"Do you know kale is food for people who don't know how to smile? It's scientifically proven"
Romeantically Challenged by Marina Adair was honestly a surprising read, from the blurb and I was expecting a cutesy beach read and what I got was a fun yet emotional read that explores 2 people’s attempts to find their place in the world. 

Anh Nhi (Annie) Walsh has had her world turned upside down when her fiancé shockingly calls off their wedding and within weeks has announced that he is getting married to another woman.  She takes the opportunity to make possibly her first ever impulsive decision and make the temporary move to Rome, Rhode Island to escape the hospital she and her now ex-fiance work at together.  Her peaceful stay is interrupted when the owner of her airbnb suddenly returns home unannounced and decides that invading her(his) space is a great way to keep his mind off of his own issues.

Emmitt is struggling with the fact that while he is a father, he is not the father figure in his daughter’s life. And to make matters worse, her step-father Gray is actually a great guy and the stable presence she needs after the sudden and tragic passing of her mother. Emmitt was always the fun dad that showed up when his work schedule allowed, and now that his daughter is older and dealing with such a tremendous loss he doesn’t know where he fits in her life. His unexpected tenant tests him in a way no other woman ever has and helps him face the reality that teenage girls are a creature all their own who must be handled with care.  



I cannot fully express how in awe I am with Marina Adair’s ability to create such complex and multi-faceted characters.  Rather than settle with the external and obvious challenges for each person she takes it further and delves deep into their backstories to make them feel real.  Emmitt in particular is a great example of how people are not just their reputation or past. Is he a player? Is he a deadbeat dad?  Is he a workaholic?  Or is he an insecure father who isn’t sure he has a place in his daughters life?  Or Is he a man who makes no promises because he was raised not to count on anyone?  Maybe he’s all or none of them on any given day, but Marina Adair goes the extra mile with each character to fully explore their complete story.  

But with this all of that said, this is a romance after all so let’s get to the good stuff.  The chemistry between Emmitt and Anh Nhi was all but explosive upon their first meeting, but neither of them were in a place to act on it which just means the tension gets to build and build.  They begin as accidental roommates and as their story develops they end up being the friend the other needs during their difficult individual self-discoveries.As they start to realize what is growing between them their reluctance to take it where the reader is BEGGING for it go leaves a deliciously frustrating slow-burn, but trust me, it all pays off in the end.
If you are wanting a sweet read, that will give you some opportunities to cry, just a little, this is an amazing choice!

Thank you NetGalley,Kensington Books and Marina Adair for gifting me an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!
This one has a little bit something for everyone! There’s romance, parenting struggled, ended relationships, new friendships, career struggles and the general daily life occurrences we’re all used to wasing through. I instantly connected and loved Anh Nhi (Annie) who was adopted and brought to America from Vietnam as a child. Readers are given a glimpse of what it’s like to be adopted and brought into a family with a completely different culture and language than you, not to mention they’re white. These huge changes in Annie’s young life shaped the woman she became. I can't say i’ve read many (if any) books dealing with this and I was captivated.
I love a good slow-burn, close-proximity troupe! I thought that Marina Adair took a overdone theme and brought a fresh and relatable story to the table! The needing wasn’t my favorite but i’m wondering if the author was setting the story up to be continued in a series? The side characters were fun to read so I wouldn’t be against picking back up in book #2

When Annie's fiance does a bunk and then shortly after ends up engaged to another woman, that is devastating enough. But then, the thoughtless lunkhead commandeers their venue and the date for his new bride, tries to hijack her grandmother's dress and refuses to pay his part of the expenses. All the while, he has invited her and her parents to the new wedding and actually thinks they will come!
Annie decides to get out of town and ends up in Rome- not the internationally romantic one, the one in Rhode Island. She rents a a place and starts a new job as a physician's assistant When the hunky renowned photojournalist who owns her place shows up unexpectedly sparks fly! The good and the bad kind. Emmitt is home after getting injured on his last assignment and is trying to get Annie's boss to sign a note letting him go back to work. Annie's boss, Gray is the step father to Emmitt's teenage daughter Paisley. Adding to the convoluted family is Uncle Levi, Paisley's deceased mother's brother. The three men have a bit of a power struggle going on about who is the best Dad.
I enjoyed so many parts of this book. Annie's search for her self and her identity as a Asian woman after living in an all white town ties into her feelings of not belonging which were exacerbated by the wedding debacle. Opening herself up to a new relationship requires a giant leap of faith. Emmitt has issues of his own primarily around his insecurities as a father to a daughter he's only known for a part of her life. His job as a world traveler doesn't add to his Dad credibility as he's not around for important times. It also makes Annie feel less likely to believe he won't leave her as well. I liked the whole teenage angst issue and how Paisley was able to befuddle three grown men. The HEA for these two is going to require a lot of work and fast thinking.
This is the first book in a new series and there was plenty going on that leads to excitement for future books.

