Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

The Inheritance
The Inheritance
The Inheritance
Ebook372 pages6 hours

The Inheritance

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

3.5/5

()

Read preview

About this ebook

A disk. A simple disk thatnamed names.

That was Isabella Joubert’s inheritance from herfather, a man she loved but could not trust. Toright his wrongs, she was determined to turn theincriminating list over to the authorities.

But danger was stalking her. Her home wasransacked, threats were madeand people wereturning up dead. Someone wanted the disk evenmore than Isabella. And she was forced to turn toSandro Marchese, the man she’d left years earlierbecause of his willingness to sell his soul to thehighest bidderher father.

Sandro possessed secrets that could save hersave them both from a traitor willing to forfeitinnocent lives. But no matter where the disklanded, Isabella feared Sandro was doomed, forhis name was on the list.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateJul 15, 2014
ISBN9781460362860
The Inheritance
Author

Jasmine Cresswell

If Jasmine seems to have a wide view of the world, it's only natural—after all, she has lived in just about all four corners of the globe. Born in Wales but raised and educated in England, Jasmine obtained a diploma in commercial French and German from the Lycee Francais in London after graduating from high school. Recruited by the British Foreign Service, her first overseas assignment was to the embassy in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It was while Jasmine was working in Brazil that she met her future husband, Malcolm, who was also British and was in Rio as a marketing executive for a pharmaceutical company. They dated for a year and then flew to England to be married. Captivated by Harlequin books, and realizing that she could take a writing career with her no matter where her husband was transferred next, Jasmine began to write her first romance novel. At the time, all romances seemed to be filled with British virgins being rescued by domineering Greek tycoons, and she wanted to write a different type of story, with a different type of happy ending: one where the hero and heroine were more equal and where the heroine was more mature. Since she had no idea about guidelines and editorial requirements, she forged ahead entirely oblivious to the problems inherent in her approach. If her attitude seems naive and casual, that's exactly what it was! However, in retrospect, Jasmine is convinced that the compulsion to write a novel was much more deeply rooted than it seemed at the time. Nowadays, she can't imagine living her life without the stimulation and pleasure that comes from writing. Her four young children have now grown up into four wonderful young adults with families of their own. In between visiting with her eleven grandchildren, Jasmine has found time to write more than fifty romances—ranging from historicals to contemporaries, Regencies to Intrigues. She has been nominated for numerous RITA and Romantic Times Awards. Indeed, she has been nominated for the Romantic Times Career Achievement Award for Romantic Suspense and as Rocky Mountain Fiction Writer of the Year for her book The Refuge.

Read more from Jasmine Cresswell

Related to The Inheritance

Related ebooks

Romantic Comedy For You

View More

Related articles

Related categories

Reviews for The Inheritance

Rating: 3.710526421052631 out of 5 stars
3.5/5

19 ratings5 reviews

What did you think?

