Recipe for Persuasion: A Novel

by Sonali Dev Narrated by Soneela Nankani

Overview

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.

Editorial Reviews

JULY 2020 - AudioFile

Soneela Nankani returns to narrate the second installment in the Raje family series, loosely based on Jane Austen’s popular novels. This retelling of PERSUASION focuses on Ashna Raje, who is struggling to keep her late father’s Indian restaurant afloat. When her cousin offers her a spot on a new cooking show, Ashna agrees, hoping the prize money will save her. What she doesn’t know is that she’ll be partnered with Rico Silva, her first love, whom she hasn’t seen since high school. Nankani skillfully handles the range of accents needed for this multiethnic story and particularly shines in rendering the characters’ deeper, sometimes painful, emotions, including those of lost love, grief, and family obligations. Humor and the expected happily-ever-after ending lighten the more serious themes. C.B.L. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine

Publishers Weekly

★ 03/16/2020

Dev continues the story of the Raje family (after Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors) with this nuanced and powerful second chance romance, a loose riff on Jane Austen’s Persuasion. Chef Ashna Raje fights to keep her late father’s Palo Alto Indian restaurant afloat while locking horns with her mother, a high-profile women’s rights activist who pushes Ashna to let go of her failing dream. In a fit of defiance, Ashna signs on to a reality TV cooking show, hoping the publicity and prize money will fend off her financial woes. This decision places Ashna squarely in the path of Brazilian football sensation Rico Silva, the man whose heart Ashna shattered in high school and her new partner on Cooking with the Stars. The fast-paced world of reality TV makes for a fun backdrop as Ashna and Rico grapple with their feelings, especially as the viewers pick up on their chemistry and #Ashico, their couple name, goes viral. Dev balances the toe-curling romance with high-octane family drama, fleshing out Ashna’s strained relationship with her mother with touching flashbacks to her parents’ past. Dev’s candor and sensitivity in both story lines set this family-centric romance apart. Readers are sure to be impressed. Agent: Claudia Cross, Folio Literary.(June)

From the Publisher

"A delight from start to finish, both for Jane Austen fans looking for a fresh take and readers seeking deeply felt relationships and complicated family dynamics. In Dev's world, the past is alive in the present; I was wholly engrossed and had plenty to think about. At the same time, the reality TV storyline added a thread of pure fun escapism—something all of us need right now." — Joshilyn Jackson, New York Times bestselling author 

“Clever allusions to Persuasion aside (even Jane Austen fans will be challenged to spot them all), this is a sumptuously multilayered story about the ways love gets tangled in family life and romantic relationships.” — Library Journal (starred review)

"Dev continues the story of the Raje family with this nuanced and powerful second chance romance, a loose riff on Jane Austen’s Persuasion. Dev balances the toe-curling romance with high-octane family drama...[her] candor and sensitivity in both story lines set this family-centric romance apart. Readers are sure to be impressed." — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"No one writes like Sonali Dev. Recipe for Persuasion is a complex, thoughtful exploration of family dynamics, mothers and daughters, and the sorrows we often endure before we find our true place in life. A rich, delicious tale." — Barbara O'Neal, Wall Street Journal bestselling author of When We Believed in Mermaids

"Master storyteller Sonali Dev pens another fantastic Jane Austen retelling with this intricately layered tale of the complexities of familial and romantic love. Full of yearning and wit—and featuring a delicious hero—this book is not to be missed!" — Jamie Beck, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author

A must read... this heartwarming romantic comedy promises to make us laugh and tug at our heartstrings.” — She Reads

"Sonali Dev does it again!  In a nod to Austen’s classic, Recipe for Persuasion dices up family drama, slow-boils the romance between Chef Ashna and footballer, Rico Silva, as they come to terms with their past and their current feelings Master Chef-style. You will gobble up this Dev concoction like your favorite dessert … and then you’ll want seconds." — Falguni Kothari, USA Today bestselling author

Praise for Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors: “A profound, unique talent, Sonali Dev grabs the reader by the heart.” — Kristan Higgins, New York Times bestselling author

“This book is delicious! A window into a beautifully rich family and cultural life, and romance that made our hearts glow, Dev has a place of honor on our bookshelves!”  — Christina Lauren, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author

Barbara O'Neal

"No one writes like Sonali Dev. Recipe for Persuasion is a complex, thoughtful exploration of family dynamics, mothers and daughters, and the sorrows we often endure before we find our true place in life. A rich, delicious tale."

