A lovely, quick read that will have you leave you hungry for more. I found this book to do an excellent job of building up the main couple's relationship while also exploring the characters history and difficulties with their families. A lot of rom-coms will sacrifice actually dealing with the family situation to give more space to the romantic entanglements. I was very happy to find that this author did not make that mistake, she chose to address head on the characters problems with their families and work on fixing them, instead of brushing then to the side. This felt way more healthy and fulfilling to me, the reader.

Fake dating is my favorite romance trope so I couldn't pass up a chance to read this one, and it did not disappoint. Kamilah and Liam were a delight right from the start. I loved their childhood sweethearts who still hold a torch for each other but have fallen out of touch thing. It was delightful to watch them start getting used to being around each other and realize that their feelings hadn't gone away. And this big blow up towards the end was surprisingly cathartic. it didn't feel contrived, and the way they got back together felt well thought out rather than rushed.
Oh, and the big romantic gesture at the end almost had me crying at my desk.
I really liked this one and I can't wait for the there too be more books about Abuelo meddling in his grandkids lives!

A Proposal They Can't Refuse is everything I want in a Rom-com, relatable characters, fast-paced, and sooooo much longing and mutual pinning. Liam and Kamillah are childhood friends turned "enemies" turned lovers. Even though we don't see much of their childhood, the readers can tell of their affection through their actions. Kamillah supports Liam, even when he doubts himself and his ability to perceive his family legacy. On the hand, Liam is there for Kamillah through her family troubles and issues she faces as she tries to revitalize her family's business.

Regarding Kamillah's family, though, I saw so much of my own family reflected in them. There was history and flavor wrapped up in a beautiful ode to Puerto Rican culture.

This book has a significant focus on this cross-culinary situation. The way the food and the brewing process were described was educational and hunger-inducing. I was craving some whisky, even though it is something I don't ever drink.

The BEST, and I mean BEST, part of this book was the grandfathers. These absolute legends are terrors in their assisted living home in the best way. Abuelo is the typical Latinx, his thought that Vicks is the miracle drug for all ailments, and Granda is just as spunky and meddlesome as any man his age with an unmarried grandchild. This dynamic duo made me laugh and ugly cry at the same time.

This book is an instant recommendation, and I hope we get to see more of the Vega family. Thank you, @NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing, for the ARC of A Proposal They Can't Refuse in exchange for my honest review.

Grumpy/late bloomer with a little bit of enemies to lover agree to get married to keep their families happy

Liam granddad cancer treatment and Kamilah's family not selling their family business. The book is about family, family tradition/obligations, and sometimes traditions can have hea.

This was such a cute read!

I love that it was about a Puerto-Rican heroine and an Irish hero, and we learned so much about both of their cultures! This is a childhood friends to enemies, to fake dating to lovers romance and from the first page I was immediately sold on Mila and Liam's romance. The one thing I would mention in terms of the romance is that there was all this build up and tension and then...fade to black. Which was a bit disappointing. But overall I loved how each of the characters had such well-rounded backstories and you really both learn to grow and be better for themselves, and for each other.

A fake dating (engagement), friends-to-enemies-to-lovers, rom-com?! Uhmmmm yes please! This book was so funny and so cute. I absolutely LOVED the wild grandpas, their friendship and their mischievous high jinks. This book was full of family drama, love, sweet moments and was just so dang wholesome 😍 I really loved both main characters, Liam and Kamilah. Their drive, passion and work ethic was so admirable! They would each do anything for the families businesses. And when they were together? ✨chemistry✨ Liam had a bit of a rough life, and Kamilah was such a good thing for him to stop and appreciate the little things and feel love again.

𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙚𝙣𝙟𝙤𝙮:

• fake dating
• forced proximity
• oops one bed
• big families
• rom-coms
• bff grandpas
• friends➡️enemies➡️friends➡️lovers

Thank you Harlequin Trade Publishing / HTP Books for this e-ARC/gifted copy. This book is due for publication 6/7/22 and I do recommend it.

