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With This Pledge by Tamera Alexander

Tuesday, January 29, 2019



Happy Tuesday, My Lovelies!  I thought that I'd scheduled this post for yesterday, but by mistake I scheduled it for the wrong date.  Yikes!  But I must say in my defense that I was a little discombobulated due to the impending doom of today's snow storm which NEVER HAPPENED!!!  I'm thankful for that, however!  All the schools are closed today for light rain.  Seriously.

In any event, I want to share another one of Tamera Alexander's sweet, clean romances with you: With This Pledge.  This is the first in a brand new series, the Carnton Series.  Carnton is a historical plantation house near Franklin, Tennessee.  


According to Goodreads:

History takes on vivid life in the stunning first full-length installment of Tamera Alexander's new series, The Carnton Novels.

On the night of November 30, 1864, a brutal battle in Franklin, Tennessee, all but decimates the Confederacy and nearly kills Captain Roland Ward Jones. A decorated Mississippi sharpshooter, Jones has a vision on the battlefield and, despite the severity of his wounds, believes his life will be spared. But a life without his leg, he can't abide. He compels Elizabeth "Lizzie" Clouston—governess to the McGavock family at the Carnton mansion—to intervene should the surgeon decide to amputate. True to her word, Lizzie speaks on his behalf and saves not only the captain's leg but also his life.

When a fourteen-year-old soldier dies in Lizzie's arms that night, the boy's final words, whispered with urgency, demand that Lizzie deliver them to their intended recipient. But all she has is the boy's first name. And, as she soon discovers, there's no record of him ever having enlisted. How can she set out alone across a land so divided by war and hatred to honor her pledge? Even more, does she dare accept Captain Jones's offer to accompany her? As he coalesces at Carnton, romance has blossomed between him and Lizzie—a woman already betrothed to a man she does not love.

From the pages of history and the personal accounts of those who endured the Battle of Franklin, Tamera Alexander weaves the real-life love letters between Captain Roland Ward Jones and Elizabeth Clouston into a story of unlikely romance first kindled amid the shadows of war.


My Review:

With This Pledge starts out at a really fast pace as Alexander documents the horrors of the Battle of Franklin.  She definitely did her research and used actual letters to weave into her narrative.  I want to stress that the battle scenes and the army medical scenes (Carnton Plantation became a field hospital for the Confederacy in the aftermath of the Battle of Franklin) are pretty intense: She describes in detail amputations and other combat wounds not to mention horrible, painful deaths. One of the reasons I love historical romances is the history, and I appreciate it when authors actually do the research by using primary sources.

I absolutely love Lizzie's character.  She is so brave, and she doesn't take the promises she makes lightly.  Her love interest Roland is almost perfect:  He's definitely swoon-worthy, but as a slave owner he does a terrible job defending the institution of slavery (because it's indefensible) and that's a character flaw that's hard to overlook.  However, he is gallant toward Lizzie, and although their love story is a little predictable it's still a pleasure to read.  Plus, since this is a Christian romance, God's grace saves the day and I cried when I read Roland's epiphany of his sin.

I always enjoy Alexander's romances.  I read and loved all her novels in the Belle Meade Series (based on a Nashville plantation).  You can read my review for To Wager Her Heart from that series HERE.

Disclosure:  I received an ARC of With This Pledge from the publisher Thomas Nelson via TLC Book Tours in exchange for a fair and honest review.  Also, I know several members of the McGavock family (Randal McGavock built Carnton Plantation) and I have even taught one of Randal McGavock's descendants, so I had a personal interest in reading a book with Carnton as its setting.  I can't wait to read the next one!


Until next time...

Happy reading!
Ricki Jill



3 comments

  1. I enjoyed your review of This Pledge. Sounds like the first of a new series to enjoy. It interests me with the setting in Franklin, TN. Funny how this day was just the opposite of the forecast. This afternoon was chilly but gorgeous. I feel terrible for all who are in the middle of this freezing arctic storm. Stay warm and enjoy the rest of the week..........

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  2. I have no idea why Civil War stuff doesn't resonate with me nearly so much as WWI and II or American history vs. British history. But it sounds like a good one to snug in with for the weather! And I've been to Franklin, so that might be interesting!

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  3. I read "Christmas At Carnton". It was a great book and I am looking forward to the series.
    Marilyn

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Hello, Lovelies!

I'm Ricki Jill. Welcome! I'm honored that you're reading my blog. I enjoy sharing my creative lifestyle @ The Bookish Dilettante. For more information about my blog, please read the Start Here page. Thank-you for stopping by, and I hope you'll consider following me via email.

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