The Masterpiece by Francine Rivers

This has to be one of my favorite books by Francine Rivers. Francine Rivers is a best-selling Christian fiction author and has written both historical and contemporary fiction. I didn’t start reading her books until a few years ago and each book I’ve read by her has left an imprint on my heart. She is not afraid to write about the hard issues and talks about the hard things in such a way that shows the redemption story everyone has an opportunity to experience.

The Masterpiece is a contemporary Christian fiction book that follows the intersecting lives of a single Christian mother and an artist who is searching for fulfillment in his life. I love this story so much and listened to it first as an audiobook several years ago and was immediately intrigued by the story. It is a beautiful story of redemption for both Grace and Roman and shows the intricate working of God’s hand in our lives, even when we don’t see it or realize it. Grace deals with a lot of trauma from her past and a failed relationship makes her wary of anyone charming and handsome. She is struggling to make ends meet as a single mother and gets a job with an impossible-to-work for painter whose attitude and temper has run off anyone else who has been hired to work for him. Their lifestyles clash on every level and Roman Velasco has spent his whole life running and searching for love and fulfillment. He has everything he could ever want, but none of it is enough. Through their interactions with each other, both learn what it means to trust each other and open up about their past wounds and scars and Grace’s faith in God stirs a longing and awakening in Roman that he never expected to feel.

The Masterpiece is a BEAUTIFUL story of redemption for both characters. Definitely could read this one over and over again.

The Goblin and the Dancer by Allison Tebo

I love fairytales! I saw this collab series come out a while back and have had these books on my wishlist since they came out. There are several books in this series. Each one is written by a different fairytale author and rewrites the classic fairytales giving the “villain” the happily ever after.

This one is based on The Steadfast Tin Soldier by Hans Christian Anderson. First of all, Hans Christian Anderson is my favorite classic fairytale author. He wrote The Snow Queen, which my first book is based on and is definitely one of my all-time favorite fairytales. He wrote the Little Mermaid, again one of my favorites, and so many more. Second of all, when Disney came out with Fantasia 2000, I fell in love with several of their animated shorts put to classical music. The one with the Spring sprite and the Firebird spoke to me and inspired some of my books. And I loved their interpretation of The Steadfast Tin Soldier! When I saw that this book was based on The Steadfast Tin Soldier, I couldn’t wait to read it. Especially since this one is so rarely done.

This book was a delightful picture of a “modern-day” fairytale world. The dancer is a beautiful elf ballerina that dances in the city’s ballet company. The goblin is a janitor in the company that has been in love with the elf dancer since the first moment he saw her. The goblins in this world live underground in dark, dank caves and tunnels while the elves live in the beautiful glittering world above. Because the worlds are so different, goblins and elves rarely interact and they definitely do not fall in love. The goblin sees the beauty of the dancer, not just because of her outward beauty and ability to execute the steps flawlessly, but her heart and kindness draw him to her even more. The dancer also has a wound that bonds the goblin to her.

The dancer is swept off her feet by a dashing elf soldier that makes the goblin feel insignificant and treats the goblins like trash from the gutter. An accidental circumstance lands the three of them in the depths of the sewers of the city and through their journey, they all realize that they all have flaws, they all need forgiveness, and really, they are all the same.

This story is a beautiful picture of strength in differences and being reminded that we are ALL in need of forgiveness and redemption.