This review will be posted to my blogs & Amazon closer on publication day!

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I absolutely adored this book.

Set in Humboldt Park, a Puerto Rican neighborhood in Chicago. This is a story of a Puerto Rican chef and an Irish American Whiskey Distiller. Kamilah Vega is desperate to enter her family's restaurant into the Chicago foodie tour in order to help fight the gentrification taking place in her neighborhood. However, she'll need to convince her family to let her make changes to the menu and the decor. Liam Kane has spent the last decade working at his family's whiskey business next door to Kamilah's restaurant. Liam & his grandfather are on the verge of of winning a national competition.

Kamilah and Liam grew up together but have been denying any chemistry for years. Their grandfathers are best friends and have plotted to get these two workaholics together by promising to give them the building that houses their two family businesses if they get married. And if they don't, they'll sell the building.

These frenemies agree to a fake engagement and soon find sparks flying.

I loved all the Chicago references as well as the banter and chemistry between these two. A strong debut and I can't wait for more from this author.

Gah! My heart! This book was fantastic! Frienemies to lovers + fake dating + all the vibe, music and food of the Puertorrican culture= Chef’s kiss!

This book had everything: the laughs, the tears, the swoon and a perfect Latinx representation with all its highs and lows.. I loved Liam and Kamillah! Both trying their hardest to build their dreams, keep their families happy and their legacies in place was inspiring and very relatable. I loved that even in their enemies-phase, I could see the remnants of the old friendship they had and the love they still held for each other. The way they relied on each other and lifted each other up was beautiful. I really enjoyed seeing them trying to recover their friendship while trying to solve their family issues and falling in love again, even with all the pressure of the world on their shoulders.

I loved the relationship they both have with their and each other’s families. Their banter and the energy they had around them made me smile hard.

I absolutely adored Abuelo and Granda! They made me laugh from the jump and they also made me cry with the situations they had to go through. Their friendship was perfection and their meddling ways was so entertaining to read.

I can’t stop smiling with the Latinx rep! The book was filled with Puertorrican history amd flavor. A true love letter and tribute to the culture. I was able to hear the accents, smell and taste the food and hear the music in my ears and I could feel every single one of Kamillah’s frustrations and lows. The pressure she had was real but the resolution was so good and emotional.

This story was the perfect blend of everything I want from a rom-com! And OMG, that grand gesture brought tears to my eyes! Liam was definitely book boyfriend goals!

“Liam looked at her as if she’d just thrown up on his shoes, part astonishment but mostly disgust.”
“She knew she was getting too attached to Liam. One didn’t have to be a genius to know this wasn’t going to end well for her, but Kamilah had never been one to let things like common sense stop her. She wanted to hug, touch, and care for him, so she would.”
“…he knew on a gut level that their getting together was inevitable. Something that fate had in store for them from the beginning. It was like one of those fantasy stories where two people found each other in endless lives throughout time.”

Childhood best friends to constantly getting on each other’s nerves to fake dating while being blackmailed to lovers. This is my new favorite trope. To say that this book had me in a chokehold is the best way I put it. All-consuming and life-threatening.

Kamilah is so tired of being the baby of the family and never being taken seriously, that she keeps making these drastic moves, that, in hindsight, are not well thought out and feel bound to backfire. But I loved her. I understood her. Being loved and cared for by literally your entire family is the best thing in the world, up until the moment you become an adult with your own experiences, and that love and caring never translates to listening and mutual respect. But everyone made missteps here, Kamilah, and her family. I love a good family fight where everyone is forced to think about their behavior and truly understand what they did wrong and try to find a way to fix it.

Liam. This man. I love a female character that I can relate to on a fundamental level. But a male character, with damage that stems from real experiences and an inability to communicate his emotions, because society has rendered our men incapable of feeling like it’s okay to be vulnerable; I was so gone for him.

