With This Pledge by Tamera Alexander

With This Pledge by Tamera Alexander ISBN-13: 978-0718081836 Paperback: 448 pages Publisher: Thomas Nelson Released: Jan. 8, 2019

Source: ARC review copy from the publisher through Amazon Vine.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
On the night of November 30, 1864, a brutal battle in Franklin, Tennessee, all but decimates the Confederacy and nearly kills Captain Roland Ward Jones. A decorated Mississippi sharpshooter, Jones has a vision on the battlefield and, despite the severity of his wounds, believes his life will be spared. He compels Elizabeth "Lizzie" Clouston—governess to the McGavock family at the Carnton mansion—to intervene should the surgeon decide to amputate. True to her word, Lizzie speaks on his behalf and saves not only the captain's leg but also his life. As he coalesces at Carnton, romance has blossomed between him and Lizzie—a woman already betrothed to a man she does not love.

But a fourteen-year-old soldier dies in Lizzie's arms that night, and the boy's final words, whispered with urgency, demand that Lizzie deliver them to their intended recipient. All she has is the boy's first name, and there's no record of him ever having enlisted. How can she find his family and deliver the message?

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


My Review:
With This Pledge is a romance set mostly in December of 1864 in Franklin, Tennessee. Apparently, the story is based off of the real-life letters between Captain Roland Ward Jones and Elizabeth Clouston as well as other personal accounts of the battle of Franklin. Note that the descriptions of the aftermath of the battle and the details about the amputations were somewhat gory and graphic, though not as graphic as they could have been. The characters were interesting, acted realistically, and I cared about what happened to them. The historical details were woven into the story and brought the setting to life in my imagination.

Elizabeth lives in the South but doesn't believe that slavery is moral. Her fiancé has joined the Confederate army even though he doesn't own slaves. Elizabeth agreed to marry him because they are best friends and she wants children, but she doesn't romantically love him. So she doesn't know what to do when she starts to fall in love with a wounded soldier who may die and who does own slaves. She courageously and compassionately does her best to help during the battle and afterward, when critically ill soldiers are left in the care of those at Carnton.

The captain is initially rebellious against God because he lost his wife and child while he was off fighting. However, he comes to realize his attitude is based on his own guilty feelings and frustration and reaches out to God. There is no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this interesting novel.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.