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“It seems to me, Annie, that you are just waiting for someone to give you permission to be yourself out loud.”
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Practice Makes Perfect is the second book in a series of interconnected standalones following the siblings in a family in Rome, Kentucky. When In Rome, book 1, was one of my favorite reads of 2022, so PMP was HIGHLY anticipated for me and it! DID NOT! DISAPPOINT! PMP introduces us to ~Angel Annie~, the youngest sibling and the sweet, innocent introvert. Despite having reached her dreams of opening a flower shop in honor of her mother, she still isn’t feeling fulfilled. After decades of putting other people, and their feelings, before herself, she vents to Amelia, her brother’s fiancé, about her dating woes. Amelia just happens to be a world famous pop star whose incredibly sexy, smart, and reserved bodyguard is coming back into town. Amelia concocts a true Rome, Kentucky plan to make the two fall in love by having Will, her bodyguard, “coach” Annie on how to date better.
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“I’m a self-aware gal, and I know my flaws. Falling quickly for hunky mysterious men who look like pirates and don’t do relationships is definitely one of them.”
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Annie has all of the characteristics of an FMC that should be annoying, but with Sarah’s expert writing, she’s anything but. She’s approachable, understandable, admirable, and FUN! I found myself relating to her so much and love the growth that she had in the month we were following her along.
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“Tell you what, Annie. We’ll get you your committed relationship and your white picket fence, and if for some reason it doesn’t feel right and you want that adventure after all - call me and I’ll come hold your hand on the flight.”
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WILL. FREAKING. GRIFFIN. Pirate romance reader, executive protection assistant (iykyk), tattooed, kind hearted man. I just love him so much.
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This book was a quick, corny, cheesy, perfect in every way read. It has no spice but a LOT of tension and is so, so, stinking sweet. 10000/10 would recommend and can’t wait to see what else Sarah brings us from Rome!
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Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine/Dell for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

Practice makes perfect is a small town romance set in Rome, Kentucky. While this is a stand alone it does connect with her other book - When In Rome.

I really enjoyed my first Sarah Abrams book! It so sweet and funny that you’ll likely find yourself giggling and smiling into your copy much like I did. I loved the fact that Annie loves reading pirate romance books. And the banter between Annie and Will was *chefs kiss*. I think both characters having issues related to their family that they needed to work through was both realistic and tender to watch.

Things I absolutely loved:
- Dual POV
- fake dating trope
- taking care of sick FMC
- closed door romance

The only thing that made it not a five star was just how long it took for the characters to actual admit their feelings when their actions made it fairly obvious. Plus I felt that Annie’s lack of communicating herself to her family wasn’t nuanced enough.

Thank you netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Annie is the sweetest human and I love her. I love how we got her and Wills story but also got more of the town and her siblings. These two were unapologetically themselves with each other and I loved their interactions. There were definitely moments that had me laughing and smiling. I also can’t wait to see what happens next in the world.

I really enjoyed this, it was super cute and exactly what I was hoping for when I requested to read it. I do suggest that whoever is interested in reading, read the first because it is part of a series which I was not aware of so there are references to characters and events in the first book, but it was easy enough to read and catch on. I really enjoyed Annie and Will; their dynamic was sooo sweet and him “teaching her” and helping her practice gave many opportunities for some truly amazing tension. I also love the small town vibes - it was very Gilmore Girls meets Hart of Dixie which I adored and has made me want to read the first book as well as more from this author!

Practice makes perfect

4.5⭐️

2.5/5🌶 - but the tension is 😍😍😍



I would first like to thank Random House Publishing for a free copy of Practice Makes Perfect for my honest thoughts on the book. I will have my review available today, 05/11 on Goodreads and on 05/16 on my Instagram @booksofenchantment



Ladies and gentlemen, I am just going to be upfront and honest with you. There is nothing I enjoy more than a bodyguard-themed romance. Whether the bodyguard is protecting the MFC or the MMC character is being a bodyguard to someone else. And can I also just start the review by saying “Oh my little southern heart!” I fell in love with the perfect way Adams wrote about a little southern town and all the beautiful southern details without overdoing it which doesn’t surprise me considering she is also a native Tennessean like myself. Will has been added to the book boyfriends list. He could definitely take someone out but he’s actually a sweetheart who doesn’t know how amazing he is till Annie shows him. I also feel like Annie and I are twins personality-wise. I have never read a character that so perfectly describes the weight of being what others want them to be and carrying that emotional burden. I also highly enjoyed that, unlike other romance books that jump right into some heavy spice, Adams pulls back, instead giving us moments filled with beautiful tension and what it is like to be someone new to sexual desire. Practice Makes Perfect is a perfect blend of first-time love, family bonds, and Southern charm.



