous, and more intriguing.

I always applaud creativity and imagination and I’m all for giving books a little boost by offering podcasts, movie or television tie-ins, or even some kind of interactive multi-media enhancements to keep readers engaged and to promote a love of reading. To that end, this book gets my seal of approval.

I thought the stories were stylish, if a bit outlandish, but the characters were terrific, each member having a unique skill to bring to the table. There are several well placed twists that propel the story along from one installment to another and the dynamic between the characters and the plot is ever evolving.

I can see how this book would easily translate to the small screen and I predict it will appeal to a certain demographic. It could pick up steam easily, but I’m not sure how long it would sustain the audience in that fickle environment. However, in the book world, if the author plays their cards right and doesn’t let the video appeal mar the integrity of the books, this is a series that could see a long and successful run.

Personally, I got a kick out of this book, for the most part, and would be interested in reading more about Ravi’s adventures in the future. ( )

Her Nightly Embrace by Adi Tantimedh is the first in a planned trilogy - The Ravi PI books.

"Before we start, there's something you should know.
I see gods.
Usually in the corner of my eye. They just pop up from time to time, deities from the Hindu pantheon.
I never talk to them. I don't want to.
They never talk to me, just watch in silent judgement. Occasionally they tut-tut and tweet about me to one another on their phones.
I'm not mentally ill. Honest
Back when this started, I was switching from anti-psychotics, to mood stabilizers to anti-anxiety to anti-depressant medications before I finally got it under control.
I haven't been seeing many gods lately. That must be a good sign."

Ravi Singh is a failed religious scholar and secondary school teacher. There was that breakdown with the god thing. But the meds seemed to have helped and he's embarked on a new career as a private investigator at the prestigious Golden Sentinel Investigations. (His friend David got him in) Golden Sentinel takes on cases for the rich, celebrities and those who need their cases handled with the utmost discretion.

Now, you might be questioning Ravi being asked to join such a prestigious firm. But the rest of the employees are all a little, well, quirky also. Each is very talented in their own way. I love ensemble casts. It might takes a few chapters to keep everyone straight, but they all have strong personalities and talents, so it really won't take you long. And let's not forget the gods. They start by showing up, but as the cases progress, they start interacting.....

"My coworkers are a bunch of brilliant f***ups with nowhere else to go. They're ex-coppers, lawyers, hackers, tech geeks. I feel under-qualified next to them. I'm not sure I belong, but I have nowhere else to go, either."

Ravi is still the newbie on the team, but is given a case involving a high profile politician as a bit of a test. You see, the politician insists that his girlfriend is showing up in the middle of the night and having sex with him. He has body fluids for proof. The problem you ask? Well, his girlfriend is dead. Seems like this is the perfect case for Ravi as those Hindu gods are showing up again.

There are four cases in Her Nightly Embrace. Each reads like a short story on their own, but there are threads joining them together in the form of supporting characters as well as Ravi's personal life. I adored his family - especially his parents. That little gambling problem his mother has only goes to prove that addiction does run in families.

Ravi is suave, quick thinking and a smooth talker. Half the fun in this book were the somewhat (okay a bit more than somewhat) outlandish cases. The other half is the way Ravi handles things - again, not how you would expect.

As the book progresses, we learn a bit more about the founders of the agency. And the plot thickens a bit here, setting up lots of fodder for the next two books.

Ravi is the narrator, so the reader only sees events through his eyes. I found this a bit one sided - I think I would like to see the other character's viewpoints once in awhile. Tantimedh's writing is definitely plot driven. The details of Ravi's personal life and some of his observations came across as somewhat dispassionate.

All in all, Her Nightly Embrace was a completely fun and different look at the PI genre. Read an excerpt of Her Nightly Embrace. (For gentle readers - be advised that her Nightly Embrace does contain some sex and violence.)

Tantimedh says that "I originally thought I’d write some short stories about Ravi and his cases and perhaps pitch them as a TV series later on. I just wanted to update private detective fiction and tell stories that hadn’t been seen before in the genre." Well, Ravi PI is currently in development as a TV series set to star Sendhil Ramamurthy (NBC’s Heroes and Heroes Reborn) He's a great choice for this character! Sendhil will also be voicing the audiobook. ( )