I absolutely adored this sweet, sassy rom com!

Two scheming grandpas are determined to save the future of the building they bought together decades ago. Half of the building belongs to a distillery run by the Kane family, and half of it belongs to a Puerto Rican restaurant run by the Vega family. The solution to save the building and the legacies of their families? Manipulate their grandchildren into a marriage of convenience.

Kamilah knows that Liam can't stand her. The boy who was her shadow growing up is surly and angry and inscrutable. His distrust and disdain hurt her heart, but she'll never admit it. Especially now she's on the cusp of revolutionizing her family's restaurant with edgy new recipes. The only reason she agrees to the fake engagement is to ensure her family restaurant will remain afloat.

Liam is determined to never show Kamilah how he really feels about her. She infuriates him. She tempts him. She haunts him. But Liam has a host of demons he needs to fight, and he doesn't need anything else on his plate. Especially the woman he doesn't think he deserves. Everything is in place to launch the family distillery into the stratosphere, and he doesn't need or want any distractions.

Liam and Kamilah fight the pull too hard. Until they can't contain it. And now Kamilah has overpromised and overcommitted and she doesn't know how she's going to emerge unscathed.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this luminous, beautiful read! I received an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.

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.

Kamilah Vega works hard to help keep her family's restaurant afloat. Her Abuelo surprises her when he tells her that they are selling the business and building unless she marries Liam Kane. Liam is Abuelo's best friend's grandson and Abuelo thinks they are perfect for each other. Abuelo and Killian are old and worried that they will leave this earth without seeing their grandchildren happily married. Kamilah and Liam have history - they were childhood best friends until a tragic event caused Liam to push everyone away. They decide to play along with their grandfathers' blackmail scheme, hoping to inherit their family businesses to save their legacies. Along they way, they find their way back into each other's hearts.

This was a delightful romance that hits you in the feels while it takes you on a fun over-the-top journey. The premise was a very dramatic - a forced engagement under blackmail by two grandfathers - but I found this book so utterly charming that I bought into the premise. The charm of this book was largely due to Abuelo and Killian and their silly antics. They were hilarious while they schemed and got into all sorts of trouble. I loved that they forced Kamilah and Liam to get out of their heads so they could start to live their lives. Those two wise old men had lots of life lessons and lessons about love to impart to their families and they warmed my heart.

This book comes off as an enemies-to-lovers romance at first, but underneath that layer is a friends-to-lovers and unrequited love story. Kamilah and Liam were estranged because Liam isolated himself for over a decade. He had a very traumatic experience that caused him to close up and he still struggled with letting people in. His grandfather knew that he needed a push to open up again, and what better way than to blackmail him into a relationship? Once Kamilah and Liam get past the initial awkwardness of having to spend time together, I loved the slow burn of their reignited connection. They slowly made their way to becoming lovers and I loved the sexy and erotic talking Liam that was hidden under his icy façade.

I especially liked Kamilah's character in this book. She was selfless in her dedication to her family and their business. I loved that she was optimistic and lived her life with passion. Her delightful personality was a perfect balance for Liam's cold and stony personality. Kamilah's journey in finding her own success and realizing that putting her family first didn't mean that it needed to be at the expense of her happiness was something many people can relate to.

This is a highly entertaining enemies-to-lovers story that I really enjoyed!

Steam level: 🔥🔥½
⚠️: cancer, PTSD, drowning, death of a loved one

A very fun and entertaining read. I found the characters delightful. This was an easy summer read for me. This book was sweet from start to finish. It was very predictable but that is exactly what I was expecting going into this one. Most of the tropes you would expect are here: enemies to lovers, fake dating and etc. I also loved the food descriptions as well. If you’re looking for a book to get you out of reading slump this may be it. A sweet read! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Who needs a dating app when you could be set up by your grandfather? Kamilah and Liam are being forced into marriage by their grandfathers. Well, that is unless they want their businesses to be closed. Her family owns a Puerto Rican restaurant and has for years and he owns. distillery that has been in his family for years. The grandfathers own the buildings and now that Liam’s grandfather is dying of cancer, he wants Liam married. Kamilah and Liam decide to pretend to be engaged until they can figure something out.