Tap to rate

Review must be at least 10 words

  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This is an enjoyable happily-ever-after story about building family, forgiveness, and love. Three half-sisters, all with different mothers and unknown to each other, brought together after the death of their father. Jackson Swann was a conflict photographer and, mostly unknown to two of his daughters. He was also the owner of a famous winery which his daughters have now inherited. A 96-year-old grandmother who participated in the French Resistance against the Nazis. I enjoyed the cast of characters and formed an emotional investment in them. However, the story itself could have used more development. While I liked the interaction of the sisters, the acceptance and forgiveness aspects of the story moved much too quickly. While classified as historical fiction, the story is actually a romance with a bit, a very little bit, of WWII history sprinkled in. After all, WWII stories are big sellers right now. I liked the grandmother but felt her story was “gimmickly.” Young French girl meets handsome American pilot. Helps him escape. They fall in love and live happily ever after.I recommend this book if you are looking for a romance, but not if looking for a historical fiction.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The Inheritance by JoAnn Ross takes us to the Willamette Valley of Oregon where three women have just inherited a winery. Three sisters are getting a chance to learn about each other, their father, their family, and their heritage. They may also find love while in wine country. I thought The Inheritance was a well-written story with good pacing. Ms. Ross is a descriptive writer. This allowed me to visualize the characters and scenes. I thought the characters were realistic and developed. I like it when the characters have flaws because it makes them relatable. The characters were likeable as well. I enjoyed the scenery of Aberdeen, Oregon. It sounds like a beautiful area. Interspersed among the present-day chapters were sections that took us back to World War II. Madeleine, the sisters’ grandmother, talks about her adventures during the war and how she met their grandfather. There is foul language in this story (just FYI). I liked reading about these four resilient women. The Inheritance is a story about forgiveness, overcoming tragedy, endurance, overcoming adversity, and love. Be prepared to stay up late once you begin reading The Inheritance.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Three sisters, one father and a world of secrets! Jackson, long time war photographer, passes away. He leaves an inheritance to his three daughters, Charlotte, Natalie and Tess. Tess is the oldest. She has not seen her father in years. And she has no idea that she has two sisters, plus a grandmother. Then there is Charlotte. She has some contact with her father but she is completely in the dark about her sisters and grandmother as well. Natalie is the youngest and she has spent summers at her grandmother’s famous vineyard and she adores her father. So, needless to say, there are some huge family issues!These three sisters all come from different backgrounds but they are all creative, unique and highly intelligent. They all come with different problems and hang ups. I loved each and every one. I think Tess is my favorite. She is more independent and tough. But all three are excellent. Add in the grandmother and her history and you have a great read!Need a wonderful family drama…DO NOT MISS THIS ONE! Grab your copy today!I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    4.3 starsI received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. There would be no dramatic scenes with his three daughters---all now grown women with lives of their own---hovering over his deathbed.Famous conflict photographer Jackson Swann is dying from lung cancer. Putting his affairs in order involves a winery in Oregon and three daughters that have never met each other. His eldest daughter Tess, was a childhood actress, pop singer, and now writer; the middle daughter Charlotte is a married southern socialite and interior designer; and his youngest Natalie is a street photographer. Not wanting to confront his daughters, he leaves it to his lawyer Donovan to travel, let the women know of their father's death and try and convince them to meet together at the winery. Jackson's winery manager, Gideon, convinces him to at least record video messages for all three sisters and is left with the task of explaining the winery to them when they arrive, their inheritance. With high readability that will pull you into the story, The Inheritance was mostly women's fiction and at turns romance and historical fiction. With a handful of characters to keep track of, the oldest daughter Tess, takes point and we get the most from her point-of-view and as the most bitter towards her father, he divorced her mother when she was a toddler and never had communication with him since, she has the most emotional turmoil to overcome. Even though Tess takes point, Charlotte with her imploding marriage, coming out from underneath her controlling husband, and taking control of her career