Close Enough To Hold: A Forbidden First Love, Slow-burn Romance

By Pooja Sehgal Malhotra

Book One in the 'Destined Across Oceans' series - a slow-burn, emotionally intense forbidden love romance set in early 1990s India.

She was never taught how to fall in love.

Only how to be careful.

In a world where reputation mattered more than desire, she falls hard - before she understands the cost of wanting someone who feels forbidden, inevitable, and dangerously right.

What begins as quiet glances and restrained longing deepens into something neither of them can contain. But when misunderstanding meets pride, silence becomes louder than love - and neither of them is willing to be the one who breaks first.

Years will pass. Lives will be built elsewhere.

Yet some loves do not fade - they wait.

When they meet again, the innocence of youth is gone. What remains is history, unresolved tension, and a connection that burns hotter for everything they've lost.

Tender yet unapologetically sensual, this angsty, open-door romance explores first love, separation, and the undeniable pull of a bond that refuses to fade.

Some loves begin the story.

They don't always get to finish it.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0GMWVMC3J
• ISBN13: 9798903194148
• Release Date: February 2026
• Publisher: Notion Press
• Length: 198 Pages
• Weight: 0.44 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.0" x 8.0"