Lina Ray has an extraordinary gift for matchmaking; in fact, she set up her younger sister with her very own Prince Charming, who happens to bear a striking resemblance to Johnny Depp. After setting up several successful marriages, her family starts to wonder why Lina can't find her own Indian prince. Before her sister's wedding reception is even over, her Auntie Kiki is threatening to marry her off to the man who's scarily similar to Pee-Wee Herman -- what's a girl to do? In a fit of panic, Lina suddenly announces her secret engagement, to the delight of her entire family, all their friends and the entire country of India.

Really, how much trouble could one little lie get Lina into?

When pressed for answers about her mystery man, Lina realizes she's about to get in over her head. Escaping from the prying eyes of her family, Lina goes for a walk and runs into the man of her dreams -- or is he?

Tall, handsome and wearing spicy cologne, Raja Prasad is every Indian girl's dream. Well, except for Lina's. She finds him completely arrogant and chauvinistic, yet...there's something about him that draws them together. Too bad she's "engaged" and he has a fiancée! As her little white lie turns into a complete nightmare, Lina's fake fiancé starts to resemble the loathsome Raja. Will destiny and desire help their fledgling romance, or will this turn out to be a fate worse than an arranged marriage?

Even though the story is familiar in the realm of chick lit, Anjali Banerjee manages to invent a unique story filled with humor and love. The exotic setting of India is a refreshing change from the usual New York or London. The story moves along quickly as Lina gets more tangled in her web of lies. I kept wondering, "How will she ever get out of this?!" IMAGINARY MEN is a bright spot in multicultural chick lit and recommended for fans of Monsoon Wedding and Bend It like Beckham.

Book Summary

Lina Ray has a knack for pairing up perfect couples as a professional matchmaker in San Francisco, but her well- meaning, highly traditional Indian family wants her to get married. When her Auntie Kiki introduces Lina to the bachelor from hell at her sister's wedding in India, Lina panics and blurts out, "I'm engaged!" Because what's the harm in a little lie?

Lina scrambles to find a real fiancé because Auntie Kiki will be coming to America soon to approve the match. But date after disastrous date gets her no closer to her prince - until an actual prince arrives on her doorstep. Lina hasn't been able to stop fantasizing about traditional but dashing Raja Prasad since she met him in India. In fact, her imaginary fiancé has begun to resemble him! Now Raja is in San Francisco and wants Lina to find a suitable bride for his brother. Though they live oceans apart, Lina longs to bridge the gap. But when her fantastic fib catches up with her life is suddenly like a Bollywood flick gone horribly wrong. Lina may have an over- developed fantasy life, but she certainly never imagined things would turn out like this!