To Wager Her Heart (A Belle Meade Plantation Novel Book 3) by Tamera Alexander

Book Description:

Impeccable historical research woven with heart-gripping fiction from USA Today bestselling author Tamera Alexander . . .  

    

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 powerful love story about seeking justice and restoring honor at a time in American history when both were tenuous and hard-won. 

    

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. 

    

Seeking justice . . . 

   

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 shattered her world. 

   

Struggling to restore honor . . . 

   

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. 

   

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.

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Alexander has once again written a historically rich, beautiful and evocative tale! Fans of historical fiction and of the series will enjoy curling up with this one. Alexander takes readers into the the time, place and experience of those at Fisk University and the Jubilee Singers; really it is but a taste of what they experienced and most likely felt, but worthy reading all the same. While there is a bit of romance to this tale with Sy and Alexandra, really this story reads as more of a historical account of the times and the strides, victories, and tragedies found in it. Well written, with moments of insight and inspiration this is one to add to your read list.

 On another note, I always look forward to reading her Author's note section to learn more about the actual history/people her novel is based upon. I hope to explore these places for myself one day. While this was not my favorite of the series, there is much to recommend it.