A Dish Best Served Hot

Although I loved the first book more this book was still fun to read, heart warning/wrenching and funny as heck. A lot of laughs, a lot of truths and a lot of darker side of some families.I loved Lola she was amazing from the beginning and I loved how she loved Santo and his daughter like she never left.Santo was a like/dislike the man kinda sucked the fun out of things… then things got spicy he got my attention lol.I love the wild, little dysfunctional yet proud Puerto Rican family cause I have have em too! 8.5/10 🦁

This was a good sequel to continue the Vega family. The FMC was a little bit frustrating at times but, overall I really enjoyed the love story between FMC and MMC.

Last year I read and loved Natalie Caña's first novel in her Vega Family Love Story series A Proposal They Can't Refuse. I loved it so much, it earned a place on my Most Compelling Books of 2022. (see post here.) Two grandfathers scheme to get their grandchildren to fall in love, which of course they do after much ado. The characters and story drew me in right away, and it was steamy.Her second book in the Vega family series is A Dish Best Served Hot. Saint Vega is single dad raising his young four year-old daughter after the death of his wife. He discovers that his daughter's new teacher is Lola Leon, who was his high school love.Saint left to join the Marines and Lola moved away with her mother and the two never had closure to their budding relationship. Each believes the other was responsible for the ending of their relationship.Saint's grandfather and Lola's grandfather (who raised her) are "mortal enemies" who live in the same assisted living facility. The pranks they pull on each other may amuse each other but as they escalate, Saint and Lola are being called constantly to come to the facility to deal with the men. If they don't behave, they will be forced to move out.Now Saint and Lola are being thrown together, sparks begin to fly again. Can they reignite what they had years ago? Lola's family is very different from Saint's- her father and brother are in prison, and Saint's family are very close, upstanding members of the Puertominican community of Humboldt Park outside Chicago.Lola volunteers for the community center that not only houses a school but also a shelter for LGBTQ+ youth, a cause close to Lola's heart. When Saint's family gets a construction contract from the company that bought the center's building and plans to kick the shelter out, Lola and her friends mobilize to stop the demolition. This puts Lola and Saint on opposite sides, until Saint offers to help the shelter find a new home.A Dish Best Served Hot takes on some timely social justice issues which elevates the book from the usual romance novel fare. Of course, Natalie Caña's steamy scene (or two) heats up enough to fog up your glasses as you read them. Characters from the previous Vega novel make some cameo appearances, but this book belongs to Saint and Lola, and once again Caña mixes the right blend of heart and heat to the delight of readers. I recommend it.

The side characters and families really made this book for me. Both of their grandfathers had me laughing out loud. The petty pranks and rivalry at the nursing home was unmatched and kept me endlessly entertained. I love close/meddling families.For a second chance romance, I enjoyed this one. It usually isn’t my favorite trope but the reasons that pulled them apart in the past made sense, and their chemistry and draw to each other was irresistible in the present day story line.The single dad trope was alive in this one and I ate it up. Definitely a highly entertaining second chance romance read! Not too much spice, but when it hit, it HIT!

The heroine of the second Vega Family book is a community activist, and this book feels like it's more about social issues than romance. It's set in a neighborhood that's in transition; formerly a working class ethnic enclave, Humboldt Park is being gentrified, and original residents can no longer afford the rents. The plot is kicked off when the site of a shelter for LGBTQ youth is acquired for redevelopment into condos.The heroine is a very intense "in your face" person, and, at times, it feels a bit like the author is lecturing. In addition to gentrification, the book also covers body positivity, bias against the LGBTQ community, and dismissive attitudes by whites towards Latinos.In the first book of this series, the romance was very believable, and I felt like the main characters were meant to be together. I didn't find the chemistry between the hero and heroine of this book to be persuasive.I don't speak Spanish and fragments of Spanish conversations are included without translation. While I was able to get the context in most cases, in some instances I had to open a translation app. That was a little frustrating.