Back of Book: 

When fate and tacos bring Ramón and Julieta together on the Day of the Dead, the star-crossed pair must make a choice: accept the bitter food rivalry that drives them apart or surrender to a love that consumes them.

Ramón Montez always achieves his goals. Whether that means collecting Ivy League degrees or growing his father's fast-food empire, nothing sets Ramón off course. So when the sexy señorita who kissed him on the Day of the Dead runs off into the night with his heart, he determines to do whatever it takes to find her again.

Celebrity chef Julieta Campos has sacrificed everything to save her sea-to-table taqueria from closing. To her horror, she discovers that her new landlord is none other than the magnetic mariachi she hooked up with on Dia de los Muertos. Even worse, it was his father who stole her mother's taco recipe decades ago. Julieta has no choice but to work with Ramón, the man who destroyed her life's work—and the one man who tempts and inspires her.

As San Diego's outraged community protests against the Taco King take-over and the divide between their families grows, Ramón and Julieta struggle to balance the rising tensions. But Ramón knows that true love is priceless and despite all of his successes, this is the one battle he refuses to lose.

Book Number: One 

Genre: Adult | Contemporary | Romance | Chick Lit

Review: 🌟🌟🌟

A "Romeo & Juliet" retelling featuring Latinx neighborhoods, tacos, sexual tension, enemies to lovers, billionaires, a feisty female chef, and did I mention sex?

Ramón Montez is the eldest son of a CEO of a taco empire known as Taco King. He's a workaholic who spends most of his time computing numbers so that his family business comes out on top. He's acquired college degrees from Ivy League colleges, has traveled the world, and own more cars and properties than one can possibly imagine. Julieta Campos is a stellar chef who bring Latinx culture to life through her authentic dishes. She has worked her butt of to get where she is today and no one is going to take that away from her. When the two meet dressed in traditional garb during the Day of the Dead celebration, sparks fly and both decide to put their worries aside and enjoy the night in each others company. Things get complicated when Julieta realizes that Ramón is a member of the esteemed Montez's that have a horrendous reputation in her Latinx neighborhood for "ruining tacos." Despite the complications, Ramón and Julieta cannot get enough of each other.

I picked this book up from the library for two reasons: I am a Shakespeare nerd and I love Latinx culture. I liked the ties in to "Romeo & Juliet" throughout this story. They met each other while dressed up so they didn't know each other's identities, their families hate each other, and their romance arc genuinely follows the narrative that "Romeo & Juliet" does (they fall in love, naively lust for each other despite the fact that they should hate each other, they have sex, and then get mad at each other for pretty much no reason after everything else they have already suffered through). So all in all, pretty much "Romeo & Juliet" but with adults rather than children and they didn't die at the end. The Latinx traditions were also spot on. It is fun to see the close knit lifestyles of the families and the neighborhoods. The Mexican food also sounds delicious, and I often found myself growing hungry as I read this.

I know that most people's main problems with this book is the romance itself, which I find understandable. I mean, Ramón literally comes in, buys Julieta's restaurant out from underneath her, flirts with her despite being her boss, convinces her that everything will be alright in the end, flaunts around his money like it is no big deal, and is often sexually motivated in his actions. I can see how this kind of a love interest would turn people away from this story. However, I feel like Ramón tried very hard not to scare Julieta away, attempted to be honest about his financial situation, and desperately wanted to persuade his father to do what was best for the block and the restaurant rather than what would make them the most money. No, he wouldn't be my go to book boyfriend, but I feel like he tries really hard to do better than how he was raised and fix the problems that he helped create.

I found the ending to be a bit interesting. The fact that as soon as their relationship got about as intimate as it gets, that's the moment that she decides to flip out? Julieta makes some interesting decisions in this book and I oftentimes can't see where she is coming from, but not trusting Ramón at the very end of the novel was just bizarre.

Overall, "Ramón and Julieta" was a diverse romance that hit on some harder topics. It is a bit steamier than I anticipated, but it is one of the first adult romances that I have read, so I'm not terribly surprised by this. I think that it is a fun take on the star-crossed lovers trope and I don't regret taking several evening out of my life to read this book. If one wants a Latinx romance between a sexy chef and a piece of billionaire eye candy, but is willing to deal with their semi-stupid decision making skills and doesn't mind steam, then this one would be a fun read for you. I am really intrigued to see that the sequel, "Kiss Me, Mi Amor" follows Ramón's younger brother. It gives me hope that this will be a trilogy following each of the Montez brothers. I enjoyed "Ramón and Julieta" enough to check out the rest of the series if I ever come across them.

Back of 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.

Book Number: Two 

Genre: Adult | Contemporary | Romance | Chick Lit

Review: ?