A RESTLESS ROMANTIC Felix Pascual misses being someone’s boyfriend, which is why he’s willing to get set up by the only Hernandez he’ll admit to liking (out loud)—Lola. But when he gets to the restaurant he finds that Lola has matched him up with none other than Joaquin Delgado, a man who has never shown one iota of interest in him.. And Joaquin doesn’t seem any more open to Felix’s unique charms … unique charms this time around . . .
A SKEPTICAL SUITOR
Joaquin will do anything for his grandmother. Even give a foul-mouthed, flashy Puerto Rican caterer who gets on his nerves—and makes him thirsty all at once—a chance to run his kitchen after he’s injured. After all, it’s just a few weeks. And he won’t be tempted since he’s given up on dating anyway . . .
A MATCH MADE IN SOUTH BEACH
But Felix won’t give up without the satisfaction of getting Joaquin to admit that he wants him. Felix is stubborn, and his growing desire for Joaquin is about proving a point. After all, it can’t possibly turn into something real . . .
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Review:
I picked up this book, excited because it featured Puerto Rican leads. Given the growing interest in diverse characters, I was thrilled to give this book a try.
There are many aspects of the novel to recommend it. The characters are likeable and there is a lot of chemistry between them. They have great dialogue and their motivations are clear. Joaquin is a work-a-holic who could use some training in employee motivation and retainment. Felix is getting over a broken heart and plan on moving to New York for a new chance at life. There’s no question that the conflicts in this story promised to be strong, internal ones and I was ready for it.
However, I quickly got lost. Part of the problem was certainly me – perhaps I should have read the other installments of the series. There were a lot of assumptions about things I should have known but simply didn’t. For example, what could have been a great chance to reinforce the nature and importance of extended family in Latinx culture ended up being a kind of name-dump because I missed out on the earlier installments. As a result, I couldn’t assign importance to anyone outside of the main pairing and Lola.
This carries me to my next major point. These are Puerto Rican/Cuban/Caribbean folks. But I just didn’t feel it. Like, what about the food and the language, the code switching and the Spanglish, the funny habits and quirks that make us who we are? There is the fact that there is no one way to be Latinx but perhaps a concession would have made me happy. For example, Lola is a transplant – what else is she besides match maker? Again, I lay the blame squarely on myself, for reading the books out of order so I’m going to assume that her background, as well as others, was addressed and developed in those books.
Structurally, the beats were good and the leads adorable together. I felt the conflict could have been solved with a quick conversation. Roman was not a formidable villain and was almost cartoonish. However, he was intriguing because he served to make Felix desirable and sometimes, that’s a goal in itself.
Overall, I’m giving it a 4 because it’s a quick, fun and engaging read that you’ll certainly enjoy more if you’ve done the work of reading the other books. Now I’m off to look for a book featuring Lola .
I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
All Hours has things heating up and not just in the kitchen. This is a sweet story of two men finding that they’ve been looking for love in all the wrong places and never expecting to find it with the other. Felix is an intuitive chef with his own catering business. Joaquin is a classically trained chef with a Michelin star restaurant. When these two get together the things they cook up are delicious. I really like these two guys and loved watching them find each other.
I really wanted to love it. I love MM and I love restaurant/cooking/chef stories. It was just okay for me.. The chemistry between Joaquin and Felix was pretty good with some decent steam….it just felt forced I guess. It all seemed to happen in a blink of an eye but also seemed to be super repetitive with alot of the details. Perhaps some parts needed more fleshing out. I may want to head back to other One Night stories though. Seems there is alot there to delve into in some of her other stories.
This book was such a delight. It was my favorite since book 3, and I think it capped off the series perfectly.
Joaquin Delgado comes from a very big, boisterous, wealthy, Cuban-American family. He thinks he has everything he needs in life. His toxic, homophobic father is finally out of his life for good. His mom is in recovery from her pill addiction, and he’s also made strides in being closer to his younger sister. He owns his own Michelin star rated restaurant in Miami, called Cielo, which has always been his dream, and he runs a tight ship in his kitchen. He might yell at his staff a little more than he should, but they all knew what they were signing up for. Now, he just needs to convince his abuela, Lola, that he doesn’t need a boyfriend, and his life is fine the way it is. As if she’d ever take that for an answer.
Felix Pascual and his sister grew up in NYC, and moved to Miami as adults. They are Puerto Rican, and Felix portrays his heritage well in his cooking. He has just gotten out of a very unhealthy relationship, and he’s not sure if he’s ready to move on to someone new yet. He’s a fantastic caterer, but he’s had thoughts of opening a restaurant. Of course it would never be anything fancy and untouchable like Cielo, though. He would want it to be more homey, and have a more comfortable feel. After all he’s a great cook, but he’s not a classically trained chef like Joaquin. He’s always been attracted to Joaquin, but he doesn’t think Joaquin could be interested in him. When Joaquin injures his shoulder, and needs help in Cielo’s kitchen, Lola calls Felix to fill in for him. Joaquin isn’t a fan of the idea at first, but Felix impresses him enough to let him stay and help.
Joaquin and Felix had a strong attraction, once they really let themselves SEE each other. They each had wrong impressions of the other from interactions in the past at family gatherings, etc. (Felix’s sister is married to Joaquin’s cousin, and their story is book 2 in the series.) I liked that they were both finally willing to see beyond the surface of each other, and ended up loving what they found. Their connection was hot, and they still managed to ease into it over time, which I enjoyed.
Joaquin really had to pay more attention to his body and taking care of himself, as he’s edging toward 40. Being in the kitchen 24/7 just isn’t the same as it was in his 20’s. He also had to learn to open himself up to the people who love him. He had walls so high, and never really learned to express his emotions, other than anger. Felix had to learn to take care of his emotional well-being, and self esteem. His ex (who was a TOTAL narcissistic nightmare. Ew.) did a number on him with backhanded compliments, and faint praise, and infidelity. Felix had to figure out what his true worth was before he could believe in what he and Joaquin were building.
This is the final book in this series, and I really loved watching these two awesome men get their HEA. There was a great epilogue that ended things so well, and I just enjoyed it so much. I’m looking forward to what comes next from the author!