The Madonna Model

by T.L. Ashton

Jillian Warner journeys to the heart of today's art world, to learn how much true love is left in it. She soon discovers that there are as many fake people as forged paintings. Jillian lands a job as an American art specialist at Lyon's, a major New York City auction house. She wins a tough fight against sexism in the workplace, only to be defeated in her personal relationships by the doubtful provenance of the men she loves. She prefers Wyeth to Warhol, but is challenged by men who want to see her only as an abstract expression rather than the real woman she is. Then Tom Linde, a surgeon who worked with her mother at a voluntary medical mission in Afghanistan, returns having lost an arm to a land mine blast. Can they defeat a talented art forger with designs on Jillian?

Genres: Fiction, Art, Romance, Ebooks, Contemporary

420 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 5, 2018

About the author

TL Ashton writes books for smart sexy women and men. They know that smart is sexy because love lives in the brain, where we experience ultimate union. They want their vision and talent to be recognized because the self-respect that comes with success leads to genuine love, the love that helps us realize our greatest potential. Ashton started in New York City and expects to end there, but has lived in Los Angeles, Paris, London, Puerto Vallarta, and for long stretches in the Turks and Caicos. After attending four other schools, Ashton was granted a degree by Columbia University and spent several years telling people how good Keats and Shelley truly are. Needing the challenges that stimulate personal growth, Ashton left Lotus Land, and took a publishing job in New York, which in turn led to an invitation from the CEO of a major Wall Street firm to head up strategic communications. That experience was captured in a superb debut novel, Ms. Money, which women in finance have enjoyed. Ashton left Wall Street to head up an art gallery, leading to the very recent publication of a second novel, The Madonna Model. Not chick lit or women’s fiction, these are books about female empowerment. Ashton is currently reading the auction catalogue for the estate of Zsa Zsa Gabor, who was married nine times and insisted, “I want to choose the man. I do not permit men to choose me.” Visit Ashton at: www.ashtonsfictionpage@vpweb.com

Reviews

[Lori · Rating 2 out of 5]

The only worthwhile thing about this book is the backstory on some famous paintings. The novel is so thoroughly trite (the main character Jillian is beyond beautiful, has a beautiful figure, has been schooled beautifully, had beautiful and successful parents, wore the most beautiful clothes, etc. . .). She was always wanted by every man and slept with many, but never for bad (???) reasons--every encounter was predestined and sanctioned (she believed) by her dead mother. Blah, blah, blah

[Jane Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received this book in a Goodreads giveaway in exchange for an honest review. The good part is- I finished is so it was compelling enough for me to finish reading, but other than that I don't have much good to say. All of the characters, particularly the heroine, are completely unbelievable. She is supposed to be highly educated, cultured enough to speak multiple languages and beautiful but at times she's a complete simpleton who doesn't seem to know what a hockey player is, looks at a bear and thinks it's metaphysical sign (this never really was fleshed out). She sleeps with wildly inappropriate men for strange reasons, like thinking her dead mother is sending them to her. Her friends are no better- at times genius, wealthy sophisticates and at other times projecting the maturity and naivety of pre-teens.

[Kim Bakos · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story sounds great - a mystery around art forgery, and a guy as phony as the art. Too bad that storyline doesn't make it into the book until the last 50 pages or so.
The first 90% of the story is filled with the main character who literally sleeps w/ every guy she meets on the first "date" or the first meeting even if it isn't even a date. This leads to her becoming pregnant and being unsure of who the father really is.
The art that is the backdrop of the story is a whole lot more interesting than the story itself. I'm interested in looking up some of the artists and paintings that are mentioned because I was intrigued by their descriptions. Too bad no one in the story was nearly as interesting!

[JPC · Rating 2 out of 5]

The premise of this book was what drew me in, but unfortunately it didn't deliver. I couldn't connect with any of the characters, most notably Jillian, who came across as self-centered, selfish, and so completely full of herself it was painful. While I did love what information was provided around the artwork, which was detailed and well informed, it couldn't make up for a story that didn't have anything to move it along until the final 20 minutes where the actual conflict was resolved faster than it was brought up in the first place.

** I received this book through a Goodreads giveaway **

[Janine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received this book through the goodreads giveaways for an honest review.

The beginning of the book was all over the place-I was a bit confused what was going on. I did not like any of the characters.

[Marina · Rating 1 out of 5]

*I won a copy of this book in a goodreads giveaway in exchange for an honest review*

The premise of this book seemed so interesting when I entered the giveaway and I had really high hopes. Boy was I disappointed.

This book was kind of a mess. The main character is SO unlikeable and unrelatable that the book was grating to read. The main character, Jillian, was described as absolutely perfect. Everyone she met throughout the book, she either instantly slept with or became best friends with. It just didn’t make for a convincing story.

Almost all of the characters had some major over-the-top problem. I think the author is under the impression that giving characters problems instantly gives them depth. That just simply isn’t true and definitely wasn’t in this book. It left me scratching my head most of the time.

Lastly, the story was so tough to follow. All these characters just kept getting sloppily introduced in settings that added nothing to the story progression and were confusing for the reader.

