I had the express privilege to review “To Win Her Favor” written by Tamera Alexander for Family Christian. I received this book and agreed to write an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are indeed honest and my own.
When I had the opportunity to review “To Win Her Favor”, I was delighted to learn it was a Belle Meade Plantation novel. Two years ago while on vacation in Nashville, my family and I toured the Belle Meade Plantation. What a joy to be able to step back in history in this novel and become engrossed in a story in which the setting includes a historical place I’ve visited.
Maggie Linden has suffered much loss in her life: a parent, brothers to the war, and now, she and her father were facing the loss of their last love: Linden Downs. If only she can win an upcoming race with Bourbon Belle, her beloved racehorse, maybe they will be granted an extension on the taxes due on their sacred property that is perilously close to being auctioned along with all their belongings. With her father’s questionable health and his deep desire to ensure his beloved Maggie is always cared for and protected, Mr. Linden feels all may be lost.
Cullen McGrath has come to Nashville seeking a new beginning. Leaving behind scandal and heartbreak, he hopes to put down new roots in Nashville by purchasing land and making a quiet living. He faces an immediate challenge in Nashville where Irishmen are clearly unwelcome and unwanted (even the signs in the windows say so). But uncommonly handsome, young, and persistent, Cullen happens upon an aging and ailing landowner who sees the good in Cullen and makes him a surprising and unusual offer.
Together, Maggie and Cullen face an uncertain future surely full of obstacles, danger, and struggle. But will they succumb or overcome?
“To Win Her Favor” is a spellbinding historical novel that’s enlightening to the issues and pressures of the time. It shed light on the lifestyle, the difficulties, and the differences from then until present time. It’s about brokenness and healing and a love that starts small and grows into a beautiful, enduring blossom.
