Rome in Love by Anita Hughes

• Title:  Rome in Love: A Novel
• Author:  Anita Hughes
• Genre:  Women’s Fiction
• Published:  August 2015 – St. Martin’s Griffin
• Source:  Publisher

Synopsis:  When Amelia Tate is cast to play the Audrey Hepburn role in a remake of Roman Holiday, she feels as if all her dreams have come true. She has a handsome boyfriend, is portraying her idol in a major motion picture, and gets to live in beautiful, Italian city of Rome for the next two months. 

Once there, she befriends a young woman named Sophie with whom she begins to explore the city. Together, they discover all the amazing riches that Rome has to offer. But when Amelia’s boyfriend breaks up with her over her acting career, her perfect world begins to crumble. 

While moping in her hotel suite, Amelia discovers a stack of letters written by Audrey Hepburn that start to put her own life into perspective. Then, she meets Philip, a handsome journalist who is under the impression that she is a hotel maid, and it appears as if things are finally looking up. The problem is she can never find the right time to tell Philip her true identity. Not to mention that Philip has a few secrets of his own. Can Amelia finally have both the career and love that she’s always wanted, or will she be forced to choose again?

With her sensory descriptions of the beautiful sites, decadent food, and high fashion of Rome, Hughes draws readers into this fast-paced and superbly written novel. Rome in Love will capture the hearts of readers everywhere.  (publisher)

My take:  Rome in Love is the story of Amelia, an American actress in her first role and Phillip, an American writer trying to make it on his own instead of taking a boring job in his family’s Wall Street business.

With her detailed descriptions of setting, fashion, and characters Anita Hughes made me feel like I was watching a movie.  My one quibble was the feeling that the intimate scenes between the main characters seemed to have no chemistry – as if they were inserted as an afterthought. I’d rather they’d been alluded to because they seemed oddly detached from the overall tone of the novel.

Despite my quibble I enjoyed the basic story and the parallel Audrey Hepburn storyline. I also liked the secondary characters. Phillip’s photographer friend and Amelia’s new friend, Princess Sophie added comic relief.

If you’re a fan of the film Roman Holiday, Audrey Hepburn, and the Rome setting you’ll probably enjoy Rome in Love. It’s a breezy, romantic tale perfect for the beach.