The first three books in The Secret Diary series, starring the brown Bridget Jones, our acerbic heroine, will have you laughing, crying and desperate for one more chapter.

From book 1, The Secret Diary of an Arranged Marriage:

A British-Bengali girl looking for Mr Right. A motley crew of men. A mum on a mission to match make and an age-old tradition with a twist.

Welcome to the world of the arranged marriage.

While I’m young, free and single, time is - by Bengali standards - marching on. I must meet my dream man, or someone I can grow to like, and get married. The trouble is, I don’t really know what - or who – I’m looking for.

Luckily (or not) for me, arranged marriages are still a thing. So alongside my own dating efforts, it’s everyone’s business to find me a match. I’m pretty sure I’ll land a husband, but will he be ‘The One’?

From book 2, The Secret Diary of a Bengali Bridezilla:

And I thought finding a husband was hard...

One couple. Three months. 600 guests (most of whom I’ve never met) and LOTS of opinions.

Welcome to my big fat Bangladeshi wedding.

To do:

Find top makeup artist

Create meaningful favours

Outdo my cousins impending nuptials

Have nervous breakdown?

I’ve found my dream man but will my wedding day be a nightmare?

From book 3, The Secret Diary of a Bengali Newlywed:

New husband. New city. New in-laws and new expectations.

Welcome to my life as a Bengali newlywed.

They say you don’t just marry the guy, you marry the whole family. They also say you don’t really know someone until you live with them. But, surely, after the challenge of finding a man, and the nightmare of planning my big fat Bangladeshi wedding, this newlywed phase is the easy bit, right? Right?!

About the author

Halima Khatun is a former journalist (having worked for ITV and the BBC), writer and PR consultant.

With a lifelong passion for writing, Halima wrote her first novel - a coming-of-age children's story - at the age of 12. It was politely turned down by all the major publishing houses. Halima went on to study English and Journalism and was one of just four people in the UK to be granted a BBC scholarship during her postgraduate studies. She has since written for a number of publications including the HuffPost and Yahoo! Style, and has been featured in the Express, Metro and other national publications. Halima also blogs on lifestyle, food and travel and parenthood on HalimaBobs.

Keywords: diverse romcom, diverse books, diverse reads, romantic comedy, muslim comedy, british bengali, women's fiction, clean and wholesome romance.