A Lasting Impression

Another solid, interesting historical novel

Tamera Alexander has once again written an entertaining, solidly researched historical novel, this time focusing on late 19th century Nashville. The main characters and the supporting characters are well developed, and the writing is solid. The plot is well thought out and interesting; nothing feels contrived. Claire Laurent, Sutton Monroe, and Adelicia Acklen, the main characters, have the same doubts, fears, heartaches, and joys that many of us experience, and by the end of the book they feel like friends with whom I’d like to spend more time. The setting at Belmont Mansion provides an interesting historical backdrop, and it was fun to learn more about the social mores and societal expectations of that era. Kudos also to Bethany House for the cover design – the dress and pose described on pages 332-3 are wonderfully depicted on the front cover. I’m looking forward to the next book in this series!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

I've read all of Tamera Alexander's books and really loved the w

I've read all of Tamera Alexander's books and really loved the western settings. It's a totally different world that Tamera is painting in this book, but her writing is excellent, as always!

It's short after the Civil War.
Claire Laurent used to forge paintings for her father and `uncle'. Determined to start a new life she leaves the place that her `uncle' has send her to. She gets a job at the Belmont Mansion and starts working for Adelicia Acklen as her personal liaison. Claire and Mrs. Acklen both enjoy art. Claire doesn't tell about the forgery and soon it becomes a burden for her.
In her position as liaison she can use her talents to paint kids toys and gift boxes for guestst. But Claire biggest desire is to paint real paintings and make a name for herself.

Sutton Monroe works as a lawyer and is manager of Belmont. His father was killed in the war and the government threatens to take his family property. If that happens Sutton will loose everything.
He's working on a big case for a client who bought a forged painting with documents. They try to get after the person who's behind the forgeries. If he can win this case he'll get a lot of money and his future is secure.

Claire and Sutton both live at Belmont and share the meals with Mrs. Acklen and her children. They fall in love, but there are some obstacles that needs to be cleared away before there might be a future for them together.
What will happen with their love if Sutton finds out about Claire's past?

I really liked Claire's character. She was sweet, lovely and humble. Sutton was the real gentleman.
Mrs. Acklen was a great character too. I loved to see how she and Claire bonded.
The servents -exept for Mrs. Routh- were very nice too! I loved them all!

I really enjoyed this book and also looked a lot at the cover and tried to imagine myself in such a beautiful dress!
Personally I prefer the settings of Tamera's previous books, but as I already said - the writing in this book is excellent!

Tina Arbuckle 2012

This was a very exciting read. So pleased with the ending. Some endings are disappointing. Thanks Tamera for not letting me down.

LOVED this book!!!

I had been eagerly awaiting the release of A LASTING IMPRESSION, and am happy to say I was not disappointed! Author Tamera Alexander has written a wonderful story that keeps the reader not only entertained, but transported back to another time. The main setting of the story is the gorgeous Belmont Mansion in post-Civil War Nashville. Ms. Alexander's style of writing makes the reader feel as if you're really there--viewing the Mansion (and characters) yourself! ~ I highly recommend this book, and am eager to read the upcoming books in this series. FIVE stars!!!

great Southern historical fiction

This is the second historical novel I read from Tamera Alexander and I liked it even better than the first one I read. Maybe because it was set in the South just after the Civil War and it also dealt with the world of art. Claire Elise Laurent, A French artist who immigrated to the United States as a child, is taught by her parents to forge famous paintings so that her father can sell them. After her mother dies and her father is attacked and killed, she runs and ends up working at Belmont Mansion as a personal liaison to Adelicia Acklen, one of the wealthiest women in the US in the 1860s. Claire longs to paint her own creations and learns to become self-confident even as she hides her past. She meets Sutton Monroe, an attorney, who is attracted to her but is suspicious of her past, and is also investigating the art fraud case. To say this book is well researched is an understatement. The author brings history to life, especially among the elite Nashville society. Belmont Mansion actually exists and so did Adelicia Acklen. The characters are vivid, along with the setting that I easily pictured the story in my mind. I especially liked how the author brought Adelicia to life, along with her household. Claire's character grows as she is given responsibilities that feed her self-worth. The plot unfolds well and at a good pace. I was hoping for more action regarding the art fraud case and thought that it was handled a little too quickly toward the end, especially since this was what the whole story was leading to'how Claire redeems herself and how she would get off having forged famous paintings! However, this is minor and did not take away my enjoyment of a good ending to a good story. I highly recommend this one to all lovers of good Christian historical fiction. It will not disappoint! Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars Disclaimer: This book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. I was not told how to rate or review this book.