This book hooks you from the beginning. You can tell the grandfathers are going to be trouble and that the two main characters definitely are going to have that love-hate relationship going on. It’s definitely continues to be a running theme through the book, as is food (oh, the food!) and the distillery. I loved how the culture was included in the book and I loved learning what I did about the distillery. I also loved how Kamilah included the whiskey in her food. Another great theme in this book was family. It was represented heavily throughout the entire book. There was conflict but there was loyalty.

This was definitely a great read! Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC! All opinions in this review are my own.

I loved the premise of this book, and all the tropes that the author had in mind. Sunshine/grump, childhood friends, one bed, with a sprinkle of meddling grandpas and some food and whiskey for good measure. However, its execution left a little to be desired. I think this book could’ve used a few more edits to flesh out all of these characters. Even our leading lady and her fake fiancé.

I felt flickers of chemistry, and I feel like with a few tweaks this book could’ve been a full-blown fire. More backstory, and more understanding of how our characters got to where they are. More nuance to not just Kamilah and Liam, but everyone else pulling the strings around them.

Also, that was a bit of a “everything but the kitchen sink” ending, with every loose end tied up in one single chapter. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants Puerto Rican rep (my favorite part of the book, honestly), or anyone who is passionate about romances featuring whiskey. I hope this author continues her writing journey, and gets an editor who is willing to be a little more critical.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC I enojoyed this book so much that I stayed up till 1:30 am even though I had to get up at 6:00 am because I needed to finish reading it.

It was fun to read!

You have childhood best friends turned enemies, thrown into a fake relationship saga mixed with hot chemistry and one bed! You'd think that's too much, but the writer did so well balancing it all out.

As childhood friends, they grew apart because of personal reasons (which you'll get when you read it), but their meddling grandparents decided it was best they both work together as a fake couple and protect what they love most — their work. Even though they both deny their feelings, spending time together brings out all the hidden emotions they never thought they'd let out.

It was the perfect Latinx Rom-Com.

I received an advanced copy from the publisher and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book started out great. The plot was interesting and the characters were all lovable except for the few times when I got mad at Kamilah's family. Everything was going great until the third act happened; that entire section felt rushed and all the characters seemed to have a characteristic shift suddenly. As much as I loved the first 75% of the book the last 25% brought down my liking of the books as well as the characters. I feel like the author was so adamant about trying to portray the characters' faults that they forgot they needed a build-up to it. I would rate it 4 stars only because the beginning was seriously good and I would like to specify by saying that this book was a bare minimum 4 stars and could have been so much better if it was altered a bit more.

I chose to review this novel as something told I was going to love it. Let's call it intuition or gut feeling or X but it was right, I loved this novel.
It made me laugh out loud, root for the characters, love the mischievous grandpas, and cry buckets.
There's a lot of classic tropes and there's a well plotted and compelling story about two person and their lovely families.
I loved Kamilah and Liam: the well developed and relatable characters. They are multifaceted and their story is sweet and realistic.
My favorite were the terrible grandfathers: a couple of terrific senior that are amongst the most interesting character I read in a contemporary romance.
I strongly recommend this story as the author is a talented storyteller.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to MIRA and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

First thank you Netgalley for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book had me all in my feels. Childhood besties to enemies to lovers.... Yes please!!! This was a rollercoaster of emotions some bad but mostly good. Our MC are both immature Imo but they slowly grow together.

The culture in this book is beautifully done. It is very picturesque and the descriptions are vivid. I could definitely picture the restaurant and all the decor or ambience of the restaurant.

This book relied on fake engagement, and miscommunication trope. I normally don't like the miscommunication trope but this book did it right! I was invested right at the beginning.

