A Series by Tamera Alexander

Belle Meade Plantation Novels

Nashville, Tennessee · Post-Civil War

Belle Meade Plantation Novels · Book 1

To Whisper Her Name

Belle Meade Plantation Novels · Book 2

To Win Her Favor

Belle Meade Plantation Novels · Book 3

To Wager Her Heart

Belle Meade Plantation Novels · Novella

To Mend a Dream

Set at Nashville's famed Belle Meade Plantation—once known as the 'Queen of Tennessee Plantations' and the premier thoroughbred horse farm in America—this series follows three women whose lives intersect at one of the South's most iconic estates. Against the backdrop of Reconstruction-era Nashville, these novels explore themes of racial reconciliation, social justice, and the courage to love across the boundaries that society draws.

From champion racehorses to the Fisk Jubilee Singers, from Irish immigrants to African American freedmen, the Belle Meade Plantation Novels capture a pivotal moment in American history when the South was being reborn—and when love, faith, and justice demanded the courage to cross every line.

Dear Reader, while each novel in Tamera's series stands completely on its own—with a full, satisfying story from beginning to end—reading the series in order will give you the richest, most rewarding experience. All series books are numbered to help guide you. Enjoy!

View Tamera's Complete Reading Order →

Step Into Belle Meade →

The Belle Meade Plantation Novels

Book 1

To Whisper Her Name

Belle Meade Plantation, Nashville, Tennessee

Olivia Aberdeen, destitute widow of a man shot as a traitor to the South, is shunned by proper society and gratefully accepts an invitation from "Aunt" Elizabeth Harding, mistress of Belle Meade Plantation. Expecting to be the Hardings' head housekeeper, Olivia is disillusioned when she learns the real reason Confederate General William Giles Harding agreed to her coming. Not finding the safe haven she expected, Olivia is caught off guard by her feelings for Ridley Adam Cooper—a Southern man who seems anything but a Southern gentleman. Branded a traitor by some, Ridley Cooper, a Southern son who chose to fight for the Union, is a man desperate to end the war still raging inside him. Determined to learn the gift that Belle Meade's head horse trainer and former slave, Bob Green, possesses, Ridley harbors secrets that threaten both their lives. Set against the real history of Nashville's historic Belle Meade Plantation—the most influential thoroughbred stud farm in America's history—To Whisper Her Name weaves the struggles of real people of the post-war South with the journeys of a man and a woman scarred by betrayal.

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Book 2

To Win Her Favor

Belle Meade Plantation, Nashville, Tennessee

A gifted rider in a world where ladies never race, Maggie Linden is determined that her horse will become a champion. But the one man who could help her has vowed to stay away from thoroughbred racing forever. An Irishman far from home, Cullen McGrath left a once-prosperous life in England because of a horse racing scandal that nearly ruined him. He has come to Nashville for a fresh start—but starting over proves harder than he wagered, especially when Maggie Linden's father makes him an offer he cannot possibly refuse. Maggie is certain that her mare, Bourbon Belle, can take the top purse in the inaugural Peyton Stakes, the richest race ever run in America. To give her that chance—and to save Linden Downs from being sold to the highest bidder—Maggie's father makes a barter with one tiny, troublesome detail: Maggie must marry a man she has never met. A man she never would have chosen for herself. Set against the real history of Nashville's historic Belle Meade Plantation, To Win Her Favor is a passionately stirring, highly acclaimed marriage-of-convenience story involving overcoming post-Civil War obstacles and racial discrimination.

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Book 3

To Wager Her Heart

Belle Meade Plantation and Fisk University, Nashville, Tennessee

Sylas Rutledge, new owner of the Northeast Line Railroad, invests everything he has into this venture—mostly to clear his father's name. The one man who holds the key to his success is General William Giles Harding of Nashville's Belle Meade Plantation. But Harding is champagne and thoroughbreds, and Sy Rutledge is beer and bullocks. When Sy meets Alexandra Jamison, he quickly decides she is his key to navigating Nashville society. But he soon discovers that the very train accident his father is blamed for causing is what killed Alexandra's fiancé and shattered her world. Spurning an arranged marriage, Alexandra instead pursues her passion for teaching at Fisk University, the first freedmen's university in the United States. But family and Nashville society do not approve, and she finds herself cast out from both. Through connections with the Harding family, Alexandra and Sy become unlikely allies. Set against the real history of Nashville's Belle Meade Plantation and the original Fisk University Jubilee Singers ensemble, To Wager Her Heart is a powerful love story about seeking justice and restoring honor at a time when both were tenuous and hard-won.

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Book 0 · Novella

To Mend a Dream

Nashville, Tennessee

Savannah Darby would do almost anything to revisit her family home. So when new owner Aidan Bedford—a Boston attorney and former Union soldier—seeks to redecorate the house for his fiancée, Savannah jumps at the opportunity. But the clock is ticking. Can she find the box her father supposedly hid there during the war before her assignment is completed? And before she sees yet another battle lost on the home front—this time, one of the heart. Note: We first meet Savannah Darby as a secondary character in To Win Her Favor. To Mend a Dream tells the rest of her story. Available individually as eBook and audiobook; in print as part of the Southern novella collection Among the Fair Magnolias.

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Behind the Story

Historical Context

Belle Meade Plantation, established in 1807, became one of the most famous thoroughbred horse farms in the world. Its horses—including the legendary stallion Bonnie Scotland—produced winners of every major American horse race. After the Civil War, the plantation continued to thrive under the stewardship of General William Giles Harding and his son-in-law, William Hicks Jackson. The contributions of enslaved and later freed African Americans—particularly Bob Green, the head hostler whose expertise with horses was crucial to Belle Meade's success—are now recognized as central to the plantation's legacy. Today, Belle Meade is a historic site and winery open to the public. The plantation is now a museum that awaits your visit! Visit the Belle Meade Plantation website for more.

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