About the book
It turns out that a fake relationship is the perfect recipe for a love that sizzles hotter than Santa Barbara’s spiciest salsa—when it’s between enemies.…
Enrique Montez, smooth-talking heir to the Taco King empire, is man enough to admit that he made a critical error when he underestimated Carolina Flores. The agricultural hotshot should have been an easy conquest—who would turn down the chance to partner with California’s largest fast-food chain? But instead of signing her name on the dotted line, Carolina has Enrique eating out of the palm of her hand, and when fate steps in with an unexpected opportunity, Enrique is willing to do whatever it takes to capture her heart.
Growing up as the daughter of farmworkers, Carolina spent her youth picking strawberries in the fields of Santa Maria and vowing to improve the lives of people like her parents. Now, as one of only a few Latina farm owners, she has no time for romance and she’s certainly not about to let the notorious Montez brother anywhere near her business—even if just being near Enrique makes her skin tingle.
But she is willing to let him help get her overinvolved family off her back. When Carolina’s father and her lovelorn sisters mistake Enrique for her (nonexistent) boyfriend, she reluctantly agrees to a series of pretend dates to their town’s traditional Mexican-American holiday celebrations. Soon the fake feelings turn real and both Carolina and Enrique must convince each other to take a chance on love before their vacation romance is over.
My Review
While I didn’t read the first book in the series, I was hopeful I could jump into the story following Carolina Flores and Enrique Montez – two very different individuals that come together in the name of business. I didn’t feel like I was playing too much catch up from the first book – while I was able to guess what characters were spotlighted prior, this storyline was firmly on Carolina and Enrique, which I could appreciate as a true standalone. But that’s really where the positives end for me. It was pretty difficult to read about Carolina’s family life – her father is a very strict Catholic and borders on abusing his daughters in the name of “family” and “protection” and even though Carolina owns the farm and house they all live in, he kicks her out because she wants a boyfriend – while she is well into her twenties. Enrique is the man she is interested in, and while Carolina has worked all her life on a farm getting her hands dirty, Enrique is known for counting money and courting women. The two are incredibly different yet still drawn to one another, and Carolina forgoes following her father’s rules to be with him.
I wanted to appreciate the love story but the writing was very show not tell, some of the scenes were quite out there and the fake relationship just didn’t hit the way some can. I found myself speed reading throughout, hoping at some point I could get invested but it just wasn’t for me. Not a series I would look to continue.
2 stars
