Friday Friends: Real people, real places – #FridayFriends #RealRomance @SadiraStone

Welcome to another installment of my Friday Friends feature, where I showcase members of my author community whom I particularly appreciate.

Today my spotlight falls on Sadira Stone (https://sadirastone.com/all-books/), one of my favorite romance authors. In a genre rife with stereotypes and tired tropes, Sadira’s books provide a breath of fresh air. Her distinctive characters don’t fit into neat little boxes. They’re not all young or beautiful, and very few of them are rich. Their ethnic backgrounds vary and contribute to who they are. Most importantly, their lives encompass more than just love and romance. They have jobs and career aspirations, often involving their own businesses. They have families, with all the messiness that can entail.

The other delightful aspect of Sadira’s books is their strong sense of place. She has several series, set in different locations: the Bangers Tavern books, focused around a funky bar and grill in Tacoma, Washington; the Trapper’s Cove novels, set in a picturesque beach town on the Oregon coast; Bookstore Nirvana, in the university town of Eugene, Oregon. Having read many of these books, I feel as though I’ve visited each of these places. Furthermore, place is often an important component of the plot in a Sadira Stone romance. Her characters struggle to retain the distinctive, individual quality of their home towns against the threat of gentrification.

Finally, I deeply admire Sadira’s ability to write steamy scenes that capture the special quality of making love to someone about whom you care deeply. Love and lust merge beautifully and seamlessly in her books, mere attraction yielding to deeper and more enduring feelings.

Oh, one more thing! Sadira likes to cook, so her books feature some delicious-sounding food. Be prepared to have your mouth water, and not just because of some hunky hero!

Of course, if you follow Beyond Romance, you already know about Sadira, since I’ve reviewed many of her books here. Here’s a sampling:

Delicious Heat (Bangers Tavern series)

 

After kicking her cheating husband to the curb, nurse Anna Khoury discovers she’s pregnant. When Bangers Tavern’s hunky chef makes heart eyes at her, she dismisses that delicious thrill as the last thing she needs. Single motherhood will take all her strength and focus. Anna’s battered heart can’t take another blow.

Chef Diego Vargas is aiming higher than burgers and tater tots. His dream—his own food truck, the Empanada Angel, but he’ll need his family’s support to pull it off. Meeting Anna leaves him thunderstruck, even though his attraction to her threatens all his plans. Call it fate, call him crazy, but he’s determined to prove he’s in it for keeps.

With a belligerent ex-husband and two overprotective families set on breaking them up, Anna and Diego will need more than red-hot passion to pull them through. His career and her baby’s future are on the line.

Come back to Bangers Tavern for a spicy tale of forbidden love that will warm your heart…and other parts…and make you hungry for empanadas! 

Review: https://lisabetsarai.blogspot.com/2022/01/review-tuesday-moved-to-wednesday.html

Passionate Brew (Trapper’s Cove series)

 

Salty Dog Brewery is Ryan Lee’s pride and joy, but he can’t run it alone. When his head brewer retires on short notice, Ryan needs a replacement ASAP. Enter sultry, sharp-tongued Lilo, the brewer’s daughter and protegee. She’s smart, talented, and oh so tempting, but her weird niche beers are the last thing Salty Dog needs.

For the love of her dad, Lilo Eisinger reluctantly puts her ambitions on hold to help Ryan, the smug, handsome jerk she’s loathed since middle school. This new partnership could spark medal-winning opportunities for both of them, but her success depends on opening his narrow mind—and resisting the temptation to seduce the boss.

Working side by side ignites sizzling desire. But when a high-stakes craft beer competition arouses their fierce rivalry, can new love survive this battle of wills?

Review: https://lisabetsarai.blogspot.com/2023/07/review-tuesday-passionate-brew-by.html

Through the Red Door (Book Nirvana series)

Clara

Unless I find a lifeline, my bookstore will close its doors forever. My best shot at saving Book Nirvana is my late husband’s collection of rare, racy books, but I’m not ready to open that red door and face the flood of memories. And I’m not ready to open my heart again, even if the two new men in my life tempt me to try.

Nick

I came to Book Nirvana in search of antique bawdy books and fell hard for lovely, lonely Clara. As a widower, I understand her skittishness, but the spark between us is undeniable. My academic connections could rebuild her clientele, but if she discovers my secret scandal, her fragile trust will shatter.

Dalton

I’m over the moon for beautiful, bookish Clara, but how can a teacher like me compete with a suave professor like Nick? Clara and I have so much in common, and our sweet friendship could bloom into something deeper if it weren’t for my rival’s grip on the vulnerable widow. I don’t trust him, and neither should she.

Come to Book Nirvana for chosen family, laughter and tears, sizzling passion, and a love triangle for the ages.

Review: https://lisabetsarai.blogspot.com/2025/05/review-tuesday-through-red-door-by.html

 

Sadira Stone

I hear that Sadira’s working on a brand new series, focused around the “tiny houses” movement. I’m looking forward to it!