High-Stakes Inheritance [Large Print]

I enjoyed the review copy of this suspenseful murder mystery! I was hooked from the first line of the book, "Pinetree will never be yours, leave Loganlake now or you will pay." Might strong threat, was this real? Mia Blackburn wondered as she read it. She'd just come back in town today. She was back to fulfill the request of her late uncle's wishes! Why the threats? Mia decided to keep this threat a secret no need to worry anyone else. It was probably nothing! She thought so until the fire! Mia and a little girl are almost killed at Pinetree when the barn catches fire! Okay, maybe the threat was real, but why would someone be out to kill her? Russ, the police chief starts to question Mia at the scene off the fire and is convinced she's done this horrible thing! That's crazy - she had to prove her innocence but how? She could ask Ryan, her high school sweetheart, to help but that'd be crazy. They didn't part on such good terms. But people change - she had heard he got "religious" just great! She didn't trust men or God for that matter! Ryan told Mia, "In High School I didn't know God. Now that I have a relationship with Him, I know He doesn't cause bad things to happen." "Really? Then why do they happen?" Mia let sarcasm shout through her words...waiting for Ryan to convince her that God was not her enemy. "...God doesn't cause bad things to happen but He allows them to happen for a variety of reasons. For me, it's usually to get my attention and draw me closer to him." "That's pretty lame, if you ask me Ryan..." Mia's heart was hard toward God and men. Her relationship with her dad was strained ever since her mom died and her brother took her dad's side! I enjoyed how the author naturally wove the spiritual thread throughout the action, suspense, plot twists and turns. All the while helping the reader discover who was threatening to kill Mia and doing all these bad things. The author says this in her note to the reader "I wanted to write a story to show how hard it is to trust God, when faced with life-altering challenges like Mia and Ryan experienced. I wanted to show through Mia and Ryan that no matter what the problem, when we trust in the Lord ad don't try and take things into our own hands, he has a far richer and more rewarding life planned for us than we could ever dream on our own." I believe this authors statement with all my heart and maybe that's why I could relate to these characters and liked the story so much. I do believe Susan Sleeman accomplished what she set out to do. This is the first book I've read by this author, it won't be the last. Nora St. Laurent The Book Club Network [...]

"Leave Logan Lake now or you will pay!" Mia Blackburn has inherited her uncle's rustic resort property, but the stipulations of the will are that she has to live there for one year before she is allowed to sell. But Mia fled the town years earlier, both to mend from a broken heart, and to get away from her father, who blames Mia for the death of his wife. But some one doesn't want Mia in town! Soon after her arrival she receives a threatening warning, then she arrives at the resort to find the barn in flames. Mia isn't sure whether her uncle had horses in the barn, but when she checks it out, she finds a girl in the loft. Mia is able to save the girl, but then she is pinned in the barn, unable to get out. As luck would have it, her ex-boyfriend, Ryan is the firefighter who rescues her. But then she finds that the police are accusing her of starting the fire that almost took her life. When someone is murdered, Mia can't help but wonder if she'll be the next victim. HIGH-STAKES INHERITANCE is the debut novel of Ms. Sleeman, and it is well-done. Mia is a hurting heroine, devastated by the death of her beloved uncle and the rejection of her father, yet a victim when she returns to her hometown. Ryan has grown up in the years he and Mia were apart, and now he is a kind and gentle hero, desperate to protect Mia, but yet erring due to wrong promises he made. If you enjoy reading romantic suspense, then HIGH-STAKES INHERITANCE is a book that you should consider. The book starts with action and it doesn't let up. Readers will sympathize with Mia, and want the person behind the crimes brought to justice, while hoping Mia will find the love and acceptance she craves. Discussion questions are included at the end of the book.

Mia Blackburn moved from Atlanta, Georgia, to Logan Lake, Oregon, so she could fulfill the conditions in her Uncle Willy's will and thus inherit the rustic resort he left her. Rebellious and tenacious as a teenager, coming back to Oregon was extremely difficult due to her estranged, caustic relationships with her dad and brother. Mia finds that Ryan Morgan, her cheating ex-boyfriend, also lives in Logan Lake as a camp counselor and volunteer firefighter. She's stored deep bitterness and mistrust in her heart towards him, her father, and all men for ten years. Yet shortly after arriving at the rustic resort, it's Ryan that rescues her from a raging barn fire, where she is trapped. Susan's book is action-packed from page one-the mysterious threats, fire, break-ins, and murder. Events strike at a moment's notice, but the elusive criminal always seems to be out of arm's reach, creating tension as you wonder what will happen next and to whom. Susan has a great handle on the intricacies of life in that locale, making it difficult to assess who was behind all the turmoil and crimes, such as the guns used, since it was a hunting area. Mia's emotional upheavals were realistic considering how she perceived life after the tragedies and betrayals she experienced, although her perceptions may not have been necessarily true. The hope of things working out were evident in Ryan's faith and trust in the Lord, as he learned to lean on Him through these tumultuous events, while reaching out to Mia to do the same. A hope we can all have when we put our trust in the Lord. This book was provided by Susan for my honest review. It's a good read for great suspense and romance.