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The Masterpiece

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Roman Velasco is a rich, self centered artist who's artistry is highly acclaimed and sought after, by night he is know as "bird/BRD" and works in secret as he tags buildings with his signature marked graffiti. He has experienced loss and betrayal throughout his entire life and has shut off his heart from everyone. In walks Grace...

Grace has her own set of problems. She lost her parents tragically at a young age, she made some poor choices and gets married to someone she thought she knew while they were both in college. Soon after, Grace has to quit college to support her ill tempered husband. When she catches him cheating on her in their home he announces he loves the other woman and leaves Grace. Shortly after Grace deals with an unplanned pregnancy. She decides to give the baby up for adoption, but as soon as he is placed in her arms she knows she can never give her precious baby up. Struggling to make a fresh start Grace begins working for Roman Velasco as his personal assistant.

These two have a lifetime full of scars. If there were ever more complete opposites these two are it. Grace is grounded, Roman is reckless. Grace loves God, Roman is an atheist. Grace likes order, Roman's life is chaos. Grace struggles to make ends meet, Roman has more money than he knows what to do with. The list goes on and on, but these two are drawn together by jaded pasts and what awaits them is a masterpiece of God's redeeming love.

Overall, this was an enjoyable book. The story jumps smoothly between past and present so the reader gets a good feel for everything the characters have dealt with in their past. Both of their stories are heartbreaking, and their was a sadness to the book, but the ending gives hope.

There were a few things I didn't care for in this novel. They are nit picky things. One example would be that one of Grace's church going, christian friends encouraged her to get an abortion. There is also mention of drinking cussing and sex. I realize that Roman is a rough character and this is how the author chose to portray the depth of his sin. The last book I read by Francine Rivers was Redeeming Love and although many people rave about the book, I did not care for it and felt it was too detailed in sexual matters. So with that I was a little leary about this book. Overall, I enjoyed it, but due to my own christian convictions, a lot of what she writes did not sit well with my heart.

***Thank you to Tyndale Publishing for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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Roman Velasco is a rich young artist who’s hiding secrets. His messed-up past. His dissatisfaction with his work. The fact he’s also a graffiti artist, decorating (or defacing) prominent Los Angeles buildings. It’s his way of dealing with his past. Roman is a character with issues stemming back decades.

Grace Moore is a divorced single mother who’s broke but needs a job so she can justify keeping the son she almost gave up for adoption. Working for Roman might be her way out. Or not … The Masterpiece doesn’t shy away from the hard issues of modern life. Drink. Drugs. Promiscuity. Temptation. Godlessness … but also godliness. I’m sure Grace’s name is no coincidence.

The writing is excellent, as I expected. The characters are layered and complex—just like with real people, it takes a long time to truly know them. I was especially impressed by the way the story switched between the present and past, taking us back to show us the events that turned Roman and Grace into the adults they’ve become. It could have been confusing, but it wasn’t.

Thanks to Tyndale House and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

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Having featured a spate of Advent, New Year and Lent books in the book club recently, I’m happy to return to some fiction. Here are two novels published by Christian publishers with one very well-known author and one debuting.
Francine Rivers is a master at creating a fictional world in which the characters journey towards God through Jesus Christ. Her latest, The Masterpiece, features two people who both suffered major trauma when they were young. How each character dealt with that trauma has affected who they are as adults, and how they see the world.
As an author Francine doesn’t shy away from what some might see as controversial aspects of the Christian faith.
For instance, without giving too much of the plot away,
she includes a near-death experience in which demons of many kinds rush towards the character, revealing how if they reject God in this life they will face the terrors of hell. Today demons and hell can be disparaged or ignored as too provocative or fundamentalist by Christians and those in the culture, and so her inclusion of them seems daring.
In this book I appreciate in particular how she shows God speaking to his people – each character hears his still, small voice, and they each have the choice whether or not to obey it. She portrays this speaking in a natural, not too super- spiritual way.
I raced through the novel, for the world she creates feels authentic and real, with characters who face struggles, challenges, and joys to which I related. Her fans will be delighted.

