Set against the real history of Nashville’s Belle Meade Plantation and the original Fisk University Jubilee Singers ensemble, To Wager Her Heart is a stirring love story about seeking justice and restoring honor at a time in American history when both were tenuous and hard-won. With fates bound by a shared tragedy, a reformed gambler from the Colorado Territory and a Southern Belle bent on … on breaking free from society’s expectations must work together to achieve their dreams–provided the truth doesn’t tear them apart first.
Sylas Rutledge, new owner of the Northeast Line Railroad, invests everything he has into this new venture, partly for the sake of the challenge. But mostly to clear his father’s name. One man holds the key to Sy’s success–General William Giles Harding of Nashville’s Belle Meade Plantation. But Harding is champagne and thoroughbreds, and Sy Rutledge is beer and bullocks.
Sy needs someone to help him maneuver through Nashville’s society, and when he meets Alexandra Jamison, he quickly decides he’s found his tutor. But he soon discovers that the very train accident his father is blamed for causing is what killed Alexandra’s fiancé and shattered her world.
Spurning an arranged marriage by her father, Alexandra instead pursues her passion for teaching at Fisk University, the first freedmen’s university in the United States. But family–and Nashville society–do not approve, and she soon finds herself cast out from both.
Through connections with the Harding family, Alexandra and Sy become unlikely allies. And despite first impressions, Alexandra gradually finds herself coming to respect and even care for this man. But how can she, when her heart is still spoken for?
Sy is willing to risk everything to win over the woman he loves. What he doesn’t count on is having to wager her heart to do it.
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Absolutely loved this audiobook. Highly recommend!
Loved the characters and the history behind this story, and I appreciate that not every thread tied up neatly by the end, because that’s how life really is. This is a great example of a novel that is romantic without being very physical. There’s something else I really loved about this novel which is true about everything I’ve read by Tamera Alexander. The hero and heroine have their own interests and goals, apart from finding love. Not every thought they entertained was about their love interest counterpart. They have their own quests. I love that.
Love this author!
A wonderful final book in this series.
I received a copy of this book from The Fiction Guild. I was not asked or compensated for a favorable review. All thoughts are my own. This is the 3rd book of the series and it is another wonderful book from Tamara. This makes you think about how families in the south made decisions based on how they were perceived about what there station was. Alexandra had lost her fiancee in a train accident the year before and felt lost. He father wanted her to marry an old man she had no feelings for because she was getting older. Sy came to Nashville to bid on the construction of an extension of the rail line & find what happened to his step-father in the same train accident. He needed to learn how to deal with the Southern men in business and Alexandra would be his ticket. He didn’t expect to fall in love. She was banished from her family home because she was going to be a teacher at Fisk University. She needed to find her steps. But with this she needed to get over her fear of riding on trains, wonderful things come to those who give everything in God’s hands. This is a wonderful historical read, and again Tamara draws you in and you can’t put it down.
This book is the second book I’ve read by Tamera Alexander and she’s quickly becoming one of my favorite historical romance authors. I had enjoyed Christmas at Carnton previously (yes, I’m reading the books a little out of order here) and knew I would enjoy the author’s writing style and research, but I didn’t expect to be swept away so completely by the story and the characters.
I’m always amazed when real-life events are so seamlessly integrated into fiction that is moving and thought-provoking. I’ve learned a bit about railroad safety history as well as the struggles of the freedmen everywhere even years after the end of the war. The story is well-written with a well-paced plot. Sometimes there are lags in the plot line in historical fiction, but there were none in this book. There are solid themes of forgiveness, dependence only on Jesus, and maturity in faith. It was refreshing to see both of the main characters start out with faith, however small, and grow during the book.
Sylas is a swoon-worthy hero. He’s a self-made railroad owner, loyal, compassionate, resourceful, kind, thoughtful, and unswerving in his beliefs though they may cost him. He falls in love with Alexandra first and does everything possible to woo her, slowly and gently. Alexandra is the daughter of a prominent Nashville family still suffering from a broken heart after her fiancé is tragically killed in a train accident. She is genteel, lovely, intelligent, hard-working, compassionate, and faithful to what she believes is right and true. Even though teaching at a freedmen’s university means being shunned by her family and almost all whom she holds dear, she still forges ahead, knowing that this is her calling. The terrible state of most people’s hearts toward the freedmen was absolutely heart-breaking, yet I realize this kind of awful darkness resides even now. In the midst of a tender and delightful romance, the author addressed the heavier aspects of racism and discrimination in 1870s thoughtfully.
I received a copy of the book from Zondervan via NetGalley. I was not required to write a favorable review. All comments and opinions are solely my own.
As always Tamera Alexander has written a book you cannot put down. It’s a love story twisted into real history about a subject most have never heard of in a history class. I promise you if you buy this book you will never regret it and you’ll come to love all of the books this author had written. I know I have.
