The War Between the States has ended but its wounds are still fresh. However, for Sylas Rutledge, the rawest of wounds is his stepfather’s death and the blame put on him for the train accident that cost many their lives. Sy cannot believe his stepfather, one of the best engineers, could be at fault, and he is determined to prove it.
Alexandra Jamison is everything Nashville’s high society looks to. That is, until she refuses the arranged marriage her father has set before her and chooses, instead, to teach at Fisk University, a school for freedmen. Doing so costs Alexandra everything she has ever known. Both Sylas and Alexandra must make their way in their new endeavors, overcoming obstacles and fears. Their friendship is a part they each hold dear, but could there be more than just friendship? And when truth is revealed, will their relationship hold?
As always, Tamera Alexander captures post-civil war Tenessee with rich details and characters that are real. Each person has a life, a goal, fears, hopes. I greatly enjoyed reading about Fisk University, the Jubilee Singers, and trains. Not only does Ms. Alexander write beautiful stories, I love how she adds true events that blend so well you don’t even realize you are getting a history lesson.
*I received this book free from Zondervan and The Fiction Guild in exchange for my honest review. What I have expressed are entirely my own thoughts, and I was not compensated in any monetary way*
Kymberli Briggs 