again, gets enough page time to get to know her. Jackson was still legally married to Charlotte's mother, they had an open marriage, but Charlotte got enough visits from Jackson over the years to love him. Even though she is the youngest, Natalie had the closest relationship with Jackson, he and her mother were in a 28yr relationship. Natalie has visited the winery, had a relationship with her grandmother, and knows about her other two half-sisters; Tess knew about Charlotte but not Natalie and Charlotte knew about neither. Oh yes, she thought, Gideon Byrne could well be trouble.The first half was heavy on the women's fiction tone, it's gradually paced as we learn about these women and their lives, it was also what I thought worked best. The middle has the reading of the will and the sisters learn that they will inherit an equal part in the winery, along with Gideon, who will have a controlling vote in decisions, but in order to inherit and possibly sell, they must spend a season at the winery. Tess, who knew her father the least, wants nothing to do with the winery but the first half had her softening as she gets to know her sisters, grandmother, and Gideon. I'm not sure all of her complicated emotions and journey to accepting her father's inheritance was fully conveyed, because of amount of character stories being juggled and page count. After the reading of the will, the tone changes from women's fiction to more romance threads being focused on. Tess with Gideon is the most prominent but moves a bit too quickly for romance purists to really sink into and Natalie's childhood love of her father's lawyer Donovan comes to ahead as Donovan seems to have his own complicated feelings for her. The author's romance genre background is evident in these threads but they hit a little too fast and furious in the latter second half (Charlotte even gets her own HEA in the epilogue) to develop much depth. “[...] And that was the day I decided to join Maquis. La Resistance.”The latter second half also gives us the historical fiction aspect, Tess' grandmother was a teenage girl in WWII France, joined the Maquis (French resistance), and helped hide a downed American pilot who she fell in love with and was the sister's grandfather. I thought this story thread would play a much bigger role in the story and was a little disappointed when it took until around the 70% for it to really make an appearance. As Tess is a writer, she wants to write her grandmother's fascinating story and we get the story with some flashbacks and oral history. It's an intriguing thread to put in and brings an encompassing feel and connection to the sisters, family, and winery but it also felt rushed and shoved in with it coming in so late to the story. Overall, there were a lot of characters to juggle in this story but I thought the sisters and secondary characters carried their weight. There were also engaging aspects sprinkled into the plot with Oregon's jory soil, winery and WWII tidbits, that really drew me into the story. The women's fiction beginning was the best flushed out, the romances had the beginning sparks but not enough page time to give depth, and while the historical fiction thread was compelling, it was left too long and felt rushed at the end. I did read this in two days because of how easy it was to sink into and certain aspects of the story will be staying with me for a while.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Terrific story of family, love, loss, and healing, combined with some fascinating WW2 history. I loved seeing the three sisters go from wary strangers to loving and supportive siblings as they got to know each other, their grandmother, and their family history. The story opens as Jackson Swann, conflict photographer and father of three daughters - from different mothers, nears the end of his battle with cancer. He has many regrets, not the least of which are his shortcomings as a father. In the end, all he can do is give them each other and the family they never knew. In the little bit of Jack we see, it is evident that he is driven by his need to show the starkness of the conflicts he photographs. As much as he would like to be the kind of father his father was, he can't change who he is. Most of what we learn of Jack comes through the memories from other people, except for the videos he leaves for each daughter. I liked the honesty of his last words to each one. Tess is the oldest daughter, born from Jackson's very brief marriage with her mother. Jackson played no part in her life, causing Tess to refer to him as simply "the sperm donor." A former child TV star and currently a bestselling author of books for teens, Tess isn't interested when Donovan, her father's lawyer, comes to tell her of his death and her inheritance. However, with a case of writer's block and a looming decision about her writing, Tess decides that an Oregon getaway might be just what she needs. Tess knows of Charlotte's existence, but not about Natalie. Raised by her high society, Southern belle mother, Charlotte rarely saw her father. Jack's relationship with his wife was volatile at best, and Charlotte would retreat in the face of their arguments. The best thing Jack did