Joshilyn Jackson

"A delight from start to finish, both for Jane Austen fans looking for a fresh take and readers seeking deeply felt relationships and complicated family dynamics. In Dev's world, the past is alive in the present; I was wholly engrossed and had plenty to think about. At the same time, the reality TV storyline added a thread of pure fun escapism—something all of us need right now."

She Reads

A must read... this heartwarming romantic comedy promises to make us laugh and tug at our heartstrings.

Falguni Kothari

"Sonali Dev does it again!  In a nod to Austen’s classic, Recipe for Persuasion dices up family drama, slow-boils the romance between Chef Ashna and footballer, Rico Silva, as they come to terms with their past and their current feelings Master Chef-style. You will gobble up this Dev concoction like your favorite dessert … and then you’ll want seconds."

Christina Lauren

This book is delicious! A window into a beautifully rich family and cultural life, and romance that made our hearts glow, Dev has a place of honor on our bookshelves!” 

Kristan Higgins

Praise for Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors: “A profound, unique talent, Sonali Dev grabs the reader by the heart.

Jamie Beck

"Master storyteller Sonali Dev pens another fantastic Jane Austen retelling with this intricately layered tale of the complexities of familial and romantic love. Full of yearning and wit—and featuring a delicious hero—this book is not to be missed!"

Shelf Awareness

"Dev has a well-deserved reputation for excellence in multicultural women’s fiction and fans are certain to love this latest."

NPR

Vivid and deliciously enticing, Dev’s storytelling is layered with emotional depth as she draws us into Trisha and DJ’s story… a flavorful harmony of cross-cultural unions, familial love, and an entertaining ensemble of characters that will leave readers with a serious craving for more.” 

Library Journal

★ 05/01/2020

In the follow-up to Dev's smash hit Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors, timid Ashna Raje of the royal Raje clan struggles to keep her father's renowned Indian restaurant, Curried Dreams, alive. The chance to save her business comes when she's offered a spot as a chef on the reality show Cooking with the Stars. The catch? Her celebrity partner is none other than Rico Silva, ex-soccer star and boy whose heart she broke as a teenager. A viral moment at the start of the show throws fans into a frenzy, cheering for a relationship between the former lovers. Added to the mix is Ashna's volatile relationship with her mother, Shoban, an award-winning humanitarian who shows up on Ashna's doorstep unexpectedly. As the story unfolds in the present, flashbacks from the perspectives of teenage Ashna, Rico, and even Shoban reveal secrets that add dimension to their characters. VERDICT Clever allusions to Persuasion aside (even Jane Austen fans will be challenged to spot them all), this is a sumptuously multilayered story about the ways love gets tangled in family life and romantic relationships. Highly recommended.—Kathryn Howe, Saint John Free P.L., NB

JULY 2020 - AudioFile

Soneela Nankani returns to narrate the second installment in the Raje family series, loosely based on Jane Austen’s popular novels. This retelling of PERSUASION focuses on Ashna Raje, who is struggling to keep her late father’s Indian restaurant afloat. When her cousin offers her a spot on a new cooking show, Ashna agrees, hoping the prize money will save her. What she doesn’t know is that she’ll be partnered with Rico Silva, her first love, whom she hasn’t seen since high school. Nankani skillfully handles the range of accents needed for this multiethnic story and particularly shines in rendering the characters’ deeper, sometimes painful, emotions, including those of lost love, grief, and family obligations. Humor and the expected happily-ever-after ending lighten the more serious themes. C.B.L. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940177942315
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	05/26/2020
Series:	The Rajes Series , #2
Edition description:	Unabridged

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