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Innkeepers #1
The Inheritance
The Innkeepers Series Four friends from very different backgrounds find new beginnings amid the sultry beauty of New Orleans . . . After her Manhattan company abruptly lays off its staff, corporate attorney Hannah DuPont-Lowell tries to figure out her next move on the porch of her family’s plantation-style home New Orleans. The home is far more than widowed Hannah needs. Still, it could make a wonderful inn ― especially if she can convince her friends and former coworkers to join in the venture.
471 pages, Hardcover
First published February 28, 2017
499 people are currently reading
1007 people want to read
About the author
Rochelle Alers
221 books1,057 followersRochelle Alers was born in Manhattan, New York, USA, where she raised. She obtained degrees in Sociology and Psychology, before started to work. She is a member of the Iota Theta Zeta Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., and her interests include gourmet cooking and traveling. She has traveled to countries in North, Central and South America, and Europe. She is also in accomplished in knitting, crocheting and needlepoint.
Published since 1988, today a full-time writer, has been hailed by readers and booksellers alike as one of today's most prolific and popular African-American authors of romance and women's fiction. With more than fifty titles and nearly two million copies of her novels in print, she is a regular on the Waldenbooks, Borders and Essence bestseller lists, regularly chosen by Black Expressions Book Club, and has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the Gold Pen Award, the Emma Award, Vivian Stephens Award for Excellence in Romance Writing, the Romantic Times Career Achievement Award and the Zora Neale Hurston Literary Award. She also wrote as Susan James and Rena McLeary.
Rochelle Alers lives in a charming hamlet on Long Island.
Published since 1988, today a full-time writer, has been hailed by readers and booksellers alike as one of today's most prolific and popular African-American authors of romance and women's fiction. With more than fifty titles and nearly two million copies of her novels in print, she is a regular on the Waldenbooks, Borders and Essence bestseller lists, regularly chosen by Black Expressions Book Club, and has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the Gold Pen Award, the Emma Award, Vivian Stephens Award for Excellence in Romance Writing, the Romantic Times Career Achievement Award and the Zora Neale Hurston Literary Award. She also wrote as Susan James and Rena McLeary.
Rochelle Alers lives in a charming hamlet on Long Island.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 146 reviews
September 6, 2020
This just didn't work for me. It's kind of a mix between romance and chick-lit which is interesting with protagonists older than I am (they're 58, I leave the speculation for how much older that is) because chick-lit leans into life change and growth. Hannah does have a noticeable growth arc, as does St. John and I actually liked what Alers attempted here. Unfortunately, "attempted" is as far as I can go.
Hannah and St. John knew each other in high school when they were friends, but involved with their eventual spouses. Now, he's divorced and she's a widow so they pick up essentially where they left off. Which was kind of sweet, but I really wish Alers hadn't tried to sell the "I've loved him/her all this time". Because that's just sad. Both their marriages were multiple levels of messed-up, so it should have been gratifying to see them find health and healing in their new-found relationship. And it kind of was, if you could ignore any of the details that got them there—not least St. John's whole "been married, don't want relationships" initial vibe (which at least didn't impact things enough to amount to a negative motivation*).
The thing is, the plot was so shaky that I found it difficult to engage. Take the framework for the series that is the female friendship. It starts when their company is sold and they all find themselves out of work. It's a great setup for a set of unlikely friendships that cross demographic boundaries and I looked forward to their interactions. And looked forward and looked forward... Only to discover that the other women play essentially no role in this story and don't even return (after initial introduction) until after three-quarters of the story has played out. The whole thing has this weird time dilation going on with months passing without some expected landmarks actually showing up. Like, there's a Sunday dinner invite and I'm all waiting for it to happen, but a couple weeks pass before it actually does and both characters act like that was the original plan and I'm all "wait, what?"
But the worst part of the story is St. John's marriage background. Part of what frustrated me is that Alers dribbles details out over the course of the story so we don't know really what happened. But the real trouble is that it just doesn't work. I'm not tagging this as a spoiler because we learn the outline really early and that's enough for the core problem. If you're really sensitive, skip the rest of this paragraph. Anyway, St. John stayed in an intimacy-less marriage for 30 years which caused him (ahem) to commit adultery for his "physical needs". He feels terrible and a little resentful about it, but his wife had obvious issues and cried when he tried to initiate intimacy. So kudos for being caring enough not to blow-up or push. The thing is, it went on for thirty years and that's just way, waaaaaay too long to tolerate a fundamentally broken relationship with no movement, improvement, or progress. And the problem for characterization is that it relies on him being both caring enough not to leave her (we learn eventually that it was caring) but also passive enough not to find any way forward that whole time. Which doesn't work once you think that through. And the thing is, it all works out a little too convenient to ensure a dark moment once Hannah (who has a well-earned intolerance for cheaters) finds out.
