Lola and Saint were unlikely high school sweethearts. Conventional Saint is from a stable family, while rebellious Lola had to contend with a rough family life- with incarcerated family members and a mother who left when she was a little girl.

After graduating from high school, Lola and Saint lose contact when Lola mysteriously disappears without a word. Decades later Lola, now a dedicated activist, is back in Chicago, working for the local community center. Saint, who lost his wife in a fatal accident, is now a single dad working for his family construction business- helping turn a building that used to be a shelter for LGBTQ+ kids into expensive condos. He knows he’s on the wrong side of the gentrification issue, and quickly realizes he is on the opposite side of the struggle as his ex- Lola, but his sense of family duty overrides all else.

Reunited under the worst of circumstances, their love still burns bright. If they want to find their happily ever after, they’ll need to forgive their past mistakes and get through their seemingly insurmountable current disagreements.

Recommended for fans of books set in Chicago with Latinx characters and of contemporary romances with strong social justice and family themes.

This is the second in the Vega Family Love Stories series, and those who read the first will relish seeing some of the same characters, but this novel also works well as a stand-alone.

This is the second book in the Vega Family Love Stories, following “A Proposal They Can’t Refuse”. This book follows Santiago, the eldest brother in the Vega family. I love reading stories that build upon previous books and mentions previous characters but I was a little confused following along who was who in this one- I should have reread the first one prior to reading this one. The plot and character build up was good most of the book but I felt like the last 1/4 of the book didn’t really make sense— how the characters problems were solved was kind of boring to me.

Thank you so much for the ARC of this one! I ate up book 1 of this series and was happy to continue with book 2!

What I liked:

- all kinds of representation! Mexican and Puerto Rican, queer rep, thick girl rep, selective mutism, military ptsd, panic attacks, just to name a few!

- second chance romance / girl dad / sweetheart daughter

- meddling family, occasional Spanish dialogue and reference to cultural customs, and all the side characters

What I would’ve liked to see:

- a faster pace. Sometimes it felt too slow and my interest came and went.

- more chemistry between the two MCs. We spend so much time reading how they feel about the other (inner dialogue) but their actual interactions sometimes felt a little flat.

- a more fluid plot. There was a lot of plot but sometimes it felt like a whole lot. It felt very busy. Check trigs for sure!

So I buddy read A Proposal They Can't Refuse with book friends and was SO PUMPED to get a chance to ARC read A Dish Best Served Hot. Oh boy, am I so glad I picked this up! Rated this one at 4.5 stars 🤩🤩🤩🤩

Absolutely loved Saint and loved Rosie. Getting to see more of Saint's history (LEARNING ABOUT HIS NICKNAME 😱) was so sweet. This is a second chance romance, the main characters were high school sweethearts but got separated by life! And their reunion leaves something to be desired... We have a strong, curvy FMC and former military, strong and silent MMC. We get more meddling grandfathers, hilarity and some hard personal growth.

You can read this as a standalone but I would HIGHLY recommend reading A Proposal They Cannot Refuse first because you get to meet all the Vegas and fall in love this crazy family! I AM DROOLING FOR BOOK 3...I need Leo and Sofie to bang it out already! Natalie Cana is becoming a "must read" author for me!!

Another great book from Natalie Cana - I love how she develops her characters and love her dialogue. Plot wise I didn't enjoy this quite as much as her debut, but I would still recommend this book, and will definitely continue reading the series. I loved how the heroine cared so much about her community, and I loved how the hero interacted with and supported his daughter.

Ok, just when I thought Natalie Caña couldn't top A Proposal They Can't Refuse, we get this! Getting Saint's backstory (and especially learning how he got his nickname) was a treat and getting to know Lola was amazing. Though they date in high school, its been many years since they have seen each other and their reunion is anything but smooth. As they navigated personal change, social change, and trauma, they start to find each other again. This book could be read as a standalone but I think its definitely worth reading the first one too! Somehow this story was both funny and sweet and heartbreaking at the same time, the Vega's really know how to get themselves into some drama! I am already DYING to get the next book in the series and I don't know how I am going to wait!

Absolutely fabulous book! I loved it! Take 2 rivaling families and throw in a mix of love and tension between 2 of them and sick grandmother. It makes for the perfect romance book. I loved the first in this series, however I think I love this one even more!
I just reviewed A Dish Best Served Hot by Natalie Caña. #ADishBestServedHot #NetGalley
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A Dish Best Served Hot by Natalie Caña
This is the second book in a series, but you can definitely read it as a standalone. If you read it on its own, you'll be in the same place as the main character Lola. 😊

Things I am here for:
Lola is a fat woman who loves her body and doesn't dress to hide it 🔥
Diverse main characters: Lola is Puerto Rican and Mexican and Saint is Puerto Rican
Bisexual representation! Lola is bisexual and Saint immediately accepts her sexuality when they are in high school
Lola is an absolute badass, taking on systems and fighting the man
Saint is the absolute best single dad. Doing Rosie's hair and her edges 🥰
Saint listens to others, apologizes when he is wrong, and goes to therapy! No shame in getting help!
Rosie is the perfect addition to the story. I love her so much.
Lola chooses not to have kids. And that is OK. It's also OK for her to fall in love with Rosie and make a family.

