The Inheritance by Tamera Alexander

Tamera Alexander is the best-selling author of Rekindled, Revealed and Remembered, the critically acclaimed Fountain Creek Chronicles historical series with Bethany House Publishers. Tamera's deeply drawn characters, thought-provoking plots, and poignant prose have earned her devoted readers—and multiple industry awards. These awards include the 2008 Christy Award for Best Romance, the 2007 RITA® for Best Inspirational Romance, the 2007 Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence, 2007 Bookseller’s Best Award, and Library Journal’s Top Christian Fiction for 2006, among others.

Tamera’s June 2008 release, From a Distance, is part of a second historical trilogy (Timber Ridge Reflections) with Bethany House and is a 2009 Christy Awards finalist for Best Historical Romance. This three-part series focuses on “women firsts,” women who were first in their fields and who helped pave the way for their modern-day contemporaries. It's a story close to Tamera's heart that captures the essence of what it means to give God your dreams and then hold on for the journey ahead!

Tamera's recent release, The Inheritance, debuted on the April 2009 CBA Bestseller List and is the first historical for the WOMEN OF FAITH fiction line (Thomas Nelson). The Inheritance, a stand alone novel, is set in Colorado 1877. Beyond This Moment, the second Timber Ridge Reflections novel is also now available. And in the fall, Within My Heart, the last book in the Timber Ridge Reflections series, will release. Tamera is currently working on a brand new six-book series that debuts in 2010.

After living in Colorado for seventeen years, Tamera has returned to her Southern roots. She and her husband now make their home in a small town just south of Nashville with a rich history dating back to 1799. There they enjoy life with their two college-age children, and Jack, a precious—and precocious—silky terrier.

Desperate for a fresh start, McKenna Ashford accepts her cousin's invitation and moves west with her rebellious younger brother to the not-so-quaint mountain town of Copper Creek, Colorado. She arrives only to find that life there is far from what she expects. Having practically raised Robert on her own, McKenna is burdened both with her failure as a parent and her deep conviction to not let her brother throw his life away. Trusting has never come easily for her--especially in issues of the heart--and that inability to trust is put to test when she meets U.S. Marshal Wyatt Caradon.

After years on the trail, Marshal Wyatt Caradon finds himself at a crossroads. He's brought countless men to justice, but he questions what lasting good his life has accomplished. When his path intersects that of young Robert Ashford, Wyatt glimpses himself, years ago, in the boy's pride and arrogance. He also sees a boy without a firm hand in his life. His well-meant attempt to help Robert brings him face-to-face with the one situation he never wanted to encounter--and the one woman who holds the key to helping him find his future.

Set against the rich, untamed backdrop of the Colorado Rocky Mountains, The Inheritance is the first historical from WOMEN OF FAITH FICTION, and is a journey that explores the depth and breadth of a parent's love, the inherent risk in learning to trust, and the cost of laying down your life for one you love.

Margie's comments: Rarely am I touched as deeply by the underlying message of a book as I am with Tamera Alexander's The Inheritance. Privileged to read this several months before it came out in print, I'm still daily affected by the impact of the heroine's journey—one I've been on for several years now. As I read about McKenna's struggle to learn the balance in her relationship with her wayward brother, I was reminded over and over that as much as I love my children, God loves them even more. And because of His overwhelming, unfathomable love, I can trust Him to do what's best for them. But as McKenna learns, that kind of trust doesn't come easily or without sacrifice. It affects her growing feelings for the U.S. Marshal who shows up on her doorstep, offering his help on the farm she's recently inherited. He challenges her faith and that makes her take another look at what it means to be totally surrendered to God. The setting lends itself well to the story, the romance is well written, but the message and the daily prayer that has become Wyatt and McKenna's lifeline is powerful. I highly recommend this book, but be prepared to be challenged in your relationship with Jesus Christ. It will change you.


To buy the book go here.