So I cringed nearly every time we were in St. John's head because that "background" forms the foundation for his attitudes towards his relationship with Hannah and represents the growth he has to make for them to be together. And I only got more and more upset with each new detail dribbled on us over the course of the book.
And Hannah's backstory has its own problems too. Many of the characters are descendants of slaves (including St. John and one of the female friends) so learning that Hannah owns an historical New Orleans mansion she wants them to visit makes them actually angry. Which is perfectly reasonable, don't get me wrong. But that prompts Hannah to whip out a family history that magically cleanses the place because her ancestor freed all his slaves before coming to New Orleans and building the mansion at the behest of his mulatto bride. So no slaves here, no siree. Plus, she's actually the descendant of freed slaves too! So instead of confronting that problematic issue, Alers engineers a workaround to make it irrelevant while still giving the right virtue signals about how awful history is. Something she then leans into with St. John being the head of a private college history department with lots of research into plaçage (which, I admit, I didn't know was a thing).
The only thing that kept me going through the weak plot and character issues was the really strong sense of one of my favorite cities. Alers delivers a great atmosphere and I loved the feeling of being there. Her descriptions were so evocative I got hungry and nostalgic by turns and that was really lovely.
Anyway, I'm giving this two stars and doubt I'll bother with the others in the series. Seriously, the only thing worthwhile, for me, was the location. But at least that was really awesome.
A note about production: Alers thanks an editor and Kensington isn't an indie publisher, but the editing of this book was atrocious. There are sloppy editing remnants, added words, dropped words, etc. And some words were simply wrong. Seriously, this is just not a professional job at all.
A note about Steamy: There are a handful of explicit sex scenes putting this in the middle of my steam tolerance. And kudos for tackling the problematic nature of menopause and long abstinence. But I'm taking that kudos away for subsequently going into romance-landia's effortlessly multi-orgasmic excess right after.
* Negative Motivations: I kind of hate that the term "negative motivation" isn't widespread, yet. Since it isn't, I'm going to save off this little jag to append to my reviews that feature the term. Jennifer Crusie blogged about it a bit back (or, if that link doesn't work, here's a cache of the original) and it changed how I understand story. The problem with the term is that if you've never heard it before, you'd assume it meant motivations that are harmful or immoral. Not so. What it refers to is motivations not to do something. The thing is that many of us are motivated to not do things for a lot of different, perfectly valid and reasonable, reasons. The problem is that in a story motivations to not do things are a huge drag on the plot—particularly considering the fact that most negative motivations are overcome by the character simply deciding they don't care any more (or, rather, that they do care and are now motivated to do the thing). So not only do you have a counter to action but you also have a situation where to overcome it, all a character has to do is change their mind. Which means eventually, the reader is rooting for the character to get over him/herself already and do the thing we want them to do. Conflict drives story. Conflict between a reader and a main character drives readers away from story.
Hannah and St. John knew each other in high school when they were friends, but involved with their eventual spouses. Now, he's divorced and she's a widow so they pick up essentially where they left off. Which was kind of sweet, but I really wish Alers hadn't tried to sell the "I've loved him/her all this time". Because that's just sad. Both their marriages were multiple levels of messed-up, so it should have been gratifying to see them find health and healing in their new-found relationship. And it kind of was, if you could ignore any of the details that got them there—not least St. John's whole "been married, don't want relationships" initial vibe (which at least didn't impact things enough to amount to a negative motivation*).
The thing is, the plot was so shaky that I found it difficult to engage. Take the framework for the series that is the female friendship. It starts when their company is sold and they all find themselves out of work. It's a great setup for a set of unlikely friendships that cross demographic boundaries and I looked forward to their interactions. And looked forward and looked forward... Only to discover that the other women play essentially no role in this story and don't even return (after initial introduction) until after three-quarters of the story has played out. The whole thing has this weird time dilation going on with months passing without some expected landmarks actually showing up. Like, there's a Sunday dinner invite and I'm all waiting for it to happen, but a couple weeks pass before it actually does and both characters act like that was the original plan and I'm all "wait, what?"
