I enjoyed this book, and it's not a story I've read before as someone who reads quite a lot of historical fiction. Happy to have heard it now!

I haven’t read a novel by Stuart before, but I will be sure to read more! This was full of history, suspense and so much more.

I received a complimentary copy of this book and was not required to write a favorable review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Kelli Stuart is one of my favorite authors. The Russian and Ukrainian connections found in her books give an added dimension to her excellent writing. The Master Craftsman is a dual timeline novel with lots of elements of suspense and has both historical and fictional characters. I found the historical story fascinating — the Fabrege workshop that created the famous Easter eggs against the backdrop of a failing Imperial system and revolution showed the peril of those even peripherally tied to Tsar Alexander. The modern-day treasure hunt was suspense-filled and action-packed with lots of shady characters. Who can you really trust!? All the priceless treasures the characters created and pursued served as reminders of just Who gives us personal value. I loved the adventure, the historical elements, and the subtle, yet important, spiritual themes. This novel is a recommended read.

Recommended.

Audience: Adults.

Jumping between history and present day, this is an enjoyable read about one of the most fascinating art houses to ever exist – the House of Faberge. The historic portion dates between about 1900 and 1920. It recounts some of what the people were going through as the Russian government changed hands and turned communist. We view this historic portion through the eyes of one who is searching for a fabled egg, not sure if it existed or not, but feeling that gut pull that it did. When Nick cannot search on his own, and as a way to reconnect with his now-adult daughter whom he hasn’t seen for years, he sends her into the search. Knowing there could be danger along the way, they take all the necessary precautions. Now that the treasure hunt is under way, what will be found? This was a super enjoyable read. I flew through it and truly enjoyed it. I adore historical fiction and this was right up there with the best.

Wow! This book has everything, history, suspense, intrigue and treachery. The excitement of a treasure hunt for a mysterious faberge egg moves the story along. Definitely a page turner for me and would highly recommend this book. I also think the story would transfer beautifully to film.

A captivating read the brings to life the history behind the stunning Faberge Eggs.

Before reading this book I'd only heard of the eggs in passing and in regard to the Romanov family, but it was amazing to learn the rich history behind the craftsman who made the eggs. The story is told in a split time style, one account from the perspective of modern treasure hunters and the other follows Carl Faberge through the years leading up to the Russian Revolution.

Ava has never been close to her treasure hunting father, but a deathbed reunion and the glimmering promise of a last adventure has Ava and a team on an adventure spanning the globe. Ava's side of the story reminded me a little of National Treasure with the rich lessons in history and suspenseful skirting the lines of legality. I liked learning along with Ava and her team, as well as seeing her come to understand her father's passion for what he did.

Overall, an engaging read rich in history, and captivatingly telling the story of the treasured eggs, with a compelling story of family ties. While reading this book I kept stopping to google the eggs referenced, and I can see why this is such an engrossing topic! While a clean read, I will briefly mention that it isn't really a Christian read as I expected by the publisher. A well done historical read that definitely inspired me to look more into the topic!


I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

What an incredible story. I felt like I went on a more believable version of National Treasure within these pages. Ava, a history major who has spent her twenties working dead-end jobs, is called to the death bed of her father who left when she was only three years old. As a teenager, she learned that her long-lost father was a well known treasure hunter with many successes to his name. Growing up, she used to dream that he would sweep in and take her on one of his adventures. Instead, adventure stole him away and left Ava and her mom Carol alone to eek out a living.


Despite the heartache that treasure hunting has delt her family, Ava can't deny the pull of adventure. It must be in her blood. When she finds out the Nick Laine, her father, is looking for one last person to help him pull off his final hunt she forces him to choose her. Armed with her history knowledge, a keen 'gut' instinct, a techy nerd who also happens to utterly adore her, her reluctant mother, and some seriously attractive 'muscle', Ava heads to Russia to find the lost Faberge Egg made for the Imperial family.



This story is a grand adventure and I loved every second of it. It is well written and I LOVED the history. I've actually been googling the House of Faberge (and you should too), the Imperial Eggs that they made were far beyond their time and utterly stunning. It is easy to see how Kelli Stuart latched onto this piece of history to mold her treasure hunt around. It is amazing!