Read if you like:

Hart of Dixie
Dirty pirate romances
Small town drama
Southern lifestyle
Looks like he could kill you but is actually a cinnamon roll.
They fall at the same time

Annie is a sweet flower shop owner in small town Kentucky. We know this city boy to small town trope but that doesn’t mean we don’t love it! Annie is relatable and Carrie’s the weight form her parent’s death on her heart. She is so easy to love, not surprised our main man falls for her. Hints of spice but nothing too saucy! Loved.

Overall I loved this book. Annie was a great main character. The fact that she loved a pirate romance was amazing because one of my favorite books is a pirate romance lol. Will has been moved to the top 5 favorite book boyfriends. He was so sweet to Annie and he respected her. This book was a 5-star read I will never forget!

I will admit I had not realized this was part of a series/saga (the way romances are) and that Sarah Adams had previously written When in Rome....based of this book I will be snatching up the first title pretty darn quickly. This was full of quirks, banter, and most importantly....COMMUNICATION. We love a bad boy who feels he is unlovable and unable to give love in return who falls for the sweetest lamb in the town and then that town is nosey (a la Gilmore Girls) and manages to butt in at every single turn. This was adorable and well worth the read.

I love this series and how this author writes. This was definitely a cute story. I enjoyed being back in Rome, Kentucky.

Definitely excited to see where the rest of this story goes

Highly recommend if you enjoy small Town romance books. Also this can be a stand alone

Sarah Adams does it again. This was amazing, adorable, steamy, everything you want in contemporary romance. I laughed, I cried, I cringed, I cheered on the characters. The book makes you feel good about humankind - a fun, feel good love story. I wish I could transport myself into the pages of this book and into Rome, Kentucky!

Sweet Annie is looking for her perfect love, but struggles on every date she goes on. When Will, a flirtatious, tattooed, bodyguard starts tutoring her on how to date. Will these two opposites follow the rules they place - or will the lines they have drawn begin to blur, and will passion take over?

Thank you Netgalley for my advanced reader copy.

“some part of me has always known I would love you”

i don’t mean to be dramatic but this is quite literally my perfect book. if i could have hand picked all of my favorite tropes, lines, characters, setting etc and put them into a book, it would be this. i am not and will never be over Will Griffin 😍🥰

Sarah Adams has done it again and continues to remind me why she is a favorite, auto buy author.

I was given the ARC by Netgalley, but all reviews and thoughts are my own 🌸🥹🩷

This book is ADORABLE! I loved so many things about it:

- male main character bodyguard
- the flower shop
- social anxiety rep
- dating practice
- sizzling slow burn with steamy moments, but closed door!
- deeper profound moments for the characters
- constant honest communication

This book checked all the boxes for me, and I loved how it was a quick read that I could fully immerse myself in. I can see myself rereading this every summer!

Writing Aesthetic/Style: 5
Plot/Movement: 5
Character Development: 5
Overall: 5

Thank you, Ballantine and NetGalley, for the arc!

Trigger/Content Warnings: past parent deaths, toxic childhood with emotional abuse recounted, kisses

This was my first book by Sarah Adams and definitely won’t be my last! The story is told from a dual POV. Annie runs a local flower shop in a small town of Rome, Kentucky. Will is a bodyguard temporarily back in town. I found myself laughing out loud throughout the book. I enjoyed the sweet, swoon worthy moments. I loved the open and honest communication between Annie and Will. The closed-door romance was really well done and Sarah sure has a way with words. This was such a fun and happy book!

okay I really really wanted to like this one, but sadly, I'm beginning to think that sarah adams just isn't for me :(

the setting and the vibes of the plot were just boring to me. it didn't have any of the charm of a typical hallmark style romcom, and I couldn't connect to any of the characters in the town at all! I think there was potential there (obviously or I wouldn't have picked it up lol), but the fast-paced instant-love connection just wasn't for me.

at the root of the problem, annie and will, the two MCs, have instant love, which is all of the "love at first sight" and none of the cuteness behind it. for two almost thirty year olds, they acted like they were still in high school or college at best between their dialogue, miscommunication, and assumptions about each other. the tropes of the two MCs were stereotypical between the FMC wanting to settle down and start a family and the MMC wanting to live his life out.

