A Delicious Dilemma

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. [em](Sept.) [/em]