Complicated romance by Francine Rivers

The Masterpiece by Francine Rivers

Roman Velasco and Grace Moore have much in common, but they don’t yet know it.  He is an artist and she is a single mother.  He needs a personal assistant and she needs a job to support herself and her child.  She becomes his employee and their relationship is difficult.  Both have secrets from the past that shadow their present.  Only God’s grace can set them free

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Francine Rivers is one of my favorite authors.  She uses her trademark skills in storytelling to create a beautiful story of love and redemption.  Her characters are multi-faceted and develop over the course of the story.  They are easy to relate to and I missed them when I finished the book.

The plot had some unexpected twists, but was not completely a surprise.  I knew the 2 main characters would find each other in the end.  However, along the way, the readers and characters learned what it means to trust God and to seek Him above all others.

I loved the healing and redemption that took place in this novel and the way that God used their pasts for good.  This is a book that offers hope that God’s grace will change a person’s life.  Readers who enjoy a complicated but everything-turns-out-alright romance will enjoy this book. 

More Excellent Biblical fiction from Mesu Andrews

Miriam by Mesu Andrews

This is the story of Miriam, Moses’ sister, as told by Mesu Andrews.  She begins the tale when Moses returns to the Israelites who are slaves in Egypt.  Miriam has not seen her brother in 40 years.  She has been God’s prophetess since her youth.  Now she is 80 and is struggling to adapt to the recent seeming silence of God in her life.  With Moses’ return, life as Miriam knows it turns upside down.

The author has done meticulous research into the life and times of the Israelites in Egypt.  Even though I have read the biblical account multiple times, she made the story come to life.  She has put a great deal of thought into the motivation and character of each person.  Much of what she extrapolates from the biblical account into her book makes sense to me.

 

There is also much spiritual meat in the story.  Miriam, Taliah, Eleazor, Hur, Aaron and Elisheba have much to teach the reader about life, loving, and following God.  The lessons are clear, but the book is not preachy.  I finished the book encouraged to trust God more and anxious to read the biblical account again.

This book was well-written.  The characters were well-developed and easy to relate to.  The plot, although not continually heart-pounding, did have some taut suspense.  It was a book that I heartily recommend to readers of biblical fiction, and to those who desire a greater appreciation for Israel’s slavery and exodus from Egypt.  I received a free digital copy from the publisher in exchange for this, my honest review.