A Delicious Dilemma

July 5, 2021
Compromise rules the day in Taíno’s sweet debut, as Val Navarro finds herself falling for the heir to the company she’s sure is systematically destroying her community. Val defines herself as much by her love for her family and their East Ward, N.J., neighborhood as she does by her love of cooking. When she first meets handsome Philip Wagner, she doesn’t realize his connection to Wagner Development. Though Philip quickly picks up on the fact that Val is the cofounder of the fair housing coalition looking to stop his newest development, he can’t resist enjoying her company before she finds out who he is and inevitably turns on him. When Wagner Development tries to buy the building that houses Val’s family restaurant, Val scrambles for solutions in everything from taking out a mortgage to organizing protests—but ultimately, it’s teaching Philip about the people who make the East Ward Waterfront a real community that saves the day. This love story is as much about setting as plot, with Taíno successfully transporting readers to a tightly knit fictional neighborhood, a close Puerto Rican family home, and a restaurant full of mouthwatering food. Readers won’t be disappointed.

July 1, 2021
It has taken Val Navarro eight months to get over a bad breakup. Now all Val wants to do is have some fun with her friends and family; she isn't looking for anything romantic. After all, Val's plate is already full helping run her family's Puerto Rican restaurant, not to mention working with community activists to keep the big, bad NYC real estate developer set on gentrifying her New Jersey neighborhood at bay. But when mutual friends introduce her to sexy businessman Philip, Val can't deny the spark of attraction she feels for him. However, that spark is quickly in danger of being permanently extinguished once Val discovers Philip's last name is Wagner; as in Wagner Developments: the very company trying to ruin her life! Ta�no infuses her superbly entertaining debut with plenty of sensual heat and sizzling chemistry, while at the same time, her joyful embrace of Latinx culture and a focus on family, friends, and food brings welcome depth and dimension to this vibrant contemporary romance.

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