But the worst part of the story is St. John's marriage background. Part of what frustrated me is that Alers dribbles details out over the course of the story so we don't know really what happened. But the real trouble is that it just doesn't work. I'm not tagging this as a spoiler because we learn the outline really early and that's enough for the core problem. If you're really sensitive, skip the rest of this paragraph. Anyway, St. John stayed in an intimacy-less marriage for 30 years which caused him (ahem) to commit adultery for his "physical needs". He feels terrible and a little resentful about it, but his wife had obvious issues and cried when he tried to initiate intimacy. So kudos for being caring enough not to blow-up or push. The thing is, it went on for thirty years and that's just way, waaaaaay too long to tolerate a fundamentally broken relationship with no movement, improvement, or progress. And the problem for characterization is that it relies on him being both caring enough not to leave her (we learn eventually that it was caring) but also passive enough not to find any way forward that whole time. Which doesn't work once you think that through. And the thing is, it all works out a little too convenient to ensure a dark moment once Hannah (who has a well-earned intolerance for cheaters) finds out.
So I cringed nearly every time we were in St. John's head because that "background" forms the foundation for his attitudes towards his relationship with Hannah and represents the growth he has to make for them to be together. And I only got more and more upset with each new detail dribbled on us over the course of the book.
And Hannah's backstory has its own problems too. Many of the characters are descendants of slaves (including St. John and one of the female friends) so learning that Hannah owns an historical New Orleans mansion she wants them to visit makes them actually angry. Which is perfectly reasonable, don't get me wrong. But that prompts Hannah to whip out a family history that magically cleanses the place because her ancestor freed all his slaves before coming to New Orleans and building the mansion at the behest of his mulatto bride. So no slaves here, no siree. Plus, she's actually the descendant of freed slaves too! So instead of confronting that problematic issue, Alers engineers a workaround to make it irrelevant while still giving the right virtue signals about how awful history is. Something she then leans into with St. John being the head of a private college history department with lots of research into plaçage (which, I admit, I didn't know was a thing).
The only thing that kept me going through the weak plot and character issues was the really strong sense of one of my favorite cities. Alers delivers a great atmosphere and I loved the feeling of being there. Her descriptions were so evocative I got hungry and nostalgic by turns and that was really lovely.
Anyway, I'm giving this two stars and doubt I'll bother with the others in the series. Seriously, the only thing worthwhile, for me, was the location. But at least that was really awesome.
A note about production: Alers thanks an editor and Kensington isn't an indie publisher, but the editing of this book was atrocious. There are sloppy editing remnants, added words, dropped words, etc. And some words were simply wrong. Seriously, this is just not a professional job at all.
A note about Steamy: There are a handful of explicit sex scenes putting this in the middle of my steam tolerance. And kudos for tackling the problematic nature of menopause and long abstinence. But I'm taking that kudos away for subsequently going into romance-landia's effortlessly multi-orgasmic excess right after.
* Negative Motivations: I kind of hate that the term "negative motivation" isn't widespread, yet. Since it isn't, I'm going to save off this little jag to append to my reviews that feature the term. Jennifer Crusie blogged about it a bit back (or, if that link doesn't work, here's a cache of the original) and it changed how I understand story. The problem with the term is that if you've never heard it before, you'd assume it meant motivations that are harmful or immoral. Not so. What it refers to is motivations not to do something. The thing is that many of us are motivated to not do things for a lot of different, perfectly valid and reasonable, reasons. The problem is that in a story motivations to not do things are a huge drag on the plot—particularly considering the fact that most negative motivations are overcome by the character simply deciding they don't care any more (or, rather, that they do care and are now motivated to do the thing). So not only do you have a counter to action but you also have a situation where to overcome it, all a character has to do is change their mind. Which means eventually, the reader is rooting for the character to get over him/herself already and do the thing we want them to do. Conflict drives story. Conflict between a reader and a main character drives readers away from story.
March 7, 2017
It pains me that I had to give a Rochelle Alers book this low of a rating. I have been a huge fan of hers for many years and frequently sing her praises. This book just missed the mark on so many levels for me. I was looking forward to reading this book and was intrigued during the first couple of pages when I noticed that the characters were a bit different than what she normally writes about. The four women who lead this series are of various ethnicities and ages. Hannah is 58 years old and I was interested to see how a mature romance would play out. After a few pages, my hopes quickly flamed out. The pace was excruciatingly slow. The dialogue seemed stilted at times and these characters weren't as relatable/believable as Alers' previous characters are wildly known for.
