Just before I started Rebecca W. Martin’s debut novel, Love in the Eternal City, a single thought danced around my mind: please, please, please, don’t be cheesy [1].
We all know the stereotypes of Christian literature, especially Christian romance. It’s the same problem that the Christian film community often faces. These stories, while sweet, can be too sugarcoated, too sunshiney, and, overall, too unrealistic. It’s for that very reason that the genre doesn’t usually gain much traction. And so, Christian readers are often left with a dilemma; sacrifice morals or shun an entire genre. This problem has frustrated me for years.
And so, you can imagine my immense delight as I slowly realized that Martin’s debut novel was not only free of spice but also free of cheese.

Love in the Eternal City, published in August 2024 by Chrism Press, follows two broken characters who find themselves – and each other – in Vatican City over the course of six months.
Elena Gattino, an American, travels to Rome as a shell of the girl she used to be, back before an abusive ex-fiancé broke her heart and stole away her best friend for good measure. Shattered but faithful, she is looking for a fresh start, which she finds in Benedikt Rechsteiner, a cute Swiss guard. Between unresolved family disputes and confusion about his true calling in life, Beni has his own troubles. Entering a relationship is a scary choice for both Elena and Beni, who fall hard and fast for each other. Their desire to court intentionally only amplifies their fears, but together, they continuously choose the chance of love over the risk of heartbreak.
While the story centers on Elena and Beni, Martin peppers her novel with other incredibly lovable characters that round out her protagonists. Standouts include Rianna, Beni’s younger sister who dreams of big business; Oscar, Beni’s fellow Swiss guard (who happens to be crazy in love with Rianna); and Monsignor Mercadante, a character who managed to surprise me over and over again. I would also be remiss if I didn’t mention the pope, who appears throughout the story a few times in both humorous and heartwarming scenes as he helps Beni discern his path.
Several aspects of this book unexpectedly grabbed my heart. Love in the Eternal City focuses on romantic love but also explores other forms. Elena’s struggles with mental health and self-love were handled with kindness and respect from Martin rather than just thrown in as a plot point for Elena to hurdle at the eleventh hour. Likewise, Beni’s slow journey to forgiving his father was a poignant reminder that it is never too late to reach out and love those around us, even if we believe the relationship is too broken. Friendship also appears in this story as a form of love, and watching Rianna and Oscar gently nudging their friends towards happiness never failed to make me smile.

As I mentioned earlier, it’s often difficult to find a book that seamlessly weaves faith into the pages without coming across as cheesy or preachy to readers. Love in the Eternal City finds the solution: the characters are just ordinary people. They aren’t perfect, and their struggles allow readers to relate to them rather than feel scorned or judged.
As a Catholic myself, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a better portrayal of Catholics in modern literature. Elena goes to daily Mass when she has the chance, but she fights self-loathing and scrupulosity. Beni’s job is to protect the Holy Father, but he spends most of the novel wrestling with years of internalized resentment and anger toward his own father. They are not saints but are trying their best to become them. That is not an easy road. To Martin, being Catholic is not a personality trait for her characters; it’s a way of life.
In a similar vein, this novel feels like a love letter to Catholicism, and reading Love in the Eternal City makes me want to give the author a big hug. I’ve seen my faith slandered in popular modern media too many times to count, but I’ve rarely seen it portrayed so beautifully. While Beni and Elena’s romance drives the novel, my favorite elements of the story extend beyond them. Between the pages, I explored basilicas and attended Mass in the very heart of Catholicism on earth. I prayed, cried, trusted, and prayed some more.
I firmly believe in the power of literature to reflect the light and beauty of this world.
Our desire to write and read good stories stems from our desire for the ultimate Good. Our yearning points to something more, something higher, something beyond our best imaginings. This yearning shines from the pages of Love in the Eternal City, and as long as Rebecca W. Martin continues to write stories about good people attempting to be better, I will keep reading them.
This novel exceeded my expectations, and I look forward to future works by the author.
As Rianna says, “There’s so much beauty in this city, Elena. I almost can’t stand it.”
Notes
[1] I received a complimentary electronic copy of this book from Chrism Press, but all opinions are my own.
About the Author
Katherine Joyce is a Catholic writer and aspiring novelist. A firm believer in literature’s unique capability to lift the soul, she is on a lifelong mission to read and write stories of faith, hope, and beauty. She loves flowers, coffee, and the works of J.R.R. Tolkien. Through her dreams of becoming a published author and a professor of literature, Katherine hopes to remind the world that there is always light for those who seek it. To read more of her bookish and writerly thoughts, you can visit her Substack or @katherinejoyceauthor on Instagram!
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