The humour in here is both childish yet top notch. I laughed numerous times both out of humour as well as embarrassment. This book encompasses a relationship that requires work... Realistic work.

I found the pacing to be clunky and that was detrimental to the flow of the novel imo. The fake dating was fun but a lot of the novel felt like other novels I’ve read. Not bad but not the best romance/fake dating I’ve read!

Kamilah and Liam don't like each other - so so they think. Their meddling grandfathers know better- or so they think! The grandfathers cook up a deal: they won't sell the building that houses both Kamila's restaurant and Liam's distillery if the two of them marry. Gentrification of the neighborhood is happening so this is not an idle threat. Well, readers might guess that the fake engagement will turn these two into more than friends and that the grandfathers were right all along. What makes this trope-y romcom special is the addition of the food and the spicey attitudes of the characters. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. A fun read.

I really enjoyed this story. I laughed a lot and I loved the build up of the romance and I appreciated the spicy moments. I do wish that we continuously got spicy moments towards the end but that was really my only complaint. I hope that there are more books because I could see how there would be a series from this! I also LOVE this cover!

🥃🥃🥃🥃/5

Did you say fake dating? Enemies to lovers? Yes please!

I adored everything about this book! I loved the mischievous grandpas who set the whole fake dating scheme up. Was it because they knew Liam and Kamillah always loved each other? Or was it truly about their family legacies all along?

The chemistry between these two MC was scorching, right from the very beginning when they “hated” each other it was undeniable. There were several heartfelt moments between them throughout that made my heart super happy. And then there was some steam behind them sometimes too, which was SO well done. These elements are always my favorite in romance stories and I was not disappointed! Especially at the end with Liam’s grand gesture 😭❤️

I really enjoyed the different cultures in this book and it blended so nicely with the story, and created that fun extra drama as well. I loved the relationships between the families, both with their own and with the other’s. They felt so authentic and real and truly expressed the emotional bonds of family.

This book was not only funny at times, but super relevant. Both L & K were trying their hardest to reach their dreams, while trying to keep their family happy. They struggled with the ongoing pressure from themselves, their family, and the desire to keep the family legacy going in the future. These are two people who really carried the world on their shoulders, and I particularly loved watching this development and growth play out when they finally realized they needed to make themselves happy too.

There was this deep emotional draw to this book even though on the surface it is a light, fun rom-com. But it was honestly so much more! I LOVED the Latinx rep: with the history, language, cooking, community, and the culture in general. This book genuinely was a written love letter to Puerto Rican culture ❤️

Aside from the romance and hilarious meddling grandparents, I loved the blended culture of Liam’s family whiskey combined with Kamillah’s Puerto Rican cooking. Since I wasn’t as familiar with this type of food, I had to look a few things up. But the descriptions in the book were enough to make my mouth water and want to try it for myself.

This book is a masterpiece and I highly recommend everyone go read it for themselves!!

<i>“I’ve been around your family long enough to know that you guys assemble anytime something happens. Like the Avengers.” </i>

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an eARC!

This was such a fun read! It was lighthearted and entertaining, but it also gave room for so much depth and character development. And the romance was absolutely adorable!

The book follows two characters, Kamilah, a Puerto Rican chef and a Liam, an Irish-American whiskey distiller forced into a fake marriage by their grandfathers. Once best friends now barely on speaking terms, the two slowly begin to relearn the strings of their friendship and find their way to something much deeper while uncovering the past and developing themselves alongside each other.

Kamilah is a ball of sunshine who loves her family, enough that she is willing to sacrifice everything for them. Including agreeing to an arranged marriage with the same guy that left her at her prom. She’s fun and sweet and a bit of a control freak—but also a great chef! She’s also kind hearted and there for everyone. Her character was relatable and fun and I loved her relationship with her family!

Liam is much less social and forthcoming about his feelings. Having lost much in his life, all that matters to him is his grandfather, their distillery, and the girl he’d loved all his life. He’s a very walled off character that that’s much more used to bottling up his emotions and hanging out alone, completely opposite to Kamilah, his grandfather’s best friend’s granddaughter who he has been hopelessly in love with their whole life.

