Amid war and the fading dream of the Confederacy, a wounded soldier and a destitute widow discover the true meaning of Christmas - and of sacrificial love.

Recently widowed, Aletta Prescott struggles to hold life together for herself and her six-year old son.With the bank threatening to evict, she discovers an advertisement for the Women's Relief Society auction and applies for a position - only to discover it's been filled. Then a chance meeting with a wounded soldier offers another opportunity - and friendship. But can Aletta trust this man?

Captain Jake Winston, a revered Confederate sharpshooter, suffered a head wound at the Battle of Chickamauga. When doctors deliver their diagnosis, Jake fears losing not only his greatest skill but his very identity. As he heals, Jake is ordered to assist with a local Women's Relief Society auction. He respectfully objects.Kowtowing to a bunch of "crinolines" isn't his idea of soldiering. But orders are orders, and he soon discovers this group of ladies - one, in particular - is far more than he bargained for.

This story shows the sacrifices that were made by not only the men during the Civil War but by the women as well. This is Aletta's story. She lost her husband in a battle and now she has her son to raise as well as a baby on the way. By God's grace she survives.

As always Tamera rights a good story. I'm looking forward to the next installment in this series.

I was given this book by the publisher for an honest review. I was not compensated in any way.

I loved this story and prequel to the whole new upcoming series by Tamera Alexander. Highly recommended.

Jake and Aletta are both lost and confused as they navigate Franklin, Tennessee during the war between the states. Aletta, a mother and recent war widow and Jake, a wounded warrior, face mandatory life adjustments, the upcoming holidays and each other. Each holds secrets closely-guarded and grief closer still.

Reading the detailed historical fiction of Tamera Alexander stirs memories of beloved Nashville. I mentally recall favorite grand homes and landscapes. Now many miles away, her latest installment allows met to picture characters in familiar settings. And yet, newly-found friends and their stories brighten the past.

Having toured Carnton, the magnitude of what occurred there loomed heavily from past into present, making the series much-anticipated from this foundation novella. Ms. Alexander possesses a lovely command of both history and fiction which shine anew in Christmas at Carnton. I look forward to the upcoming trilogy.

I received a complimentary copy of the book. This review is my own opinion.

Tamera Alexander does not disappoint with this novella introducing her new series. This is actually one of the best novellas I have read before. The characters and their relationships are relateable and believeable. This story was engaging and left me anticipating the novels to come in 2018.

I always have a difficult time reading books about the Civil War that take place in the South--since I have a difficult time with many of the attitudes expressed in the South even today in regards to states's rights and non-whites. The story starts off slowly, with the protagonist losing her job at a clothing factory in Nashville, TN during the middle of the Civil War. With a young son to support (her husband died in action a few months before the start of the story), Arletta isn't sure how she will make ends meet. The author briefly touches on some of the ways that widows had to survive during times of war. This is not my favorite book by this author, but it is a sweet story.

Christmas at Carnton is a prequel to Tamera Alexander's Carnton series which will start being released in 2018. I love her series of historical books set in middle Tennessee which is where I was born and raised. I've been to several historical sites in Tennessee but Carnton is not one of them. After reading this prequel I have decided this is one of the sites I would like to visit.

In this book Aleta is a fresh widow with a young son and a baby on the way. You feel her heartbreak as she is about to lose her home. You really do feel the heartbreak when other women in the story get the heartbreaking news that their husbands perished in this terrible war. I loved the character of Jake. Only thing that bothered me in this book was that the romance was a little too soon after getting the news that her husband was killed.

I am grateful that the author stuck to the historical facts and did not try to be politically correct as some authors try to do these days when writing books.

I'm looking forward to reading more books in this series. Christmas at Carnton will be released on October 3, 2017. Thanks to Netgalley and the Thomas Nelson Company for providing me a digital copy of this book to read and review

A Tamera Alexandre book is always something to be excited about.

A very well written novella set during the Civil War. It has a good plot and well developed characters. I am excited about reading this series.

I'm not a big fan of Civil War stories. I have a hard time enjoying those type of stories, but . . . Tamera Alexander does such a great job at recreating this time period and bringing me into the story that I have a hard time not enjoying her writings. I have enjoyed her Belle Meade and her Belmont Mansion series, so I'm excited that she has decided to do another series in Tennessee around another popular plantation. With any historical novel, I want to be transported to that time period without feeling like I'm reading a history book and have characters that have something unique.

