Romantically Challenged is a heartfelt, pull at your heart strings book with some great humor in it. I did find it hard to follow along in the beginning and had to go back and start over but then I was golden and sucked right into the story of Annie and Emmitt. When you read it, you'll laugh, you'll cry, sympathize with Emmitt, Paisley, Levi and Gray for the pain they've endured in losing Michelle and with Annie for feeling like an outsider. You'll be left with wanting to read more about the people of Rome! Romantically Challenged is a heartfelt, pull at your heart strings book with some great humor in it. I did find it hard to follow along in the beginning and had to go back and start over but then I was golden and sucked right into the story of Annie and Emmitt. When you read it, you'll laugh, you'll cry, sympathize with Emmitt, Paisley, Levi and Gray for the pain they've endured in losing Michelle and with Annie for feeling like an outsider. You'll be left with wanting to read more about the people of Rome!

Loved this book!! You cannot go wrong with a Marina Adair book!. She takes you right into the book! Cannot wait for the next one!!

I have read several books and series by Ms. Adair and I this is one of my favorites. I absolutely loved Anh aka Annie and Emmitt. Also all the supporting characters are the best. Ms. Adair has a knack for giving you the entire story of characters.

Anh's and Emmitt's story is about two people trying to find their self. They are also complete opposites but they totally work in my opinion. Anh is a giver and kind of a pushover. Emmitt is very stubborn and hard. However, he has a soft spot for his daughter and his two friends.

If you want a book that has you laughing one minute and all in your feels the next this is the book for you. This was a true love story in my opinion. Emmitt hard core romanced Anh and she so deserved it. I cant wait for the next book in this series.

I received an advance copy for an honest review.

Marina Adair was a new author to me and the premise sounded cute. Sweet, intelligent capable nurse suffers a broken engagement and finds a new place and job to reinvent herself -- in Rhode Island. I am a RI native and that was the main hook for me when I read the summary. Sadly, the book had lots of lost opportunities to let the state shine. The main bay in RI is Narragansett Bay, yet the author chose to name it Buzzard's Bay and Buzzard's Bay is famously located in nearby Massachusetts. Details such as this pulled me right out of the story but slow pacing, too many side characters and a romance that was a no burn made the first half of the book a slog. I persisted and the last half improved. Fans of light, contemporary romances with heroines who overcome may enjoy this one.

Anh Nhi, commonly called Annie, has been hiding away in Rome, Rhode Island after her fiance dumped her. When she took the temporary physicians assistant job in Rome, she might have missed that it wasn’t the famous city in Italy. But the town quickly grew on her, and she had just started making her rental house a home when an unexpected visitor showed up and let himself into her house. Emmitt didn’t expect to find a half naked woman in his house when he returned home from an assignment. And he definitely didn’t expect her to kick him out of his own place. This house isn’t big enough for the two of them - Rome might not even be enough space. But the more time they spend together, the more they realize being apart might not be what they really want. Author Marina Adair delivers an adorably fun contemporary romance, the first in a new series. Anh and Emmitt are fun, the cast of secondary characters are varied and entertaining, and readers will be eager to see several of them get their own story. VERDICT: A suggested purchase for public libraries where small town contemporary romances are popular.

Book review to be posted in Library Journal's Romance section.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley, thanks!

Unfortunately I had to DNF this one around 15%. The premise seemed really cute to me but there were a lot of plot holes and the writing was lacking for me.

Definitely an interesting book from Marina Adair!

Annie and Emmitt make quite the unconventional couple as they muddle through their issues, insecurities and of course, refusing to accept the attraction between them. It's a romantically enjoyable book.

I absolutely loved this book! It's my first (I think...) by Marina Adair but it definitely won't be the last as she just writes in a way that swept me up in the story. I love the touches of humor, the way the characters were sketched and you see something but then find so many layers beneath. This had the potential to go terribly awry (doormat heroine, jerk hero) but it was a skillful blend of characterization and 'real-ness' that just made it endearing and kept me rooting for a happy ending. That did feel a tad rushed...but I won't hold it against her, because the book was such a lovely thrilling ride, it made up for it (and there's hopefully more books to come from this series/world!)

I enjoyed the writing, and the set up of this book, but preferred the second half of the book to the first.

All the other reviews have covered the plot in detail, but in summary Anh Nhi, adopted Vietnamese daughter of two white American doctors s unlucky in love, she has dated 5 serial monogamists who have then left her for their true love. When her fiancé Clark texts her it's over, she hasn't even finished cancelling her wedding arrangements when she finds out he has shared her wedding journal with his new fiancé, and they have pinched her venue, the date, all her ideas and the wedding dress boutique has mixed up her measurements with Molly's, and her grandmother's wedding dress has also been altered to fit Molly not Anh. To add insult to injury Clark is refusing to pay her back her $10,000 deposit until after the wedding and honeymoon so Anh is a little broke.

Anh takes a job in Rome, but this is not Rome, Italy, but Rome, Rhode Island, where she is renting a small house and being PA to the local Doctor, Grey.

When photojournalist Emmitt Bradley finally makes it home to Rome, after being injured badly in an explosion in China that resulted in many deaths and injuries, he is desperate to get a clean bill of health, even though he doesn't feel so good, so he can get back out to China and finish his story.

He lets himself back into his house, and surprises Anh as she is taking off the ruined wedding dress, this starts a bantering sexually charged relationship, with Emmitt coming on strong, and Anh retreating because of his playboy reputation. From the first Emmitt encourages Anh Ni to stand up for herself, and sees her in a way that other's don't, including not calling her Annie.

They end up sharing the house, as Anh doesnt have enough cash to rent anywhere else, and Emmitt wont leave. this starts a will they wont they flirtation between them.