This book pulls you in from the very first chapter.

Fabulous novel taking place during the post civil war. It gives a hint of God in her life from the very beginning; however it is not at all preachy. I'm on the 3rd chapter and I can't put it down.

I bought this book because its about the historical significance of Belmont college, Nashville, TN. which we actually visited this year. So I want to read about the connection of the main character to the college. It has really been an interesting adventure, and I guess I will find my answer as the book goes on.

If you enjoy a story of ordinary people in history, you will like this book. I can't wait to get get off my computer, and get back to it.

I haven't finished this one, but love all her others.

I have not completed the book, but I can say this. All her books I have loved 100% so I don't see this one being any different. Praise God Tamera Alexander is using her God given talent to write. I have been blessed by her books. Thanks!!!!

Must read!

The question is will your past hold you back from your future? In Tamera Alexander's new novel Claire Laurent has been forced by her father into a life of forgery. Claire has lived her life trying to please her father and perhaps earn his love. When she finally gets away from him she starts to build a new life in Nashville, Tennessee. She becomes employed by an art collector and is surrounded by masterpieces. Her new job also involves contact with her employer's attorney, Sutton Monroe. The chemistry between the two exists from their first meeting. While she works in this art-lovers paradise she is trying to keep her past behind her.

This is another wonderful novel by Tamera Alexander. While I was first drawn to the wonderful cover, the story is so captivating it was hard to put it down. She is such a talented author and this book is just one more example of that. Thank you Bethany House Publishing for my free copy, I love it!!

A Post Civil War Romance

A Lasting Impression, another strong romance by Tamera Alexander, takes the reader from her Western settings to the war-torn state of Tennessee a year after the Civil War.
Plenty of conflict abounds in this absorbing novel, from the young lawyer who has lost everything from fighting on the wrong side to the young heroine who dreams of painting masterpieces, but who must hide her sordid past of painting forgeries once she begins a new life.
Claire Laurent, the heroine is saved from penury and worse when she gets the job of personal assistant to the wealthy owner of Belmont, where she seems to be given a new chance at life.
Sutton Munroe, the hero, fighting to regain his family's lands and his father's good name,
cannot begin rebuilding his life as long as he carries around the guilt of having prevented his father from signing the Oath of Allegiance (to the Union). He is haunted by the knowledge that he caused his father's death and sentence of treason.
As the two hide their growing attraction, Claire knows time is against her. The past finally catches up with her and it is only by coming to the knowledge that God is on her side and cares for her that she is able to own up to it and face the consequences. The spiritual thread is deftly woven into the love story.
I would have enjoyed seeing Claire come clean sooner and read about the developing relationship between Sutton and Claire once he knew the truth than have a relationship built on her hiding so much of her past from him. That said, Alexander writes a powerful story about a young woman whose self-esteem has been badly destroyed by her father and who gradually comes to the knowledge of the Savior's love for her and that her talent is God-given.

A must read for all!!!

This has to be the best novel yet for Tamara Alexander! Very suspenseful, romantic, with good characters, good plot and all good qualifications for a wonderful book. I almost am done with the first reading. I always dread the endings of her books, because of the impatient wait until another book is
published. I really do love this author and connect with her very easily.
Need a good take-me-away adventure? Well, lose your self in one of Tamara's novels, and you can't help but be in book heaven!

Excellent Read

I recently finished another great historical fiction book, A Lasting Impression, by Christian author, Tamera Alexander. The vibrant detailed setting of the Belmont mansion was breathtaking. Tensions from the recent Civil war are apparent and the currents of conflict are plausible as they interplay within the characters. I was left with a desire to know more about the mansion and the real life characters that inspired her work. I also found a new favorite author and am looking forward to getting my hands on another of her masterpieces.

A Lasting Impression - Highly Recommended!

Claire Laurent flees her past and steps off a train in Nashville, Tennessee into a new life God will provid for her. She crosses paths with Attorney Sutton Monroe which sets off a chain of events. It was as if God had her by the hand leading her to the future he had planned for her all along. She finds herself with a job that was beyond anything she could have dreamed. Yet, she fears it will all be taken away, even Sutton Monroe, if anyone found out about her past. She has impressed all of Nashville Society with her accomplishments. A Lasting Impression has to be one of the best books I have read this year. The author brought the history and characters of Belmont Mansion alive. The way she described the mansion, art and characters was beyond brilliant. She actually used personal letters Adelicia Acklen, owner of the Belmont Mansion, had written to a relative in the book. The words were very inspiring and made me cry. I am anxious to read more about the history of Belmont Mansion. I highly reccommend this book. I give this book a rating of 5+ out of 5. Disclosure: I recieved a copy of this book from the Litfuse/Author for review. I was in no way compensated for my opinion. This review is my honest opinion.

