ROMeANTICALLY CHALLENGED: A Perfect RomCom Beach Read

· When in Rome Book 1 · Kensington Books
4.8
11 reviews
Ebook
320
Pages
Eligible

About this ebook

Amazon Best Romance of the Month 
Publishers Marketplace BuzzBooks: ROMANCE 2020-2021 pick
Fresh Fiction Fresh Pick

“Fun, flirty, and fresh!”
—Jill Shalvis, New York Times bestselling author

 
A witty, sexy, and charming story from the New York Times bestselling author of the St. Helena Vineyard series that fans of Emily Henry, Jen DeLuca, and Kate Clayborn will adore.
 
Growing up the lone Asian in a community of WASPs, Annie has always felt out of place.  Her solution?  Start a family of her own. Not easy when every man she’s dated, including her ex-fiancé, finds “his person” right after breaking up with Annie. Even worse than canceling the wedding eight weeks beforehand?  Learning the “other woman” plans to walk down the aisle wearing her wedding gown. New plan—find a fresh, man-free start. Too bad her exit strategy unexpectedly lands her working at a hospital in Rome, Rhode Island, rather than Rome, Italy, and sharing a cabin with a big, brooding, and annoyingly hot male roommate.
 
Home on medical leave after covering a literally explosive story in China, investigative photojournalist Emmitt embarks on his most important assignment—cementing his place in his daughter’s life. Three men and a baby might work in the movies, but with a stepdad and devoted uncle competing for Paisley’s attention, Emmitt has lost his place at the family table. Then there’s the adorably sexy squatter in his cabin, who poses another problem, one he’d very much like to solve up close and personal. But he can’t win—Annie has sworn off men, Paisley’s gone boy crazy, and Emmitt’s estranged father reappears with a secret that changes everything.
 
Annie and Emmitt are about to discover love comes in many forms, and sometimes the best families are the ones we make.

“Phenomenal…I highly recommend picking up a copy if this novel, it will have you crying, laughing and yelling but most of all you will end with a warm happy feeling that comes from reading a first class novel.”
—Harlequin Junkie, Recommended Read

 
“I cannot fully express how in awe I am with Marina Adair’s ability to create such complex and multi-faceted characters. “
—The Lit Buzz


“Marina Adair is a breath of fresh air…Don't miss a word from this magnificent author!”Darynda Jones, New York Times bestselling author
 
“Fans of Jill Shalvis and Susan Mallery will enjoy the modern family dynamic and small-town atmosphere.”
—Booklist

 
“An adorable, fun new contemporary romance series. Delightful.”
Library Journal

“A hilarious romantic comedy”
—Bookpage

 
“A delight…entertaining, endearing, and realistic.”
—Frolic

 
"A true gem."
—Fresh Fiction

Ratings and reviews

4.8
11 reviews
Yvonne Cruz
July 21, 2020
This first book in this new series is one with a multitude of stories and I have to confess that it wasn’t until I was 1/3 of the book that I started to get into it. First we had Annie, a physician assistant, who has moved to Rome, RI, for a new beginning after being dumped by her fiancee. On top of that, she’s also dealing with her identity as an adopted Vietnamese who feels she’s an “in-between” meaning , while being raised by supportive and loving Caucasian parents, she is not white, and she has little or no connection to the culture of her country of birth. Then we have internationally acclaimed photojournalist, and known “player” Emmitt. He’s back in Rome to not only visit his daughter, one that he knew nothing for the first 5 years of her life, but also to recover from injuries that almost cost him his life. In addition to the recovery and desire to reconnect with his teenage daughter whom he sees every few months, he has issues with trust, and still mourns his mother. Add to that the family dynamics or lack thereof with his father, as well as his daughter’s 2 other “Dads” and you have a lot going on in the story. I wish the author would have had less sub-plots, and focused on the story of Annie’s “in-between” feelings and her journey of self-discovery, as well as Emmitt’s issues with trust and love. These were touching and thought provoking issues. My first inclination is to give the story a 3 stars rating, but not only have a great deal of respect for this author, but knowing that she put her heart and her feelings into giving the reader Annie’s story, I will give it 4 stars. I was entrusted a copy of this book by Netgalley and Kensington Books. The opinions expressed are solely my own.
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Bette Hansen
July 28, 2020
This wonderful book is a fantastic start to a fun new series by one of my favorite authors. This story is fun, flirty and sexy! Annie and Emmitt won my heart from the very beginning and they kept me entertained all the way through the book. Their chemistry is intense and as they try to resist each other you just know there is no way they can do it. This story hit all my emotional buttons and had me laughing at some points while crying at others. Definitely a book for the must read list. I highly recommend it.
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Thuy Phan
July 4, 2020
Yay! Finally an Asian heroine that I can totally relate with. RomeAntically Challenged was a wonderful story about self discovery on both the hero and heroine's part, and how that self discovery lead to romance and finding the person and family you're meant to be with. An emotionally charged story that I can totally relate to because I am Vietnamese-American and just like Anh Nhi (Annie) I too often felt like she did throughout the story. Aside from the adoption part everything she was feeling, I have felt too. And Emmitt. Wow. His family issues and him trying to find a place in his daughter's life. Heart totally melted. I loved every minute of this story and the journey that Anh and Emmitt took to reach their HEA, which they both deserved so much. *I voluntarily read an advance copy of this book*
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About the author

Marina Adair is a #1 National bestselling author with over a million books sold. Marina graduated magna cum laude with a Master of Fine arts in creative writing and her St. Helena Vineyard series was the inspiration behind the original Hallmark Channel Vineyard movies: Autumn in the Vineyard, Summer in the Vineyard, and Valentines in the Vineyard. She currently lives with her husband, daughter, and two neurotic cats in Northern California.

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