With This Pledge

With This Pledge
The Carnton Series
Tamera Alexander
Harper Collins/Thomas Nelson
ISBN: 978-0718081836
January 2019/448 pages/$16.99
What can a woman—a mere governess—do against the scourge of slavery?

Elizabeth “Lizzie” Clouston’s quietly held principles oppose those of the Southern Cause—but when forty thousand soldiers converge on the fields of Franklin, Tennessee, the war demands an answer. The Carnton home where she is governess is converted into a Confederate field hospital, and Lizzie is called upon to assist the military doctor with surgeries that determine life or death. Faced with the unimaginable, she must summon fortitude, even as she fears for the life of Towny, her fiancé and lifelong friend.

As a young soldier lies dying in Lizzie’s arms, she vows to relay his final words to his mother, but knows little more than the boy’s first name. That same night, decorated Mississippi sharpshooter Captain Roland Ward Jones extracts a different promise from Lizzie: that she intervene should the surgeon decide to amputate his leg.

Lizzie is nothing if not a woman of her word, earning the soldiers’ respect as she tends to the wounded within Carnton’s walls. None is more admiring than Captain Jones, who doesn’t realize she is pledged to another. But as Lizzie’s heart softens toward the Confederate captain, she discovers that his moral ground is at odds with her own. Now torn between love, principles, and promises made, she struggles to be true to her heart while standing for what she knows is right—no matter the cost.

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 Miss Elizabeth Clouston into a story of unlikely romance first kindled amid the shadows of war.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tamera Alexander is a USA Today bestselling novelist whose works have been awarded and nominated for numerous industry-leading honors, including the Christy Award (two-time winner, seven-time finalist), the RITA Award (two-time winner, four-time finalist), the Carol Award, the Maggie Award, the Booksellers Best Award, and Library Journal's top distinction, among others. After seventeen years in Colorado, Tamera and her husband now reside in Nashville, Tennessee, where they live a short distance from Belmont Mansion and Belle Meade Plantation, the setting of Tamera’s two USA Today bestselling Southern series.


MY THOUGHTS

I should be accustomed to Tamera Alexander's novels touching my heart, but each one seems to exceed her previous release. With This Pledge stands in a class all its own. I will not think of the Civil War without remembering this amazing story. Alexander brings to life the heartbreak of war and the battles waged not only on the front lines but in the hearts and minds of those who experienced this horrific time in our nation's history. The novel is amazing on its own, but the inclusion of actual love letters between the real-life Captain Roland Jones and Miss Elizabeth Clouston as the story unfolds makes it that much more of a gem. Alexander's gift for seamlessly weaving spiritual truths throughout the story reminds the reader of timeless truths that are as relevant today as they were two centuries ago. With This Pledge belongs on your must-read list!


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received an advanced copy of this book free from Harper Collins/Thomas Nelson Publishing. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”