Light Hearted Happy Ending

Claire's family is gone, her current accommodations are most unsuitable, and she is desperate to leave her past where it belongs: in the past. She enters the novel as a somewhat shy, nineteen year old with secrets and gets a job alongside Sutton Monroe, a lawyer intent on the truth. Sutton and Claire work together in helping their wealthy employer Mrs Acklen and quickly become more-than-friends. Little does Claire know, Sutton has an understanding with a wealthy young woman, Cara Netta with far better means than poor 'lawbreaker' Claire Laurent.

A Lasting Impression is the first of three Belmont Mansion Novels set in the 1860s in Nashville, Tennessee. I was glad to have found myself intrigued on the very first page and eagerly kept reading. Excited to get to know the characters I was happy to know the more-than-lovable heroine but got disappointed in little-too-perfect hero. While Alexander kept me guessing as to how they'd get there, I found it predictable when it came to the ending. While I believe it was a sweet, well written romance the final chapters seemed rushed and didn't leave me with a satisfying conclusion. Whether this was done purposefully or not I am both curious for the next two Belmont novels and a little leery of spending my time reading them. I would quickly recommend this to friends who like the lighthearted happy ending.

Wonderfully descriptive book, please read!

Forgiveness. That's all Claire Elise Laurent wants. After forging paintings worth thousands of dollars, she simply wishes that her painting skills could be used for paintings of her own, not repeated copies of an obscure artist. When her parents, or, since her mother died, her father's art gallery is robbed, and her father stabbed, she sets off hastily, taking the advice of her "uncle," Antoine. In Nashville, she is at a loss for words. She has no home, no family, and no one who could help her get back up on her feet. That all changes with a church pew, an untimely acquaintance, and a small hope that she will be accepted as something other than a forger.
A Lasting Impression was phenomenal! With vivid, lively descriptions, the reader can view the luxuriously elegant Belmont Mansion. Using breathtaking details and characters so real the reader feels as if talking to them, Tamara Alexander has written a book that will not be soon forgotten. One would have neither problems nor criticisms of this book, other than minor doctrinal errors, depending on one's beliefs. Any reader can find this book to be one of the most researched, stunningly descriptive, and heart-warming tales of this year.
Bethany House Publishers gave this book to me for this review

Excellent

I received a copy of A LASTING IMPRESSION by Tamera Alexander, from Bethany House. It is the first book in the Belmont Mansion series. I had never heard of Belmont Mansion in Nashville before. After reading this novel, though, I have added the mansion to my list of vacation destinations. The atmosphere sounds amazing, and I want to walk the ground just like the characters. I looked up the house online while I read, so I could picture some of the rooms. It brought the story even more to life.

The story involves Claire Laurent, an aspiring painter in New Orleans. Her father, owner of an art gallery, forces her to make forgeries for him to sell. When the art studio is broken into, one of his friends sends her to Nashville where they'll start a new business. When she gets there, the man she's supposed to stay with threatens her, and she learns her father is dead. Through the help of a reverend, she is hired as a liaison to Adelicia Acklen, one of the richest women in America. The fact that she is a real woman, and that author used some of her own letters to create dialogue for the character, cemented my love for the book. I felt as if I was traveling back in time, to a grand mansion inhabited by wonderful people.

Through twists and romance, A LASTING IMPRESSION kept me on the edge of my seat, eager to discover more. I even took the novel with me to work to read during my break and lunch. I look forward to reading the next installments in the series.

A Masterpiece!!

Once again, Ms. Alexander's exquisite writing has created an experience...A Lasting Impression!! Set at the Belmont Mansion in Nashville, TN; readers are taken on a journey to the Post Civil War era, and introduced to a host of realistic characters! I was moved by their vulnerability and inspired by their depth of Character. I appreciate Ms. Alexander's ability to complete one story line, while creating excitement for what's next! I continue to be grateful for the reminders of Grace and Forgiveness, and relish knowing that God is a giver of Second Chances!! Likewise, I was challenged to consider my own integrity in leaving A Lasting Impression! This enchanting novel left me breathless...Highly Recommend!!

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