[Michelle Staab · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was almost a DNF for me. It took me a month to read and I could only stand the main character for about 20-30 pages before I had to put it down. Jillian was just so into herself and so perfect that I couldn't bear her half the time. Everything that happened was so quick (except for getting to the plot) and so convenient. Everyone she met was instantly a best friend and she was so into falling in love with every man and made it seem like she was going to be their savior.

The biggest problem I had with this book was the synopsis talked about "a talented art forger with designs on Jillian", this seemed like it should be the main part of the story and the big mystery... The book is 418 pages long, the first mention of the art forger was on page 380 and there was absolutely no mystery as to who it was... By around page 400 the whole plot of the art forger was over and the rest of the book was pretty much an epilogue.

[Firetruckmama · Rating 2 out of 5]

I won a copy of this book through a Goodreads giveaway.

The summary of this book attracted me to entering the giveaway. I wish that the summary had actually summarized the book! Yes, there is some artwork discussions, that I found interesting, but the forger appears so late in the book - and for such a short period of time - it's not a mystery as to who it is. I found the main character difficult to like and really didn't care about her life or what directions she chose or, sadly, most of the people with whom she interacted.

[Linda Smatzny · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received this book for free thru the Goodreads First Reads Giveaways program. The main character is Jillian Warner who loves art and works in the industry at an auction house. The information provided about art and artists is great and very informative. However the character of Jillian to me just wasn't likeable - that may be due to a big difference in age. It is unfortunate but I could not finish this book due to the character of Jillian. I just didn't care what she did, why she did it and did not wish to follow her through the story.

[Dayna · Rating 2 out of 5]

When discussing art & artists, the book is fascinating. The characters, however, are so unrealistic & unconvincing - some even cartoonish - that I hope the author will write a nonfiction work to do justice to her knowledge of the art world.

[Savannah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was intrigued by the synopsis, but unfortunately the book didn't deliver. The art was well-researched and interesting, but the characters and plot just didn't do it for me. I wasn't a fan of Jillian which made the book hard to finish.

[Nancy Reynolds · Rating 2 out of 5]

Art history and authenticating interesting. However, I really never got to care about or like the characters. I wished I could have liked it more

[Trish · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF - mediocre style, incorrect word use, i.e. base for bass . . .

[Poptart19 (the name’s ren) · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75 stars

[I received a GoodReads giveaway copy for free, this is my honest review]

Okay, I have mixed feelings about this book. It started out really rough, but gradually improved over the course of the book.

The first 20% of the book was big info dumps about the art collecting world, interspersed with snippets of stilted dialogue. I wanted to DNF.

20%-50% of the book is a bunch of depressing infidelity & cynicism. Jillian is convinced she needs a man to define herself, and all her female mentors repeatedly declare that long term relationships are about controlling a partner.

After 50%, the storyline & actually the prose/writing get better. There are actually likable characters. However, the themes are still didactic & not at all subtle which kinda annoyed me after awhile.

There is a happy ending, Jillian has a good character development arc, & I did enjoy all the fashion & art history trivia dropped into the narrative. I only wish the art history could have been worked into the narrative smoothly instead of in awkward info dumps.

My main quibble is how queer characters were portrayed. All are cheaters, sexually manipulative, and/or predators taking advantage of unsuspecting straight people. Oh, & some biphobia is thrown in for good measure! They are basically included to be villains & add drama, not to be fully fleshed people. Ugh.

[E · Rating 4 out of 5]

Art lovers, art historians and mystery buffs will love this book. Jillian, the main character, did not have a normal upbringing, but a unique one filled with parental love and understanding. She is plagued with memories of the sudden dead of her father and the undoing of her mother’s and her perfect lives. When her mother announces she is leaving to join doctors in Afghanistan to help the Afghani’s, Jillian feels abandoned and doesn’t understand why her mother left. But life must go on. Jillian accepts an internship at the renowned Lyon’s auction house. Her duties include authenticating priceless works of art as well as finding them. In her pursuits, Jillian meets someone she thinks could be the one to make her life full again. However as the saying goes, “if it is too good to be true, something is wrong.” Jillian journey to find happiness leads her through many challenges and with each she gains understanding both of herself and the mysteries of great art. I found this book both entertaining and enlightening. I will never gaze upon a masterpiece again without wondering about the true story behind the artist’s motivation.

I won this ebook on Goodreads.com

[Pietro · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to love this book. The protagonist is an art historian who works for an auction house, and her adventures in that world are exciting--tracing the provenance of works to be sold, interacting with collectors, and figuring out who the models were for paintings by John Singer Sargent and Mary Cassatt--and rather effortless as well. But her interactions with other characters drove me crazy. She assumes a level of intimacy (platonic and romantic) with a large number of people that did not come across as realistic, and the constant voice of her mother in her head, giving her advice, struck a false note. The ending did redeem what I had thought was the worst plot twist. There is a lot going on in this book, and a large number of characters. I frequently felt confused by how much (or little) time had passed. At points I felt like episodes earlier in the book had only a tangential connection to later ones, and perhaps the book should have been broken up into 2 or 3 books. And it definitely needed copyediting, as the repeated errors were annoying in a published book. However, it was interesting, and I never thought about not finishing. I didn't love it, but I did like it

