Is the name Jack Daniel familiar?
What about Miss Mary Bobo. . . and what she owned?
How about the town of Lynchburg tucked into the hills and hollers of middle Tennessee?
This fall, journey with Tamera into a new standalone novel inspired by the true history of two beloved Tennessee treasures
A young suffragist on the run finds more than refuge in the hills and hollers of Tennessee in this gripping historical romance from USA Today bestselling author Tamera Alexander.
1905. Josephine Dunham is running for her life. After a women’s suffrage rally in Atlanta turns deadly, she buys a one-way ticket on the first train out and lands in rural Tennessee. There, Dodge Coburn—a rough-edged stranger with undeniable appeal—begrudgingly offers her a ride to Lynchburg, a speck of a town where Josephine hopes to disappear.
Battered and desperate, Josephine has little to say when Dodge delivers her to Miss Mary Bobo’s Boarding House. Hoping to work in exchange for room and board, she soon discovers the only job matching her skills is at Jack Daniel’s Distillery, an irony not lost on a suffragist committed to prohibition.
Dodge is skeptical of Josephine’s claim that she’s on the run from an abusive husband. But between running Jack Daniel’s cattle farm and raising his young niece, he has little time or inclination to press her . . . at first. But when Josephine’s convictions and compassion draw him in, Dodge begins to reconsider the life he’s chasing, while Josephine must face a world far more complicated than the principles she’s held to.
As Jack Daniel’s Distillery gains national recognition, Josephine’s secrets resurface. In a place where whiskey making takes time but justice is too often hurried, Dodge and Josephine must decide what—and who—they’re willing to risk everything for, and whether faith will hold when the cost is high and time is running out.
Standalone Southern historical fiction, set against the history of women’s rights, Jack Daniel’s Distillery, and Miss Mary’s Bobo’s Boarding House in Lynchburg, Tennessee
A clean enemies-to-lovers, opposites-attract romance perfect for fans of Francine Rivers, Julie Klassen, and Lynn Austin
Includes discussion questions for book clubs
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Summary
"Because truth will always make itself known. It's usually just a matter of time."
Time is something that Josephine Dunham will never take for granted again, and she has a sinking suspicion that with every tick of the clock her deception is just that much closer to being exposed. Being an outspoken suffragette in a city like Atlanta was one thing, but defending herself against a bystander determined to kill her. . . . leaving had been her only choice. In her battered state, and aided along the way by the kindness of strangers, Josephine lands in the tiny Tennessee town of Lynchburg, fabricating a story that leads the townspeople to believe that she escaped an abusive husband.
Dodge Coburn doesn't quite believe the sparse details offered by the woman who hitched a ride in his wagon and neither does Miss Mary Bobo who begrudgingly offers Josephine temporary lodging in her boarding house. Pushing aside their doubts surrounding the enigmatic woman, Dodge tries unsuccessfully to turn his focus onto more pressing matters, namely raising his young niece and juggling his busy schedule as the local distillery's premier foreman, while Mary cautiously permits Josephine to continue living under her roof. A certain irony manifests itself in the entire situation when Josephine, a self avowed teetotaler, accepts employment from Jack Daniels himself as an office assistant, organizing multiple aspects of his lucrative whiskey enterprise. What could possibly go wrong?
Beautifully layered with silky smooth word flow, this story utilizes every square inch of its setting to set the stage for what turns out to be a masterful performance. Everyone who reads this story will be imagining themselves in the lives of these characters, wondering which path they would choose if facing similar circumstances. Witty, romantic, deeply inspiring and yet throbbing with injustices, revenge, and deceit, the author brings everyone down the same road to face an age old question, is God working out His will in the suffering . . . even "in these hills"?
"Two are better than one. But I can't be better without you."
Reviewed by Rebecca