Publication Date: July 1, 2022
Two societies collide: the trendy, upscale, ultra-hip universe of Atlanta and the alluring, bound-by-tradition world of old India!
Pressured by her challenging mother, Harlow Kennedy, an aspiring jewelry maker, agrees to marry politically ambitious pretty-boy Addison Whitmore. The match will elevate Harlow’s non-existent social standing and guarantee financial security for life. The wedding is scheduled to take place as soon as Harlow returns from her BFF’s wedding in India.
On the other side of the world, the parents of Tej Mayur, the “it” chef of Atlanta’s hottest new Indian restaurant, are fretting about their son’s unmarried status. They summon him home.
When Harlow meets Tej on a flight from Atlanta to Delhi, sparks fly. Unfortunately, Tej’s nuptials are already being arranged by his privileged East Indian family, and Harlow is not Indian. After touching down at Indira Gandhi International, they flee one another’s company–or so they think.
Karma Under Fire transports readers across the globe, and like Mississippi Masala and Crazy Rich Asians, at its core it’s a vibrant heartwarming story about two young people’s search for love while they navigate the uncertain path between passion and tradition.
Author Love Hudson-Maggio brings part of India’s beautiful and, some may think, rigid culture into a very American-told story in Karma Under Fire.
Harlow Kennedy is a young American woman heading to her best friend’s wedding in Delhi, leaving her not-so-perfect job and a mother who barely acknowledges her existence, yet has proposed a marriage of convenience to end Harlow’s money troubles. A little getaway should be good for her, so she starts with an in-flight nap. When she opens her eyes, a handsome man of Indian descent is sitting next to her. How will this coincidental meetup affect both of their lives?
Tej Mayur is flying home to see about his mother. He knows the timing is risky because it is wedding season in India, and as an only son, his parents may be arranging a marriage for him before his feet touch the ground in his home country. He will have to navigate around this tradition because he is a chef of great distinction in Atlanta, Georgia, and intends on getting back to the life he has built for himself in the States. But then he rushes onto his flight and is seated next to a beautiful woman. Will Karma slow down his quest to build his restaurant and show him a different path to love as opposed to eventually allowing his parents to choose his bride?
Ms. Hudson-Maggio has written a story that honors family tradition and allows for respect for compromise and cultural heritage. Filled with humor and romance, this was a quick and easy read, and after realizing an audible version is available, I can imagine the story would be a fun listen.
Karma Under Fire uses an alternating viewpoint structure to allow the stories of several characters to weave and crash as their past decisions about responsibilities and love will influence where life takes each of them. 
Love Hudson-Maggio is a marketing technology executive that writes contemporary fiction about smart people with a lot to learn in life and love. She works as a Senior Advertising Technology Executive for a global fortunate 500 company and splits her time between Atlanta, New York and San Francisco. She enjoys the great outdoors with her husband and two sons when she’s not busy writing.Love was admitted as a screenwriting fellow at Columbia University for her short play As the Vow Breaks. Upon completion of her screenwriting fellowship her play Eating for Two was performed at a small theater in New York’s lower east side as a part of a female ensemble.
