A PROPOSAL THEY CAN'T REFUSE

A modern-day fake engagement between a chef and a whiskey distiller forces both halves to admit to some very real feelings.

Kamilah Vega has always been something of a people-pleaser, especially where her family is concerned—but she's also had long-simmering ideas about ways to modernize their Puerto Rican restaurant, especially with their Chicago-area block already starting to show signs of gentrification. Unfortunately, her grandfather isn't willing to agree to her vision so easily, and his terms are as follows: If she wants to give the restaurant a makeover, she has to get married to his best friend's grandson, her childhood friend-turned-frenemy, Liam Kane. Liam's grandfather is in on the blackmailing scheme, too, in part because he's just been diagnosed with cancer, and seeing his grandson tie the knot is his dying wish. If they don't agree to get hitched, their grandfathers will sell the restaurant and the Kane family distillery right out from under them. In an act of desperation, Kamilah and Liam agree to fake an engagement long enough to figure out a long-term solution, but it turns out that feigning affection only clues them in to the deeper feelings that exist below the surface—feelings that have secretly existed for as long as they've known one another. Caña has cooked up a romance that succeeds from Page 1, with a rich supporting ensemble on both sides of the equation and a central love story between two people who have to dispense with the walls around their hearts in order to find the perfect flavors they can create together.

A sizzling, emotional romance with a generous helping of family and culture.