A Complex Flavor Profile

Rating:  5 out of 5 stars

Source: Review Copy from Publisher

Following her stellar modern-day Pride and Prejudice adaptation, Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors, Sonali Dev’s second book in The Rajes Series, Recipe for Persuasion combines the flavors of Jane Austen’s novel about second chances with complicated family dynamics and cultural diversity. In this standalone story, readers see Ashna Raje, the reserved and timid thirty-year-old chef and owner of Curried Dreams – her father’s restaurant – do the unthinkable and compete in a reality cooking show competition. Ashna isn’t one to do put herself on public display and her feelings about cooking are complicated, but her restaurant needs saving and Ashna has the determination to prove all the naysayers in her life wrong.

Ashna’s misgivings about participating in Cooking with the Stars intensifies exponentially when she learns the celebrity teammate she is paired with is…Rico Silva. The internationally-recognized professional soccer player who she fell in love with in high school yet hasn’t seen or heard from in twelve years!! But Rico isn’t the only person to have left Ashna… Long ago Ashna’s mom, Shoban, made the choice to stay in India and pursue her important advocacy work for women’s rights and sports for girls instead of moving to America with Ashna and her father. And since then their relationship has deteriorated to one of resentment, pain, and insurmountable distance. Saving Curried Dreams, appearing on Cooking with the Stars, facing Rico, and talking to her mother…poor Ashna has her plate full!

After deeply loving and admiring Sonali Dev’s brilliant gender-swap and culturally diverse Pride and Prejudice adaptation, I must admit it was a challenge not to have high expectations for Recipe for Persuasion. But I needn’t have worried. Sonali Dev found some incredibly profound correlations to Persuasion to feature in her story. Ones that are so understated, discerning, and beautifully connected. Persuasion isn’t just a tale about regret and being persuaded by others, it is also a story about growing up without a mother, being a daughter with limited rights/options, and permitting yourself to have what you want most. Ashna’s difficult relationship with her mother and Shoban’s own heartrending secrets were exceptionally moving storylines that were surprising yet astute choices for a Persuasion inspired story.

Another Persuasion connection/parallel I greatly enjoyed in this story were the modern-day Anne and Wentworth recreations – Ashna and Rico. Like Anne, Ashna has been neglected by members of her family. But unlike Anne, there are many scenes from her childhood that have intensely hurt Ashna and left deep scars. Many people in Ashna’s life view her as fragile, and she may appear that way because of her sadness and burdens, but there is a part of Ashna that is fierce, independent, and strong. And it is a part of herself that only one other person has seen…*sigh* I love Rico. I love how he purposefully causes his reentrance into Ashna’s life, and I love how his reasons for it are about wanting closure and answers. I loved every moment of Rico and Ashna together – there is so much they don’t say, so much in their past, so much we learn and witness along the way. It was a riveting journey.

I must devote this next paragraph to Sonali Dev’s beautiful writing style. It is poetic, vivid, and full of emotion and metaphor. With such tangible feelings described, the reader is easily pulled into these characters’ world and feel an intrinsic connection to them. I am very grateful for the flashback scenes of Ashna’s, Rico’s, and Shoban’s pasts which further enhances the reader’s understanding of these characters personalities and decisions. Some of these characters may be hard to like or understand at first, but that can change as the layers begin to peel away.

Like a master chef creating an elevated offering from a beloved classic dish, Sonali Dev’s homage to Jane Austen’s Persuasion is full of complex components, vibrant layers, and subtle notes of Jane Austen that work together harmoniously. Recipe for Persuasion is most worthy of praise, and is a story I heartily recommend! I so hope we soon hear that another book in this remarkable series is in this works! *fingers crossed for it to be about Yash…with maybe a S&S tie in?*

Note: Due to the use of strong language and the occasional references to intimate encounters (nothing explicit), I’d recommend this book for readers over the age of 14.

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