Natalie Cana has quickly become an author I trust for close-knit romances - I love the interconnected family and shared histories and strong local customs. I love the social elements explored in A Dish Best Served Hot - gentrification, community activism. I made the world feel just as well realized as the characters.

2.5 ⭐️ rounded up

This book gave me complete mixed feelings and over complicated what felt like it could have been a sweet and meaningful story into an intermixed web of subplots that felt misplaced (Lola’s family’s history for one). It felt like the novel was trying to do too much and didn’t do quite enough on the romance side of things to tie it all together.

Thanks to the NetGalley team for the ARC.

This book is full of a cast of diverse and fun family characters. I don't think the synopsis does the best job explaining the actual plot of this book. It's less about LGBTQ kids and. more about gang rivalry and prison. Trigger warning for gun violence and literal attempted kidnapping.

I loved this book! I devoured it in only a few sittings and wish there was more to read. The story line was paced very well and the characters were easy to love!

I loved this second chance romance. Great tension between Lola and Saint. The build up was well written and perfectly paced. I felt invested from the very beginning. I loved their backstory too.

Thank you Netgalley and Harlequin for an ARC of this book!

- I enjoyed this one, but I think a fair amount of it was based on how much I loved the characters from the first one.
- This book has a ton going on, and I started to struggle with juggling who was who with the characters from the first book mixing with more from the second book.
- I love love love Papo, and seeing him and Saint was so much fun. This, along with Rosie, helped gloss over some of the other parts of this book.
- Saint and Lola are so hard-headed, and I think it was dealt with pretty well until the third act break up. The way that played out was incredibly frustrating, and some parts of it felt a little out of character.
- The way the book ended did get me very excited for the next one, so I plan to continue reading!

Read if you like: Second Chance Romance
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Saint and Lola were high school sweethearts who became separated due to outside circumstances. Years later they reconnect when Lola moves back to the neighbourhood, but while there is still chemistry and a spark between the two, both have grown and changed a lot since high school.
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I really liked both protagonists. Lola is fiery and fierce and is willing to fight for those who are marginalized. Saint is a dedicated member of his family and an amazing dad who would do anything for his daughter. I appreciated how the author handled Lola's relationship with Rosie and how she went about getting to know her.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I had a lot of fun reading A Dish Best Served Hot! I remember enjoying the first book in this series, and was interested in how this one would unfold. I really enjoyed watching Saint and Lola learn how to love each other (again). At times I felt more interested in what was happening with Leo than what was happening with the main characters, which is a little problematic but also has me excited for the next book.

If you love romance but don’t have a Natalie Cana book on your shelf, what are you waiting for? A Dish Best Served Hot has only a few of my favorite tropes: second chance, big family, single parent, arguably “governess” too. Beyond the tropes is an authentic love story about two endearing but flawed people who strive to be their best selves. And Natalie Cana’s books are unapologetically latine! The way culture, language, and social topics are integrated into the love story makes me happy beyond measure. I’ll read anything she writes.

Book two in the "Vegas Family Love Stories" and it did not disappoint.

Saint: our strong and silent main man. Single dad (widower), always dependable, feels the weight of the world on his shoulders. Will do anything for his family. And he's madly in love with Lola. The girl who disappeared 13 years ago.

Lola: our strong, social warrior. She's feisty and independent. She's made it her mission to protect the vulnerable in her community. Returning to her childhood neighbourhood, Lola comes face to face with the man who stole her heart years ago.

The sparks fly (Saint might not say much, but he sure thinks about a *lot* of things when it comes to Lola), but will the two be able to put their differences aside and see that together they are stronger, better, and happier?

Don't be fooled by the cute cover - this story not only gives us a cute love story but it also explores trauma, community activism and gentrification.

I loved the evolution of the characters, the extended cast of the Vegas family and I am anxiously awaiting Leo and Sofi's story -- because that one is going to be FIRE.

Thank you Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC in return for my honest review.

What a fantastic love story! I love the characters, flaws and all. And I love their love story.

This is the second book in a series. I have not read the first, and there were a couple of times where I wondered what the references toward the couple from the first book were, but overall, this stands on its own. Caña writes vivid and strong-willed characters that you can't help but love. Not just the main characters, Saint and Lola, but their fiesta and fiery grandfathers as well. And this second-chance love story is fantastic. I absolutely want to go back and read the first book in the series. And I will read any book by Caña going forward.

Please read this.

I loved this even more than book 1! I really enjoyed the dynamics between Lola, Rosie, and Saint! It sounds like book 3 is in the works and I'll be waiting for it!

Natalie Caña is proof that you don't have to stick your head in the sand to be able to escape into a book. A Dish Best Served Hot serves up tough topics with realism, sensitivity, grace, and sometimes tough doses of reality. And yet the whole read still give those fuzzy romance vibes from beginning to end.

Natalie's characters are *perfection* in this series. I love the Vega family and everyone they pull into their orbit. The dialogue is so well written. Lola is probably my favorite female main character of the year. I identify with so much about Lola, namely her physique and how she has felt about her body in different parts of her life.

I don't read a ton of romance with kids but Rosie is arguably the lead of this book. The most adorable kiddo and excellently crafted into this story.

I truly loved everything about this book and the third book in the series is 100%, hands down my most anticipated book of 2024.

I am absolutely in love with the Vega family and had so much fun following Saint and Lola's love story! Similar to A Proposal They Cant Refuse, one of my favorite aspects of this book was the meddling abuelos and I cannot wait to see how abuelo plays a part in the next book between Leo and Sofie!

