RECIPE FOR PERSUASION by Sonali Dev: Review

Posted August 17, 2020 in Reviews / 1 Comment

RECIPE FOR PERSUASION by Sonali Dev: ReviewRecipe for Persuasion by Sonali Dev
Series: The Rajes #2
Published by William Morrow Paperbacks
Publication Date: May 26th 2020
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 464
Source: Publisher
Format: eARC
Goodreads
Buy Online: Amazon  B&N  Kobo  Apple   Google

Disclaimer: I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book. All opinions stated are solely mine.

From the author of Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors comes another , clever, deeply layered, and heartwarming romantic comedy that follows in the Jane Austen tradition—this time, with a twist on Persuasion.

Chef Ashna Raje desperately needs a new strategy. How else can she save her beloved restaurant and prove to her estranged, overachieving mother that she isn’t a complete screw up? When she’s asked to join the cast of Cooking with the Stars, the latest hit reality show teaming chefs with celebrities, it seems like just the leap of faith she needs to put her restaurant back on the map. She’s a chef, what’s the worst that could happen? 

Rico Silva, that’s what.  

Being paired with a celebrity who was her first love, the man who ghosted her at the worst possible time in her life, only proves what Ashna has always believed: leaps of faith are a recipe for disaster. 

FIFA winning soccer star Rico Silva isn’t too happy to be paired up with Ashna either. Losing Ashna years ago almost destroyed him. The only silver lining to this bizarre situation is that he can finally prove to Ashna that he’s definitely over her. 

But when their catastrophic first meeting goes viral, social media becomes obsessed with their chemistry. The competition on the show is fierce…and so is the simmering desire between Ashna and Rico.  Every minute they spend together rekindles feelings that pull them toward their disastrous past. Will letting go again be another recipe for heartbreak—or a recipe for persuasion…? 

In Recipe for Persuasion, Sonali Dev once again takes readers on an unforgettable adventure in this fresh, fun, and enchanting romantic comedy.

 

Review

I’m probably one of the few people that have not read Persuasion so I had no idea what to expect, but the blurb piqued my interest and I do have to say that the story was very far from the rom-com it was billed as.

The story deals with a lot of heavy and tragic issues and should have come with a trigger warning for them. Despite that, I enjoyed this story a lot. 

Ashna and Rico captured my heart as they navigated the unresolved feelings from their teenage romance as well as rekindled emotions in the spotlight as they are partnered in a reality cooking competition. Misunderstandings, lingering feelings, and the glare of the cameras all add up to some very interesting times and I enjoyed their journey to figuring out things between them. The unexpected secondary story of Shobi, Ashna’s mom was very heartbreaking and showed great courage on her part.

I loved Ms. Dev’s writing style as she paints very vivid pictures of her characters and their surroundings. All of this against the backdrop of the rich and colorful Indian culture and food made for a really great story. This is my first book from Ms. Dev and while I look forward to reading more from her, this book sets the tone for what I can expect from her.

 

About Sonali Dev

Sonali Dev’s first literary work was a play about mistaken identities performed at her neighborhood Diwali extravaganza in Mumbai. She was eight years old. Despite this early success, Sonali spent the next few decades getting degrees in architecture and written communication, migrating across the globe, and starting a family while writing for magazines and websites. With the advent of her first gray hair her mad love for telling stories returned full force, and she now combines it with her insights into Indian culture to conjure up stories that make a mad tangle with her life as supermom, domestic goddess, and world traveler.

Sonali lives in the Chicago suburbs with her very patient and often amused husband and two teens who demand both patience and humor, and the world’s most perfect dog.


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