By Sarah Adams 

Dell Books, 2023. 335 pages. Romance 

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." Maybe she only needs a little Practice and Annie has the perfect person in mind to become her tutor: Will Griffin. The flirtatious and tattooed 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. 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 Annie, but he can't bring himself to say no to her request. 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. 

This cute romance has all the tropes; opposites attract, fake relationship, friends to lovers. There’s something for every rom com lover. I may have only read it because it’s set in my home state of Kentucky, but it far exceeded my expectations of a quick summer read. It’s a sequel to Sarah Adam’s When in Rome, which I didn’t read, but I never felt lost by any of the supporting characters or stories introduced in the first book. Told in dual POV, Annie was a likeable lead with her own ambitions and opinions and Will was a perfect complement to her strong, albeit unlucky in love, character. The chemistry between the two leads was palpable and well-developed. It’s considered a closed-door romance, but not necessarily clean, so it’s an excellent choice if you prefer a little more substance than spice. Overall, if you enjoy sweet rom coms, a la Christina Lauren and Abby Jimenez, you’re sure to love Practice Makes Perfect. 

Yours Truly 

By Abby Jimenez

Forever, 2023. 398 pages. Romance 

Dr. Briana Ortiz's life is seriously flatlining. Her divorce is just about finalized, her brother's running out of time to find a kidney donor, and that promotion she wants? Oh, that's probably going to the new man-doctor. But just when all systems are set to hate, Dr. Jacob Maddox completely flips the game by sending Briana a letter. And it's a really good letter. Like the kind that proves that Jacob isn't actually Satan. Worse, he might be this fantastically funny and subversively likeable guy who's terrible at first impressions. Because suddenly he and Bri are exchanging letters, sharing lunch dates in her "sob closet," and discussing the merits of freakishly tiny horses. But when Jacob decides to give Briana the best gift imaginable, a kidney for her brother, she wonders just how she can resist this quietly sexy new doctor especially when he calls in a favor she can't refuse 

The True Love Experiment 

By Christina Lauren 

Gallery Books, 2023. 409 Pages. Fiction 

Sparks fly when a romance novelist and a documentary filmmaker join forces to craft the perfect Hollywood love story and take both of their careers to the next level, but only if they can keep the chemistry between them from taking the whole thing off script. From the New York Times bestselling authors of The Soulmate Equation and The Unhoneymooners.

BW