I've tried to read this book multiple times. First, my eARC copy, then the audiobook, and I finally decided to get a physical copy from my library. And honestly, I should have just let this one be a DNF.

This book isn't bad, but the writing style didn't mesh with me. Also, our two main characters were childhood best friends who end up having to get fake engaged, and that's a fun premise, but not in execution. We never get to see the connection between these two characters BECAUSE we are just supposed to accept the backstory of these characters without ever getting to know it.

Overall, this is one that I can see really working for other people. If you like the writing style, this might be a good one to check out.

On paper this has all the tropes and traits that would make a contemporary romance a winner for me. We've got fake dating along with forced proximity once the fake dating is underway (Classic). Seasoned with some mild enemies-to-lovers and second-chance romance. The promise of delicious food descriptions was absolutely fulfilled; my stomach growled non-stop.

Sadly, this was mostly a miss for me. I've been trying to finish this story for ten months and I finally just hunkered down and tried to power through it. I loved Kamilah's heart and drive even if it got to be a bit over-the-top at times. Her character and the food descriptions was just about the only thing that redeemed this story for me.

The sudden shift from supposed loathing was jarring. I really wasn't sold on the initial relationship drama and never received an adequate explanation for why Liam is the way that he is. It may be because this book really relied on telling versus showing and I missed it? Or I just got to the point where I didn't feel he or any of the other characters deserved any additional thought.

Kamilah deserves more than Liam. She deserves better than her family and friends. And no real apologies should have been expected out of her in my opinion. I needed some serious groveling to make this torturous rollercoaster that Kamilah was forced on even remotely palatable. As it stands, I'm cranky with all of them, except maybe the grandfathers. Mischief is always fun but not when the rest of the universe is going to gang up on a beloved FMC. In the end, an underwhelming read and I'll probably avoid the rest of this series to save myself from the rest of the Vega drama.

*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my ARC of this book for my unbiased opinion.

I love these types of books with scheming old men trying to set up their grand kids. The grandfathers' know that Kamilah and Liam are perfect for each other. So they wager what the kids love to get them together.

The building that houses Kamilah's family's resturant and Liam's distillery. If they don't fake their engagement they grandfathers will sell the building essentially putting both their passions on the line.

What follows is a quick cute romcom book.

Love me some enemies to lovers but this book was really underwhelming for me when it came to the chemistry between the characters. I never really connected to them as a couple and also wasn't really into them as characters....

As this title is published by Harlequin, an imprint of HarperCollins, I will be withholding my review of the title in support of the HarperCollins Union strike. I look forward to reviewing this title once HarperCollins has met the union at the bargaining table and agreed to a fair contract.

I really enjoyed this book but I feel like everything happened super fast. I love a fake relationship and when you add a enemies to lovers trope you can be sure I'll be reading it. But while I found this book super entertaining with lovely characters and super sweet moments, I did wish some more time was spent fleshing out the plot. However I would still recommend this book to friends.

I read A Proposal They Can’t Refuse last summer and I really enjoyed it! I love romances with cooking themes and this one was steamy and fun. A little predictable but still a very enjoyable read. I would read Cana’s books again. 4 stars

A Proposal They Can't Refuse is a cute story but predictable in the best ways. I feel like it was missing passion between the two main characters, but there is a lot of love for the food in the novel.

My favorite characters had to be the Grandpas, though. They were funny and reminded me of my grandpa.

I've been excited to give this one a read ever since I first heard of it. I've definitely been in need of some good rom coms, and this one did fit the bill. That's not to say there weren't some serious topics, such as PTSD, but I do wish some of those topics had been explored a bit more. In some ways it felt like they were glossed over.

Some of the characters absolutely made the story for me, I did really like the main characters even though they weren't perfect. The grandfathers took the cake though. With that said, I did feel there was room for more character development and details. I did want it to be a light read, but I also don't want it to be so light that it's vague.

In the end I did really enjoy the story and it was a super easy read that flew by as I read it. I did really enjoy the different tropes and overall plot, so would definitely read from this author again.

This one was steamy, fun and heartfelt. Everything I look for in a romance and I can't wait to read more from this author.

<i>*This book was given to me by NetGalley in return for an honest review*</i>

Gah, the grandpas were the best! I loved their conniving to see the two MC's come together! I think that storyline may be the best part for me. I struggled a bit with connecting with the MC's, but overall enjoyed it, Prepare for spice, banter, and to be hungry while reading it!

Thank you to NetGalley, Natalie Caña and Harlequin for the free e-book I’m exchange for an honest review.

This is a new to me author and I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this. I loved the characters and how different they were, but how close to each other families they have been all along. I hope this will turn into a series of the Vegas family!

This was such a wholesome, funny, hit ya in the feels romance story. I loved the two grandfathers who plotted to have their grandchildren get married in order to inherit the family business. This was a story about growth, acceptance, and love but with fun flirty comments and a decent amount of spice. I will absolutely be reading the soon to come books in the series, and rereading A Proposal They Can’t Refuse many times to come.

This was a really great book! I love enemies to fake marriage to real love and this was one for the books for sure!

3.5 stars. Kamilah and Liam get manipulated by their respective grandfathers into a marriage of convenience. The two were childhood friends and have a complicated history, but now they're estranged and have no interest in rekindling anything. (Except maybe they do.) But they must marry to save their family businesses.

I have mixed feelings about this book. Kamilah's family is really awful to her, and this doesn't get the resolution it deserves. And Liam is a frustrating lead who could use some therapy.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC to review. All opinions are my own.

I liked this book for so many reasons - its Chicago setting, its great lead characters, and the secondary story featuring the love and friendship of the two grandfathers, and by extension, their families. I was moved and entertained.

This was a cute fake dating romance (I do love this trope)! I’m not really a foodie nor do I drink much alcohol, so a lot of the focus on those things wasn’t my cup of tea but in general this was a lovely read.

I'm withholding this review in solidarity with the HarperCollins Union members currently on strike. I support their right to a fair contract.

Thank you Harlequin and NetGalley for the ARC.

Maybe I'm getting too picky with romance but man this did not have enough spice for me. And by that...I really mean it had like none. If that's your thing, amazing. But I was just kind of disappointed by this one.

Kamilah Vega has sacrificed so much for her family's Puerto Rican restaurant and is trying to find a way for it to survive the gentrification of their Chicago neighbourhood. This time, her abuelo has told her if she wants to go ahead with her renovation plans, she'll have to marry the one man she can't stand, Liam Kane. Liam has spent a decade working to turn his family's distillery into a contender for the best whiskey. Then Granda tells him he has cancer and wants to see him marry Kamilah before it's too late. If they refuse, the grandfathers will sell the building that houses their businesses, so the two plan to fake their engagement to get what they want.

I LOVED this book! The chemistry between the two was palpable. The Latinx representation was awesome. The delicious descriptions of all the Puerto Rican dishes made me hungry. All the family dynamics with the big tight knit family. I loved it ALL :) This is the first in a series and you better believe I'll be reading them all! This is big for me, if you know me as a reader, I typically don't like to commit to series.