In Your Dreams: A Novel (Rome, Kentucky)
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A homecoming to Rome, Kentucky, sparks a new romance—and lots of drama—between two old family friends, from the New York Times bestselling author of When in Rome, Practice Makes Perfect, and Beg, Borrow, or Steal.
AN ELLE BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
Madison Walker left Rome, Kentucky, determined to make it in the culinary world. But after years of chasing success in New York, all she has to show for it is her shattered confidence and a desperate need for a fresh start. Coming home isn’t part of the plan—until an unexpected job offer lands in her lap: the head chef position at a new farm-to-table restaurant in her hometown. The only catch? It comes from James Huxley, owner of Huxley Farm, her brother’s best friend.
James has always played it safe, keeping his head down and running the family business. But when Madison’s happiness is on the line, he’s willing to take up his estranged brother’s offer to launch a restaurant. James has loved her quietly for years, knowing she’s never seen him as more than an annoyance, but now that she’s back, he’s determined to change that.
Madison and James are tasked with launching the dreamy restaurant in record time, but keeping things strictly professional soon becomes impossible, and the town can’t help but meddle in their relationship. As opening night looms closer, Madison’s fears threaten to hold her back.
When an unexpected disaster collides with a long-simmering sibling feud, both Madison and James will have to face their biggest insecurities—and decide if love is worth the risk or if some dreams are safer left untouched.
AN ELLE BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
Madison Walker left Rome, Kentucky, determined to make it in the culinary world. But after years of chasing success in New York, all she has to show for it is her shattered confidence and a desperate need for a fresh start. Coming home isn’t part of the plan—until an unexpected job offer lands in her lap: the head chef position at a new farm-to-table restaurant in her hometown. The only catch? It comes from James Huxley, owner of Huxley Farm, her brother’s best friend.
James has always played it safe, keeping his head down and running the family business. But when Madison’s happiness is on the line, he’s willing to take up his estranged brother’s offer to launch a restaurant. James has loved her quietly for years, knowing she’s never seen him as more than an annoyance, but now that she’s back, he’s determined to change that.
Madison and James are tasked with launching the dreamy restaurant in record time, but keeping things strictly professional soon becomes impossible, and the town can’t help but meddle in their relationship. As opening night looms closer, Madison’s fears threaten to hold her back.
When an unexpected disaster collides with a long-simmering sibling feud, both Madison and James will have to face their biggest insecurities—and decide if love is worth the risk or if some dreams are safer left untouched.
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Community Reviews
A wonderful ending to the When in Rome series. I love the characters and setting. It is a delightful place to spend the day.
This one grew on me. In the earlier portion of the book, I didn't find the main character, Madison, very likable. I think the author spent way too long telling the reader how much of a screw-up she was growing up in Rome, KY, and current day, being a screw-up in New York City. Okay, we get it! But part of what I think was irritating (to me, anyway), was the presumption that all the other side characters are ones the reader already knows. So I stopped and googled this. And I learned this book was part of a series, and that I had just read the final book in the series. That certainly explains why I am supposed to care about all the other characters, who are part of couples already put-together in the earlier books. The male character, James, was a dream. He had apparently been in love with Madison a long time. Though, in true rom-com style, she was completely clueless to this fact. The story starts with Madison graduating from a NY Culinary School (barely) after enduring torment and then getting fired as an intern from a horrible boss chef, who had it out for her. She accidentally dials James, and they end up talking about her horrible roommate who has sex every night which keeps her awake, and that she needs to find a new job after graduation. James tells her of an idea he has, to open a restaurant on his farm, and offers her the chef job on the spot. But, it turns out, Madison has severe panic attacks and PTSD as the result of her internship in hell-boss' kitchen. So she lacks trust in herself to run a restaurant. And it doesn't help that her family and all the rest of the town of Rome, KY also have no faith in her abilities - or, that she thinks they don't. I am not sure why James is so madly in-love with her, but the scenes of the two of them realizing their attraction (or namely, of Madison realizing she is beginning to care more about James), the better the book got. There were some things thrown in, such as a trip to New York City, that seemed totally unnecessary to advancing the plot, and I kept wondering how James could just take off on a moment's notice and leave the farm unattended. I mean, who milked the cows and tended to the crops? I judged it as a middle-of-the-pack romance, nothing very memorable overall, which is why it doesn't receive a higher rating.
This has been a great series! I love Madison and feel that her and I are most alike in that we've started over quite a few times. The tension built between her and James is perfect!
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