GRR Reviews Claiming Carlos (Sanchez Sisters Book 2) by Rachelle Ayala

Claiming Carlos is a contemporary romance set within the context of a large Filipino family and a family restaurant, between a woman refuse to let her one mistake ruin her life, and a guy who aspired to be more than just a cook. The family dynamics is what sets thsi romance above average, but one can't help but feel the chemistry between the two are not quite there.

Concepcion "Choco" Sanchez had been best friends with the head cook, Carlos Lopez, at the family Filipino restaurant in San Diego, CA for a very long time. Both are comfortable with each other, neither wanted the relationship changed. That was shattered when a restaurant consultant Johnny Dee came to make over the restaurant... AND Choco as well. Choco fell head over heels with Johnny Dee, and Carlos is not taking that lying down. Who is Johnny Dee, and why is Choco's father letting Johnny's mother Miranda make over the restaurant? Does this have something to do with Choco's secret? When someone threatened to expose Choco's secret in order to get Choco away from Carlos, so cousin Julia can marry Carlos, Choco walked away, but Carlos wasn't ready to let that happen, even without a penny to his name...

While the family dynamics are great (Choco and her mother need to "take back" the restaurant as Miranda was turning it into some "New Age Filipino thing" and there were funny scene when that happened, while Carlos need to figure out what are his intentions toward Julia and Choco), somehow the relationship between Choco and Carlos was never quite defined. It's as if the two were in love with each other but both thought of it as friendship until a new factor, Johnny Dee, forced them to confront their feelings. Once they figured it out, then it became a regular romance push-pull with outside complications, like family and friends and obligations and so on. I think the transition could have been a little smoother.

Category: Contemporary

Primary Plot: Woman must confront her feelings for head cook when a new restaurant consultant swept her off her feet

Tropes: restaurant, chef, triangle, friends to lovers, blackmail, triangle

Overall Rating:  4/5