Although she is the biological child of aristocrats, Mariana has been raised as a peasant by Sergei and Anna, who've been living in hiding on account of Sergei's status as a once-exiled fugitive. When Mariana's father, a count, returns to Russia after eighteen years, Mariana has the chance to make a debut into society as a countess—a chance she may or may not want in Heirs of the Motherland by author Judith Pella.

After reading the first three books in The Russians series, which were co-authored by Pella and Michael Phillips, I was curious to see how Pella would continue this historical ChristFic series on her own. While the style still has an old-fashioned and sometimes slightly overdramatic feel (with some jarring head-hopping), it's not nearly as rife with italics and exclamation points as the reading was earlier in the series.

There's now a good deal of backstory that enriches the plot, and the sense of history and politics remains strong. Yet, four books in, there's only one character who's really grown on me, and he doesn't appear much in this novel. In general, the characters still don't strike me as real or natural enough to be totally compelling, and the unconvincing romantic material doesn't serve Mariana's rather immature character well, though she's still young and has time to grow.

The rumblings of social unrest that don't come to a head in this novel made me impatient at times. It seems that in large part, this book must be an intervening setup for what's to come in the series; it wouldn't be the strongest read on its own.

Nevertheless, the implications in the groundwork laid and the rich historical landscape engrossed me enough of the time to enjoy the novel overall, and I'm looking forward to reading Book Five. ( )

A lot will happen in book 4 of this series. You will meet Daniel Trent, a young American journalist who is trying to find his way in the world and in the process will become a real friend to Marianna (who has been raised by Sergei and Anna as a peasant in Katyk but who is really a countess). Then their is Count Dmitri Remizov who returns to Russia after 18 years in exile to claim Marianna, the daughter he left behind. Sergei and Anna will find themselves leaving their hiding place in Katyk to help Marianna with her difficulties in St. Petersburg trying to fit in to her rightful place as a countess of Imperial Russia. Anna will also be reunited with her brother Paul for a short time. This is a story that continues to follow the Burenin and Fedorcenko families as they, with God's help, learn to survive amidst strife and upheavel during this time in Russian history. These people are strong and able to endure a lot and have a deep and abiding love of their country, despite its corrupt nature.

This is a series that really needs to be read in order to fully grasp all that is going on. YES, it is 7 books, but so far I have not tired of reading about these families and the Russian history behind each story. ( )

At the close of the nineteenth century the Burenins and the Fedorcenkos face changes that threaten the way of life they have always known.