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A beautiful story that covers so much of what people are experiencing today, full of life & romance & a few tear jerking moments in the midst of their chaotic souls. Written in a way that is so real you forget you’re reading fiction! People deal with problems in different ways, Roman is on his way to destruction. Gripping, and clever with a way out...one that points to the light. One of my favorites.

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As Adele would say, reading a new book by Francine Rivers feels like home. “It’s like a dream come true.”

“The Masterpiece” has her footprint in every page. The well-developed concept of the book, the complexity of each character, and the message of redemption going through the story are very distinctive in her writing, and we can see all of that in this book as well.

Grace seems to be perfect in the midst of all her imperfection, as usually happens with the main female characters this author creates. However, it was nice to learn her background with all her disappointments, victories, fears, and mistakes. That helped me understand better some of the decisions she made.

Roman found a soft spot in my heart. His past, which led him to so much brokenness, made me feel empathy for him, and sorry for all what he had to go through. One way or another we are the result of things that have happened to us, but fortunately we belong to a good God that can always put together all our broken parts.

This book is so well-written that it was easy for me to feel for Roman and Grace. I could connect with them after getting to know them better through their memories. Even though the first few chapters didn’t draw me into the story, I learned to enjoy their journey as I kept reading.

It’s always good to have Francine Rivers back. I really liked this book.

**I received a copy of this book from Tyndale House Publishers through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own**

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I've yet to meet someone who isn't a fan of Francine Rivers books... so I know a lot of people who are going to LOVE her newest book. This book is brilliant. Even thinking about the storyline and characters makes me smile again. This novel stays true to her style of storytelling- raw, heart-wrenching, honest stories of redemption, faith, and healing. It was well-written with dynamic characters, vivid descriptions of settings, a well-paced plot and creative storyline, and it had that extra something special that took it from an excellent book to absolutely fantastic. I could not get this story out of my mind for days, and I could not make myself slow down to savor the reading. It was so, so good.

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THE MASTERPIECE is one of the most beautiful and inspiring novels I have read. It is FRANCINE RIVERS at her best! It is always worthwhile waiting for her books as they never disappoint!
Every character is so realistically portrayed that we can literally feel what they are feeling.
It is a powerful story in which we see how God, the loving Father, not only speaks to His children to encourage, lead and guide them, but also, by His amazing grace, orchestrates circumstances in order to save them from destruction. It is made very clear that we have a choice to make if we do not want to end up in hell! It is the Gospel message played out in a modern setting.
Roman Velasco and Grace Moore are very different but they both have been badly wounded and broken by the past.
Roman grew up as Bobby Ray Dean living in the Tenderloin with his prostitute mother, who died of an overdose when he was seven. He escaped from one foster home after another, joined a gang and became their tagger, venting his anger in painting gang graffiti on buildings. He cannot get over his mother's death, and the death of three of his gang member friends, making him afraid of getting close to anyone again. He is caught and sent to the Mastersons, who take in young delinquents, instead of being sent to prison. What he learns there makes a big difference in his life.
Grace has.found it hard to get over the horror of her parents' death which also happened when she was seven. She is badly treated by her husband but somehow blames herself for the break up of their marriage, until she realizes he was using her, which makes her angry with herself. She was brought up by her rather austere Aunt Elizabeth and has a poor self image.
Grace has an intimate relationship with the Lord. The only exposure Roman ever had to anything related to church or Jesus was a neon sign saying "Jesus Saves" on the opposite side of the street when he was growing up in the Tenderloin.
Roman's artistic talent is nurtured at the Mastersons' farm and he becomes a sought after and very wealthy artist. He still vents his anger by secretly painting graffiti on buildings and on his studio walls. This gives him quite an adrenalin rush as he is afraid of being caught and going to jail. He lives behind walls in a huge house and keeps away from his few friends
Grace feels guilty about the way her son was conceived. She had been going to give him up for adoption, but changes her mind when he is born. She takes the job as Roman's personal assistant in order to be able to take care of Samuel herself.
This is a story of redemption and restoration. We see how the merciful Father, who has been watching over these two all their lives, draws them to Himself, healing their brokenness as they learn to trust in Him. We see His incredible mercy and the grace He bestows on those who have done nothing to deserve it. He can indeed make a masterpiece out of every life, no matter how hopeless!

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