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 Master Craftsman by Kelli Stuart is a compelling split-time novel set in the USA and Russia, a treasure hunt for a missing Fabergé egg #ChristianRomance #BookReview Share on X

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.

About Kelli Stuart

Kelli Stuart is a writer and a storyteller at heart. A graduate of Baylor University with a degree in English Professional Writing, and a minor in the Russian language, Kelli has honed her skills in the written word through editing, ghostwriting, blogging, and traveling the world.

Kelli is the author of the Carol-award winning novel, Like a River From Its Course, based on true stories from Ukrainian World War II survivors. Her second novel, A Silver Willow by the Shore, was the NIEA winner for literary fiction and received the IPPY silver award for literary fiction in 2020.

Kelli has co-authored the non-fiction books Dare 2B Wise with Joe White, and Life Creative: Inspiration for Today’s Renaissance Mom with Wendy Speake. Kelli lives in Tampa, Florida with her husband and five children.

Find Kelli Stuart online at:

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About The Master Craftsman

In 1917, Alma Pihl, a master craftsman in the House of Fabergé, was charged to protect one of the greatest secrets in Russian history–an unknown Fabergé Egg that Peter Karl Fabergé secretly created to honor his divided allegiance to both the people of Russia and the Imperial tsar’s family. When Alma and her husband escaped Russia for their native Finland in 1921, she took the secret with her, guarding her past connection to the Romanov family.

Three generations later, world-renowned treasure hunter Nick Laine is sick and fears the secret of the missing egg will die with him. With time running out, he entrusts the mission of retrieving the egg to his estranged daughter, Ava, who has little idea of the dangers she is about to face. As the stakes are raised, Ava is forced to declare her own allegiance–and the consequences are greater than she could have imagined.

You can find The Master Craftsman online at:

Amazon | BookBub | ChristianBook | Goodreads | Koorong

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