I think stories like this one are cute in theory, but do absolutely nothing for the society of women who want to also live their dreams beyond settling down and starting a family before the age 0f 30. annie acted like it was a huge deal to not even consider a life with will if he wasn't willing to change his ways, and it was a bit cringe at times.

for those looking for a quick and easy read, however, definitely give this one a shot!

thank you to netgalley and random house for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

rating: 2 stars
wine pairing: virigina rosé (pinot noir)

Annie Walker leads a quiet life running a flower shop in the town of Rome. She is the sweetheart of the town and even her siblings call her "Angel Annie" a moniker she really does not enjoy. Annie feels like something is missing in her life and she thinks finding the perfect match might be the answer. She decides to go on a date and very quickly realizes it is not going well, so, she excuses herself to the bathroom to regroup but on her way back she overhears her date on the phone saying that she is unbelievably boring. This forces Annie to wonder if she just might be the problem. Enter Will, a tattooed executive protection officer who is back in to protect Amelia Rose as publicity around her upcoming nuptials has resulted in paparazzi presence in town. Amelia is engaged to Noah, Annie's brother. Amelia decides that Annie needs some practice and that Will is the perfect person for the job. Will wants no part in the shenanigans but doesn't want Annie to be practicing with anyone else either. He agrees to help but knows that a straight-laced guy will not make this sweet girl happy. The more practice they do the more the lines of their friendship blur.

Practice Makes Perfect was absolutely perfect! I loved it and couldn’t put it down! There was so much romance and cute humor throughout the book and it was such a fun read!

I loved this book so much. I loved the characters and I loved the side characters. The side characters really just make this story so much better and the unity in the community is admirable. Rome seems like such a lovely place to live. I love how we had dual POV’s so that we could see Will fall in love over the course of the story and Annie becomes more confident in herself. What a romantic town and what a romantic story. He was soooo in love with her the whole time I was yelling at my Kindle being like “WILL YOU LITERALLY LOVE HER YOU IDIOT!”

I absolutely loved how much of Noah and Amelia we got in this book. Because even though they are now side characters, I loved how often they came up in the book and in such a subtle way too. The sense of family love was so touching, especially when Annie finally came clean to her siblings about how they were making her feel.

I honestly lost count of how many times this book made me actually love out loud. During Annie’s little league date with Brandon, when Amelia’s showed up wearing a fake mustache, I literally was cracking up. Such a fantastic book, I can’t wait to read more by Sarah Adams.

In Practice Makes Perfect we return to Rome, Kentucky and follow Annie, one of the sisters from When in Rome. While “inexperienced virgin” is not my favorite trope, when I forgot that part of the plot I really really enjoyed this book.

The communication and banter was top notch and Will Griffen makes an EXCELLENT reformed bad boy. You know what’s going to happen as soon as you start the book in that perfect rom com story arc way and you’ll find yourself smiling as you read along.

While this is easily read as a stand-alone it was fun to revisit the characters from the first book and there’s the perfect set up for a third in this interconnected series. I would recommend this book as well as the other in this series. Thank you Random House and NetGalley for the advanced e-copy of this book.

I'm a sucker for a cartoon cover romance book, and this book did not disappoint. Only after I finished it, was I told it was a sequel! Which, I will go back and read because I enjoyed this story so much. All that to say: I didn't need to have any knowledge from the first book to make this book enjoyable.

I love the fake dating trope, and if you toss in a grumpy/sunshine trope, I'm all in for the story. I could have used more spice, but it being closed door didn't deter my enjoyment of the story. I love how fleshed out each of the characters were, and the small town element with everyone in everyone else's business always make me laugh, because that's exactly how the small town my parents are from is. This was adorable, and funny, and I'm sad the story is over.

This is a cute, fast read, and will have you smiling from ear to ear as you're reading. The ending really had me laughing and I would love to know more about Annie and Will's life after this.

I was given access to this book in exchange for my honest review.

I was lukewarm on Sarah Adams first book, it was a little too hallmark for me, but I liked this one better. There was great banter and I thought it was so funn