However, I thought Emmitt was not supportive enough to vulnerable, damaged and lonely Anh. I mean whose allegedly loving parents think its absolutely okay to go to and force their daughter into going to her ex fiancé's wedding, especially in the circumstances. What a crummy person would also steal someone else's wedding lock stock and barrel, and Anh was too nice and lacking in confidence to stand up to everyone.

When Emmitt tries to work through his feelings and relationship with his daughter, the book improved for me. As a young man Emmitt had a fling with a local girl, Michelle, and when he returned to Rome, he discovered he had a five year old daughter, Paisley, who already had a Stepdad Grey, a surrogate Dad in Michelle's brother. Emmitt has always been fun dad, but Paisley has lost her mum in an RTA, and has become a hormonal teenager, how can he make a place for himself in Paisley's life. Anh's involvement was handled really well, and the whole thing humanised Emmitt very well.

Overall it was a fun read that made me a little sad for Anh and what she went through in a few places.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book and all opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed reading this book. I liked the chemistry between Annie and Emmitt. And loved the 3 dads angle, along with daughter drama. The story was well written and so were the characters. I look forward to the next in this series.

First book by this author and I enjoyed it a lot.

The meet cute between Annie and Emmett was so good! I loved their interactions from then on. I laughed a few times, and especially love Emmett's relationship with his brother and friend. Their banter had me chuckling.

I really liked how Annie and Emmett's relationship progressed, how Emmett grew as a person and his relationship with his daughter.

Looking forward to more in this series.

Marina Adair has done it! RomeAntically Challenged is an entertaining, witty take on a dumped fiancée & the trials she has to face. I loved this story & read it in one sitting. From the beginning, you feel bad for Annie. Her ex & his new fiancée are trying to take over her life & Annie can’t seem to stiffen her spine & stand up for herself. This is all a comedy of everything that could happen dumped into one story but it works! I giggled. I laughed. I about cried. This was one of the most enjoyable books I’ve read in a long time.

This one just wasn't for me. I just found the characters lacked depth and there wasn’t enough storyline.

This was a really fun read . Annie is a nurse who travels between hospitals for months at a time. After a bad break-up with her fiancé, who found the love of his life after they broke up, she signs up for a hospital in Rome. Unfortunately it’s in Rome, Rhode Island not Rome, Italy..
There, she moves in with Emmitt, who has just gotten back on medical trip. He has a teenage daughter with two other dads involved., a little like Three Men and a Baby.
It’s the classic friends to lovers trope, but I think it’s better done than most. It would make a great romantic comedy movie. I really liked this one and I highly recommend it. 4 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the ARC of this book. This review and opinion are my own.

Romantically Challenged is the first book in the hot new series When in Rome. This is the first book I have read by this author and I am so glad I got a chance to read it. It was full of witty banter, humor, mixed emotions, family dilemmas, and romantic sparks. The characters were lovable and so easy to connect emotionally with.
Annie recently moved to Rome, Rhode Island to work at a hospital after her fiancé dumps her before the wedding. Her day gets worse when she learns the other woman has stolen her wedding day and wedding dress. Oh, and then she acquires an unwanted hot annoying roommate. If only she could avoid him until her contract is up.
Emmitt was injured on his last assignment as an investigative photojournalist. He is now on forced medical leave and discovers his house has been leased. His job requires him to travel a lot and since he will be in Rome for a while, he tries to spend more time with his daughter only to find out his place in her life isn’t solid. She has a stepfather and uncle who have taken on the role of the father in his years of absence and they aren’t willing to depend on him being a part of her life full time.
Annie and Emmitt are both faced with discovering a new plan for their future and the place where they fit in. I really enjoyed this book and I can’t wait to read the next one.

RomeAntically Challenged by Marina Adair is the first in a new series (When in Rome). Funny and flirty, a light read/contemporary romance that delves into some deeper real issues. There was a lot going on in this book...A bit like is scattering of fish food on the pond instead of dropping in one big hook. I feel like one big hook at the beginning would have hooked me in and kept me wanting to come back for more sooner! Overall I did enjoy the book (I've enjoyed many of Marina's other books in the past!) and I think others will too ☺️

hey this is so great and i loved it a lot. it was super fun and funny and sweet. i liked it a lot. did you read it yet and like it, too?

This novel didn't totally work for me—unfortunately I felt that the leads were held at an odd distance in the narrative, and as such I had trouble connecting with their story. However, Romeantically Challenged does have a lot to recommend it—the writing is lovely, the setting is richly drawn, and Adair thoughtfully and sensitively addresses serious issues surrounding identity and family.

Decent chemistry though the instant attraction I always feel needs a bit of build up. Some important issues were tackled including identity, racism and what makes a family unit, but I just didn't grow to love the characters. The conflict seemed rather silly, like it was just thrown in there for the sake of conflict.

All I have to say is that this really must have happened to someone to be put in a story. Though it says it is a romantic comedy which for some I guess it could be. As a father, I wanted to!!!!!! Annie’s ex. He calls off the wedding after she had gone through with picking the venue and everything else. He though keeps the venue, the date which was here grandparent’s anniversary also keeps the money that he is to send back to her which he has. Then the topper is his new bride goes to the same bridal store and somehow everything is mixed up and her grandmother’s wedding dress is with the new bride. Then to make her day complete she thought she was accepting a job in Rome Italy, instead, she is in Rome Rhode Island.
Here the other part of the story is where she thought she would be living in a cabin by herself instead the man who owns the cabin has come back home. Emmitt is one of three dads to a teenage girl which is explained in the story. She also has to deal with her mother as well. Emmitt's story at times takes over at times for he is working through his own issues about life. Overall a good book and worth the read.