After being jilted by her ex fiancé, Ahn Nhi (Annie) Walsh decides this is the perfect time to go on a traveling rotation to Rome and have a temporary refresh. Too bad this Rome is not located in Italy. She is surprised when the owner of the rental walks in as she unsuccessfully removes the claws of her ex fiance from her life. Annie has decided that she needs a break from all men, and she's having a hard time staying away from the GQ-esk photojournalist, Emmitt. As the two form an supportive friendship as Emmitt is resurfacing and reconnecting with his daughter after the loss of her mother.

What I loved: I enjoyed the 3 men and a baby feel! All 3 loving and supportive father figures for a young teenage daughter. I also loved the solo character arcs for both the MC as well as the romance arc. It had beautiful dialogue and a complex and modern story with great conflict and growth. Most definitely recommend!

Romeantically Challenged is the first book in the When in Rome series from Marina Adair. I adored this rom-con and can't wait to visit Rome, Rhode Island again.

Anh Nhi (Annie) Walsh was born in Vietnam, adopted by white parents and grew up in a predominately white community. She has always felt a bit like she was straddling 2 different worlds and not really fitting into either. When her ex-fiancé finds the love of his life not long after they break up, and keeps the venue they were going to use, she decides to head to Rome...Rhode Island, not Italy. She has rented a cabin for her stay and is unpleasantly surprised when the owner, Emmitt Bradley shows back up following an accident in China that puts him on indefinite medical leave, and suggests they become roommates.

I absolutely adored both Annie and Emmitt. Their banter from the moment they met kept me laughing out loud for much of the book. It was so apparent they were insanely attracted to one another from the first, and I loved their journey. They each had to not only learn to trust again, but learn to accept who they each were along the way. I felt like Annie and Emmitt each learned more about themselves as they spent more and more time together. While their romance was a pretty big focus of the book, family was every bit as important as the romance. Emmitt had pretty much created his own unconventional family with his daughter Paisley, her uncle Levi and her step-dad Gray, since Emmitt is estranged from his father. I loved that Annie was able to help Emmitt work on his relationship with his daughter.

Romeantically Challenged was a wonderful rom-con. Ms. Adair gives her readers a roller coaster of a ride where you could be laughing at one moment and crying either happy or sad tears in the next moment. I love stories that pull me in and pull out all the emotional stops, and Romeantically Challenged was just that type of book.


Rating: 4 Stars (B+)

Anh Nhi Walsh had planned her wedding complete with an alteration of her grandmother’s wedding dress. When the fiancé breaks it off she believes all has been cancelled. She is blindsided when she receives her dress back and it has been altered to fit the ex’s new fiancé.
Emmitt Bradley is a world traveling photojournalist and also Anh’s unsuspecting landlord. When he is injured during an assignment he returns home for some rest, relaxation, and recouperation.
They agree to share the cabin until he leaves again, both are hoping it is very soon. But as proximity and familiarity abound so do desires. What ensues is a very life changing experience for both.
Miss Adair has written a wonderful mix of cultures and navigating parenthood of an angsts teen. I am looking forward to reading more about Rome, Rhode Island.

That was so sweet. I loved it! I loved the characters and their tumultuous lives. I hope I'll get to read about the other two guys getting a happily ever after.

5 Stars Straight Up Fun

I’ve been a fan of Marina Adair for years. She writes cute, fun, sexy romances, but this newest book, RomeAntically Challenged was something more. Something better.

While it was in no doubt a romance, it was also about family, friends, loss, and discovery.

I loved the friendship between the “3 dads” (bio, step and uncle). The razzing, the not putting up with each other’s excuses and the total love and support they had for “their” daughter. They were fiercely protective. Totally at a loss of dealing with a teen. But most importantly, they loved her unconditionally.