All in all, it was a quick read, super fun and I really enjoyed it! I’m giving it 5 stars because it really had everything you could want from a rom-com and then some! Be sure to check this one out when it comes out in June!

Can Liam Kane and Kamilah Vega outfox two silver foxes - the silver foxes being their grandfathers? Best friends since childhood, they eventually drifted apart, especially after a falling out.

An urban renewal project definitely will change the nature of a Chicago neighborhood. Kamilah and her family own a Puerto Rican restaurant and Liam and his grandfather have a family whiskey distillery. Both businesses could be lost if the gentrification plan is effective. This is not the only issue facing them. Liam’s grandfather has cancer and makes a stipulation if he agrees to treatment - he wants Liam to get married and the girl that he has in mind is none other than Kamilah. Thus, the fake engagement. Pretending to be engaged won’t be easy, but while doing this for the sake of their grandfathers, the situation takes on deeper meaning, especially when Liam's baggage is considered.

Furthermore, both of Liam and Kamilah‘s grandfathers own the building that contains the restaurant and the distillery and they clearly state that they will sell unless the pair agree to marry. Losing their businesses is one thing, but Liam possibly losing his grandfather is more than he can bear to think about, so they agree.

This combination of tropes - enemies to lovers and fake engagement - is the perfect formula for this delightful debut novel. The read is engaging and heartwarming, especially with some of the issues that are facing at least one of them. On a side note, I loved the whole experience when it came to the scenes involving the distillery. Factor in the humor neatly laced in the pages of this book, and the reader is sure to have a fabulous reading experience.

Many thanks to and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

Please also enjoy my YouTube video review - https://youtu.be/Hee28RtIW9A

3.5 stars

Friends to enemies to lovers featuring Puerto Rican chef Kamilah and her large exuberant family and childhood friend and neighbor Liam. Their grandfathers are best friends and own respectively the family Puerto Rican restaurant and a distillery next door.

Liam and Kamilah have history. It's eye rollingly obvious they belong together, but it takes a while to get there. Liam is passionate about his whiskey and has an important event/judging lined up that he hopes will put them on the map. Kamilah wants desperately to refresh the dated old restaurant and menu but is meeting with heavy family resistance.

Improbably, the two grandpas emotionally blackmail Kamilah and Liam into becoming "engaged" or they threaten to sell the building. It's all wildly ridiculous, but entertaining to watch the two work their way back to each other. Thanks to the publisher and to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. It definitely feels like maybe this will be the start of a series with each book featuring a different family member.

A Proposal They Can't Refuse was a great opposites attract, fake dating book, with plenty of fun references to Puerto Rican and Irish cultures, as well as food descriptions that will leave you feeling very hungry! I especially enjoyed all the characters in this. Liam and Kamilah were both really interesting characters, with some fiery chemistry, and I loved seeing them eventually learn to work together to achieve their respective goals. The stars of the show have to be Liam and Kamilah's grandparents though - I loved all the scenes in which their meddling selves featured! In fact, all of the family members featured in this were super fun and I'm hoping that there's going to be a follow-up so that we can learn more about them! This was a great debut, and I can't wait to see what's next in store from the author.

Fun, Flirty Flight With Serious Undertones. This is one of those books where you take two cultures known for their passions - in this case, the Irish and the Puerto Rican -, mix in a lifetime of not only knowing each other, but having both families remarkably intertwined (platonically) and add a heaping of tragic backstory... and watch everything come together beautifully. The mix of romance tropes works well here, our primary couple is particularly well fleshed out while giving most all of the side characters at least some time to shine, and we even get a clear sense that a series is brewing to boot. This book really does fire on all burners, and when the gut punches of the tragic backstories hit, they land like haymakers. Ultimately a fun book even with the haymakers, this is very much recommended.