Description
By Rebecca W. Martin
Rome—once the heart of an empire, now the heart of the Catholic Church—has witnessed many love stories. When the Eternal City draws together a Swiss Guard and an American expat, a modern-day romance blooms in the shadow of Saint Peter’s Basilica.
Haunted by a broken engagement and betrayed by her best friend, Elena Gattino travels to Rome for a new job and the hope of a new life. Fueled by pasta and bolstered by prayer, she becomes brave enough to forge new friendships with the Rechsteiner siblings as she explores Rome and finds her footing at work.
Benedikt Rechsteiner is comfortable serving in the Swiss Guard, even if he recognizes his life lacks a special something…or someone. Simmering family tensions and uncertainty about his future have left Beni wary of relationships, but his unexpected feelings for Elena challenge him to face his fears.
Soon, Beni and Elena’s friendship turns into more, thanks to the matchmaking meddling of a Vatican spymaster, a Swiss Guard comrade-in-arms, and Beni’s overenthusiastic yet lovable sister. But then Elena’s past follows her to Rome, putting her in danger that even Beni may not be able to save her from. And if Beni wants to be with Elena, he’ll need to discern where his own future lies—and reconcile with his father after years of bitterness. Can the two forge a relationship strong enough to withstand the suffering that comes their way? Or will the tensions of their own lives pull them apart?
laknermegan –
I went into this book not knowing exactly what to expect since it’s from a debut author and I haven’t read a lot of Catholic romance books, but the cover grabbed my eye and the synopsis intrigued me. I was not disappointed! If you didn’t know this was the authors first book you wouldn’t be able to tell it from reading it. It was so well done! The setting of Rome made me feel like I was there, visiting the actual places in real life. I loved getting to “visit” Italy for the first time.
The characters were so well written. The romance between Elena and Beni was just scrumptious. I appreciated the fact that Elena isn’t your typical skinny heroine. Instead she struggles with some extra weight gain, and the feelings of trying to accept yourself that come along with that issue. I admired how Beni still found her attractive, and how he wasn’t perfect either.
I wasn’t expecting the mental health angle of the book, but it was very well done and fit in perfectly. The author perfectly captured the struggles that we all go through at times, while still offering hope that it doesn’t have to overcome us.
There was also some intrigue and suspense in the book, with regards to Beni’s job as a Swiss Guard and Elena’s difficult relationship with her ex, Chris. It kept me turning the pages to see how it would all turn out. I loved this story, the characters and setting so much! I’m excited that its the first in a series, though it can easily be a stand alone story as well. I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher; all opinions are my own.
candideweekes –
Love in the Eternal City by Rebecca W. Martin was a great read!
I really enjoyed the place it takes you to. I’ve never been to Vatican City and now I would like to go and visit 🙂
The character were well developped and I could easily identify with Elena and Benedikt was perfect for her 🙂
I didn’t know anything about the Swiss Guards but I could tell that Rebecca did extensive research and her description and details were really appreciated.
— I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publishers. I was not required to provide a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone. —
Benita Thompson (verified owner) –
When I learned about this book’s existence, I thought “oh cool, I like romcoms and I’ve only ever read like one Catholic one, maybe I’ll check it out.”
Then I read it.
I melted a million times, cried, laughed, and lay awake for half an hour after finally putting my phone down at midnight (and I have a baby who doesn’t sleep through the night, so that’s saying something), smiling uncontrollably over how much I adore this book. I’m pretty sure haven’t fallen in love with a book so hard since The Lord of the Rings.
First and foremost, I was not expecting the mental health arc, and it was OH so good. Perfectly realistic, relatable in parts, and even helped me see some people in my life in a new way.
Then the characters’ faith, so beautifully represented and an incredible witness to the richness and depth of the Catholic Faith. It was seamlessly woven into the story, never preachy, and truly inspiring. The redemption and healing arcs were so moving!
All the characters, adorable and perfectly lovable. The Monsignor? The POPE??? (Side note, one chapter is entitled “If You Give the Pope a Pinecone”, which I feel is important.)
The humour—I highlighted a bunch of lines on my Kindle, which I NEVER do:
‘Beni has to pry my fingers off his waist. Mid-travel, I went from hands-off to hands very much on. I probably gave him an accidental Heimlich maneuver.’
“You are an empty-headed buffoon,” Oscar says in the tone of someone reciting a shopping list. “You have the brain of a sea slug and less common sense than a rabbit. Your reputation is doomed to be lower than dirt, and the best future you can hope for is as a garbage collector for a scientific base at the South Pole. There, I’ve forestalled your self-flagellation.”
“Oh, your son provides some excellent amenities,” I blurt out. “Have you seen his muscles?”
‘“Andiamo! Get to the hospital, he’s losing consciousness,” Monsignor Mercadante yells and slams the door shut.’ (spoiler alert, he is not losing consciousness)
In conclusion, if you want the best book you will ever read, go get this one without delay. It’s light enough to enjoy when you’re tired, but with plenty of depth. I’m getting a print copy as soon as it releases, and I’m gonna reread it so many times it’s not even funny. (The book is, though.)
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher; all opinions are my own.
meadav50 –
Confession: I picked this book up for two reasons.
1: That. Cover. LOVE. 🙂 I adore that this style is pretty in/cutting edge right now, and I hope to see it take over more Christian fiction in the near future.
2: Roseanna M. White and her husband are two of the folks behind Chrism Press, so I knew I could go in with high expectations regarding the writing style and quality of story.
Both of these reasons did not disappoint. 🙂 Martin’s debut novel is impressive–especially given it’s a debut–with both the aforementioned reasons paired with spot-on humor and intrigue. I was very curious to see how everything would pan out, pretty much from page 1, and was pleasantly surprised.
I learned a lot about the Swiss Guards and life in and around Vatican City, especially from a Catholic perspective. Being born and raised Protestant myself, there was certainly a dichotomy there on a few levels–quite the Venn diagram! But I did appreciate seeing and learning from how the MCs incorporated their faith into their everyday lives. Frankly, I feel we Protestants could stand to learn a few things, and I do love to see how liturgy is making a comeback on “our side of the aisle.”
This is a clean, fun read that makes me want to visit Rome and eat pasta and gelato!
I received an eARC of the book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.