In Your Dreams by Sarah Adams – Rome, Kentucky Series Book 4

In Your Dreams by Sarah Adams

In Your Dreams: A Novel by Sarah Adams is the fourth romance in her popular Rome, Kentucky series, returning readers to the warm, meddling small town that has become the heart of the series.

This time, the story centres on Madison Walker and James Huxley.

Madison once left Rome, Kentucky, determined to build a successful career in the culinary world.

New York was supposed to be the place where everything came together.

Instead, years of chasing professional success leave her with damaged confidence and a desperate need for a new beginning.

Coming home was never part of the plan.

Then she receives an unexpected opportunity:

A job as head chef of a new farm-to-table restaurant in Rome.

There is only one complication.

The offer comes from James Huxley.

Penguin Random House describes the novel as a homecoming romance between two longtime family friends, with Madison returning to Rome and James finally getting the chance to show her how he really feels.

Madison Walker Comes Home

Madison has spent years trying to prove that leaving Rome was the right choice.

Her career ambitions took her to New York, where she hoped to establish herself professionally and create the future she imagined.

But ambition does not always produce the expected result.

By the time In Your Dreams begins, Madison’s confidence has taken a serious hit.

The offer to become head chef of a new restaurant gives her something she badly needs:

a second chance.

It also forces her back into the town she once left behind.

Returning means confronting:

• Old relationships
• Family expectations
• Career disappointment
• Personal insecurity
• The fear of starting over

It also means spending far more time than expected with James Huxley.

James Huxley

James is the owner of Huxley Farm and Madison’s brother’s best friend.

He has always preferred a relatively stable, predictable life.

He runs the family business, keeps his head down and rarely makes reckless decisions.

But Madison is one exception.

James has quietly loved her for years.

The problem?

Madison has never really seen him that way.

Penguin Random House’s official synopsis makes this central to the romance: James has loved Madison for years, even while she viewed him largely as an annoyance.

Now that she is back in Rome, James finally has the opportunity to change that.

Brother’s Best Friend Romance

One of the strongest romance tropes in In Your Dreams is:

Brother’s Best Friend

James is already connected to Madison’s family.

That means their developing relationship comes with:

• Shared history
• Family complications
• Familiarity
• Protective instincts
• Built-in tension

Unlike two strangers meeting for the first time, Madison and James already know one another.

The romance develops from years of history rather than instant attraction alone.

He Has Loved Her for Years

Another major trope is:

He Falls First / He Has Loved Her for Years

James has been carrying feelings for Madison long before the events of the novel.

Madison, however, has not understood the relationship the same way.

That imbalance creates romantic tension.

For James, the question is whether Madison will ever see him differently.

For Madison, returning home forces her to reconsider people and places she believed she already understood.

The Farm-to-Table Restaurant

The restaurant gives Madison and James a reason to work closely together.

Their goal is ambitious:

Launch a new farm-to-table restaurant in a very limited amount of time.

Madison brings her culinary experience.

James brings the farm, the location and the connection to Rome.

Professionally, the arrangement makes sense.

Emotionally, it becomes far more complicated.

As opening night approaches, the two have to deal with:

• Work pressure
• Attraction
• Personal insecurities
• Family complications
• Old assumptions
• The town’s interference

Keeping their relationship strictly professional becomes increasingly difficult.

Rome, Kentucky

The fictional town of Rome, Kentucky remains a major part of the series’ appeal.

The town is warm, familiar and extremely interested in everybody’s personal life.

Readers familiar with Sarah Adams’ earlier Rome books will already recognise the importance of:

• Family
• Local businesses
• Community
• Friendships
• Familiar characters
• Small-town gossip
• Romantic meddling

Penguin Random House describes the novel as returning readers to Rome, Kentucky, where the community cannot resist becoming involved in Madison and James’ relationship.

The town therefore functions almost like another character.

Career Confidence and Starting Again

Romance is central to the book, but Madison’s professional journey is also important.

She returns home after losing confidence in the career she once pursued so aggressively.

The new restaurant gives her the chance to ask:

• What does success actually mean?
• Is returning home the same as failing?
• Can a career be rebuilt?
• Can a person change direction without giving up?
• Is the dream itself wrong, or does it simply need to change?

This adds a personal-growth dimension to the romance.

Madison is not only deciding whether to risk love.

She is rebuilding her sense of who she is.

James and Family Conflict

James also has unresolved family issues.

The restaurant project becomes connected to a longer-running conflict involving his estranged brother.

Penguin Random House’s synopsis notes that an unexpected disaster eventually collides with a long-simmering sibling feud.

For spoiler-free product copy, it is best not to explain exactly what happens.

What matters is that James’ story involves more than his feelings for Madison.

He also has to face his own fears, loyalties and unresolved family relationships.

Romance Tropes

Readers who enjoy trope-driven contemporary romance will find several favourites here:

• Brother’s Best Friend
• He Falls First
• Longtime Secret Love
• Small-Town Romance
• Homecoming Romance
• Forced Proximity Through Work
• Friends / Family Friends to Lovers
• Slow-Burn Chemistry
• Career Rebuilding
• Close-Knit Community

These elements make In Your Dreams especially suitable for readers who enjoy warm contemporary romance with strong community and family connections.

Rome, Kentucky Series Reading Order

Penguin Random House identifies In Your Dreams as part of the Rome, Kentucky series, while several bookseller platforms also refer to the series as When in Rome.

The core reading order is:

1. When in Rome
2. Practice Makes Perfect
3. Beg, Borrow, or Steal
4. In Your Dreams

For WooCommerce I recommend following the current official publisher naming:

Series: Rome, Kentucky
Book Number: 4

You can optionally add:

Also commonly catalogued as: When in Rome Series

Can In Your Dreams Be Read as a Standalone?

Each romance focuses primarily on a different central couple.

That means readers can follow Madison and James’ relationship without needing every detail from the earlier books.

However, reading the series in order gives more context for:

• The town
• Family relationships
• Returning characters
• Running jokes
• Community dynamics
• Earlier romances

For the strongest reading experience, recommend starting with When in Rome.

About Sarah Adams

Sarah Adams is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling romance author.

Penguin Random House identifies her as the author of the Rome, Kentucky series and the Los Angeles Sharks duology.

Her books include:

• When in Rome
• Practice Makes Perfect
• Beg, Borrow, or Steal
• In Your Dreams
• The Rule Book
• The Cheat Sheet

Her romances are known for:

• Humour
• Emotional warmth
• Slow-burn chemistry
• Strong banter
• Close-knit communities
• Hopeful endings

Who Will Enjoy In Your Dreams?

This novel may particularly appeal to readers who enjoy:

• Contemporary romance
• Small-town romance
• Brother’s best friend
• He falls first
• Secret pining
• Slow-burn romance
• Romantic comedy
• Food and restaurant settings
• Family drama
• Sarah Adams
• Rome, Kentucky
• BookTok romance

Readers who enjoyed When in Rome, Practice Makes Perfect or Beg, Borrow, or Steal should especially enjoy returning to the same connected community.

Buy In Your Dreams in Sri Lanka

For readers looking to buy In Your Dreams by Sarah Adams in Sri Lanka, ISBN 9780593723715 identifies the Dell paperback edition, released on 30 December 2025.

Official Penguin Random House metadata gives:

• 368 pages
• 9 oz / approximately 255 g
• 5.16 × 7.98 × 0.76 in

Converted to practical WooCommerce measurements:

0.255 kg / 20.3 × 13.1 × 1.9 cm.