[T.L. Ashton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This the story of Jillian Warner, who journeys to the heart of today's art world, to learn how much true love is left in it. She soon discovers that there are as many fake people as forged paintings. Jillian lands a job as an American art specialist at Lyon's, a major New York City auction house. She wins a tough fight against sexism in the workplace, only to be defeated in her personal relationships by the doubtful provenance of the men she loves. She prefers Wyeth to Warhol, but is challenged by men want to see her only as an abstract expression rather than the real woman she is. Then Tom Linde, a surgeon who worked with her mother at a voluntary medical mission in Afghanistan, returns having lost an arm to a land mine blast. Can they defeat a talented art forger with designs on Jillian? Absolutely great of the state and mindset of the art market right now plus a very modern romance.

[Deirdre · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was enthralled with the little known stories of the artists and their paintings. I learned a bit more about forgery and art theft today than I knew from my correspondence with Michel van Rijn (author of Hot Art Cold Cash) in 2006. But, honestly, I felt cheated when I was torn away from the history and delving into a painting's provenance because the author seemed to think the book required the female protagonist to fall in love again, or think about what her mother told her what love is. Sorry, if you are a romance reader, I've sure you'd be chomping at the bit to get to these parts. I, however, was sorely tempted to skip over them to get on with why I wanted to read the book in the first place: art history.

[Shelly Reddinger · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is a ton of art history in this book so if you don't have a love for art history this book may not be for you.

The book really picks up towards that end. For me the beginning was a slow read because of all the information you are given so you get a good read and feeling on what is going to take place towards the end of the book.

The main character is a strong female who has a lot to figure out and a lot of challenges to work through. You follow her through a few years of her life with flashbacks to growing up and other major events in her life.

I found it to be a little long and drawn out but I'm glad I stuck around and finished the book. It had a good ending and I would recommend it to anyone who loves painting and art history.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This very 'visual' book will appeal to anyone looking for a modern romance, an insight into the insidious world of the New York City auction gallery, and a fascinating survey of 19th century American and European art. The story is told in a wonderfully accessible manner....this is a tale that examines the foibles of the human heart as well as the ups and downs of the fraught auction market. One wished the volume had been illustrated - that's how much the author created a stunning picture of several works of art....both well known and some hidden treasures. An enjoyable, relaxing read. Recommended.

[Kayla Tornello · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the parts of this book that were about paintings. Their history was fascinating and I liked hearing about the different artists. I liked the art auction pieces, too. The relationship parts of the book were terrible, though. The main character thinks that love is the only thing that matters in the entire world and is incredibly needy and desperate. She has so many issues with her mother, but can't seem to take the sensible route and get some counseling.

I received this book as a Goodreads giveaway. Yay!

[Patricia Zashkoff · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very engrossing story about an art specialist who works for an auction house. She is responsible for determining the authenticity of the paintings to be auctioned. It is also the story of her love life which is also filled with men of questionable motives. One wants her to approve a fake piece of art to put up for auction. Will she find Mr. Right? It's a good story with a little art history thrown in.

[Christi M · Rating 4 out of 5]

While this book was a pretty good read, it has some really strange parts that were hard to get past. Like sleeping with your dead mother's ex-lover because you think your mother's ghost sent him to you? Sometimes the dialogue between characters didn't keep on track or make sense, veering off wildly.

Now, that said, I really enjoyed all the art history and subject matter. Overall, this was pretty fascinating and had some really good spots.

[Steve Bender · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book in a Goodreads Giveaway. I found the parts about art and checking 0rovenance of paintings to be fascinating, but didn't care as much for the personal stuff. Particularly the almost slimy telling of a party with changing sexual partners. The heroine seems to believe that sex fixes all social problems.

[Helen Castrucci · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed most of this book but at times it became a bit drawn out. Someone with a stronger art background than I do might enjoy the lengthy descriptions; I found them drawn out and not necessary. I also believe the explicit scenes (3) were not necessary; the points could have been made in less explicit descriptions. I skipped over those scenes.

[Theresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must read for art lovers

I really enjoyed this. As a student of art history I loved the analysis of some of my favorite painters.
The intrigue of the world of art auction houses and provenance was also fascinating.

[Bobbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really interesting book! I'd classify it as a contemporary romance, but it was more of a family saga, and how these families connected with one another. What i really liked about it most, was all the art history. The main character is an Art History major whose job is to find the provenance of art pieces. I learned a lot about the artists and their work by reading this book. It's the first book by this author that I've read, but I enjoyed it.

[Doreen Ashbrook · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were things about this book that bothered me - her casual entanglements with men at the suggestion of others. Not a prude, but it just felt wrong. Picky, picky. The writing was okay and the characters were interesting, but it just didn't do it for me.

[Erika · Rating 1 out of 5]

I received a copy through a giveaway. I don’t even know where to begin. All the other negative reviews are accurate. The strange delusions the highly unlikeable protagonist has make no sense to me. It was poorly written overall and needs better editing.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kept my interest throughout