Lizzie Adler finally has her future mapped out. Having grown up in foster care, Lizzie knows heartbreak and disappointment, and has developed a tough skin to hide her vulnerable heart. But things are definitely looking up. Lizzie has secured a tv spot on the culinary channel, and a two month internship in Rome, learning alongside the legendary chef, Massimo, from Ristorante Massimo. This will boost her chances of securing a position back home in New York, while allowing Lizzie to help pay for her foster sister, Jules, grad school. However life does not always go to plan, which Lizzie soon discovers when she arrives in Rome.

Dante DeFiore has a lot on his plate. Ever since his grandfather, Massimo, had a stroke, Dante has been both owner and head chef at the restaurant. Dante loves being a chef but having issues with his father, he feels pressure to return to the family vineyard. On the verge of selling the restaurant, what he doesn't need is a mesmerising blonde arriving, waving a contract. No matter how attractive and fascinating he finds Lizzie, Dante knows from experience, that love just does not work for the DeFiore men.

When Lizzie realises that all of her plans may come to nothing, she is willing to fight for her future, and that means learning from Dante instead of Massimo. But as heat flares to life both in and out of the kitchen, will Dante and Lizzie be willing to risk their damaged hearts, and take a chance on love? Or will it be too late?

THE PLAYBOY OF ROME by Jennifer Faye is a delightful modern romance, that ticks all of the boxes for me. Although both Lizzie and Dante come from completely different backgrounds, both characters carry baggage from their childhoods, as they struggle with their feelings for each other. With just the right amount of heat, THE PLAYBOY OF ROME by Jennifer Faye has the recipe for the perfect romance.