for Charlotte was encourage her to pursue her dream of interior design and never forget her passion for her work. However, her mother's influence remained strong, and Charlotte found herself putting her career on the back burner when she married a politically ambitious man. On the same day she learns of her father's death, she discovers her husband is cheating on her. Suddenly, escaping to Oregon sounds like a swell idea. Charlotte had no idea she had sisters before learning of Jack's death. Natalie is the youngest daughter and the one who saw the most of Jack. Like Jack, she is a talented photographer, though she focuses on the lighter side of life. Natalie is still grieving the loss of her mother when Donovan tells her about Jack's death. She's always known about her sisters and wanted to meet them, but now she's nervous about it. Will they like her, or will they resent the amount of time she got to spend with Jack? Madeleine is Jack's mother. She is a French war bride and former resistance fighter whose husband turned his family farm into a vineyard and built a French-style house to make her feel more at home. Though devastated by her son's death, Madeleine is thrilled to have all three of her granddaughters under one roof. She immediately makes them feel welcomed and loved. Gideon is the widowed father of a teenage girl. When Jack's father died, leaving the vineyard and winery to him, Jack immediately hired Gideon to run the place for him. As the story opens, Gideon worries about his job if the winery ends up sold. I loved watching the relationships develop. Each of the sisters had a different kind of relationship with her father. I liked seeing them sit down and share their experiences, gaining insight into Jack and his issues. None of them expected to inherit anything and were stunned to discover that they would share ownership of the winery with Gideon. The only caveat was that they had to stay through the harvest before any of them could sell their share to Gideon. With that requirement, each of them became more invested in the business's success and brainstormed ideas of changes they could make. Another big part of remaining in Oregon was the chance to get to know Madeleine. Sprinkled throughout the book are flashbacks to her time with the French Resistance. Her progression through the ranks kept me intrigued, and more so when she rescued the American pilot who would later become her husband. The narration of their escape into Spain had me glued to the pages until they were safe. Madeleine's story provided a burst of inspiration for Tess, who needed a new direction for her writing. Each of the sisters faces a turning point in her life, and their time in Oregon gives them the space and support to make their changes. Tess has reached the end of her long-running teen series and wonders what to do next. Before settling on telling her grandmother's story, she also considered a wine-themed murder mystery. I enjoyed seeing her bounce ideas off Gideon as he taught her about the vineyard and winery. Charlotte faces the end of her marriage and realizing that she allowed her husband to chip away at her self-confidence and self-worth. I loved watching her rekindle her love for design and how the support of her family boosted her confidence. Her joy at arranging the celebration of Jack's life lit up the pages, and also using her skills to improve the winery. I loved the scene where she told off her husband. Meanwhile, Natalie looks at whether to risk her friendship with the man she secretly loves. Along with learning the wine business and family history, romance also finds its way into each sister's life. For years, Natalie has been in love with her father's lawyer, Donovan, but hesitates to make a move. Their friendship is solid, and she doesn't want to lose it, but neither does she want to lose out on the possibility that it's returned. As outsiders, the reader can see that Donovan is just as conflicted. I loved seeing Natalie take matters into her own hands and had to laugh at Donovan's reaction. Charlotte is the wariest of the trio, still reeling from what she sees as her poor judgment. However, she isn't entirely man-averse as we see her show an interest in the man helping with the winery renovations. Most of the romantic attention goes to the growing feelings between Tess and Gideon. They connected from the first day Tess arrived. I enjoyed seeing his amusement at how she would plot murders as he explained various steps in winemaking. It wasn't long before the sparks flew between them. I laughed out loud when Gideon's daughter pushed him to ask Tess out, even advising on the type of date it should be. I liked that both Tess and Gideon are mature enough to be honest about their feelings. I loved the scene at the restaurant as Gideon nervously but eloquently told Tess how he felt, and Tess's reaction made me grin. I loved the epilogue, which showed the sisters eighteen months later. The changes in their lives are remarkable and something none of them had foreseen. I do wish that there had been more time spent on Charlotte and Natalie's romances. I loved the nod at the end to the author's Shelter Bay series, one of my all-time favorites. #netgalley

