I’m a librarian and it was very exciting to receive an Advanced Reader’s Copy (ARC) of With This Pledge by Tamera Alexander.  This book is much more than a romance novel and should be savored and contemplated. It’s a riveting story written with compassion and it’s obvious the author developed an emotional connection to the characters as she completed her research. The story is woven around those who lived at Carnton Plantation in Franklin, Tennessee during the Battle of Franklin (November 30, 1864) and the days that followed.

The hero and heroine have a depth of character and I also appreciated the complex relationships between all the characters in the story which included: the plantation owners, their children, the slaves, the nuns, and the soldiers. Lizzie is a governess to the McGavock children, and her best attributes are her kindness, intelligence, strength, and quiet beauty. Roland is handsome, honorable, but he is a slave owner, something Lizzie abhors, and he’s stubborn.

The novel immediately drew me in as Lizzie witnesses thousands of Federal troops gathered around the neighbor’s home, then, “In the distance, no more than two miles away, a massive sea of butternut and gray moved steadily forward.” The author captures the drama and chaos of the moment with her words as Carnton Plantation is turned into a makeshift hospital. When Lizzie is asked to administer chloroform before the surgeon operates, she does what is asked of her, and she makes an immediate intimate connection with each of her patients as she offers compassion, tenderness and shows tremendous courage and inner strength. She suspects that her face is the last one many of her patients will ever see.  It’s with great difficulty she keeps the promises made to her patients.

There are scenes that are heartbreaking, and I am grateful the author focused most of her attention and story-line on the soldiers who lived and their recovery to health. Though it seems an impossible task, to write about such a horrific event and leave the reader feeling uplifted, Tamara Alexander manages to do so. I felt hopeful for a better and happy future when I finished the story.

The book is well researched, and it’s obvious the author has a love of history and place. Pay close attention to the letters as they are beautifully written and be sure to read the Afterward.  I highly recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys history and romance. I can’t wait to visit Carnton Plantation in Franklin, Tennessee.

About the Author:

Tamera Alexander is a USA Today bestselling author and one of today’s most popular writers of inspirational historical romance. She lives in Nashville, Tennessee with her husband, not far from the Southern mansions that serve as the backdrop for many of her critically-acclaimed novels.