Book: A Lasting Impression (with giveaway!)

A Lasting Impression

To create something that will last is Claire Laurent's most fervent desire as an artist. It's also her greatest weakness. When her fraud of a father deals her an unexpected hand, Claire is forced to flee from New Orleans to Nashville, only a year after the War Between the States has ended. Claire's path collides with that of Sutton Monroe, and she considers him a godsend for not turning her in to the authorities. But when they meet again and he refuses to come to her aid, she realizes she's sorely misjudged the man. Trading an unwanted destiny for an unknown future, Claire finds herself in the middle of Nashville's elite society and believes her dream of creating a lasting impression in the world of art may finally be within reach.

All that Sutton Monroe holds dear lies in ruin. He's determined to reclaim his heritage and to make the men who murdered his father pay. But what he discovers on his quest for vengeance reveals a truth that may cost him more than he ever imagined.

Set at Nashville's historical Belmont Mansion, a stunning antebellum manor built by Mrs. Adelicia Acklen, the richest woman in America in the 1860s, A Lasting Impression showcases the deep, poignant, unforgettable characters that set Tamera's stories apart and provides an inspiring love story that will capture readers' hearts and leave them eager for more.

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Can I just say, I despise book descriptions that leave you anticipating one thing and then the book turns out completely differently?  I kept waiting for Sutton to do something really horrid and leave Claire out in the cold, but if it happens at all it's very minor and in the first few chapters after they meet.  I was expecting something a bit more dramatic between them at the end.  Not that the end isn't dramatic enough, but it wasn't that.  It's a little misleading in the whole "vengeance" thing too.

Anyway, book blurb aside, I really liked this one.  I don't think I've ever read a book by Tamera Alexander before although I have another one on my shelf.  I love how she weaves so much history into the story and that the mansion exists and the supporting main character (Mrs. Adelicia Acklen) was a real person.

The story moves slower than some I've read, but at almost 400 pages you can do that and really develop your characters.  At no point did I feel like I was bored and didn't want to finish it.

Claire and Sutton both have to come to terms with their pasts before they can fully live the lives they have in the present.

Also, the cover is perfect for one scene in the story!

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If you would like to read the first chapter of A Lasting Impression, go HERE.

If you would like to win a copy of this book please leave me a comment telling me why you think you would like to read this!
Contest will be open until I post about the fun giveaway that Tamera is also hosting!

Tamera Alexander is the best-selling author of Rekindled, Revealed and Remembered, the critically acclaimed Fountain Creek Chronicles historical series with Bethany House Publishers. Her second historical series, Timber Ridge Reflections (From a Distance, Beyond This Moment, and Within My Heart) continue her signature style of deeply drawn characters, thought-provoking plots, and poignant prose which has earned her devoted readers—and multiple industry awards.

These awards include the 2009 and 2008 Christy Award for Excellence in Christian Fiction, the 2010 and 2007 RITA Award for Best Inspirational Romance, the 2010 and 2007 Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence, the 2010 HOLT Medallion, the 2007 Bookseller’s Best Award, the 2007 National Reader's Choice Award, and Library Journal’s Top Christian Fiction for 2006, among others.

Tamera's newest novel A Lasting Impression is the first of a brand new three-book Southern historical series, and the first two chapters are available for review. She's at work on her ninth novel which will release in fall 2012.

After living in Colorado for seventeen years, Tamera has returned to her Southern roots. She and her husband now make their home in Nashville, Tennessee, along with Tamera's father, Doug, and with their two adult children who live near by. And don't forget Jack, their precious--and precocious--silky terrier.