Book preview

The Inheritance - Jasmine Cresswell

dbook_preview_excerpt.html}َ$ɕݯ92) .V5R[QQO| Пs{dVs4+#m˹.U_j^|Uc_~9, 5̇~ضozӢvn an u/1O?uÜ*[}8 aco#.L6M,aC Sxu>ߨk>b20K{_U ojwUbxs/vG,Qڦs|U?yx1LUþvX-n܏a^'l]|aemWq]xwyre Px=f@b7c9ָr^~q&ty -Q=qНrkeOۺ$}dr_"?uYSP8NnnW8Ck6+pQùEJ{yŃ;j7USj']5a4FYGΒ.waDB a<[9^/C~:lZA`0ԉGh݂L:VBy j?FLJ> )⌧&=9E^H=_'w28-B{汘ɪ ^ъA ѬTow#5D߉tK}}:>tslIv9).v@l&`W[n>\V˦ QWYS=gs0XMv7pIh9#S2s-V'&<R1~LK: +8.L 7 2!;6=&U2(R)k/niÆVۖ$m\4t{OsN7_HdKzJSx%v)TO8"'/s Aj`/N8]÷AHd2 zF)|RDv8k3@R,Sp Tu3{{_a4U5}y̖mSBZjȼV * 74G].b$M(/Cvg800?nceyX{OS/j/."W=A5pZf>Qk9A_ HC=\{Toĵb d=WMkJ7䠂W?:{w?m[f%Qh/6<+Β;0z, ͻG cG 3/RG1.V%. 1heFGlܷm0GzPc%7v -:8F>pGsUJnɍ8$So֌/+}$6LCjɬ|C]83FmA80,u4!9g0xӦWeE1dLeDr<6>7M='m[*õ0Muf k.{ ;Owa1S@A!zJmk!uGeYIy@jNSp١h 8ZXTWMcR;^ISFP{y#v%f6P2Z@P]a9}bc<mvMPqpD ]"M8NEoqPLul5+|3[{ \4h 3=5&M+ɇxRp>+->K KKķbAE- 089lu69#sCdd$h K51\uc@g 坁wy9j$1 i75 \i"Zo:YLUABӿ򏙠^4=Kߝ`lB&PTǘ:'tXLUC.4I'!S;#b$e8<,ltd^@aOtteZF\QS\NMVK<h<_M{{H| U+~u_U.MCs4qq9^㳂N"%ͯ] d<MvR)Z%>׸.W>tHl >7تNBޅ.gDj %'RO^vљAHEнx߃E9oa*q a eTs97 +Rb:{ _Gq;.W,a8<UTU]0K2=ej4[Eޔ{}3ؓ;\{E( GھSqh9ѹs3"3\]qYc6J'0^QRTRꔝVSqBsUVa)&Wc|cؚ`B gcZԿgeOBM=F@4P5hٕ=24Lk\9]VK\B0jV0AjeڍZɷ6fT6?eb$ pN7RTgMxeX- ӼqX3v=CHެX=\J%cJLlX]E)pOi2d԰T'[^\ (׎Ĥz`@`SnThjW^VYß"KJmU>ts< 6B2$^n-}=DmrOavfFߒ a 2K' րycAjNߧu9|d #薆/$56i7+'J,9Ť"0lAJ46;b7y7x}92q}ŵB̷(tIL7FTE]w0% XTBNOfZw~rRTS_Ugv..fvaH\7:JML(wt :Z'<ٯ%of+?Ӏ1τz:+I#~ oa3nc7T)\P gi OtQ_cyOd(2ꛙPgN]aSX$PQ B qW2xr5A<_Dp1ys -V@1/S5m).5 g. %$9J&gS`_H5q?g|!N&$}#ڜw&"86Kήݩ]HZ>KwVJߊ)99LR|naʟt+1}!Ӊ[^P8\ruM_X+i)"aٜǾAK4sž'!w3 .3/ƭ #Dy{"YnK>YF>бx^o9|.6y1C%9Ű.%Maݶv9Fv& 'D7p$o#tQ9f 69P% U)~^m2NIb/k7>s,1C @*c)6?7GŜd,Oç]auE^Be4<&f] &][U[GVOjn Q$.6t o=D"7D}rJ^Ldw=!O||YrUa 'OUr ޔݟP8NRSO^ee Ƨ⿀iF-ьyBxB$,lc w/1_-;_PRd`:ʄxs}|^e >3f2i(Y"Qrǻ7ܶdZ`Dv7+;VYޚ jV:}mWSd80e'вNU)>/[y$ǭ^4I/ÿz])!p+g@=U,-W-<#r'❼6wVj,LS b›kPQ,6{EjV"C淼﷦-?T?)D:#"qB0ʼOЗ"HEfP4dCX~Kä m.5j<#N,o2!