The Masterpiece - Francine Rivers

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You see that one of your favourite Christian authors has a new book, in a normal world you would say the plot is simple, boy meets girl, they fall in love and life happily ever after. But then you remember this is Francine Rivers and that you are in for the rollercoaster ride of your life.

I listened to the audiobook of this book narrated by Susan Bennett, who I think was a great choice for this book, she really brought a different dimension to the book and made a lasting impression on me.

A successful LA artist, Roman Velasco appears to have everything he could possibly want--money, women, fame. Only Grace Moore, his reluctant, newly hired personal assistant, knows how little he truly has. The demons of Roman's past seem to echo through the halls of his empty mansion and out across his breathtaking Topanga Canyon view. But Grace doesn't know how her boss secretly wrestles with those demons: by tagging buildings as the Bird, a notorious but unidentified graffiti artist--an alter ego that could destroy his career and land him in prison.

Like Roman, Grace is wrestling with ghosts and secrets of her own. After a disastrous marriage threw her life completely off course, she vowed never to let love steal her dreams again. But as she gets to know the enigmatic man behind the reputation, it's as if the jagged pieces of both of their pasts slowly begin to fit together . . . until something so unexpected happens that it changes the course of their relationship--and both their lives--forever

This was probably one of my favourite books by Francine Rivers, only Redeeming Love will hold a bigger place in my heart. It's one of those stories that stays with you even months after you have read it. It is action packed and has enough added characters to make a well-rounded novel.

As always Rivers knows how to write beautiful stories for her characters, stories that you as a reader can relate to, that can show you a glimmer of hope at the end of your tunnel and teaches you a lesson along with her characters. With Rivers, you can be guaranteed that you will be completely satisfied after she has send you on an emotional rollercoaster.

Bridge to Haven - Francine Rivers

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What can you say, it’s a Francine Rivers book. As expected the characters go through hell, to come together in perfect unison. Rivers has a way of describing situations that pull you in and make you fall in love with the characters. 

To those who matter in 1950s Hollywood, Lena Scott is the hottest rising star to hit the silver screen since Marilyn Monroe. Few know her real name is Abra. Even fewer know the price she’s paid to finally feel like she’s somebody. To Pastor Ezekiel Freeman, Abra will always be the little girl who stole his heart the night he found her, a wailing newborn abandoned under a bridge on the outskirts of Haven.

The characters are well written, with personal growth throughout the book. Abra and Joshua are some of those characters that crawl into your heart and stays with you long after you have closed the book.

I even love it when an author can write the “bad guy” in such a way that when he is a part of the story it makes your hackles rise.

The cover design is also gorgeous and I bought it before I even looked at the summary at the back

In perfect Francine Rivers style, knows how to take a Bible story and turn it into this perfectly recreated scenario that both makes you look at it in a different light and also teaches you a valuable lesson. 

Redeeming Love - Francine Rivers

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This is one of those books when it doesn’t matter how many times I’ve read it, it still draws me in and I get lost in the tale.

It’s set in 1850’s during the California gold rush. A time when men sold their souls for a bag of gold and women sold their bodies for a place to sleep. Angel has had a hard life and doesn’t expect anything from men that is until she meets Michael Hosea. Michael obeys God’s call to marry Angel and to love her unconditionally. Slowly but surely he breaks down Angel’s walls until her frozen heart starts to thaw.

We read this as part of our reading with friends for July. At first, I thought maybe it won’t be the same experience I had when I first read it many years ago. I was right, it wasn’t the same, but in a good way. I drew a different message out of the book and experienced it on a whole different level.

This is one of the most inspiring Christian Fiction books that I’ve read and that just gives more credit to Rivers. The story pulls you in, it’s heart-wrenching, and shows you a different side to the gold rush. Of course it isn’t a straight forward story, there were scenes that really makes you uncomfortable, but in my opinion, Rivers doesn’t just add it in to shock you. Everything in the story has a purpose and will tie up the threads to weave a beautiful story.

The characters are very well written. You can’t help but fall in love with Michael and wish for a love story where a man will go to all that trouble for you. The way Rivers had written Angel and how you can see her grow throughout the book is the inspiration for my own writing.