Synopsis:
Rome is where the heart is.
Amelia Rose is burned-out from years of maintaining her public image as pop princess Rae Rose. Inspired by her favourite Audrey Hepburn film, Roman Holiday, she drives off in the middle of the night for a break in Rome . . . Rome, Kentucky, that is.
Running the pie shop his grandmother left him, Noah Walker is busy enough as it is. But after finding Amelia on his front lawn in her broken-down car, he decides to let her stay in his guest room – on a very temporary basis, of course.
As the two of them grow closer, Noah starts to see a new side to Amelia – kind-hearted and goofy, yet lonely from years in the public eye. Amelia may have to go back to her other life someday, but for now she’s perfectly happy falling in love with the cozy small town she’s found herself in . . . and her grumpy tour guide isn’t half-bad either.
Review:
I love a Sarah Adams book and When in Rome is no different. While it’s not my favourite of hers, I did really enjoy it. I love a famous person x regular person romance. I did often forget that Amelia was a globally famous pop star though as she never acted like one – well not one that’s all “don’t you know who I am” or flashing her wealth.
I also love a small town romance, which I don’t think I mentioned in my review of Practice Makes Perfect, the second book in this “series”. However, the townies were definitely more of a prominent force in this one. They’re all so invested in Noah’s life and once they find out he has a pop star staying in his spare bedroom they’re even worse. I love the idea of living in a small town but having everyone know your business sounds horrible.
Speaking of Practice Makes Perfect, I was really hoping to get just a tiny glimpse of Annie meeting Will. You actually don’t get to meet Will until over 90% in but the description of him is perfect “Will looks like a street fighter you’d never want to cross. He also makes the very best gingersnaps I’ve ever had and is a wizard with a travel sewing kit.” I pretty much never want to re-read romance books, but Practice Makes Perfect is seriously calling my name right now. I think it might be my favourite romance book of all-time.
Once Amelia realises it’s ok to put herself first she becomes so much more carefree. I especially liked this part “Sometimes a woman is just worn out and needs a break, you know?” The lines on her forehead deepen. “That doesn’t prove that you’re weak or neglectful, it proves to all the women standing by and watching you pave the road to success that it’s okay to say no. It’s okay to shut your door every now and then and put up a sign that says ‘Busy taking care of me today. Piss off.’” This is something I definitely needed to read at that moment, I feel like I’m constantly teetering on the edge of burnout, and you know what, Amelia has inspired me to give myself days where I do nothing but exactly what I want.
I’m not sure if you can really call the romance in When in Rome a slow burn, but they don’t get together right away, which I suppose is the same thing in a standalone romance. These characters have a LOT of angst. The whole ‘we shouldn’t do this’ thing is a little over the top as they’re adults and there’s not really a reason why they couldn’t be together. Yes she’s going on tour soon, but there’s a plethora of transport options that make seeing each very viable.
The buildup of them coming together was great though, if a little drawn out. Noah has a lot of trust issues due to a past relationship and Amelia has strained relationships with pretty much everyone in her life. Seeing her reconcile some of these was really nice though.
Even though I’d place them as my least favourite Sarah Adams couple so far (I’ve read three of her books). There were some moments I really enjoyed. Some of my favourite Amelia and Noah interactions include:
- “Do you at least have any romance books? Something steamy and emotional?” He laughs. “No.” “And you call yourself a reader. You should be ashamed.”
- “To me, you’re Amelia. Maker of shitty pancakes and a smile that rivals the sun. All I want is you.”
- “You’re so pretty,” he says, without a slur but words heavy with sleep. “And you sing like an angel, too.”
There are definitely more but I often forget to highlight or make note of moments I want to mention in my review while reading – I’m much more likely to pause reading to write down something I didn’t like.
When in Rome is a fairly lighthearted small town romance with a pop star twist. If you like a slow burn with a man that falls first, this is the book for you.
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