I don't know if I will read the next book in the series, so I won't pre-order it but rather wait until release day to decide then.
I don't know if I will read the next book in the series, so I won't pre-order it but rather wait until release day to decide then.
August 31, 2020
I have kind of complicated feelings about this book, not because it's not good, but maybe because it wasn't the right book for me at this moment? In the abstract, I really, really liked the older couple aspect of this, down to the complications with sex that that entails. It was so firmly rooted in place and that is a thing that I DEEPLY value in romances. And I liked the developing girl group aspect of it.
And then I found the actual couple, and the actual romance, pretty boring. Which is sort of a problem when the book is a romance. So I don't know what to do with that.
And then I found the actual couple, and the actual romance, pretty boring. Which is sort of a problem when the book is a romance. So I don't know what to do with that.
May 18, 2020
The Inheitance by Rochelle Alers is the first book in her Innkeepers series and was a second chance romance that was easy to read. I really enjoyed meeting Hannah, Tonya, Jasmine and Nydia in the first chapter. They are all different ages and ethnicities but they are all strong and independent women who are ready to start anew. This is Hannah's story but the women all play a part as Hannah returns to New Orleans and her ancestral home. St. John McNair is a beautiful and accomplished hero that stole the page when he appeared. I really enjoyed the historical aspects that were revealed regarding New Orleans. I'm looking forward to reading all of the women's stories.
July 5, 2020
I’m still in an “old love” or more accurately “mature love” sort of mood and this author delivers in writing these stories and making them accessible and sweet and still sexy to people of any age. The premise of this is that when Hannah, a lawyer and wealthy heiress returns to New Orleans after years as a corporate lawyer in New York, she meets her high school study buddy St John, and realizes that there might be sparks. But she’s menopausal, somewhat inexperienced despite having been married with a son, and also has reasons to not trust men. The question is whether she’ll risk her self-protection to trust St John.
My favourite part of this book is the female friendships. Yes I think the meet cute of the 4 friends is not the most plausible but I still like the idea of it and of how supportive they were of each other and how I can see that it’s going to build into an enjoyable series of interlinked lives and a stronger friendship. I think this was especially important for a character like Hannah who had struggled to find and maintain female friendships before that. For me, this struggled a little bit in the execution of some themes. One example is with race and Hannah’s claiming of her black heritage as a mitigation of the privilege she and her family had enjoyed, another is with how child sexual abuse (CW) was handled and finally, with how Hannah’s fear of infidelity was dealt with. It’s not that an awful job was done in tackling these themes, I just felt like it could have been done better and with more sensitivity. I do like that the characters reactions were realistic as was the handling of a menopausal woman entering an intimate relationship and the practicalities of that.
I say this all the time but I’m a huge fan of this author’s work. Yes it’s on the old-fashioned side (even when it’s recently written) but I like it and I enjoy the fantastically OTT stories she tells of aspirational black peoples and the realness of their reactions to the sometimes harsh realities of life. Soooo here for this series!
My favourite part of this book is the female friendships. Yes I think the meet cute of the 4 friends is not the most plausible but I still like the idea of it and of how supportive they were of each other and how I can see that it’s going to build into an enjoyable series of interlinked lives and a stronger friendship. I think this was especially important for a character like Hannah who had struggled to find and maintain female friendships before that. For me, this struggled a little bit in the execution of some themes. One example is with race and Hannah’s claiming of her black heritage as a mitigation of the privilege she and her family had enjoyed, another is with how child sexual abuse (CW) was handled and finally, with how Hannah’s fear of infidelity was dealt with. It’s not that an awful job was done in tackling these themes, I just felt like it could have been done better and with more sensitivity. I do like that the characters reactions were realistic as was the handling of a menopausal woman entering an intimate relationship and the practicalities of that.
I say this all the time but I’m a huge fan of this author’s work. Yes it’s on the old-fashioned side (even when it’s recently written) but I like it and I enjoy the fantastically OTT stories she tells of aspirational black peoples and the realness of their reactions to the sometimes harsh realities of life. Soooo here for this series!
