THE INHERITANCE by Tamera Alexander



This book deserves to be Numero Uno among my reviews. It has it all. From the first sentence and paragraph you are drawn into the story as you walk the dusty streets of Copper Creek, Colorado with McKenna Ashford. Boy, does the hero make an entrance! After, McKenna is almost run down by an outlaw on horseback, her hero, Wyatt (aptly named) rides in and around out of sight but not of earshot and you hear a rifle shot reverberate. Then, he slams into the Doctor's office behind her slinging his quarry onto a table and enlisting her in sewing up his prisoner.

You meet many interesting characters in this book. After, the unceremonious meeting between McKenna and Wyatt you find yourself drawn into the various conflicts that develop early on with glimpses into their painful pasts...and from the crucible of these fires the characters and their relationships are forged.

McKenna has a gift for stitching saddles. Actually, it is her craft taught by her father but it is considered a man's trade. Wyatt is a U.S. Marshall and very good at what he does. In the middle is Robert, McKenna's teenage brother, and her responsibility. He is also the antagonist between McKenna and Wyatt.

McKenna and Wyatt are drawn to each other but remain reserved at sharing the most tender parts of themselves. Their disagreements over the disciplining of Robert lead to the inevitable misunderstandings in their budding relationship. They need each other but won't allow themselves to reach for the other.

However, I find myself agreeing with one reviewer regarding the prayer of Wyatt "break him, Lord". The humility of his prayer, especially when you know he prays sincerely from the depths of his own experience, tugs at your spiritual heart strings.

Ms. Alexander has the gift I cherish most in my Christian Romance reads--an ability to take the suspense, romance, and faith threads and weave them together in a beautiful and unforgettable story tapestry. For me, the story is empty without a motivation in the lives of the characters that only comes from believing in the one who is greater than themselves and is revealed in the lessons learned through redemption, forgiveness, faith, and sacrificial love.