Practice Makes Perfect

When in Rome is a planned quartet of interlinking contemporary romances set in the small town of Rome, Kentucky. Though all of these books can be read as standalones, they have loose overarching plots pertaining to the Walker siblings: Noah, Emily, Madison, and Annie.

When in Rome (2022) is the first installment in the series. It follows the romance of the oldest Walker sibling, Noah, and pop star Amelia Rae Rose—who seeks a temporary escape from stardom in Rome, Kentucky. The series starter introduces Rome, the Walker siblings, Amelia, and relationship dynamics within the town. The Walker siblings lost their parents as children to a storm while the couple were camping for their anniversary in Colorado. The eldest, Noah, was 10, and the youngest, Annie, was three. While their younger siblings, Madison and Annie, don’t remember much, Noah’s trauma exemplifies a fear of storms, and Emily has intense abandonment issues. Their biological grandmother, Silvie, raised the children with the help of a local bed and breakfast owner, Mabel, who quickly became their surrogate grandmother. In recent years, Silvie has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and now lives in an assisted-living center that can better cater to her needs. Her grandchildren rotate visiting her for lunch.

Prior to Amelia, Noah dated a New Yorker named Merritt, who temporarily visited Rome to care for a deceased uncle’s property. They had a whirlwind romance that ended in Noah’s hasty proposal. He followed Merritt to New York, where he got a miserable bank job and became lonely when Merritt prioritized working over their relationship. After a year, Noah was forced to come home to care for his grandmother. Merritt was apathetic, and he soon discovered she’d been cheating on him for months with a coworker. Since then, he’s been hesitant to pursue romances with out-of-towners, but when Amelia’s car breaks down in his front yard, Noah offers his home as a place for her to stay until it’s fixed. Amelia meets the local townspeople and introduces the Walker sisters to her obsession with Audrey Hepburn while slowly falling in love with Noah. After a nine-month tour for her new album, Amelia moves to Rome, Kentucky, to be with Noah.

Practice Makes Perfect (2023) focuses on flower-shop owner and youngest Walker sibling Annie as she develops a far-from-boring romance with Will Griffin, Amelia’s personal bodyguard. The novel deeply explores Amelia and Will, formerly introduced as minor characters in When in Rome. The second installment extends Noah and Amelia’s love story while also providing more characterization of Emily and Madison. The ending chapters hint at an upcoming romance between Madison and James, as he’s troubled to hear she’ll be leaving for a two-year culinary school. The last two books in the series will develop romances for the remaining two Walker siblings—Madison, an aspiring cook, and Emily, an elementary school teacher.