August 11, 2019
Let the good times roll
This started a bit slow, and the friendship between the four women never worked that well for me, but Hannah was complex and interesting and as the book continued I felt drawn into her life. Saint John is a delicious hero. These two act their age and it was amazing to have a post-menopausal woman who didn't feel like she had to apologise for being her age. I also liked how well defined the h&h were, they had definite personalities--I felt like I knew them. New Orleans is definitely a character in this book. While it sometimes read as a guide book, especially at first, it became fun to read about the town. I enjoyed hearing about the city's mixed race culture, and the difficulties that caused the characters past and present. So, although it started slow, it picked up speed and I ended up enjoying it enough to have bought the next in the series.
This started a bit slow, and the friendship between the four women never worked that well for me, but Hannah was complex and interesting and as the book continued I felt drawn into her life. Saint John is a delicious hero. These two act their age and it was amazing to have a post-menopausal woman who didn't feel like she had to apologise for being her age. I also liked how well defined the h&h were, they had definite personalities--I felt like I knew them. New Orleans is definitely a character in this book. While it sometimes read as a guide book, especially at first, it became fun to read about the town. I enjoyed hearing about the city's mixed race culture, and the difficulties that caused the characters past and present. So, although it started slow, it picked up speed and I ended up enjoying it enough to have bought the next in the series.
dnf
May 31, 2017I was excited to read this, my first Alers book: its heroine is a fifty-nine year old white woman who, after she gets laid off from her NYC law job, returns home to New Orleans to open a b+b with three women of color who have also lost their jobs. But the story is so dull—we hear so much about clothing, and cooking, and driving, and walking, but nothing really HAPPENS. I had to put it down at the 20% mark, I was so utterly bored. A real disappointment.
March 9, 2017
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I usually enjoy a good, second-chance romance. The story behind this one was interesting (who wouldn't love to open a B&B?) and the characters were likeable, but the story moved way too slowly for me. I got bored with it rather quickly.
I usually enjoy a good, second-chance romance. The story behind this one was interesting (who wouldn't love to open a B&B?) and the characters were likeable, but the story moved way too slowly for me. I got bored with it rather quickly.
February 6, 2021
BLACK AUTHOR READATHON 2021
This is the first book in a series about 4 women who are fired from their job on the same day, and become fast friends. One is a lawyer, one an executive chef, one is an accountant, and the last an HR executive/interior designer. Eventually, they will run an Inn together in New Orleans.
This was a real slice of life book, with a very refreshing romance between a 59 year old caucasian woman, and a 62 year old Black man. They knew each other in high school and have reconnected at their 40th High School reunion.
It’s filled with vivd descriptions of food, a slowly simmering romance, and a good deal of New Orleans history and culture.
I’m excited to read the rest of this series :)
*I feel it important to note that the female MC owns a, in-the-family-for-generations, Plantation-style home (the one you see on the cover). It was built by free black men who were paid.
This is the first book in a series about 4 women who are fired from their job on the same day, and become fast friends. One is a lawyer, one an executive chef, one is an accountant, and the last an HR executive/interior designer. Eventually, they will run an Inn together in New Orleans.
This was a real slice of life book, with a very refreshing romance between a 59 year old caucasian woman, and a 62 year old Black man. They knew each other in high school and have reconnected at their 40th High School reunion.
It’s filled with vivd descriptions of food, a slowly simmering romance, and a good deal of New Orleans history and culture.
I’m excited to read the rest of this series :)
*I feel it important to note that the female MC owns a, in-the-family-for-generations, Plantation-style home (the one you see on the cover). It was built by free black men who were paid.
January 21, 2024
There was so much about this book that I wanted to like ... setting in New Orleans ... love story between and older couple ... strong women bonding together to battle adversity. But, the pace was slower than molasses, there were grammatical errors and spelling errors. The sights, smells and sounds of New Orleans were clearly evident, and I could imagine being there, but, there is such a thing as too much detail. I don't need the minutiae of every single thing. Also, for two very successful people, the hemming and hawing over whether they should date was juvenile. And I don't mind descriptive sex scenes, but these sometimes got just a little over the top! All in all, it was interesting and I didn't feel like I'd wasted too much of my time, but I don't think I will try the rest of this series.
October 30, 2022
A lot of history, History, and more history, and then a mature couples love story. I could not enjoy the book for the constant history lesson. And this is coming from a person who loves History. But that wasn't what I needed in this mature love story. I'm passing on the other books.
September 24, 2017
A really good read. Glad they both found out what real love is about.