Alexander's writing is wonderful. Like I mentioned earlier, she does a wonderful job at bringing the home of Carnton come to life and the time period. She pays attention to the tiniest details like remembering what the women would be doing to raise money or knit items that could be used for the soldiers who are still in action during the Civil War. Alexander is sympathic toward the cause and shows the hurts and cares of the individual women who are left at home, trying to survive while worrying about their men who are off fighting.

The plot is unique because it shows the affect that the Civil War had on the women who were home still trying to hold it together. I enjoy how in each of the novels that I have read by Alexander she shows that the slaves were humans too with feelings and family. They were just as important as the whites and still were the backbone of our country alongside the whites. The story moves along at a rapid pace and kept my attention.

The romance was a little hasty in my taste. Aletta and Jake have only known each other for a month, and they fall in love so quickly. I know that this was a novella to wet the appetite of the reader. In her much longer novels, Alexander does take more time to develop her romances, so I let it slide for this novella.

Overall, I enjoyed the pre-novella for her Carnton series. I enjoyed the fast pace of the setting and the wonderful characters. I highly recommend this story, and eagerly await the series to begin next year.

I received a complimentary copy of Christmas at Carnton by Tamera Alexander from Thomas Nelson Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

Christmas at Carnton combines two of my favorite things, a Tamera Alexander book with a holiday setting. Alexander spins a romantic story against a civil war backdrop and all the devastation war encompasses. Men are away at war fighting, families supporting the war effort from the , hoping their men survive. This story offered up new insight on what it must have felt like to await such news on a regular basis. Heart-wrenching to say the least.

Confederate sharpshooter Captain Jake Winston and war widow Aletta Prescott meet under these most trying circumstances. They happen upon each other at the beautiful Carnton Plantation, he under orders to help there while recuperating from being shot, and she in search of a job, desperate to support herself, her young son and her unborn child.

I could feel the magnetic pull between them right away, though they fight the chemistry they have for various reasons, eventually love wins out. Insert sigh-worthy moment here. I loved the way Aletta conducted herself and trusted God to take care of her. I can only wonder at her integrity and strong character to do so well under the circumstances. It was easy to see how Jake could fall for her. And handsome, helpful Jake, so honorable in his tender dealings with Altetta. I want to say so much more about why I like him, but I don't want to spoil it. Let's just say he's a keeper!

Tamera Alexander's research is once again, as always, impeccable. As much as I loved the story itself, and I did, the historical background and civil war setting took on a life of it's own. I know I'm reading a good book when I'm as interested in the historical events portrayed as I am the characters. I loved every word, every chapter, the book as a whole and did not want it to end. Alexander tells such vivid and realistic a civil war story, I'll be waiting for the first book in this new series when it releases next year.

I appreciate Thomas Nelson making a copy of this amazing historical available for review.

Christmas at Carnton is a quick, yet entertaining read. I loved all the historical references to the Civil War. This book showed some of the tough times that women went through during war which does not get discussed as much as some other aspects of war, but is just as important. I loved the fact that Jake was not afraid to love someone that already had kids. I had a stepdad that treated me as his own, before he passed away, and I love that this kind of man is getting attention as a hero because that is what they are. Looking forward to the rest of the series!
I received a complimentary copy of this book from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I just thoroughly enjoyed reading about a slice of life taking place at a slower pace than we do now. Where people had more time for each other and really cared enough to listen to what you said. The novella I just read is a prequel that sets up the story so you can enjoy the other 3 books in this series. The next book releases in Fall of 2018. I am so impressed with the research Tamera Alexander puts into not only this book of hers but all of them. It makes it so much more enjoyable to read all of her books. Historical fiction is a favorite genre of mine to read and I am always looking up details of what I read on my computer and there is no denying her research is tops! I experienced so many emotions while reading this, in fact it even made me cry. Heartache,despair,warmth,compassion,loneliness,faithfulness and more are emotions you will experience as you read this. In my own research I found out that Carnton Plantation is a real place that still stands and offers tours. Carnton is a historic plantation house and museum in Franklin, Williamson County, Tennessee, United States. The home was turned into a make-shift hospital during the Battle of Franklin. 7 generals were laid out dead on the front porch during the Battle. You can still see blood stains in the wood floors under the upstairs windows where amputations and surgeries were performed for the natural light coming through the windows. A large confederate cemetery is also on the property.
Highly recommended book!
Pub Date 03 Oct 2017
Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson--FICTION for a review copy in exchange for my honest review.