Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publishers for access to this ARC 📚

🔥Quick Fire Review🔥

Genre/Themes: 🏛️⚔️♥️👩🏼‍❤️‍💋‍👨🏻✝️
Tropes: Sworn Off a Relationship, Orphan, Found Family, The One That Got Away, All Grown Up, Second Chance Romance, Good vs Evil, The Evil Villain, Soulmate, Forbidden Love, Secret Baby, The Power-Hungry Villain, Martyr, Secrets & Lies, Misunderstanding
Positives ✅ : engaging blend of historical fact and fiction, unique retelling of a religious legend, some interesting side characters and side plots
Room for Improvement 🔎 : uneven writing style/prose, missed plot opportunities and some events too predictable, underdeveloped romance elements and some underdeveloped characterisation, some themes felt out of place
Rating: 🌕🌕🌗

✍🏻Full Review - RISK OF SPOILERS 🛑 and boy is it a long one so buckle in! ⏱️

I found myself procrastinating somewhat writing this review as I found it hard to figure out what my initial thoughts and feelings were. While this story had all the ingredients to be right up my alley, the final recipe was just missing something for me. While I didn’t necessarily struggle to finish the story I did find it an uneven read and never quite settled into a flow within the prose. I also have to preface this review by saying I am not a person of faith, so martyrdom and divine miracles and such do not mean to me what they would to others.

Characterisation:
The main issue in the book for me was there was far too much ‘telling not showing’. Characters were often written as ‘exuding’, ‘radiating’ or ‘having an air of’ certain personality traits instead of allowing the reader to interpret these traits through the characters’ dialogue or actions. This was worsened sometimes by some contradictory descriptors, almost oxymorons, along the lines of ‘they said aggressively but calmly’ or ‘looked rugged but elegant’ (paraphrasing of course). Characters were often made frustratingly neutral. I also got tired of the words ‘camaraderie’ and ‘banter’ when talking about Valentine and his friends, as again it felt like I was being told how close they were and not shown. Their ‘banter’ wasn’t always very ‘banter-like’ or funny.
I liked adult Valentine towards the beginning of the book. He was depicted as a complex character, being a strong and skilled leadership figure on the battlefield but being quite sensitive and reserved away from it. He held his steadfast belief that his childhood love would be his only one. We saw him experience embarrassment and envy when encountering his ex-lover - his one attempt at commitment since Agatha - and a more impulsive, rebellious side when he has a drunken night of passion with Serena and escapes out of her window. We see him avoid advances from women, and he gets a lot with his military reputation preceding him, but avoids his friend’s questioning of his love life even harder. However later on in the book I felt he lost some of that more endearing, relatable side to his personality and became… dare I say it… a bit boring. Still brave, still strong and still an adept leader. But too clean-cut for me.
Our very first impression of Agatha is an assertive, possibly a little but rude and confrontational woman who prefers her own company, somebody who Valentine will have to work a bit harder to woo. I was intrigued. But… that all dissolved pretty quickly and unfortunately I just found her to be a bit boring as well throughout the rest of the book. I couldn’t really tell you about her personality, just that she is blind and loves her family, plus Valentine.
The villain, Claudius (written about Claudius II not Claudius I from much earlier in antiquity) was a pretty big baddy. I definitely felt how menacing, ruthless and discriminatory he was. But in some ways he felt a tad one-dimensional, like he was horrible for horrible’s sake. We know he wanted to hold onto the Roman Gods, saw Christianity as a threat and as a result resented the Emperor and his leniency to this new faith. But… why? What about Christianity did he despise so much? Why did he see Emperor Gallienus as so useless when he had achieved so much success in the Empire? Just because he interfered with his strategy that one time? I’m not sure I’m convinced by that, I think I needed to see a slower burn of developed resentment. Add in the fact that he regularly rapes Serena in pursuit of a son even though he has never mentioned a desire to start a lineage or a dynasty? Yeah, I needed more of a motive.
In all honesty I found the side characters, Serena and Aurelian to be the most interesting. They were complex, mysterious and strategic. Valentine’s friends or allies were either forgettable or forced attempts at comic relief, while Agatha’s sister Portia just felt like a plot device for some tension between Valentine and Agatha rather than an interesting character of her own.

