Film on Friday: The Mistress of Spices

This week, Nicola Marsh gives us a brief overview of the first movie she's seen all year, and we've got the first of our birthday presents for our lil pink dancing guy!!

Yes, that's right. My first movie ALL YEAR.

I write at night when my little boys are in bed, hence my TV and movie watching time is zilch.

So imagine my agitation when I realised I had a Film on Friday slot!

Luckily, I recently watched a movie...for research purposes.

The heroine in my current work in progress is based on the beautiful Aishwarya Rai (Harlequin Romance has a brand new sub-series 'Escape around the World' and I was asked to partially set this book in India and have had a ball doing so!)

I've seen Bride and Prejudice a few times and just so happened to have another movie on the same DVD, The Mistress of Spices.

I won't lie to you. This movie won't appeal to everyone.

It has distinct paranormal elements in it, especially the ending which is a bit far-fetched.

But if you're willing to suspend disbelief, you may enjoy this romantic drama.

When Tilo (Aishwarya Rai) is left orphaned as a child in India when bandits kill her parents, she is raised by a First Mother of a cult focussed on spices. There are 3 rules she must follow to be a Mistress of Spice: never leave her store, touch the skin of people she meets or use the spices for her own ends.

Tilo ends up working in 'Spice Bazaar' in San Francisco. She uses the spices to help customers achieve their dreams and desires. Her life changes one day when Doug (Dylan McDermott) has a bike crash outside her store and she tends to his wounds.

She falls for her (naturally!) and her powers start to go haywire.

True love can't be denied and the star-crossed lovers spend a magical night together...for the rest, well, it's a happy ending bar that bizarre paranormal twist.

Aesthetically, this film is beautiful. Aishwarya is stunning and ethereal, and the spices add a piquant touch. Brooding Dylan isn't bad either.

My rating? 6/10

Nicola's upcoming release is THE BOSS'S BEDROOM AGENDA (Harlequin Modern Heat) out in the UK in October, Australia in December and the USA in February 09.

When archaelogist Aidan Voss takes on a stint as interim CEO of Melbourne Museum, he doesn't bank on having his world turned upside down by a fun loving metal sculptor with a serious shoe fetish!

For more, visit Nicola's website and blog.

We can't forget the birthday celebrations, can we? We're kicking off the weekend with the first of our Pink Heart Prezzies and Giveaways! For today's "treasure", you need to pop over to Donna Alward's blog to see what she's got in store for our Pink Dancing Guy for his birthday. Then she's got a question for you to answer...and up for grabs is a signed copy of any of her backlist.

And keep your eyes peeled - we've got lots more chances for you to win prizes over the next few weeks!