This is the second Natalie Caña book I've read. The third act break up happens because of major character flaws with both main characters. They wrestle with these flaws and how to be a better partner. I'm not a fan of the third act breakup, but at least it's for the characters to grow instead of something ridiculous like miscommunication.

This is an arc, and I'm not supposed to quote it. Know that there are so many highlights on my copy. So many good things!

I received an advance review copy for free from NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

A Dish Best Served Hot, by Natalie Caña
emotional funny lighthearted slow-paced
Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5

This was a really sweet second chance/single dad romance, but unfortunately the story overall was too slow for me. I wasn't as invested in the overall plot because it felt like there was too much going on. Not only was there the grandpa feud, but there was the community center/construction piece and then also the gang/violence piece. While I understand this helped our characters to be well-rounded and fully developed, I think the pacing (and plot) could use some editing and refining.

I also thought we lived too much in the main characters' heads. There was SO much thinking and explaining without them actually talking to each other. It was really frustrating to read like a page or two of internal dialogue before a character acted on something. It's clear it was the author's way of explaining their motivations, but I don't think it worked well here.

Rosie was the very sweetest and a real highlight for me. I also thought the overall way Saint and Lola found each other again was great — sometimes that chemistry never goes away! Some of the ways they kept running into each other felt a bit forced, though.

Overall, I enjoyed the first book in this series a lot more. That's not to say that I wouldn't keep reading about this family and neighborhood!

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Second book in the Vega Family Love Stories series.
While Saint was away at boot camp his girlfriend Lola disappeared.
He never heard from her or knew if she was okay. Now a single dad in his mid-30s he’s shocked to find not only is Lola alive (and sexy as ever) she is the granddaughter to his grandfather’s arch nemesis and his daughter pre-school teacher. And all those feelings he had for her are still there.
I genuinely enjoyed this book. I’m really liking this series. Great story of love and acceptance.
**SPOILER**
The reason this is a four star instead of a five star book for me is because it did one of my biggest pet peeves.
The widower who never loved his late wife. Why is this a thing in romance novels? It really Icks me out and took me awhile to get back into the story after that revelation. I haven’t read a book with a widower where he actually loved his late wife. Yet I have never read a book with a widow where she didn’t love her late husband. I don’t know what’s going on here with this widowers never loved their late wife thing in romance, but I don’t like it and find it kinda lazy and gross.

“I know because since the moment I met you every version of my future has had you in it. When you were gone it nearly drove me out of my mind because I kept picturing a future with you even when it was impossible.”

-second chance, single dad, 17 years later
-just like that, Lola appears back in Saint’s life after disappearing for all that time
-Lola is the epitome of quote “fuck you, I’ll do what I want” energy. Love her fire 🔥
-the family members are hilarious with their constant bickering 🤭
-the scene with Saint doing Rosie’s hair melted my whole heart ❤️
-thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this ARC!!

4⭐️

I loved Natalie Cana’s first book, and her sophomore novel which follows the oldest of the Vega children has even more depth, rough issues, and sweetness than the first.

Lola is the daughter of a gang/drug leader who struggles at school, especially when she comes out as bisexual. Saint is the straight laced oldest Vega sibling, who is responsible for his whole family. The two fall hard as teenagers, but when Saint leaves for boot camp, Lola escapes the enemies of her now imprisoned father to California with her mother. Now, decades later, both are back in Chicago, Saint as a single dad widower with some severe anxiety, and Lola as a social justice warrior who ends up as Saint’s daughter’s preschool teacher. The two are thrown back together because of their grandfathers’ senior care shenanigans and the sparks fly, but they both have to fix the issues that have been festering since high school.

Cana does a great job interweaving issues around the military, gentrification, lgbtq issues, policing in Black and brown neighborhoods, and ptsd into the love story where they’re given their due, but in a way that feels authentic to the larger story. I also loved the interactions between Rosie (Saint’s daughter) and Lola, it was so sweet. Overall I loved it so much and I can’t wait to read even more about this family! This comes out in October, so check out the first one in the meantime.

3.5 stars

thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the arc!!

this was a very cute book. i love second chance romances and single dad tropes 😊 the dialogue could be a little cringey at times with all the gen-z colloquialisms used by literal adults but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

overall a great story, excited to read the rest of the series!