World-Building:
I adore Ancient Rome so loved the setting of this book. The public dwellings such as the taverns, the markets and the forum. The world of the elites such as the elaborate villas and the castles. The darker sides of Rome such as the use of slaves, the mistreatment of women and the corrupt politics. The brutality of war against foreign invaders all while worshipping the Gods and honouring them with public holidays and festivals. The influence of the senate and their relationship with emperors. The religious tension and transitional period between paganism and the Christians, and the confusion and guilt some people felt making this change. I felt immersed in Ancient Rome without a doubt. The only part that threw this for me was when Valentine was taken in by some healers following his injury, and from there he started studying Chinese medicine particularly Qigong. This felt… totally random and out of place and I felt was only put in to make Valentine’s ‘healing’ of Agatha’s blindness more believable. It didn’t.

Prose\Plot:
I felt there were some missed opportunities in the plot. The sort of adorable, awkward Valentine we see following his encounter with his ex and his drunken rendezvous with Serena were entertaining to read. I’d have actually liked to have seen more of this side of Valentine and his friends, I think it would have made Valentine more relatable and his friendship group feel more organic. When he met Agatha and she was snappy and rude, I was really hoping we’d get some more awkward fumbling and courting of her. I hoped for a slow burn where Valentine starts to have feelings for Agatha, maybe he learns something that makes him think she’s not his childhood love and he finds himself frightened that he might be ready to move on, only to find out it is her after all. We could have seen Agatha slowly warm up and allow herself to be vulnerable. But Agatha and Valentine only briefly met once and then quickly learned their true identities. It happened quickly and felt a bit anticlimatic. On the whole I felt their love story was quite lacking, which was a shame as this was meant to be the main part of the story. I also felt Valentine’s transition to Christianity was sudden. When he prayed to the Christian God on the battlefield, leading to cruel treatment from Claudius, I was… confused. He hadn’t at this point expressed much interest about Christianity, only hearing of things through his friend Marius and obviously Agatha. His progression once he was cared for in the Christian settlement did feel more organic, though; losing his friends from Claudius’ persecution and having to perform secret wedding ceremonies was engaging to read. However some story elements were somewhat predictable, such as Portia and her manipulation and Valentine’s friend who betrayed him. The ending was also predictable too, plus Claudia’s birth and parentage ended up contributing very little to the story. The bathhouse scene in particular was great. Another missed opportunity was Valentine’s sneak-in of the castle to approach Serena. He and his friends had done all of this planning, Valentine was being continuously warned about how dangerous and stupid this was and got me all excited for an awesome infiltration scene. Did we get that? No, it cut straight to him being in Serena’s bedroom. I was gutted! However some plot points were really enjoyable such as Junius, Aurelian and Serena’s scheming. I also enjoyed the action scenes when Claudius’ praetorian guards kept pursuing Valentine and his friends. So a mixed bag in terms of plot, and I will stress again that I am not of a faith and do not harbour any devoutness to religious legend or martyrs, so when I say this I do not mean to offend… but the healing of Agatha’s blindness was ridiculous. The plot and world had been so believable and realistic up to this point, and to do it with Qigong and for it to turn out she’d been CHOOSING to be blind after she witnessed her mother’s death? Wasn’t for me.
As mentioned before I did struggle a bit with the author’s prose, maybe because the story was written in third person past tense? I can’t put my finger on it, but it didn’t quite flow for me. Overall though I enjoyed enough elements to read the story within a few days.

I really enjoyed this story. I've always been fascinated with Ancient Rome and while that is only a small part of this book, it aided in my selection of this ARC. I've never been a big fan of love stories but I think this book does a good job of marrying action along with the love story undertone. Overall I really enjoyed it and I would recommend this to other readers.

<i>The Legend of Valentine</i> is a fascinating and descriptive read that immerses you in the Roman Empire. The vivid writing makes you feel like you’re truly there, experiencing the struggles and triumphs of the time.

At its core, it’s a love story, but it’s also heavy on war and the challenges faced by early Christians. I found it really interesting to learn about the patron saint of love and picked up a lot of things I didn’t know before.

While this isn’t typically my genre, it’s still a great book for anyone who enjoys war novels with a touch of romance. It’s especially fitting for Valentine’s Day, offering a blend of history, love, and action.