Annie’s journey was a bit heart-breaking at times to read. All you have to do is read the author’s letter to understand how close to home this was for her. I would think her being stuck between two worlds, not quite feeling like she fit in with either, might resonate with many people out there, especially those adopted or even raised in blended families. I loved watching her discover more of her culture. I also loved that while she’s had some rotten luck in romantic love and she’s feeling caught in-between, she’s still a strong woman. She’s smart, funny, kind and just the kind of woman to rock Emmitt’s world.

Emmitt has his own issues to deal with (his two co-parents, his daughter, his dad, his job, and his own insecurities). It’s a lot to tackle in a novel, but I thought the author did a great job of balancing all that baggage the characters were lugging around with the romance, which was fun and sexy. The banter and texting between Ahn (Annie) and Emmitt was spot-on funny to smoking hot.

This was definitely a feel good, funny, warm, breath of fresh air and I’m really looking forward to Gray and Levi’s stories.

*Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an early copy of this book for review, all opinions are my own*

I didn't think I would like this book, but I was completely invested in the story of Annie and Emmitt, their story won me over, broke my heart in several parts and made me smile in many too.
I was able to get very involved with what they were going through, I was able to understand and feel everything together with them.
I loved how the author managed to bring up topics like family, grief, parenting, belonging, trust, adoption, relationships, and forgiveness.
This story got me, I was completely attached to all characters and so I am very happy to know that it is a series because I really want to read even more about them.
I highly recommend this book if you want to read something fast that warms your heart and leaves you with a big smile on your face.

A sweet and humorous story. I loved the characters. The connection, the banter and the sizzling sparks. It’s entertaining and enjoyable read with a great storyline that heartwarming.

The one thing Ahn (Annie) has been looking for her entire life is a place to fit in. There's no question that her parents love her to pieces, but as a Vietnamese adopted daughter of an American couple, Annie has never felt that she completely belongs. When her ex fiance settles on her dream wedding with "his person" Annie despairs that she will ever find the person who fills that role for her.

When Emmett unexpectedly saunters into her life - as the injured owner of the AirBnb she's renting, he is many things, and manages to infuriate her to distraction. Both claiming a legal right to stay, the two of them settle on an uneasy truce, that quickly turns to an easy friendship. And while Annie is going to fight it tooth and nail, Emmett is damned sure that something's gotta give.

While Annie tries to ignore the simmering chemistry between them, she's finding a community in Rome where she's beginning to feel like she belongs. And Emmett is working hard to get his bearings in his family dynamic, with two other fathers (a step dad and uncle) to his 15 year old daughter.

I LOVED the portrayal of the relationship between his 15 year old and all of the adults - watching three grown men try to traverse the minefield of teenage girl hormones, the moments were beyond realistic, as the mom of a 15 year old girl, those scenes had me rolling with laughter.

But the friends, the community that Annie finds in Rome are so touching. And while she feels like she's struggling to fit in, it seems that she's stumbled right into her family of the heart. And Emmett. Aaaah, so many heart eyes for this one. He's got so many hang ups surrounding the loss of his mom and the fallout with his dad, he decided early on that the single life is for him. Until a certain squatter shows up unexpectedly in his life, and she's more than he ever bargained for.

I LOVE this story. Annie and Emmett have all of the right amounts of banter, zinging retorts and chemistry to bring this story to life, and you can't help rooting for them. Get this book! Get it today!!!

Romeantically Challenged by Marina Adair

A Contemporary romance with so much heart.
Finding “their person” is such a romantic concept. This novel filled me with joy. Ok, some tears and frustration as the story progressed but I tend to read slower the more I like a story. I really wanted to just stop at 80% and revel in the gooey feelings. But, of course, conflicts still needed to be resolved and men have to freak about something.
It was so worth reading to the end. Absolutely loved this book and couple.

Implied sentimentality. It melted my heart.
“Right now he needed someone to listen, so she took his hand, which was like holding melting ice, and without hesitation, his fingers laced with hers.”

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. I also purchased a copy to share.

