Operation Lipstick: Mission for Mr Right by Pia Heikkila

Title : Operation Lipstick: Mission for Mr Right
Author : Pia Heikkila
Genre : Mystery / Chick Lit
Publisher : Ebury Press / Random House India
Pages : 304
My Rating : 6.5/10
Reviewed For : Random House India
 

Blurb:

Anna Sanderson is not your average thirty-something. She’s a war journalist based in one of the most troubled countries in the world Afghanistan. Tough as nails, Sexy, and ballsy as hell, she won’t stop at anything to get her scoop or the man she wants. But the game changes when she meets Mr Delectable handsome, aloof, and secretive, he frustratingly keeps Anna guessing if he’s into her or not.

Things take a nasty turn when Anna’s best friend Kelly discovers that her boyfriend, Rich, has been cheating on her and Anna unearths a series of secrets which tie in her man. The mission Operation Lipstick takes Anna on a journey like never before into the heart of the Helmand province, and the lair of the most feared movements of the world the Taliban. Will Kelly get her revenge? Will Anna survive to tell her story? Will she get her man?

 

My Review :

With the readers constantly on the lookout for something new, authors are exploring uncharted territories & bringing out quite new intriguing concepts. One such read is Pia Heikkila’s Operation Lipstick: Mission For Mr Right which dwells in a unique setting – the war pillaged Afghanistan. When I initially read the blurb, I found the setting of the plot intriguing & after reading the book I have to say that Pia Heikkila takes the dating scenario to an “entirely new level” with her debut work.

So what if you are in one of the most troubled countries in the world?? This ain’t stopping our war-zone chick Anna Sanderson from pulling up her combat zone stockings & hunting for her Mr. Right!!! Keeping up with the context of this plot is its cover which is quite slick with our protagonist all decked up with an even glossier lipstick (Operation Lipstick it is!!). And a man with a gun reflected in the glares of our lady just sets up the war mood!

Anna Sanderson, the protagonist, is a war journalist currently based in Afghanistan, working for a UK based news channel GNN.  But in addition to being on a constant look out for “Breaking News”, our heroine is also searching for her Mr. Right. The country is swarming with army men & Anna, our girl in the man’s world, is surrounded by men all around. Yet she cannot find that one single guy with whom she can settle down & spend her entire life with, the special one who tugs the strings in her heart. Ironic, right?? Alone, frustrated & horny as hell, she has only her best friend, Kelly & cameraman Tim as her BFFs. But then on discovering that her boyfriend Rich has been cheating on her, Kelly spills out the dirt on Rich tying him to the dangerous Taliban. Anna being the loyal BFF decides to help Kelly in having her revenge (Ohh the sweet lure of revenge) and drags in Tim too. They name the mission as “Operation Lipstick” but Operation Lipstick opens up a Pandora’s Box that leads the trio (Anna, Kelly & Tim) into the heart of Taliban and life threatening consequences.

Pia has drawn on her experience as a war journalist & has portrayed the perils, the lows & highs and the adrenaline rush that comes with it quite comfortably. That combined with equal doses of drollness & brashness keeps the readers hooked. However, I found the first half of the book a bit of a drag with the plot gaining some momentum as it proceeded towards the second half. The narration does take a turn towards some racy, action-packed sequences from here. But again the ending seemed a bit rushed and abrupt which might leave the reader unsated.

Another thing that left me unsatisfied was Mr. Delectable aka Mark’s character development. He turns out to be quite the “knight in shining armour” for our “damsel in distress” but Pia has left him as an enigma throughout the read. Also, Pia has punctuated the read with Anna’s debauchery sessions which might make a few readers cringe (eventually making them skip those parts entirely). All in all, this one makes a good weekend read of a feisty heroine’s journey in a war ravaged backdrop!!

 

(The review copy has been provided by Random House India. This review is entirely my own personal & honest opinion. I do not receive any kind of payment or monetary gains for my review.)