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In These Hills

COMING SEPTEMBER 2026

A brand new standalone novel filled with TWO more treasured Tennessee histories

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

What else is in the works?

You may be asking, "Where is the third novel in the Carnton series?"

The third Carnton novel is (finally) coming in 2026, and it's about the little red-haired scamp of a sister pictured below. Nora O'Toole all grown up!
In this third and final novel in the Carnton trilogy, Nora more than meets her romantic match as we wrap up the cherished—and real—Carnton history and walk the familiar halls and rooms of that house together one last time.

If you haven't visited Carnton yet, keep scrolling for videos filmed on location there.

Much love from Nashville,

Tamera

More about the Carnton novels . . .


Carnton novels, novella

the bestselling novella that launched the Carnton series
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.


Carnton Novels, book 1

the first full-length novel in The Carnton Novels
From the pages of history and accounts of those who endured the Battle of Franklin, Tamera Alexander weaves real-life love letters into a story of unlikely romance first kindled amid the shadows of the Civil War.

Carnton Novels, book 2

the second full-length novel in The Carnton Novels
In a town battered and bruised by war, one woman embarks upon an impossible search—and one man must face the past in the very place that almost destroyed him.



Welcome to Carnton in Franklin, TN

Writing Real History in the Carnton novels

Origin of the McGavock Cemetery

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Disclosure of Material Connection: As an Amazon Associate, Tamera earns from qualifying purchases. Some of the links on this site are "affiliate links." Meaning that, at no additional cost to you, Tamera may earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. We're disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."