The Master Craftsman is a stunning piece of historical fiction. I was blown away by the rich storytelling and fascinating plot here surrounding the Fabergé Egg crafted by Peter Karl Fabergé that kept me turning pages late into the night. This isn’t a book I will quickly forget. Here’s what I loved about The Master Craftsman:

- A fresh and unique story within the historical fiction genre.

- Strong writing and a setting full of rich historical detail that was immersive and through which I learned so much. This was an element and time in history that I was fairly unfamiliar with, and I’m so thrilled the author enlightened me on it all through this captivating story.

- Excellent characters! I truly enjoyed coming alongside each of them.

- Well-developed and engaging plot that made the story unputdownable. I loved the touch of mystery here!

- Wonderful themes of loyalty and family that were explored and gave me things to reflect on.

If it’s not yet obvious, this book checked all of the boxes for what makes a memorable historical fiction read for me, and I highly recommend it for lovers of the genre! Bravo Kelli Stuart on this masterpiece!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Revell for the gifted e-copy!

A beautiful novel with a completely unique premise: Faberge Eggs!

Loved it, loved the Russian history, the struggles and the triumphs.

Clearly Kelli Stuart is a master at her historical research and as a writer. I will absolutely read another novel by her and recommend this to friends!

The Master Craftsman by Kelli Stuart is a brilliantly crafted novel. Told in split time, this book is filled with history and intrigue. It is a fascinating read that will keep your interest throughout. Readers of this genre will love it. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.

I liked this book a lot. I found the history interwoven into the plot to be very interesting and the characters were well written. It’s not a genre I usually gravitate toward, but I’m glad I had the chance to read this one. I would recommend it to readers who like women’s lit and historical fiction.

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the ebook. A good women's fiction historical fiction novel. Recommend. Love the cover.

What just happened?

That, dear reader, was the first thought that popped into my mind after reading Kelli Stuart’s newly released, WILD novel, The Master Craftsmen. Why Wild? Well, that is the best description I can think of to give a novel that had an elusive treasure hunt as the backdrop of a story so “busy” that it constantly kept me off guard.

Set in the early 1900’s down to the present day (and a traveling story that ping-ponged across Russia, The USA, and Finland), The Master Craftsman highlights a subject I wasn’t at all familiar with prior to reading it – The Fabergé Eggs. But somehow that lack of knowledge did not interfere with my reading of this fascinating novel. With her detailed descriptions and imaginative dialogue, Kelli Stuart painted a literary picture so full of excitement and intrigue that I felt like I was learning along with the characters.

It can get confusing whenever past and present changes back and forth within a story, but The Master Craftsman avoided that confusion by allowing the reader to slowly take in the uniqueness of each time frame. Which was nice, considering the busy pace of the story. And the characters? Almost impossible to keep up with… but in a good way, I think. 😉

Action. Fun. History. I was all in for this novel!

Until the profanity hit, that is. That totally ruined the reading experience for me because it was something that I didn’t expect. But despite that, The Master Craftsman was a fascinating read.

Special thanks to Revell for providing a free copy for my honest review. All thoughts expressed are my own.

Ava Laine is the only child of archaeologist and treasure hunter Nick Laine (think Indiana Jones meets James Bond, with all the gadgets). But Nick left when she was a child, unable to tie himself down to the mundane life of father when there was treasure to be found. Now he’s dying, and he’s asked Ava to visit … and participate in one last treasure hunt. To find the previously unknown Fabergé egg.

Fabergé eggs? That got me hooked. I don’t know where I first learned about Fabergé eggs, but they’ve always fascinated me. And when I realised this was a split-time story and the historical aspect was centred around the House of Fabergé , this was a must-read.

I was immediately fascinated by the historical portion, not just because of the Fabergé eggs but because one of the main characters was Alma Phil, a female designer in the House of Fabergé, Royal Jeweller to the Imperial Family. The House of Fabergé produced more than the famous (infamous?) eggs.

The historical portion of the story is fascinating in a macabre kind of way. While it starts in 1894, time marches forward and we know 1918 is going to arrive all too soon. Yes, knowing history can be both a blessing and a curse when it comes to reading historical fiction (including split time). Knowing does heighten the suspense, but can also make for hard reading (who will live? Who won’t?). I will admit that I stopped reading a couple of times to try and delay the inevitable, and distracted myself with “researching” Fabergé eggs and Alma Phil on Wikipedia (which was also fascinating).