I received a free ARC of this book from NetGalley, but all opinions are my own.

Valentine, a once-fearsome warrior reborn from the brink of death, sheds his violent past for a new destiny inspired by his blind lover, Agatha. Amidst the ruthless rule of a merciless emperor, Valentine undertakes a clandestine mission: to unite lovers in secret ceremonies, defying imperial decrees that threaten to obliterate the Christian faith.

As Valentine’s covert acts of defiance grow bolder, he challenges the tyrannical order, planting the seeds for a celebration of love that will echo through the ages—becoming the foundation of what we now cherish as Valentine’s Day.

I love historical fiction, especially when it's about a time and place we're familiar with like Rome. Collins does an excellent job bringing a different setting to life. The love story was sweet and inspiring. I very much enjoyed reading this! 4⭐

I received an advanced complimentary digital copy of this book from Netgalley. Opinions expressed are my own.

Ancient Rome was the epicenter of excitement in the ancient world. Hosting games, parties, and campaigns. A Roman is what many aspire to be. Behind the scenes painted a different story of hidden alliances, betrayals, greed, and lies. Rome was perfect on the outside a modern wonder, on the inside its corrupt political greed tainted the very fabric of Rome society.

Valentine always aspired to be a soldier. He and a group of his men were strong and resilient in the face of danger, having won numerous battles and saved the empress from their enemies. His first love always remained in the back of his mind, causing complications in his love life as an adult. He hoped to one day stumble on her again and often wondered if he would recognize her if he did.

Agatha has been blind since the age of 13, her sister and Tiber often accompany her as they travel outside of their home. While she is known to be beautiful, she doesn't have any suitors due to her "disability" and men unable to look past her blindness to see the real her. Viewing her as too troublesome to wed, her sister has taken it upon herself to care for her every second of every day.

The Legend of Valentine starts slow, giving great detail of past and current events leading up to "the main event" that started the elaborate plot. The story highlights behind-the-scenes views of conspiracies that transpire in politics. There is often betrayal, secret alliances, and murder for those led by greed to achieve a higher status of importance. Sheldon Collins took the histories of what we know about Rome and its citizens and created a phenomenally detailed well written historical romance that immerses the reader into the intricate plot and sets the foundations for what was expected at that time in Rome during the rule of a tyrant and the religious persecutions of Christians.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from an ancient love story, but The Legend of Valentine surprised me with its perfect balance of action, historical depth, and vivid depictions of warfare. It’s not just a romance—it’s a gripping tale of loyalty, sacrifice, and the clash between faith and empire. A must-read for anyone who loves historical fiction with equal parts heart and grit.

“The Legend of Valentine” is a historical fiction bookby Sheldon Collins. I think Mr. Collins did a great job describing what third century Rome both looked and felt like. This book was a bit outside my normal historical fiction read, so visiting (and checking facts) on Ancient Rome was interesting. A solidly good read.

This novel is a masterful blend of romance, action, and political intrigue—truly a page-turner from start to finish. The way the storylines seamlessly come together in the final hundred pages is brilliant. Without a doubt, this is one of the most compelling historical fiction novels I have ever read. A true gem. I highly recommend it.

Collins does a fantastic job of portraying the environment in 3rd century Rome. Sometimes I could almost taste the dust in the air or hear the clanging of swords. This is clearly a love story between Valentine and Agatha (who is blind by the way), but it also depicts the clashing of religions - the Roman gods versus the Christian god. Valentine starts as a good Roman but is influenced by the Christians, which is one reason he is a saint. Worth a good read.

I really enjoyed reading this historical fiction novel and how everything worked to tell the story that it needed to. The characters felt like they were supposed to in this universe and was glad everything was on point. Sheldon Collins was able to create a world that worked overall and was invested in the characters overall. I’m glad it had that Roman element that I wanted and enjoyed reading this.

A true masterpiece! As a discerning reader, I'm rarely so deeply captivated, but this novel is an exceptional blend of history, action, and romance that held me from beginning to end. It’s my favorite book of the year. Highly recommend!

A history of Valentine! I was intrigued by the cover and I liked how the story was written. Some of the content was very technical and I don’t love that. Overall it was something outside of my normal reads. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.