Received this ARC via NetGalley…

Second chance romance
Single dad

I am emotionally invested in all the Vega siblings! Also love Papo and his crazy antics.

The author has a way to really feel for these characters/family. I can related to both the lead characters in their love and loyalty for their families and community. They’re both so strong, passionate and stubborn. Being so similar definitely causes a lot of friction.

I appreciated that this book covered the following themes:
Mental health - anxiety and PTSD
Gentrification
LGBTQ+

Thank you to Net Galley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for an ARC of A Dish Best Served Hot. I’ve really loved Natalie’s other books, and this one is no different. A Dish Best Served Hot is a sweet second chance romance. There is LGBTQIA+ representation, and I loved it. Lola’s personality is feisty, and she doesn’t take anything from anyone. She knows who she is and what she wants and doesn’t hesitate.

Overall, a very sweet romance. Would highly recommend.

If like me you’ve been impatiently waiting for Natalie’s next romance after reading A Proposal You Can’t Refuse, let me tell you, she does not disappoint in her upcoming release. I dropped everything I was reading and DEVOURED this in less than 24 hours.

This second chance romance will have you laughing out loud, swooning, and tearing up. It is so unapologetically Latinx filled with Spanish phrases that sound like family and a family that stands by you but are going to tease you nonstop.

Returning to the Vega family, Saint is the older brother who takes the world on his shoulders and wants to protect everyone. Lola León is a social justice warrior who wants to save everyone no matter the cost.

Lola and Saint (she gives him that nickname) had a sweet high school romance that ended when Saint enlists to fulfill his duty and Lola has to leave to escape the threats of violence when her father is arrested.

Almost two decades later, Lola returns to Humboldt Park. And she comes face to face with Saint when their abuelitos won’t stop a prank war that is getting out of control. If you thought the first book had shenanigans, esto dos no paran. This second time around they need to confront their past to finally fully accept each other.

I LOVED EVERY PAGE. Every moment was so thoughtful from conversations about our legacies to duty to putting ourselves first. Saint and Lola have a sizzling chemistry that will have you giggling. She is not afraid to ask for what she wants and he does not hesitate in giving it to her.

If you love a single dad, the interactions with Saint’s daughter, Rosie alone will have you obsessed with this book.

2023 Latinx Release
Format: digital arc
2.5 🌶️

Natalie Caña writes stories with so much love, passion, and joy! I really liked this story and the importance of family. I loved the characters so much and I can't wait to read more books by this author.

This is the second in series but can be read as a standalone.

Santiago Vega Jr., or Junior, was a good kid. He volunteered, did well in school, and saved Lola from getting in a fist fight with the biggest bully in high school. In return? She gifted him his new nickname … Saint.

Years later, Lola is serving her community, teaching high schoolers self defense, helping kids who were kicked out of their homes due to their families not accepting their sexual or gender identities, and now teaching preschool. Oh, and don’t forget she is taking care of her grandpa Benny. And … someone at the senior center put ex-lax in his drink.

Saint is raising his daughter Rosie, helping his family however he can, and working at his Tio Luis’s construction company. He gets a call … his grandfather is in big trouble … he might even get kicked out of the senior care center…

That isn’t even the half of it. To put it mildly, these two have a lot on their plate… and Lola is now Rosie’s preschool teacher.

I really enjoyed reading about these two. I appreciated that they talk to each other. They don’t let things slide, they don’t keep secrets. They ACTUALLY have conversations. Now, I won’t say there aren’t mistakes, misunderstandings, and problems … but they aren’t the cliche “if you only had a five minute talk then there would be no plot”. It was such a breath of fresh air to see adults share and have real conversations.

Lola had more personality than any character I’ve read in a while. She is smart, fierce, protective, and overall just a kind human. Saint is an incredibly hard worker who cares so much about his family, almost too much. We not only got to know them in the present, but we got flashbacks of their past, too!

As for other characters, don’t get me started on Saint’s daughter, Rosie. She is so adorable in the best way. Their abuelos were hilarious and awesome. I also loved the rest of the Vega family, and appreciated catching up with everyone from the last book. The kids and staff at El Hogar were great, too, even if my heart broke for them.

I feel like this book had so much in it. I’m not sure I can list it all or do it justice. All I can say was that it felt real and true. The book kept me engrossed and I couldn’t put it down.

Five stars … and heres looking to you Leo, I can’t wait to see what happens between you and Sofi.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for an arc of this book.

Years ago, Santiago walked away from the girl he loved to fulfill his duty. He now has a second chance with her.... but can they overcome their past?

This is another terrific book in the Vega family series. Love the first 2 books and this one is great too! The family is terrific. I love how close-knitted they are. So funny and colourful.

Thank you to the publisher for the arc.