\{{^k^d!goFMv%LOt)Z pxc/<1N@=?dYUE_d2 S@BbwB s5;cdvɈ,b;b@247~} Kb"VylۓupӪy=3B+OL`RgШEYEu\ԟvHWQY`0ӐcbBϞ(%d%viK̒Olʊe44Y/+]"-ܓ'/ܹF‹I5e^MGN'a>vU߉h;aNCY)g] |1+ODOR ̢ /Ow-J}v%VEm{Wu}U[FF22neC k^ߔ]QF'%.j *z?E$K[yv' |G%#ͪ0 Ĺ1v;$T?ReBpfd .9XN*s#4U׈Hcf{Sx.<] n!xhNBG1SNXqył;p03C܏Òq l?Q )gYŔ.YZ?LRһH5iڭmXE>[KI<{ew&",ߋa)o KQ %S@Srj FQx;f%KSz֕jwD[K@cMJWc=j[MĚ8Tb"fR`rRZWk{Cqqk[J5a%6s6L|9f]")փr h sq׳6kIf78 sxV 'R)"20BxZHW`<@9y{?s.gC}`1圱qY׭K&fQvt<$jVLj *ŷ㋦6kw绖#3j-lܖu9f?r-NO8adɳ| ̱֨vIR ldJ0C)1%{ }gZ߸c{ř9I0=gP.њ0-uݨPXnn>\ 0=T+`+fu'.Ehi[ygiW"фiWz8\0TK1! ;8_č1q2+WMIKZDw$DFu>ibO;bnϪT*BaKq6Z@"0R[X0X@_2bbTeg` d&3,|zy2t8iT<)5GV*: ~B3I.S\ԅU FS۶ Bhd!mH%mLf<|^qci^<9b` x74bE=ֳ^kbYs"dSfoRxoT0x4bf'p>z3[nl8/n; _; K, Vf5fJNDsh,:z=ۆN<*~:Zk+Wگ%,`n3 {4V oCx`nJa 6u($nm[]0Īy[}'YE/̽ob'Y?ݐs]$s6fD|xbpz[hXh%r(E'dyY;^-nX8Hw۞VTPTL];ņ~_7i*i*NQslQ5-%.T@>{n/" {cUTRmIgVpT 1C[zNR2r9!}Nܹot8n *͉`rKh6o'<̈8v,YrGBFPCjO |99cP+"Ap86|V]*~u鈏ozxfB?Mo jUBBsF /nV̇q{rUlPtsq6!DMC@:.+Ȏ"70 % ,kTe,aN-sb%dԣakT>S&fZwǨ;%jW`k￧nB5=0W6̠%>Z?q؅17*M#|ȉJ?a}p^Cڑ/if̎Gtw-c01T45- <~#MS[RjKhYeKzaRZjs^&g L.5 :O\hwr310q~zyR;>i֣:I};՛b.R<Ǔ-de߾Is7O6F@3̆]FW tk7KIٹknS2Vǫ#N/=ԟ`&3C|Sƽ:V"Tߒ>=@>xˤ-m[9hƪ mw)Kކӵ}SekqqV=dgd-N>3B _ױuI+IXh3]&u-< F7 yhd 6PH oĭ >bYUBOպ>;PUcy1JմوU3}տ`s3e7UǪ+zr9K24V kJveRwSB>A#]6@d#lr:6I[ c=0&4|]ii߾iX@Қ&@$]ҥ%Y+b1ǻZP-5"ߓ+Ԭs| RGҾë d`7UM!:! &&A>pF0gKx .!^4܏Zafٛ+"W)WMO- 9g<#KY_x/K[}Ig!ku E$(ot66PW,alXZ%&vWiAo A^1䚝Oj 2l,+G(TN&SYQ:!Q ۗlu-I~Oyפ:7Jv&K2vp1ҝ@It1ZoDԎdRnt_)EӨ`X__ZkWkI@oHX͎99%vrHm[h創Ho`^ء6ArST1.lO92}ܾDB(*vŸk$;Y)Q2J!)ȋgFδLh;;y?4oc$w JXڛ3ub)}XFdH(rmn&hv&W)/߮:$rӚ >;eBE||Q |\_"J~|Rt/ϙcYAb:Wi=v2D2Ӛ2oB]D>C-0kZ1p[uy?Yݖ_reI%!}2Al\f4.+ɪψ)SSRz8ć/g21: +DfݡqO6$u=]B>[Qƞ_Lzey/;[]>']d(] k:~/C :>)p %y_h+r:: ƽ<Ɇ굲p\9އur OLuQ#XC]o9qoy}Y>o백_uMaSR(FK/[ճ(8;k>˺KEeauve\!JjE<6 @4;񘝖H\~{pe ,8 jD7ȃw
Enjoying the preview?
Page 1 of 1