Abuelo and Granda. Fucking legends. LEGENDS.

Long hugs and forehead kisses and whispered confessions. A decade of suppressed lust, the “tasting table” and “Fuck, no. There’s nothing casual about this.” I can’t remember the last time I was so fucking desperate for a book to never, ever end.

MVP: Abuelo. Can’t wait for him to matchmake at least two more Vegas.

(Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.)

As someone who doesn’t gravitate to third person point of view, I was entranced with Natalie Caña’s writing from first couple pages. Seriously, once I saw the Vaporú rep, I knew this was going to be good. I was wrong. It was exquisite.
There was humor, a sprinkle of angst, some family tussle, a kick of spice and oh so much more. I found myself with tears in my eyes and down my cheeks from the emotions it managed to pull from me. The dialogue flowed and created the perfect ambiance all throughout the book. There was conflict and there was resolve. True, human resolve, which I feel sometimes gets lost in Romance.
My little Latina heart rejoiced throughout this entire story. And oof did it hit home at times. But overall, I can see folks from all walks of life relating to Kamilah or Liam and that is what a great story is all about.
These characters were authentic and well written. Don’t even get me started on Papo and Granda. Brilliant masterminds those two ;)
There was one relationship I thought we needed to see mended before the end there, and it was between her and her best friend Sofi. Of course, we can conclude ourselves, but we see the importance different kind of relationships have in our lives through this story and it felt like we needed to see an important conversation between two women who've been a vital part of each other's lives.
The epilogue though, was *chef’s kiss*.
I can only hope to see more of the Vega family in the future (;

Outside of Liam and Kamilah, I didn’t enjoy the meddling family. I appreciated and enjoyed the culture the author brought from Liam and Kamilahs families. I liked how the author easily intertwined the Spanish dialogue or accentuated the Irish pronunciation to the mouth watering food that was perfectly described. But what I didn’t enjoy is how each family treated Liam and Kamilah. The manipulation and undervaluing their contribution to each of the family businesses felt wrong. Their unwillingness to change tradition or even modify it, though they were both more than qualified to make meaningful changes, got to be too much.

The writing style felt choppy and hard to follow with it being told from a third person narrative. I wish this story was told in first person because I think the story would have flowed better. I wanted to understand both characters better, but there was a huge disconnect for me. I never fully got into or invested in this story. The chemistry was there and on the cusp of being a wonderful romance story, but the narrative did make it hard to follow. Thank you to NetGalley and Mira for this ARC

Thank you @NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC of A Proposal They Can't Refuse in exchange for my honest review.


Friends to enemies to accomplices to lovers to enemies to lovers. I absolutely loved this book. The culture representation was so on point. When Spanish was written, the author did a tremendous job at giving meaning in English. The Irish components made my heart sing. My only criticism is that certain transitions were a touch choppy. I really liked how our two MCs worked through their own struggles while supporting each other. The whiskey storyline was perfection! The story also has solid angst and spice! What a book!!! 4/5

I adored the scheming grandfathers and am very excited for the hinted series with her siblings as the main characters!

Two scheming grandpa’s force their grandkids, Kamilah and Liam, into a relationship in order for them to not sell their cherished businesses (among other things), what could possibly go wrong?

My favorite things about the book:
- The show case of Puerto Rican culture
- The grandpas, Killian and Papo, we’re scheming old men and I loved every second of it.
- They go to therapy in the end to better themselves.
My least favorite things about the book:
- Her relationship with her family was realistic, but I felt as though there resolution with them was rushed.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for providing thr ARC.

I had a difficult time suspending belief with this book. The deeply duplicitous grandparents blackmailing their grandchildren into marriage to save the only things that matter to them felt super not great. And the fact that the two main characters went along with it too.

