A Poignant Story of Love in the Post-Civil War South--"To Wager Her Heart" by Tamera Alexander Review



If you like the "When Calls the Heart" TV series, I think you'll really enjoy "To Wager Her Heart".
"To Wager Her Heart" by Tamera Alexander is the third book in the "Belle Meade Plantation" series.  It can also be easily read as a stand-alone.  I don't normally like to read a lot of books set in the U.S. during different war periods, but recently I've been picking more of these up and enjoying them more than I thought I would.  "To Wager Her Heart" is just such a book.  Tamera Alexander has a superb and engaging writing style and creates here a story that draws the reader in.  Her characters are also very well written and come to life on the page.  She is very good at writing swoon-worthy moments!  

"To Wager Her Heart" is set in the post-Civil War South.  It is fascinating to read about the South and what life was like for everyday people after the war ravaged their land and their hearts.  Ms. Alexander does such a great job portraying this "in-between" time where a lot of change is taking place, but there's also many people who still hold to the "old ideals", including the father of our main character (Alexandra). 

I love how Ms. Alexander incorporates real life into the fictional story, like the freedman's school that Alexandra teaches at (Fisk University) and the Jubilee Singers.  I love that the university emphasizes knowledge, not only of the basic subjects, but of Christ.  Despite these many good things, it was hard for me to read at points, due to the vivid descriptions and the heavy subject matter.  Like I said, it's not my favorite time period to read about, precisely because of all of weightier issues that come along with it.  But it is important to remember these periods in our nation's history as well and the courageous men and women who went before us. 

There are many important messages in this book.  Throughout the story, Ms. Alexander conveys the lesson that we're all created in God's image and it doesn't matter what color skin you have, which is still a very pertinent message today with the recent racial tensions and the white supremacy movement.  I was encouraged by Alexandra's struggle with fear after tragedy and how she is able to overcome that fear through her faith.  Tragedy, loss, love, overcoming, and justice are all themes that are woven into this amazing story! 

Content: This is a clean read, but it is more on the edgy, gritty side of Christian fiction.  One character was in a train accident and she often thinks about it or has flashbacks.  The descriptions of the accident and aftermath are very detailed and vivid.  The word "negro" is used in context.  There is talk about a woman's "assets" and the author implies that a character is a prostitute.  The prostitute propositions a man, and this man has been to a brothel before.  The Lord's name is taken in vain once.  A person accidentally gets drunk.  A man tries not to look at a woman's décolletage.  There is some sexual innuendo.  There is talk of how slaves used to commit suicide. 

Genre: Christian historical fiction; Romance

Rating: I give this book four stars. 

I want to thank Tamera Alexander, Zondervan, and the Fiction Guild for the complimentary copy of this book for review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I express in this review are my own. This is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s CFR 16, Part 255.

 

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.

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