𝐈𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐥 | Review & Tour Stop

𝐈𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐥

𝐁𝐲 𝐀𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐆𝐮𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬

𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫: 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐇𝐮𝐝𝐬𝐨𝐧

𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝟒.𝟑.𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒

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Although I’m not a great cook, I love to collect cookbooks.

𝐈𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐥 is a gorgeous gathering of recipes from the Italian coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea. The warm and welcoming pictures plus the notes on the towns and cities may have you packing your bags for Italy. 

I especially loved that the recipes were simple and used fresh, natural ingredients. This food is bursting with the flavors and zest of the Italian Coast.

Here are a few of my favorite recipes:

✷A very thin Zucchini and Basil Omelette

✷Baked Aubergine with Pasta, Mozzarella and Tomatoes

✷Hasselback Hedgehog Potatoes

✷Flourless Lemon and Almond Cake with Chocolate Ganache

𝐸𝓃𝒿𝑜𝓎! 

Thank you @suzyapprovedbooktours and @amberguinness for a spot on tour and a gifted book with seasonings.

🍝 𝐃𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐈𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐝? 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐡?

A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow | Book Review

A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow

Laura Taylor Namey

4 / 5

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Do you consider yourself a foodie? 

This month I’ve read several books that center around food; it seems like a popular trend (𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐’𝘮 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨). In fact, I love how Laura Taylor Namey flavors this coming-of-age romance with Cuban cuisine and sweet pastries.

Lila finds herself spending the summer in England, of all places. After suffering too much loss: the death of her Abuela, her best friend’s betrayal, and her boyfriend breaking her heart, her parents think time away from Miami is best. 

Luckily, Lila still cooks for her honorary tía Cate at a British inn, but England is cold and drab compared to Miami. That is until she meets Orion, who works at a local tea shop. Orion decides to show Lila the sights and sounds of England. Before she knows it, Lila’s heart begins to warm to what England has to offer.

𝐀 𝐂𝐮𝐛𝐚𝐧 𝐆𝐢𝐫𝐥’𝐬 𝐆𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐓𝐞𝐚 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰 is a sweet story, and not just for all the mouth-watering pastries. It deals with grief, loss, and changes in life as you grow up. The romance here was light and breezy. But I’m glad the story was more about Lila moving on from her pain and growing as a person. 

A Delicious Dilemma | Book Review & Tour Stop

A Delicious Dilemma

Sera Taíno 

Publisher: Harlequin Special Edition

Pub Date: 8/24/21

4.5 / 5

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Val Navarro and her family are worried that Wagner Developments intends to shut down businesses in their tight-knit community. Val’s passion is cooking, and their Puerto Rican restaurant is the heart of their family.

Trying to get her mind off a bad breakup, as well as threatening big developers, Val agrees to go out dancing with friends. A mutual friend introduces her to a gorgeous, well-mannered guy named Philip. Val and Philip hit it off immediately, although he can’t dance. 

After staying up all night talking and learning about each other, sparks fly. Philip loves that Val is a chef at her family’s restaurant and is so tied to her community. Only one problem, Philip’s last name is Wagner – as in Wagner Developments. 

As much as A Delicious Dilemma is a romance, it is a story of community and family. I loved when Val took Philip on a tour of her neighborhood, and she knew the people and their stories. Sera Taíno did a fantastic job blending the elements of love, work, and family – And oh my goodness! All the delicious food! (Check out one of Val’s recipes 👉 ).

𝘚𝘦𝘳𝘢 𝘛𝘢í𝘯𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘯’𝘴 𝘙𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘐𝘯𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘴 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘔𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴.

Thank you to @harlequinbooks @serataino and @meetcutecreative for an invitation to the tour and an advanced digital copy.

Somewhere Between Bitter and Sweet | Book Review

Somewhere Between Bitter and Sweet

Laekan Zea Kemp

4 / 5

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Penelope “Pen” Prado has big dreams. She works in her family’s restaurant, Nacho’s Tacos, but wants to open her own pasteleria one day. The problem is her parents want her to go to college. 

Pen finally musters up the courage to tell her parents she hasn’t been going to classes, but she couldn’t have dreamed of their reaction. Her father fires her from the restaurant, the place where her heart lives.

As Pen is finishing her last shift, a new hire is being trained, Xander Amaro. Xander has been searching for his father who left him behind, claiming to try to make a better life for him here in the States. As Xander begins to feel like the Nacho’s Tacos crew is family, he worries that his immigration status is a danger to them.

Pen and Xander collide in a world of flavors, family, and fears in this story. But it’s not just their love story, their fierce determination, and the loyalty of family and friends shine through. 

Kemp uses the sweet and savory aromas of food to beautifully tell an honest story of love and struggles within family, as well as, cultural battles with discrimination. 

 Thank you to @librofm and @hachetteaudio for this #gifted audiobook.