“A delightful story of love, passion, and appetite, filled with Italian vivacity and charm.” –Anthony Capella, international bestselling author of The Food of Love and The Wedding Officer Art restorer Emily Price has never encountered anything she can’t fix–until she meets Ben, an Italian chef, who seems just right. But when Emily follows Ben home to Italy, she learns that his family is another … is another matter.
Emily Price–fix-it girl extraordinaire and would-be artist–dreams of having a gallery show of her own. There is no time for distractions, especially not the ultimate distraction of falling in love.
But Chef Benito Vassallo’s relentless pursuit proves hard to resist. Visiting from Italy, Ben works to breathe new life into his aunt and uncle’s faded restaurant, Piccollo. Soon after their first meeting, he works to win Emily as well–inviting her into his world and into his heart.
Emily astonishes everyone when she accepts Ben’s proposal and follows him home. But instead of allowing the land, culture, and people of Monterello to transform her, Emily interferes with everyone and everything around her, alienating Ben’s tightly knit family. Only Ben’s father, Lucio, gives Emily the understanding she needs to lay down her guard. Soon, Emily’s life and art begin to blossom, and Italy’s beauty and rhythm take hold of her spirit.
Yet when she unearths long-buried family secrets, Emily wonders if she really fits into Ben’s world. Will the joys of Italy become just a memory, or will Emily share in the freedom and grace that her life with Ben has shown her are possible?
“A Portrait of Emily Price is a portrait of grace and love. Reay expertly weaves a story rich in taste and sight, wrapping it all with sigh-worthy romance. You’ll think of Emily and Ben and the hills of Italy long after you’ve read the last page. Reay is carving her name among the literary greats.” –Rachel Hauck, New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of The Wedding Dress
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I’ve recently discovered Katherine Reay and her books are delightful reads. So far, my favorite is Dear Mr. Knightley, although this book is only my third so far. I just received my purchase of The Bronte Plot, so will read that one soon. Anyway, A Portrait of Emily Price is a fun read. The protagonist, Emily, is an art restorer and accomplished artist also. Her artistic strengths help her navigate life but also uncovers deep-seated pain in those close to her. This seems to create irreparable relational damage, but it’s her artistic strengths that ultimately helps heal the pain and her relationships.
A 5 start Novel, Portrait of Emily Price by Katherine Reay, is a modern day masterpiece. Emily a painting restorer and an artist falls madly in love with /Ben, a chief from Italy. In 2 weeks together they marry and move to Italy. Then when the fun happens. Emily meets her Mother-in-law who hates her dying Father-in-law who tries to teach her the way of life and the big secret they all carry. I just love the way the author writes about Italy and the in depth way she writes each characters. I also love the faith aspect in this book. Its based on the Catholic religion which was very interesting to me because I love to learn about new sects of religion. The ending is wonderful will Emily and Ben survive all the pressures from his family. It will have you guessing until the end. A novel in which I highly recommend!
*Again Reay’s book has a distinct lack of Christian faith & practice although the books are labeled Christian fiction. But truly for me, Reay’s book, A Portrait of Emily Price was a dismal disappointment, disconnected & disjointed. She marries a man after knowing him only 2 weeks. Solid Christians do not do this. There were other aspects of the book that did not line-up with great Christian faith and practice for me.
I received this book for an honest review. The story was a little slow at first but once you get into it, it is wonderful. Emily’s insurance company sent her to Atlanta to do a restoration project on a house that had a bad fire. Most of the work she would be doing is a mural in a young girls bedroom and other things that needed to be done in the house. She was being set up at a wonderful restoration office to do off-site work. When she gets there the work these people do is wonderful and awe inspiring. Joseph runs the office and is testing her. Emily loves to paint but she can’t seem to get the eyes correct in her paintings or get the movement right in flowers. Joseph takes her to get something to eat at his aunt & uncles Italian restaurant and his brother Ben is visiting to help restore their restaurant and to work on his pizza recipe. Ben & Emily work on getting the restaurant back to were it needs to be, but in the process they fall in love. She finishes her work restoring the house, and knows that she has to make decision about finding a job. Joseph offers her one, but Ben offers her love. She & Ben go back to his home village in Italy and she walks into uncovering the family secret, that has torn a family apart for a lot of years. The ending is wonderful. It reminds how strong family ties and old fashion values have caused problems within families.
Art, literature, and fine Italian cuisine mingle in Katherine Reay’s most recent masterpiece A Portrait of Emily Price. Subtlety is Reay’s specialty and one of the reasons I believe Emily’s story will appeal to mainstream romance readers. Unless familiar with Thomas Nelson Publishing, a reader may not recognize this book as Christian fiction from the outset. Initially, I felt the deeper messages were reserved for the latter 2/3rds of the book, after Emily and Ben had reached Italy. However, upon a second reading, I was able to pick up more of the bread crumbs Reay lays down and noticed how they were aimed at defining joy. As Ben expresses so simply when he says, “…joy isn’t a feeling, it’s a truth.” Still, my heart was most captivated by the art restoration project Emily undertakes. As the hidden work emerges, so do the family’s long held secrets. Ben’s big Catholic family, Emily, and the reader all walk away with an unforgettable lesson about grace.
Christian Shelf-Esteem received a book to facilitate this review. The views and opinions expressed are 100% honest and my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255 Guidelines, concerning the use of endorsements and testimonials in advertising.
Thoroughly enjoyed the book!
Excellent book about relationships and love. The kind of love not based on feelings alone. I appreciate that the author wrote a non porn love story. Hard to find these days.
Having been to Italy a few years ago, this book brought back beautiful memories.