Book ~ "Practice Makes Perfect" (2023) Sarah Adams

From Goodreads ~ Annie Walker is on a quest to find her perfect match - someone who nicely compliments her happy quiet life running her flower shop in Rome, Kentucky. Unfortunately she worries her goal might be too far out of reach when she overhears her date saying she is "so unbelievably boring." 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 become her tutor: Will Griffin.

Will - the flirtatious, tattooed, and absolutely gorgeous bodyguard - is temporarily back in Rome, providing security for Amelia Rose as excitement grows for her upcoming marriage to Noah Walker. He has one personal objective during his time in town: stay away from Annie Walker. But no sooner than he gets settled, Will soon finds himself not only breaking his rule but tasked with far more than simply providing security.

Will wants no part in changing the sweet and lovely Annie but he can't bring himself to say no to her request so he officially agrees to teach her how to be the next leading lady of Rome, Kentucky, and find the love of her life - even if he doesn't believe in love himself. Between faking a relationship so the meddling town doesn't catch on to what's really happening on their practice dates and tutoring lessons that convince Annie to add passion to her list of must-haves in a mate, it doesn't take long for the lines of their friendship to blur.

Anna owns a flower shop in the small town of Rome, KY. Her soon-to-be sister-in-law, Amelia, is a famous pop singer. With the wedding coming up, there is sure to be lots of unwanted activity so Will, Amelia's usual bodyguard, spends the month leading up to the wedding in Rome protecting Amelia when she needs it.

Anna confesses to Amelia that she would like to find a man, get married and start a family but she doesn't have a lot of dating experience. Will has a lot of off time and Amelia knows he is bored in the small town so asks him to be Anna's dating coach. There is an immediate attraction between Anna and Will but Will, who grew up in a dysfunctional home, has no plans to settle down which conflicts with what Anna's ultimate goal is.

This story was okay ... it was cheesy and light, not something I usually read (where a couple falls in love within a week). I found it unbelievable that Anna, who was nearly 30, was that immature and innocent and I doubt Will, who was older and more experienced, would talk and think the way he did ... they seemed like teenagers. And imagine a small town starting a petition whether they should be together or not! Not a surprise that is has a happy ending. It's written in first person perspective from Anna and Will's points of view (the chapters are labeled). It's the second in the When in Rome series (I read the first one a couple weeks ago) ... it works as a stand alone as there is enough information provided from the first one. As a head's up, there is mild swearing (which Anna keeps track of in a book!?) and adult activity.