The modern portion was also full of suspense, in quite a different way. What started as a potentially risky search for something that may or may not exist quickly escalated into the kind of full-on suspense befitting Indiana Jones or James Bond, but with Ava at the centre. There was a touch of romance, with two men vying for Ava’s affections – nick, the good-looking treasure hunter, and Zak, the nerdy IT guy who lives in Amy’s building, who she ropes into helping at the last minute.

The past story all takes place in Russia, and I enjoyed the virtual visit. I’ve been to Moscow and St Petersburg and visited places in the story, like Khodynka Meadow and the Tsar’s palace (now the State Hermitage Museum). The present story moves from the USA to Russia, to find if the rumoured egg exists and where it might be. This is where the suspense kicks in, and Ava has to work out who she can trust.

The best split time fiction has two equally compelling plots. The Master Craftsman certainly meets that standard. Recommended for fans of split time fiction, especially romantic suspense, and those who enjoyed The Russians series by Michael Phillips and Judith Pella.

Thanks to Revell Publishing and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

The Master Craftsman
By Kelli Stuart

Ava Laine hasn't seen her father for ten years. He was always too busy treasure hunting to settle down and be a present father. But he is dying, and she is his only chance to complete his last hunt - the missing fifty-third Imperial Fabergé egg. But this isn't just any Fabergé egg; no, this is one that was hidden away to preserve it and to keep Karl Fabergé's loyalties secret. And Nick Laine is convinced that the time has come to discover this lost treasure.

We are taken from the present to Imperial Russia (1904-1917) in an alternating chapter shift as these two timelines converge at the end of the book. We see Russia through the eyes of Peter Karl Fabergé as discontent grows towards the excesses of the Russian royalty and the rich while the common people struggle to survive from one day to the next. The inhumanity Karl observes inspires him to create one of his greatest works, but the very creation of such a piece endangers him. And as everything comes to a head, Karl is caught in the middle of everything. But he entrusts the protection of his creation to Alma Pihl.

Who is Alma Pihl? This is the question that will launch Ava's quest and place her in danger. But Ava has the drive and stubbornness of her parents and is determined to see it through to its success.

I found this to be an enjoyable and engaging read. The Master Craftsman is a Split-time Romance set in early Twentieth-Century Russia and the present day. I loved the back-and-forth between the two timelines as the story progressed. The characters have depth, and the settings are detailed without wordiness. But what is the treasure they seek? And will it be discovered?

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book with no expectations but that I provide my honest opinion - all thoughts expressed are my own.

A wonderful, historically rich story that I enjoyed tremendously! The characters were well written, and I thought that the history was interesting.

"Somehow, Ava knew that she’d always felt the importance of history more than most kids. She just got it. And it never made sense to her why, until this one , singular moment standing in front of Fabergé’s old building. She was made to chase history. She just never knew she might catch a piece of it on the way. '
You ready?'"

This book has a bit of history, a bit of suspense, a bit of romance, and a lot of treasure hunting! I liked that it was light on the romance and it had a few twists I didn't see coming. I rated it 3 stars though because I wasn't nearly as interested in the historical portion of the dual timeline. I love history but I just didn't feel nearly as drawn to the characters as I did in the present timeline.
I received this ARC from netgalley. I was not required to post a positive review.

Classic historical fiction meets treasure hunt! I ADORED this book! I don't consider myself the biggest HF fan, but read it on occasion. This book was just so fun and different from the typical WW2 HF read. I am the biggest National Treasure fan, and if you are too, this one is for you!

What a unique historic fiction revolving around The House of Faberge and present-day treasure hunt to find missing Faberge eggs. The story includes two timelines: one in the present day and one in the early 1900s. The story also tells of the reuniting of a dying father and daughter who wants to learn about her father's experiences in treasure hinting. The last treasure hint the father wants to complete is finding a missing Faberge Egg and he wants his daughter to complete the mission while he is on his death bed. The story tells of family, personal experiences, and what each person experienced to keep secrets. A must-read if you enjoy historic fiction that includes a treasure hunt.

Thank you Uplitreader, Kelli Stuart, and Revell for the gifted book.

I enjoyed this book. The mystery was intriguing. I especially liked the mystery intertwined with the Faberge eggs and the Romanov family.