“To Wager Her Heart” ~ Book Review

Jul 15, 2018 by Rachel

Welcome back to Rachel’s Back Talk! I’m so glad you could join me again. Today I am reviewing Tamera Alexander’s newest release, To Wager Her Heart.

As is my custom, if I could ask Tamera one question about To Wager Her Heart it would be — “What inspired you to write about like in the south after the Civil War ended?” And if you want to know why I asked that question, I guess you’ll just have to read the book to find out!

And without further ado, onto Rachel’s Back Talk!

From the Back Cover:

With fates bound by a shared tragedy, a reformed gambler from the Colorado Territory and a Southern Belle bent 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, the new owner of the Northeast Line Railroad, invests everything he has into this 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 his way through Nashville’s society, and when he meets Alexandra Jamison, he quickly decides he’s found his tutor. Only, he soon discovers that the very train accident his father is blamed for causing is what killed Alexandra Jamison’s fiancé—and has broken her heart.

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 her 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? And when Sy’s roguish qualities and adventuresome spirit smack more of recklessness than responsibility and honor?

Sylas Rutledge will risk everything to win over the woman he loves. What he doesn’t count on is having to wager her heart to do it.

Rachel’s Back Talk:

5 – award winning covers

Tamera’s books are always filled with adventurous plots, engaging characters, and a historical-based story line! I loved this conclusion to the Belle Meade Plantation series. Each book brings a different perspective on life in the South in the 1800s and it was neat to read about the Freedman’s and how everyone’s life was affected differently.

I loved Alexander’s character! She was so determined to fill her life with meaning and purpose that she makes a decision that could possibly be harder than she ever thought. Especially for a girl raised as she was, leaving everything took courage and perseverance and I loved as Tamera unfolded that in the story.

Sylas was such a wonderful hero. It took perseverance on his part, but I liked how he encouraged Alexander to follow her dreams, while overcoming his own struggles and hoping that they would end up together. The two of them together made such a perfect match!

Other books by Tamera I will read next:

Christmas at Carnton: A Novella