May 16, 2020
Very much enjoyed this book.
September 13, 2021
I really wish I had not read the really long previews on Goodreads which prompted me to check it out from the library. The previews may have caught my interest but the book overall is horribly slow. I made it to page 75 before I gave up all together. The main character was supposed to be in her late 50s but I kept picturing her as being much older. I didn't buy her romance with the high school "hunk" that barely knew her until they met up at their reunion. And don't get me started on the sex scenes. One glance at one was TMI and that's when I closed this book for good.
September 15, 2017
The Inheritance was one of the books included in my Summer 2017 Reading List. It was also the fist book I read by Rochelle Alers and I have to say I have mixed feelings about it.
On the one hand, it's a sweet, calm and captivating story, a refreshing change from more mainstream contemporary romance novels, with the characters older and more mature.
But, on the other hand, their lives look a bit too perfect to be true - Hannah loses her job, but she really doesn't need the money and both her and St. John have all the best houses, with top-notch security, they drive impeccable vintage cars. While it's true the story takes place during the summer, they both seem to enjoy a rested life without any visible effort. I would have preferred a bit more balance, I would have liked to be able to relate more with the characters, but they seem to live in a world of their own, high and untouchable.
Also, the book is overly long and we are treated to endless details about what they eat and how they dress. Frankly, in some places the plot was moving so slowly I was almost bored.
Overall, it's not a bad book, but it certainly isn't one of my favorites either.
On the one hand, it's a sweet, calm and captivating story, a refreshing change from more mainstream contemporary romance novels, with the characters older and more mature.
But, on the other hand, their lives look a bit too perfect to be true - Hannah loses her job, but she really doesn't need the money and both her and St. John have all the best houses, with top-notch security, they drive impeccable vintage cars. While it's true the story takes place during the summer, they both seem to enjoy a rested life without any visible effort. I would have preferred a bit more balance, I would have liked to be able to relate more with the characters, but they seem to live in a world of their own, high and untouchable.
Also, the book is overly long and we are treated to endless details about what they eat and how they dress. Frankly, in some places the plot was moving so slowly I was almost bored.
Overall, it's not a bad book, but it certainly isn't one of my favorites either.
February 5, 2017
I love that this is a second chance at love novel. Some of us don't get it right the first time! I have read Rochelle Alers work before so I was eager to read this story. Thank you, Netgalley and publisher for this opportunity. Primarily set in New Orleans, Hannah and St. John story was encouraging for me. It's rare that you read a novel about older couples. They need love too! There was a lot of facts and information that tells the author did tremendous research. I felt as if I were there and my mouth watered from the tasty food mentioned. Sometimes, it was a bit much (although it didn't take away from the story). The romance was secondary to the journey of the characters to me. It was good to see both characters free themselves from the past and grab hold onto each other for the future. It is a strong foundation read for a series. I look forward to learning Tonya and Gage's story.
March 21, 2017
Love New Orleans
Love the setting of the story, my husband and I went to New Orleans for our honeymoon. I would have give this a five but there were some words I didn't understand, would have been nice if there was a glossary. And the history of the DuPont family was a little repetitive. The relationship that Hannah formed with Tonya, Nydia, and Jasmine it's good to have sistergirls.I felt really sorry for what St.John's ex-wife went through. Loved that Hannah and St.John finally got their happily ever after. Looking forward to the next book in this series.
Love the setting of the story, my husband and I went to New Orleans for our honeymoon. I would have give this a five but there were some words I didn't understand, would have been nice if there was a glossary. And the history of the DuPont family was a little repetitive. The relationship that Hannah formed with Tonya, Nydia, and Jasmine it's good to have sistergirls.I felt really sorry for what St.John's ex-wife went through. Loved that Hannah and St.John finally got their happily ever after. Looking forward to the next book in this series.
December 2, 2017
This series is about 4 women all in different ages of life that are pink slipped at their work on the same day. The form a bond of friendship and sisterhood. The 1st book is about Hannah the 50-something of the group. She comes from a wealthy New Orleans family with a 17th century plantation type home. When she looses her lawyer job she starts making plans to turn her ancestral Inn. She goes back home for her high school reunion and meets up with her old friend St John. They are both now divorced both carrying around baggage from their ex's. They realize very quickly that they are falling for each other but are afraid to trust in each other because of their problems with their ex-spouses. They do find their HEA. The girls in the group come to visit Hannah and she asks them to invest in the Inn and become partners. Tonya is a brilliant chef, Jasmine is a top HR person and Nydia is top notch accountant. Hannah has also decided to change the two guesthouses into a breakfast café for the Inn and the other a supper club. She wants Tonya to run both places. Tonya decides to take the offer of owning her own restaurant. Jasmine and Nydia need to think about it. This is a good series but is not what I typically read. Very light on the sexy parts, and 2 of the women are in their 40s and 50's.
