10 Jul / Recipe for Persuasion [The Rajes series, Book 2] by Sonali Dev [in Booklist]
They’re baaaaaaak, with Soneela Nankani repeating her aural support for welcome consistency. Bestselling Sonali Dev continues her Austen-inspired series starring the Indian royalty-descended, Northern California-established Raje family. Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors (2019) introduced the extended clan, matching neurosurgeon Trisha with chef DJ. In #2, Dev’s focus turns to more-sister-than-cousin Ashna, channeling Persuasion’s second-chance love plot.
Being raised with the rest of the Raje siblings provided Ashna much-needed sanctuary from her own dysfunctional parents. But at 30, Ashna’s still dutifully running her late father’s Curried Dreams restaurant and still estranged from her high-power mother, who continues to save the other side of the world. With the restaurant faltering, Ashna succumbs to familial pressure to join Cooking with the Stars, a reality show on which she’s paired with … wait for it … the first and only – albeit disappearing – love of her life, just-retired football (never soccer) star Rico Silva. You got it: sparks fly.
Overly remarked-upon hair buns aside (Nankani’s eyerolls can practically be heard), Dev elevates her latest confection with serious issues – domestic abuse, marital rape, suicide – for improved literary satisfaction.
Review: “Media,” Booklist Online, June 19, 2020
Readers: Adult
Published: 2020