Sarah Adams sets a high bar and delivers a well executed romantic comedy in this enemies to lovers story set in small town Rome, Kentucky.
One of the things that I learned very quickly when I started writing recipes is that some classics should be updated, but others are classics for a reason. There are times when I’m playing around in my kitchen and I dream up ways to take a classic dish and give it a twist that makes it into something unexpected in a totally new way. But there are also times when a classic is what’s called for in its most beautiful, basic form. It doesn’t need to be fancy–it just needs to taste exactly like what you love and expect. The execution will have to be flawless, but the results make my heart happy.
This is the case with Beg, Borrow, or Steal, which surprisingly enough is my first book from author Sarah Adams. Although this is the third in her When in Rome series, I went in with no knowledge of the prior two books and still deeply enjoyed this book as a standalone. Beg, Borrow, or Steal is not trying to do anything fancy. It centers on two teachers/writers (she an aspiring romance novelist, he a popular published mystery author which he writes under a pseudonym to keep his identity secret) that live in small town Rome, Kentucky. They’ve known each other for years since they met in college and have spent all those years bickering and one-upping each other. Only recently, Jack moved away with his fiancee leaving Emily to wonder why he never said goodbye to her. Now, a few months later, rumor has it that Jack is moving back to town and the engagement is over. Not just moving back to town–buying the fixer upper right across the street from Emily. The banter starts to fly as soon as he starts renovations on his house as Emily tries to convince him to sell and leave. But when she needs his help with the romance book she’s writing, they form an alliance that could lead to more.
Simple. This is a classic enemies to lovers story about two writers who love to hate each other. But Sarah delivers this in such a way that it’s really engaging and inviting throughout. Her ability with banter is top notch, and I felt like I could have spent all day with Jack and Emily–their chemistry just flies off the page. I totally bought the thawing of their animosity as their relationship taps into the vulnerabilities of both characters. It’s romantic comedy just done so well–charming, sweet, and relatable.
The narrative flips POVs throughout, and I enjoyed both characters. Emily is particularly fun as you get to spend time with her extended family, her two sisters Maddie and Annie, brother Noah, sister in law Amelia, and Annie’s boyfriend Will. Obviously two of these couples have been already covered in her prior novels, but I found myself very engaged with Emily’s family all the same. They feel very relatable the way they push and pull against each other. And Jack is constantly trying to do the right thing, even when his famous writer father is acting like a boor, so I was rooting for him throughout as well. Both Emily and Jack have emotional arcs that feel grounded and authentic too.
I also think Sarah handles the intimate scenes in this book superbly, and I wish other writers would take note. First off, she lets the reader know upfront which chapters include sex in case you want to skip them all together. I thought that was kind of sweet and respectful as I feel like sometimes romance authors feel like the audience wants as much sex as possible and just keep throwing it in there, even when it doesn’t feel necessary or like it’s doing anything for the story. Sarah is telling you right up front that the romance, not the sex, is driving this story–if you want to skip the sex, fine with her. The scenes themselves are not overly graphic, but they’re still heated, and she does a great job of finding setting and scenarios that pump up the heat and the intimacy. I felt like the execution here is really great–this woman knows how to write a sexy intimacy scene without feeling like all of a sudden her characters became sexperts.
Sarah also does an amazing job with the small town setting (which wasn’t a surprise at all given that she has an entire series set in this small town). The Rome, Kentucky setting feels like a real place that’s cherished and loved by everyone that lives there. None of this felt particularly cheesy or overly folksy to me, which sometimes happens when a writer is trying to sell a small town setting. This place just feels authentic and full of unique characters. I liked the Hank’s bar setting, the coffee shop, as well as the Pie store that Emily’s family owns. All of it feels welcoming and gives small town wish fulfillment.
Needless to say, I added When in Rome and Practice Makes Perfect to my TBR when I was no joke like 5% into this book. Consider me a Sarah Adams convert–I don’t know why I was sleeping on her to begin with. If those two books meet the high bar of this one, I’m in for some fabulous reads. Rome, Kentucky, take me back!
5 out of 5 stars
Synopsis (from Amazon): Emily Walker hates having her carefully crafted world disrupted by anyone, most of all her legendary nemesis, Jack Bennett. He’s the opposite of the wonderful heroes she dreams up in her double life as a romance writer, which is why Emily was perfectly happy when Jack left Rome, Kentucky, mid-school year with his fiancée. The last thing Emily saw coming was Jack’s return at the start of the summer after calling off the wedding and ending his relationship, but he’s here to stay—as her colleague and her neighbor.
Jack is glad to be back, eager to renovate his house and work on the next mystery novel under his bestselling pen name. But when he realizes he’s now neighbors with the one woman who has always pushed his buttons, he discovers something he’s even more excited about—thwarting Emily and her petty plans to sabotage his return.
With their chemistry-fueled animosity at an all-time high, Emily accidentally sends an email to their school’s principal that could reveal her secret literary side hustle. She needs to steal back her manuscript, and Jack—she hates to admit—is just the man to help her. Surprisingly, he agrees. Will their unlikely alliance put an end to their rivalry? Or could it lead to a steamy plot twist they never saw coming?