July 14, 2022
Hannah lives in New York City until suddenly one Friday, she finds out that her job is gone. In fact half of the employees are "let go" without any notice at all. The first thing she does is get with three other women who worked with her and have drinks to commemorate their new freedom. Then she moves back home to her Garden District home where she plans to start a small hotel.
Going to her high school reunion, she reunites with St John, a man with connections to some of the best musicians and restaurant chefs in New Orleans. He has been married for 30 years in a loveless relationship, while she find out her husband was unfaithful for most of their marriage. Are either one ready to be in a relationship? Can either one trust the other?? These are the questions they have to ask each other and themselves before they can decide how to proceed. Also, Hannah needs to see what it will take to open up a hotel.
The story is simple enough, however, there are some obvious mistakes that were not caught by the editor. That being acknowledged, while it is a nice story, it also has to be said that it is no great work of classic literature, more a simple love story about romance for the older adult.
Going to her high school reunion, she reunites with St John, a man with connections to some of the best musicians and restaurant chefs in New Orleans. He has been married for 30 years in a loveless relationship, while she find out her husband was unfaithful for most of their marriage. Are either one ready to be in a relationship? Can either one trust the other?? These are the questions they have to ask each other and themselves before they can decide how to proceed. Also, Hannah needs to see what it will take to open up a hotel.
The story is simple enough, however, there are some obvious mistakes that were not caught by the editor. That being acknowledged, while it is a nice story, it also has to be said that it is no great work of classic literature, more a simple love story about romance for the older adult.
April 29, 2019
This book is beyond adorable. Hannah DuPont-Lowell has to decided where her life will go after being terminated from her position. Its not easy to start over no matter your age but I imagine that its harder as a 60 yr old! I dont think I am the intended audience for this novel (im 26 and single) but her situation is something I can relate to. It also shows that no matter what youve been through, you can be in love again. I also like how this book touched on some topics that may come up in the relationships of older couples. It talked about them gently and it was very informative.
I also enjoyed the culture. It made me want to pack a trip to New Orleans RIGHT NOW! It was so rich in culture and history and just talking about the food made me excited! lol. I think its a good beginner book to the series and I cant wait to read the other ones in the series.
I also enjoyed the culture. It made me want to pack a trip to New Orleans RIGHT NOW! It was so rich in culture and history and just talking about the food made me excited! lol. I think its a good beginner book to the series and I cant wait to read the other ones in the series.
August 27, 2021
Love Delayed; Love Fulfilled
Hannah and St John's story in "The Inheritance" highlighted the nuances of interracial relationships. Although Hannah appeared to be white to all who were acquainted with her, in actuality, she was a member of the gens de couleur libres of New Orleans. St. John (pronounced "SIN jun") and Hannah's new-found friends were surprised to learn that she was a woman of color. The novel also reveals other facets of Southern history as Hannah's background unfolds. As Hannah and St. John both find themselves single in this phase of their late-fifties lives, they would soon discover and explore what they had missed during their high school years when they were just friends, and find a brand-new fulfillment with one another 40 years later.
Hannah and St John's story in "The Inheritance" highlighted the nuances of interracial relationships. Although Hannah appeared to be white to all who were acquainted with her, in actuality, she was a member of the gens de couleur libres of New Orleans. St. John (pronounced "SIN jun") and Hannah's new-found friends were surprised to learn that she was a woman of color. The novel also reveals other facets of Southern history as Hannah's background unfolds. As Hannah and St. John both find themselves single in this phase of their late-fifties lives, they would soon discover and explore what they had missed during their high school years when they were just friends, and find a brand-new fulfillment with one another 40 years later.
April 13, 2022
In all fairness, I started this series right after re-reading Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series and putting an unknown author (to me anyway) up to someone that I consider one of the best....well it is a hard act to follow.
I liked the premise of this story...the fact that the women were older and from different backgrounds. The first book was really the setup of the series and I have to admit that I struggled with it until almost halfway thru the book. Then the story really seemed to pick up pace and before I knew it ....I was done the first story.
