Lynn Spencer's Reviews > Claiming Her Legacy

This month’s prompt of “No place like home” took me straight into a gritty Western that worked well for me. I’m not sure I would have picked up Claiming Her Legacy were it not for Wendy’s review back in 2022. However, that review made me throw it into my next book order, and this turned out to be the perfect time to finally read it.

Home lies right at the center of this novel. Willa Malone and her two younger sisters have been left alone following the murder of her father. Willa’s late father was off hoping to hit it rich in the silver mines and after his death, the women learn that he had mortgaged their small farm to fund his expedition. The bank is ready to foreclose the loan, but Willa has one, last desperate idea to save the small, cramped cabin that she describes as nicest place she has ever lived.

Her last chance to save her home involves hunting down her father’s killer and bringing him to justice – a feat that will entitle her to a $1000.00 reward, a princely sum in 1890 Oklahoma. Willa is no curl tossing fool; she knows she will need a good, experienced person to help her if she's going to save her family's home. And she quickly learns that one of the best trackers in the business is right there in town. He may have retired, but Willa is determined to get Gideon Hartley to help her.

While this novel does feature a grueling and difficult trip through the wilderness to catch the outlaw, Ms. Goodnight spends a larger portion of the book setting up her story world. It’s a narrative choice that could have dragged the story down, but it worked curiously well for me. As the author introduces us to Willa’s family and the town of Sweet Clover, she does a good job of setting up various tensions and secrets in town, as well as creating characters I wanted to know more about.

This is a partial review. You can find the complete text at All About Romance: https://allaboutromance.com/book-revi...