My only con about this book was that sometimes the family drama (on both sides) got in the way of Saint and Lola's love story.

Pick this one up if you like:
- second chance romance
- single dad
- big family full of drama
- bi FMC rep
- diverse characters

A Dish Best Served Hot offered a lighthearted and humorous reading experience, making it an enjoyable escape; however, it fell short of my expectations for a romance novel. The narrative seemed to lack the depth and passion characteristic of the genre, leaving me yearning for a more pronounced romantic element. Despite this, the author's witty writing style and comedic flair were undeniable strengths, injecting the story with charm and levity. While the book may not have fully satisfied my romance cravings, it still managed to entertain with its humor and engaging prose.

This was hot, but also very fulfilling. The Latine family representation is spot on, these characters were amazing to read. I loved the first book but this one takes the number one spot.

When I read the first book in this series, A Proposal They Can’t Refuse, I knew I’d love the Vega family and their friends more and more as this series progressed. You don’t have to have read the first book to read and love this one, but I’m enjoying getting to know this boisterous cast of characters.

While I enjoyed the first book, I liked this one even more. It’s another slow burn, but with the amazing chemistry that Saint and Lola have there were plenty of sparks leading up to their fire. They were both being careful before jumping in, with good reason. Saint is a single father and Lola is the woman who disappeared on him back when they were just out of high school. Lola’s father was the local gang/drug lord and she has always wanted to make sure the stereotype she lives under doesn’t rub off on those she loves. Lola and Saint are thrown back together when their grandfathers decide to wage a prank war against each other in their senior living home. There is angst and fun along with yearning and old hurts.

Something I noticed before and that came back to me while reading this book, the author does a beautiful job of incorporating the multilingual aspects of the characters and their community. I’m one of those readers who always wants to know what everything means. Be it the mention of a tree I’m unfamiliar with or a sentence in a language I don’t speak, I tend to stop reading and look it up. My brain has a hard time moving past it if I don’t. The author artfully weaves these multilingual conversations together with plenty of subtext and responses in English that I never questioned what was being said. She does it without having the characters repeat or interpret the Spanish, but in a way that is organic and feels like a naturally flowing conversation. That alone shows me her talent.

I appreciate the way the characters in this story always own up to their shortcomings once they realize what they are. Not only that, but their community is open to accepting the apology and not holding past mistakes against them. Lola is an extremely strong and independent woman who will fight with a single-minded focus to help those who are usually ignored or dismissed. While Saint believes in the things Lola does, his focus centers more on his family and his fierce protective nature when it comes to all of his cousins and siblings. Neither realize how much air they can take up when they are on a tear. This makes them perfect for each other while also making them terrible for each other. This book is about them finding that happy medium that allows them to find joy in life instead of always being “on”.

There are so many characters in these books I want to see get their HEA. Hopefully, they all will in time.

I am absolutely in love with the Vega Family series. Caña has done it again with this one, and i'll be not so patiently waiting for the next one to arrive.

The quiet brother and the firecracker former love collide again, you'd think instant sparks. But time changes people and that was absolutely the case for Saint and Lola. I had been curious about who Saint was and what his impact would be to this story line for a while because he was the quiet brother in the previous story. It seemed like he would be the easy brother who didn't really have problems. Boy was I wrong. Saint is working through survivor guilt, anxiety, PTSD, and so many other mental health problems that many Veterans experience. Lola is atoning for the sins of her father, wanting to do good in the community despite how hurtful her father was.

Through all of this I loved how involved the Vega family was and how much they wanted Saint to find his happy. The real star of the show was Rosie. I was in love with her personality and she was such an integral piece of the story even though you wouldn't think a 4 year old child could be that much of a piece. I was wrapped up with her development and her relationships with Saint and Lola and her Vega family.

Overall, this is so much more than just about actual family. It's about the family you find and fight for. It's about being proud in who you are. It's also about how you can be loyal to your beliefs while also having to do something you don't want to do. I loved the complexity of this novel because it wasn't clear at times what might happen and if we would get a happy end. I will gladly read as many books as Caña publishes. 4.75/5 stars rounded to 5/5 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley, MIRA, and Natalie Caña for my advanced copy in return for an honest review.

When Lola returns to her childhood neighborhood in Chicago and unexpectedly runs into her ex Saint, past feelings begin to boil over. On top of their grandfathers feuding at their senior living facility, Lola is now Saint’s daughter’s kindergarten teacher. Add to that that Lola’s beloved LGBTQ+ homeless shelter is being renovated by Saint’s family construction company. Saint and Lola are put head to head on multiple occasions. Saint can’t help but love Lola’s fighting spirit and Lola loves Saint’s kind heart and familial loyalty.
Can the obstacles in their path help create a new beginning? Or will they just prove Lola and Saint were never meant to be?

This was another home run of a read by Natalie Cana. A story focused on second chance romance but also highlights current political issues such as gentrification and LGBTQ+ rights. I adore how the author highlights mental health issues such as PTSD and social anxiety with the main characters as well. What a perfect second book to this wonderful series!

I read this book in a day and I never looked back! The twist and the plot were pretty easy to identify but the different POV's kept me intrigued to see how everything was going to unfold. A couple of the characters were so unlikable that it made it hard to feel bad or connect with them in any way. I do wish that the ending would've given a little more, I wanted to know how the characters dealt with the aftermath.


*I received a copy of this eARC via NetGalley*