Time Period: 1871
Setting: Nashville, Tennessee
When I picked up this book, I was in what readers call “the slump.” I wasn’t enjoying what I was reading and didn’t feel like reading at all. Then, I read the first three pages of “To Wager Her Heart” by Tamera Alexander and was immediately zapped out of zombie-mode. This deeply moving story had me hooked by the first chapter.
Each one of Tamera’s books is woven with the rich history of Nashville’s plantations and lovable characters. I was thrilled to find “To Water Her Heart” no exception! This third novel in the Belle Meade Plantation series combines General William Giles Harding’s beloved horses with the major industry of the day – the railroad. Throw in a young woman who struggles accepting that the most eligible suitor around is a man three times her age, and you have a novel that is just as good as it sounds!
I absolutely loved how the author addressed so many needs of the day and how easily they flowed together. Train wrecks, the acceptance of education for “people of color,” the camp meetings of D.L. Moody, etc. Both Sy and Alexandra were the perfect hero and heroine (in my opinion)! They suffered hurt, sought out answers to their questions and dared to take risks for the sake of others. Their story was more of a sweet romance, but with the scenes practically jumping off the pages and coming to life, I didn’t mind a bit waiting till page 288 for the first kiss. LOL! Also, since I read a lot, I’m not one to quickly say how awesome a hero was, but Sy was a pretty incredible catch. But most of all, I loved how the author chose to end the “mystery” side of the novel. That in itself was worth five stars and very practical. A lesson we can take to heart in real life too.
Conclusion: If you follow Tamera Alexander’s books, you might have noticed that some folks had mixed feelings about the second book in the Belle Meade Plantation series (“To Win Her Favor”). Some folks loved it, other readers gave it a one star saying they were disappointed in the author for inappropriate scenes. Well, I can assure you there’s nothing like that in “To Wager Her Heart”! As I mentioned above, this is a sweet romance and one of the cleanest reads you will find on the market. It is filled with unforgettable characters and practical themes we can apply to our world today. Highly recommended!
I really enjoyed the entire Belle Meade series, and this was a great conclusion to it.
I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this series to a teen reader though. Some of the topics discussed are hard to read, such as the treatment of freed slaves and those who support them. However, life is hard. History is hard. We don’t need to turn a blind eye; we need to learn from it.
In to Wager Her Heart, I loved the relationship between Sy and Alexandra as she learns to navigate life on her own as a result of her choices, and as he learns to navigate the ways of the South.
I was given a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Tamera Alexander is one of my favorite authors. I’ve read many of her books and none disappoint me. They are so well written, pulling the reader into the story. Historical novels are my favorites and I know with her name on the book, it’s going to be a good read.
My daughter sent me 14 of her books before Christmas. I have read 4, can’t put them down. All take place in Franklin and Nashville all of the above
Tamera Alexander’s books never disappoint!
Good writing, great dialogue, wonderful characters. I read it three times!
Very good historical novel about post civil war society. I learned a lot about education for former slaves and the Fisk school in Nashville. Great spiritual lessons through the characters. Realistic, not pie-in-the-sky.
Enjoyable reading
Really enjoyed the real history mixed in with the story! Great read and loved the historical authenticity of this difficult time period.
This story of Miss Alexandra Jamison and Mr. Sylas Rutledge is a wonderful story of finding yourself doing what God has in store for you and finding forgiveness and love through tragedy. Its also a good story based on true events in the south after slavery is abolished. I loved how the story carried it self through the book never losing the true thread of the story but also weaving and including so much in its path.
Alexandra Donelson was a woman who had lost the love of her life and her fiance’ a year earlier. Her father now insisted that she marry one of his colleagues who was much older than Alexandra and whom she did not love, or even like. In order to follow her heart, she was disowned by her father and had to leave his home with nothing but what she was wearing. She wanted to be a teacher at Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee, which was a school to allowed newly freedmen to gain an education to better themselves. This was a time in history where this was not widely accepted and she was ostracized, not only by her family but by most of the community.
Sylas Rutledge was a man who had made his fortune in mining in Denver and then built a railroad. He was in Nashville to bid on a new railroad project; one that would connect Nashville to Belle Meade plantation. He was an outsider, but when he met Alexandra, he was convinced that she would make a wonderful tutor to teach him the ways of a southern gentleman or to be accepted by those who would be considering his bid.
The more time they spent with one another, the more they discovered about themselves and what they were capable of and willing to give up in striving to do what was right, rather than what was easy.
I absolutely love this author and have read other books of hers that were equally as good as this one. This was a story that tugged at the heartstrings and emotions and kept me reading late into the night and early morning in order to finish the book. There were Christian values that were discussed but I didn’t feel the book was preachy.
I was given an arc copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Her books are great for teaching history in a romantic way. They are also a clean read.
Interesting history the story is told around