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Annie Walker is on a quest to find her perfect match—someone who complements her happy, quiet life running the local flower shop in Rome, Kentucky. But finding her dream man may be harder than Annie imagined. Everyone knows everyone in her hometown, and the dating prospects are getting fewer by the day. After she overhears her latest date say she is “so unbelievably boring,” Annie starts to think the problem might be her. Is it too late to become flirtatious and fun like the leading ladies in her favorite romance movies? Maybe she only needs a little practice . . . and Annie has the perfect person in mind to be her tutor: Will Griffin.

Will—the sexy, tattooed, and absolutely gorgeous bodyguard—is temporarily back in Rome, providing security for Amelia Rose as excitement builds for her upcoming marriage to Noah Walker, Annie’s brother. He has one personal objective while on the job: stay away from Annie Walker and any other possible attachments to this sleepy town. But no sooner than he gets settled, Will finds himself tasked with helping Annie find the love of her life by becoming the next leading lady of Rome, Kentucky. Will wants no part in changing the sweet and lovely Annie. He knows for a fact that some stuffy, straitlaced guy won’t make her happy, but he doesn’t have the heart to say no.

Amid steamy practice dates and strictly “educational” tutoring lessons, Annie discovers there are more layers to Will’s usual stoic attitude. As the lines of their friendship become dangerously blurred, Annie reconsiders her dream guy. Maybe her love life doesn’t need to be perfect—it just needs to be real.

My second Sarah Adams novel, and I think she’s just jumped to my top five list of favorite authors.

Book two in the When in Rome series, it was fun to reconnect with characters introduced in book one, but it was more fun to get to know Annie and Will better. I’m not often a fan of fake dating, but I enjoyed this one, maybe because I’m a fan of characters discovering things about themselves.

Overall, I’m not a big fan of stories where characters place so much emphasis on sex (or not having it), as there’s so much more to a person than their virginity status. And while Annie was pretty obsessed with her virginity, I appreciate that Adams keeps the doors closed when her characters take that step.

Annie’s and Will’s chemistry was amazing, and their banter was everything you want in a contemporary rom com. If you’re looking for a closed door but sensual story, this is the book for you.

Rated PG/PG-13.

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For more closed-door romances, check out:

When In Rome by Sarah Adams
What You Wish For by Katherine Center