I received an ARC of this book to read through NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. ROMeANTICALLY CHALLENGED is the first book in Marina Adair’s new series When In Rome. Anh Nhi Walsh is wondering what else can go wrong, every guy she dates meets the “one” when their relationship ends, her latest ex and his bride to be have co-opted the wedding she planned to the point of having her grandmother's wedding dress tailored to fit the woman he replaced her with, the escape job she took turned out to be in Rome Rhode Island not Italy and now there’s some strange guy in the house she rented claiming it’s his house. Emmitt Bradley had always used his job as a photojournalist to escape whenever things got emotionally complicated, but after being injured during his latest assignment, he’s stuck in Rome until he gets the all-clear from his doctor who’s also the guardian of his teenaged daughter. This is a delightful friends to lovers, there’s only one-bed story about finding your way when you’ve never fit in, and I enjoyed reading it very much. Medium Steam. Publishing Date: July 28, 2020.
#ROMEeANTICALLYCHALLENGED #MarinaAdair #KensingtonBooks #ContemporaryRomance #bookstagram #NetGalley

I really enjoyed Annie (Ahn) and Emmitt’s story. There was a depth to the story, as they both faced some personal challenges, that was unexpected, and made the story richer for me. Annie is the girlfriend that seems to get the guys ready for the forever relationship. She’s never the one they want to stay with- she was with her ex for six years, had the wedding planned, they broke up, and he met the ‘love of his life’ within months. Annie decided to move to Rome, RI for a change of scenery. She is renting Emmitt’s cabin while Emmitt is working all over the world as a photojournalist.

Emmitt comes home unexpectedly after a bad injury and is surprised to find Annie in his house (he didn’t know she was renting it). And, given it is tourist season, there aren’t any other options, so they have to stay roommates. I love the forced proximity trope!

I enjoyed and felt the sparks between them and liked the slow burn romance. There are a couple other storylines going on for both Emmitt and Annie that are interesting and they are able to support each other in some personal growth (which is always a plus for me).

Given the multiple plot lines in the book,, the ending wrapped up too quickly for me, but, overall, I enjoyed this and am looking to seeing them again in the next book in this new series.

Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

My main issue with ROMEANTICALLY CHALLENGED is that I felt like I had been dropped in, mid-series. While I generally enjoy when books start with action and appreciate when authors can provide background while also jumping right into the story, I was disoriented and found that I needed more information about some of the characters’ relationships with each other. I checked online and I think this is the first book in a new series so I’m not sure if this is a spin-off and there’s a book I should have read first, but it took me a while to get a sense of who everyone was. I also felt like the ending was very abrupt and could have definitely used more to the resolution.

Still, ROMEANTICALLY CHALLENGED is great fun and I always enjoying reading authors that are new to me. Annie’s story was so important to read about and I appreciated how the author really took great care in discussing Annie’s identity politics and her longing to feel a sense of place and belonging.

There are a lot of romances that are marketed as rom-coms but really lean more heavily towards one or the other (more often than not, it’s more romance heavy than humor heavy), but ROMEANTICALLY CHALLENGED is an honest-to-goodness rom-com. From the get-go, I enjoyed Adair’s voice and her clear grasp on the genre and its elements. Plus, I’m always a fan of forced proximity and enemies-to-lovers. I would have appreciated more context, but overall, I thought this was a very cute start to a new series.

Part Romantic Comedy: Part Women's Fiction:
Marina Adair has certainly delivered a great story full of heart in Romeantically Challenged! Both Annie and Emmitt have unfortunate situations in their lives to deal with throughout the story. Some parts are laugh out loud and some parts pull at your heart strings. Annie is dealing with way too much lately: the wedding of her ex-fiance (his new love is wearing Annie's wedding dress and they are getting married on her wedding day at her chosen venue), a new job as a traveling Physician Assistant in what was supposed to be Rome Italy but turned out to be Rome Rhode Island (oops), her landlord Emmitt unexpectedly needing to move back into his home which happens to be the AirBnb she rented (can you say instant roommate), and finding her way in life balancing in between being Vietnamese but raised in the USA by white adoptive parents (whew)! Now throw in the struggles of sexy roommate Emmitt and his teenage daughter Paisley, who is being co-parented by her step dad and uncle (yep kinda like three men and a baby). There is a lot going on in this book leading up to the HEA, but author Marina Adair has no problem delivering a heart-felt entertaining page turner! Stay tuned for the two other "dads" to get stories of their own in the future.

Fabulous book. Fantastic story and brilliant characters. Will recommend this book. Thank you to netgalley and the author and publishers for the chance to read this for my honest review

While advertised as a mash-up of Three Men and a Baby and 27 dresses, I didn't get much of the latter from the story.
That being said, this was a delightful, sweet story about two people, Emmitt and Anh Nhi (aka Annie) who are on their own journeys of self-discovery, and happen to also find each other.
Annie is a physician's assistant who recently had her engagement end and decides she needs to move away and have a fresh start. She thinks she is applying for a short-term position in Rome, Italy, but it turns out the job is in Rhode Island. She takes it, anyways. Which brings us to...
Emmitt, a photojournalist who constantly travels all around the world. His hometown is Rome, Rhode Island. When he is away, his house is rented out. At the time of the story, that would be by Annie. However, due to an accident while on assignment in China, Emmitt comes back home early. He surprises Annie with his arrival (in the middle of the night while she is in her undies) and it leads into a really well-done forced proximity trope.

