4.5 stars

This was such a lovely and emotional book. The families and the food were everything. This book deals with a lot of difficult issues so take care before reading!

CWs: death of parents and family members (recounted and mentioned in epilogue), cancer, drowning, financial instability, gentrification, racism ( )

Puerto rican food and whiskey?!
I'm there.
An very excellent story about family and love.
With whiskey and Puerto rican cooking knowledge sprinkled throughout.

"You need to realize that 'family first' doesn't mean at the expense of everything else. It means that we all look out for one another, support one another, and respect one another because the love we feel for each other is first in our hearts."

A Proposal They Can't Refuse By Natalie Caña was this month's #ReadPuertoRican book club pick and it was a hit. This one took me through all the emotions. I laughed out loud, nodded in agreement to the things that hit close to home and cried at some emotional parts. Never did I think I would be bawling over whiskey. I live for the longing and the tension and the burning fires between Kamilah and Liam were intense.

Rom-coms are definitely my favorite in the romance world and Caña gave me a story I will forever be in love with. She gave us loads of tropes that weren't cheesy, fantastic writing and characters that win your heart over. The Puerto Rican representation was EVERYTHING! From the food, to depiction of family, to specific aspects of culture and all the refranes, it was pure perfection. Caña was unapologetic in the ways she wrote for boricuas and placing this story in a historically Puerto Rican Humboldt Park, Chicago and making it so authentic was bliss. Featuring an introvert as the male love interest made my heart smile so big because it reminded me of the dynamic with my husband. There's just so much to love about this one.

If you love stories with themes of gentrification, grief, mental health, family, cultural pride, communication and love then this one is for you. I'm excited for Caña's next installment of The Vega Family series. I'm not ready to let go of them just yet. Foodie love stories are easily winning me over every time. Shout to Natalie Caña for joining us for an amazing book club chat! I'm forever a fan now! ( )

PG ( )

Natalie Caña's first novel in her new romance series, A Proposal They Can't Refuse is a charming introduction to the Vega family in a Chicago suburb. Kamilah's grandparents opened their Puerto Rican neighborhood restaurant fifty years ago.

Kamilah's parents now run the restaurant, never changing anything in fifty years, from the menu to the decor. Kamilah is a trained chef and has some great ideas to modernize things to attract the new people moving to the neighborhood, but her family is adamantly against it.

Liam Kane's grandfather founded Kane's Distillery next door to Kamilah's family restaurant, where Liam now works. His grandfather and Kamilah's grandfather are best friends and live in the same assisted living facility, where their hijinks continually cause trouble. Liam and Kamilah grew up together and dated a little in high school, but now they are more like frenemies.

The two men have concocted a plan to get their grandchildren together in a plan that will allow Liam and Kamilah to make the changes they want to the family businesses. All they have to do is get engaged- what could go wrong?

A Proposal They Can't Refuse has everything that makes a great romance novel- enemies to lovers, friends, secrets, exes, misunderstandings, and steamy sex scenes. I loved learning about the distillery business, and I always enjoy a book set in a restaurant, as my husband and I used to own a fast food restaurant. The descriptions of Kamilah's food has me drooling. Learning about the Puerto Rican and Irish cultures was interesting, and you get to practice (or learn) a little Spanish.

I can't wait for the next installments of the Vega family stories in subsequent books. I highly recommend A Proposal They Can't Refuse.

Thanks to Harlequin Books for putting me on their Summer 2022 Rom-Com Tour. ( )