Liam and Kamilah were very interesting characters, but I felt like some of their characterizations came off as very flat. One thing that I didn't enjoy was rhe fact that Kamilah and Liam ended up being childhood friends, but I think we were already several chapters in before the reader was clued into that. The backstoey seemed a bit rough and unorganized as well.

Perfectly serviceable romcom with a bit of extra feelings towards the end.

I was drawn by this cover and excited to dive in. In practice, though, I struggled with the writing style, as the story or chemistry felt forced and unrealistic. Despite a few attempts I did not finish the book. Thank you for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Wow I loved this one! I laughed, I cried, I got hungry- truly felt all the feelings! To start with I really appreciated that the author put a content warning at the beginning to warn about sensitive topics. While I definitely appreciated the spicy scenes I think what really showed the connection between Liam and Kamilah was the awkward and funny and strikingly real moments that they shared. I also loved the grandfathers and their respective relationships with each other and their families. However, my favorite part of this book definitely has to do with Liam's special whiskey but I don't want to give too much away.

While I loved this book I did have to take away a star just because of how aggravated Kamilah's family and Liam made me at times. Her family did not respect her as an adult like at all until the very end and were SO mean to her. Liam also acted like a brat at times- especially during the conflict portion. However, I'm glad both characters decide to seek therapy because boy do they need it for their traumas.

Kamilah and Liam are the most precious of precious childhood sweethearts. Their falling out was so realistic and heartbreaking, but they eventually made up for lost time. I loved the bubbling tension and how they struggled through the close proximity in their fake relationship. Their grandfathers were the funniest, scheming characters in the book and I relished reading about their banter. The whole novel gave me Return to Me vibes with its cross-cultural culinary situation and it's definitely my favorite rom-com.

This was a three-star review for me, which is frustrating because for the most part it was a four or even five star book until 75% in. Just didn't like some of the turns that the book took with the characters, who were doing great until then and had a big-blow up.

Netgalley for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was so excited when I saw this book. The cover is gorgeous and the summary sounds amazing. Fake dating, well in this case fake engagement. Sign me up. This is one of my favorite tropes and this one was no different.

I love the main character Kamilah Vega and felt sorry for her. Through the book it felt like no one truly appreciated her and I honestly thought she had a terrible family. The way they talked about her to her face was so bad that I don't know how she took it. Maybe it's the Porto Rican way but I felt like their close family wasn't as loving as she was making it out to be. I absolutely love the culture and food aspect that she brought to the story. I haven't read many books centered around food.

Liam Kane he definitely needs some therapy. While we are told he was diagnosed with depression and PTSD we never see him doing anything to better it. His grandfather made him stop going to a therapist and I feel like his character really needed it. He went through some pretty messed up stuff with the death of his father and grandmother. And then his mom walked out? I'm still confused on what happened with his mom and wish the author would have done some more explaining as it was just brushed over and never deep diced into. But it's such a big part of him and how he views love that I think we needed to see more. I also wish we got to see what caused their prom night to go wrong and got to see her story with her ex. It was brushed under the rug that he might have stolen her recipes.

Their romance was cute and felt natural but if you are looking for spice this book is not it. While it does mention some sex it's all fade to black.

The writing in this book was easy to follow except when their was another language thrown in without translating what was said. It made things a little confusing and I had to use some context clues to decide what they were actually talking about. I could have done some more character details as for most of the book I thought Liam was also Porto Rican. Turns out he is white and Irish. I thought for most of it that it was mixed between the too. I loved the tropes included in this book, friends to enemies to lovers, fake dating, one bed, and forced proximity. We can't forget the meddling grandpa's! They were some of the best match makers.

A fun spin on the fake engagement romance trope that begins with our main characters called to the assisted living where their grandfathers live and have gotten in trouble one more time. Those same grandfathers conspire to convince their grandchildren to get married by threatening to sell the restaurant (Kamila's family's and her dream to revive) and the distillery (Liam's family's and his dream to grow). While pretending, they of course, fall in love but what a pleasure to read that process and meet all the family along the way.