As with any small-town setting, there are lots of very involved secondary characters. Everyone is always up in each other's business. Annie makes friends with two women through work, Linh and Beckett, and their relationship threw me off a bit. They were very close, which is awesome! I love strong friendships! However, in the book, Annie is only supposed to have been in Rome for a month or two, and they are all talking and acting as though they are BFFs and have known each other for way longer. It just was not completely believable.

Then there is Emmitt’s super-complicated family situation. The Three Men and a Baby one I mentioned. Emmitt has a daughter, Paisley, but did not know about her for many years. So the daughter also has a step-dad and an uncle who had stepped in as father figures before he arrived. Emmitt particularly struggles with feeling like the outsider since he has so often been gone due to his work. On top of that, Emmitt is estranged from his father and he ends up complicating the stories in multiple ways, too.

Annie is Vietnamese and was adopted as an infant by a white, American couple. They raised her in Connecticut, but she often muses about the two older sisters she has and does not know, and about how she feels like she never belongs anywhere.

So, both Annie and Emmitt feel like outsiders. They forge this amazing connection and feel like they really “get” each other. Emmitt was always considered the town playboy and with Annie fresh out of a relationship that did not end well, they are both hesitant to commit to anything with each other. Plus, Annie still considers her stop in Rome to be a temporary one, as does Emmitt, who is itching to get back to work. So they treat things pretty lightly. There is a lot of banter through text and post-it notes. It was cute, except the constant abbreviating in their text messages made me roll my eyes a bit.

Overall, I found this book really enjoyable. However, the ending felt a bit rushed. And there were quite a few loose threads. It really does set itself up as the beginning of a new series. As I mentioned before, there were quite a few important secondary characters. Maybe each of Paisley’s dads will get their own book? Or maybe we will hear more from Annie’s friend, Beckett? There are a lot of options. I plan to go back to Rome whenever Marina Adair releases book 2!

This was such a fun book that also had some heavy hitting on some subjects. The fun was everywhere, with a guy (Emmitt) who returns home from a photo journalist assignment in China to discover that his little girl has turned into the hot mess that is a teenager. Raising her with her stepdad and her uncle both in the mix makes for some challenging and hilarious moments. He is also dealing with issues with a neglectful father and secrets with could destroy him.
Anh (Annie) has rented Emmitt's house while he's gone--but now he's back early and has made himself her roommate. Dealing with him, a recent ex and trying to discover her Korean roots in a Caucasian upbringing makes her an emotional mess who can't decide whether to storm at everyone or just sit and cry.
Could they be just what the other needs? Add some heat and you've got a story that pretty much gives you everything you could possibly want.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book via NetGalley. All thoughts are my own.

4 1/2 stars Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for the complimentary copy of this book . All opinions expressed are my own.

Romeantically Challenged by Marina Adair is wonderful book that I highly recommend to anyone who loves thoughtful romances.

Marina Adair centers the books around two characters who are both at a crossroads in their lives and dealing with distinct, but equally weighty, personal issues.

Annie (Anh Nhi) is a Vietnamese woman who was adopted by two Caucasian Americans and brought back to the US to live in a predominantly white neighborhood. The book thoughtfully addresses Annie’s struggle with where she belongs in a world where she feels stuck in the “in between”.

Emmit, is a confirmed bachelor, struggling with a unique situation of parenting a 15 year girl with two other men. To call the situation complicated is an understatement.

What I loved about the book is that Adair does a masterful job of portraying the emotions and thought processes that these two characters are going through. They each help the other person to process and handle their situations for the better.

If the book has a weakness I think it might be that it straddles a line between serious romance and rom com. I view it as a romance addressing serious issues but think it’s being marketed as a rom com. There are certainly rom com elements but overall I really think the book is more thoughtful and serious in nature.

I highly recommend this one to anyone who loves romance. This is not a traditional own voices account but I’d still say it is as close as you can get to one without the author being Vietnamese herself (please read the author’s afterward to better understand the author’s personal connection to the book and the insights it portrays). There is some steam in the book but it is fairly easy to skip if that isn’t your thing.