The author's descriptive detail of the architecture, the foods and the characters is quite captivating and I liked the two leads in this story. I am not sure I would read it again, but will definitely go ahead with the series.
I liked the premise of this story...the fact that the women were older and from different backgrounds. The first book was really the setup of the series and I have to admit that I struggled with it until almost halfway thru the book. Then the story really seemed to pick up pace and before I knew it ....I was done the first story.
The author's descriptive detail of the architecture, the foods and the characters is quite captivating and I liked the two leads in this story. I am not sure I would read it again, but will definitely go ahead with the series.
May 7, 2022
So I DNFed this book after 100 pages. I was bored so I decided to just read the last two chapters to see if it got interesting enough to finish. And I stumble along Mr St John cheated on his first wife because she was sexually abused as a child so had a hard time letting him be sexual with her. Then Hannah is like oh sure that makes sense. Absolutely not! What is wrong with these people! This is the kind of thing that also makes me feel the author has to also be a little messed up. I don’t know who needs to hear this but there is no excuse for cheating on your spouse and it’s no excuse to cheat because your wife is traumatized and you don’t love her enough to help her but instead need to fudge other ladies.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 29, 2017
I loved loved Hannah and the Professor's story. Finding love that spans over 4 decades. Hannah was the student in HS and with the Professor's rearing he never thought twice about dating Hannah because a real man only pursue's women that want to be in his life in a intimate way. After going to a HS reunion after becoming widow, she goes out on a date with the Professor. With both being unattached and Hannah fulfilling her lifelong dream to own a inn where her beloved Dupont Mansion once was her home as a child. She gets to have it all. Loved Loved this mysterious, fast paced novel of friendship, romance, and suspense.
June 5, 2017
I had high hopes for this book simply because the characters were not twenty-somethings. They were nearing retirement age, which is not a typical character for a romance novel. But, sadly, it disappointed from the very beginning. There were no serious problems for any of the characters. Even though they experienced job loss, cheating spouses (it seemed like everyone's spouse cheated), and even emotional abuse, they simply talked about it to their friends and everything was great again. Very unrealistic and, quite frankly, boring. Very disappointed.
July 6, 2017
This book is more suited to the older reader as Hannah DuPont-Lowell is 58 years old. She goes back home for her high school reunion and meets up with an old friend. Her family home is a mansion with eighteen rooms and two guesthouses which she has been thinking of turning into an inn. Prior to the reunion she has been laid off, a big surprise, from her job. So now she has the summer to herself to decide what to do. Will this be a summer of romance?
I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
July 17, 2021
Rochelle Alers is an author who has the uncanny ability to engage all of your senses with her extraordinary storytelling. And what a delightful departure from the norm of most romance novels, to experience the passion, joy, maturity, and sensuality of an enchanting couple over the age of 50. Add to that, the sounds, scents, and tastes of New Orleans and the historical legacy of the multi ethnic background of our main characters, Hannah and St. John, and you have an engrossing tale that's impossible to put down!
March 8, 2023
A New Orleans native takes advantage of a layoff to revisit her dream of owning-operating an inn in the Big Easy. Along the way, she finds romance with an old high school friend. I enjoyed all the characters, their dialogue and the narrative voice. I find that Alers offers too much description sometimes, and that pulls me out of the story, but it only happened at a couple points in this book.
I enjoyed The Inheritance better than what I’ve read of the Book Club series so far. I look forward to reading the rest of Innkeepers series.
I enjoyed The Inheritance better than what I’ve read of the Book Club series so far. I look forward to reading the rest of Innkeepers series.
March 7, 2017
You will like this if you enjoy second chance romances! Alers has written a neat character in Hannah and a very appealing one in St John so you will also root for them. Loved the setting, loved the story, and think this has great potential for additional plot lines. thanks to Netgalley for the ARC- I has not read Alers before so this was a real treat. Am looking forward to more from her. Thumbs up!
September 20, 2017
Loved it! What I like most about Mrs. Alers books is that most of her story lines are so believable. I always find myself becoming attached to the characters as if they were real people. I hated when the story ended and wanted to hear more of Hannah and St. John's story. Can't wait to read the 2nd book in the series "Breakfast in Bed". I pre-ordered it and it arrived last week and I am also find myself looking forward to the 3rd book already.
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