Ep #213 – LUST & FOUND

“FROM DONUTS TO DURIAN”

This week Ana hosts the podcast with special guest author and donut aficionado Jackie Lau as they introduce our December theme Food in Romance

EP 213 HOST

> ANA COQUI (she/her) A lifelong genre reader, Ana grew up reading fantasy, sci-fi & mystery novels in Puerto Rico, before finally wandering into the romance section of the library in search of HEA’s after bawling through one too many dystopian novels. When she is not reading, knitting, writing about romance for Love in Panels or running #RomBkLove on Twitter as @anacoqui, Ana is a school librarian

EP 213 GUEST

JACKIE LAU (she/her) Jackie Lau decided she wanted to be a writer when she was in grade two, sometime between writing “The Heart That Got Lost” and “The Land of Shapes.” She later studied engineering and worked as a geophysicist before turning to writing romance novels. Jackie lives in Toronto with her husband, and despite living in Canada her whole life, she hates winter. When she’s not writing, she enjoys gelato, gourmet donuts, cooking, hiking, and reading on the balcony when it’s raining

Website: https://jackielaubooks.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JackieLauBooks

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jackielaubooks

FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/northernheat

EP 213 DISCUSSION

> Jackie and Ana briefly mention Jackie’s Kwan Sisters series, Grumpy Fake Boyfriend and Mr. Hotshot CEO

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39247954-grumpy-fake-boyfriend

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40038614-mr-hotshot-ceo

> You can find all of Jackie’s books here

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17814757.Jackie_Lau

> Jackie’s trade debut, Donut Fall in Love, featuring a donut baker MC is due from Berkley in Nov 2021

Announcement: https://twitter.com/jackielaubooks/status/1260650558131589121

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53417713-donut-fall-in-love

> Jackie is also planning an indie release in April 2021 featuring the neighbors to lovers trope, title tbd

> Jackie’s first pen name was Laura Jardine

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7920824.Laura_Jardine

> Title: Delicious Satisfaction (Delicious Desires #3)

Author: Sabrina Sol

Relation to theme: Chef MC

Representation: Mexican-American author; Puerto Rican-American MC, Mexican-American MC

Content Warnings: evil ex, legal problems

Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/lists/rombkpod-ana-recs/

Kindle: https://amzn.to/3fKaTVg

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34329546-delicious-satisfaction

> Ana mentions Delicious Temptation from the same series

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/series/162816-delicious-desires

> Title: The Coincidence of Coconut Cake

Author: Amy E. Reichert

Relation to theme: Chef MC, food critic MC

Representation: White author; white MCs

Content Warnings: mistaken identity, age gap

Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/lists/rombkpod-ana-recs/

Kindle: https://amzn.to/39R1zeu

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24396125-the-coincidence-of-coconut-cake

> Title: Truly (New York #1)

Author: Ruthie Knox

Relation to theme: Beekeeper/former chef MC

Representation: White author; white MCs

Content Warnings: evil ex, mugging, divorce

Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/lists/rombkpod-ana-recs/

Kindle: https://amzn.to/39Qj8eN

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21521738-truly

> Title: Short Soup

Author: Coleen Kwan

Relation to theme: MC’s families co-own restaurant

Representation: Chinese-Australian author, Chinese-Australian MCs

Content Warnings: divorce, past drug use

Bookshop: unavailable

Kindle: https://amzn.to/3cWVQpc

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17411143-short-soup

> Title: Wrong to Need You (Forbidden Hearts #2)

Author: Alisha Rai

Relation to theme: chef MC, restaurant owner MC

Representation: South Asian, queer author; South Asian, bi MC, Japanese-American, neuro-divergent MC

Content Warnings: past death of spouse, past death of sibling, wrongfully accused of a crime

Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/lists/rombkpod-ana-recs/

Kindle: https://amzn.to/39OknLa

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35030751-wrong-to-need-you

> Title: The Duke Who Didn’t (Wedgeford Trials #1)

Author: Courtney Milan

Relation to theme: MC’s father is a chef & is making his own sauce to sell

Representation: Chinese-American author, Chinese-English MCs

Content Warnings: racism, secret identity

Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/lists/rombkpod-ana-recs/

Kindle: https://amzn.to/3dOez7g

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55012301-the-duke-who-didn-t

> Title: The Worst Best Man

Author: Mia Sosa

Relation to theme: Lots of Brazilian food!

Representation: Afro-Latinx author; Brazilian-American MC, white MC

Content Warnings: broken engagement, parental abandonment

Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/lists/rombkpod-ana-recs/

Kindle: https://amzn.to/2R5z7f6

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43801254-the-worst-best-man

> Ana & Jackie also mention Acting on Impulse and the Love on Cue series which follows a set of siblings whose family owns a Puerto Rican restaurant

Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/lists/rombkpod-ana-recs/

Kindle: https://amzn.to/2WIV7iG

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35442397-acting-on-impulse

> Title: A Bollywood Affair

Author: Sonali Dev

Relation to theme: Lots of Indian food!

Representation: South Asian author; South Asian MCs

Content Warnings: none identified

Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/lists/rombkpod-ana-recs/

Kindle: https://amzn.to/3sXwDkl

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22146150-a-bollywood-affair

> Title: Thirsty (Eastside Brewery #1)

Author: Mia Hopkins

Relation to theme: MC learns beer brewing

Representation: Filipino-American author; Latinx MCs

Content Warnings: formerly incarcerated, gang affiliation, gang violence, toxic family, past death of partner, past death of a parent, past death of a sibling

Bookshop: unavailable

Kindle: https://amzn.to/3cX1rvR

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37909039-thirsty

> Title: Trashed (Eastside Brewery #2)

Author: Mia Hopkins

Relation to theme: chef MC

Representation: Filipino-American author: Latinx MCs

Content Warnings: formerly incarcerated, gang affiliation, gang violence, drug use, toxic family, past death of a parent, past death of a sibling

Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/lists/rombkpod-ana-recs/

Kindle: https://amzn.to/3wB2c5K

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45183303-trashed

> Title: American Dreamer (Dreamers #1)