ROMeANTICALLY CHALLENGED: A Perfect RomCom Beach Read

I absolutely loved RomeAntically Challenged the first book in the When in Rome series by Marina Adair. I received a free copy in a Facebook Release Day giveaway and it has taken me a while to read it, but it is one of the best romantic comedies that I have read recently. I have only read one other book by Marina Adair, so entered the giveaway and was both surprised and happy to win a copy of the book. I love the characters and the setting of Rome, Rhode Island in RomeAntically Challenged. I absolutely loved every page and could not put it down. I love that RomeAntically Challenged is narrated from the viewpoint of the main characters. I really enjoy getting the perspective from those characters. I love getting inside their minds and knowing their thoughts and how they really feel. RomeAntically Challenged is a story about first at first love and is filled with heartbreaking and heartwarming moments. I love the lighter moments where I find myself smiling and laughing out loud. It is also filled with bittersweet moments that cause me to sigh, say aww to myself with tears filling my eyes . RomeAntically Challenged is filled with such moments, and with so much emotion. It is filled with all those things that we have come to love and expect in romantic comedy, especially the poignant and bittersweet moments that filled this page turner, and the surprise plot-twists. RomeAntically Challenged is the story of Anh Nhi "Annie" Walsh, a Physician's Assistant and Emmitt Bradley, photojournalist. Annie has recently relocated to Rome, Rhode Island after a broken engagement in Connecticut. Annie accepted the position as a traveling P.A. initially thinking the position was in Rome, Italy. Annie is renting a house that the doctor, Gray Tanner who she is working for set up for her. Annie soon discovers that the homeowner, Emmitt is sleeping in his bed in his home. Emmitt was injured in a concrete factory explosion in China, is on forced medical leave because of his injuries. I love the initial interactions between Annie and Emmitt, they truly made me smile and laugh out loud. As Annie and Emmitt spend their down time together, they begin to share secrets and tell each other things that they have never told anyone else. Annie shares everything with Emmitt about being Vietnamese and being adopted at birth by white Americans and Emmitt tells her about his relationship with his teenage daughter, Paisley and his estranged relationship with this daughter. I love how the advice that Annie gave to Emmitt about how to deal with Paisley and how Emmitt made the changes to have a better relationship with her. I enjoyed how Annie and Emmitt took things slow and how Emmitt helped Annie heal. I love how the plot twist gets resolved and how Annie and Emmitt get the happily ever after that they deserve. I love how the title of the book in incorporated into the story. My favorite part of the story was when Emmitt read her post it note diary, it was truly a poignant moment when both of the walls that they built around their hearts tumbled down. It was an incredible love story with amazing characters. Looking forward to reading Hopeless RomeAntic, the second book in the When in Rome series.

Where to start...Marina Adair is a MASTER with combing words and emotions! You’re laughing one minute with Annie and Emmitt’s banter, then totally crushed because Emmitt is sooo lost. The despair is palatable. Like Annie, he doesn’t feel as though he belongs in his own family. He is loved, but feels as though he’s on the outside looking in. Annie, having been adopted at birth, also KNEW she was loved—although not always supported by her parents. She just didn’t know how and where she fit in. She was Vietnamese raised by white parents. When she was around other Vietnamese, she was treated as though she didn’t belong. She spoke, knew very little of her native language or dishes and was considered too Americanized. But she didn’t quite fit in with other American girls either. Annie was also unlucky in love. She always ended up choosing the guys who found their “soulmates” immediately after or while she was dating them. She longed for a feeling of belonging and only wanted someone to love the real her—without her changing who she was. So, Annie accepts a position to work in a hospital in Rome—thinking it’s Rome, Italy. Its’ not! But what she finds there may be all she ever dreamed of and more... Emmitt, an investigative photojournalist, was the “fun, cool dad”. He was always leaving for the next “big” story, until he was almost killed while on assignment. Forced to take time off, Emmitt returns to his hometown of Rome, Rhode Island. There he finds, who he believes is a squatter, a woman living in his home. Come to find out, his family rented out his home without his knowledge. Emmitt doesn’t have the heart to evict Annie, so he decides to make her life miserable in hopes that she’ll willingly leave. The more Emmitt gets to know Annie, the more fascinated he is with her. Sure, he’d like to sleep with her, but he finds he truly enjoys her company. Loved, loved, loved this story! Very realistic and relatable. Emotions were all over the place. I’m a nurse and loved how the charge nurse stood up for Annie, then accepted her into her little group while still giving her a hard time. Emmitt and Chloe’s banter, Emmitt placing the recliner in front of her bedroom door...hilarious! I loved and hated Paisley’s surly attitude—very much in line with a true teenager who’s suffered great loss. The Three Men and a Baby (teenager) parallel was seen throughout the story. The “daily” dads were pretty tough on Emmitt, but they were also scared of losing Paisley. I also enjoyed reading Annie’s perspective on adoption as my nephews were adopted from birth. Highly enjoyable story! I read a gifted copy and all opinions stated are my own.

I loved every second of this book. The characters are interesting and well-developed. I had to put the book down in order to get sleep and go to work and the whole day was excruciating. All I wanted to do was rush home and finish reading. Then once I finished the book, I just wanted more. I am so excited that this is going to be a series. I fell in love with the characters and I fell in love with this little town and I cannot wait to see how things play out for the secondary character as the series goes on. I loved Adair's writing style, it was easy to get lost in the story from the first chapter. I felt the highs and the lows, the fun and the heartbreak all so strongly. My favorite thing about this genre is that you know the characters are going to get their happy endings, but there is real heartache in this story, real issues that these characters are dealing with and working hard to resolve. There were a few times the book got thrown across the room, which to me, is the ultimate sign of a great novel.