I was sent a free copy of Beauty Among Ruins by J’nell Ciesielski at no charge by Historicial Fiction Virtual Book Tours. All opinons are my own.
About Beauty Among Ruins:
In Ciesielski’s latest sweeping romance, an American heiress finds herself in Scotland amid the fallout of the Great War, and a wounded Scottish laird comes face-to-face with his past and a woman he never could have expected.
American socialite Lily Durham is known for enjoying one moment to the next, with little regard for the consequences of her actions. But just as she is banished overseas to England as a “cure” for her frivolous ways, the Great War breaks out and wreaks havoc. She joins her cousin in nursing the wounded at a convalescent home deep in the wilds of Scotland at a crumbling castle where its laird is less than welcoming.
Alec MacGregor has given his entire life to preserving his home of Kinclavoch Castle, but mounting debts force him to sell off his family history bit by bit. Labeled a coward for not joining his countrymen in the trenches due to an old injury, he opens his home to the Tommies to make recompense while he keeps to the shadows. But his preference for the shadows is shattered when a new American nurse comes streaming into the castle on a burst of light.
Lily and Alec are thrown together when a series of mysterious events threatens to ruin the future of Kinclavoch. Can they put aside their differences to find the culprit before it’s too late, or will their greatest distraction be falling in love?
About the Author:
With a passion for heart-stopping adventure and sweeping love stories, J’nell Ciesielski weaves fresh takes into romances of times gone by. When not creating dashing heroes and daring heroines, she can be found dreaming of Scotland, indulging in chocolate of any kind, or watching old black and white movies. Winner of the Romance Through the Ages Award and the Maggie Award, she is a Florida native who now lives in Virginia with her husband, daughter, and lazy beagle. Learn more at www.jnellciesielski.com.
All Amazon purchase links are affiliate links which means if you make a purchase I receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you)
My Opinion:
Lily is a high spirited girl who really doesn’t want to marry just any old, acceptable man her parents put before her. This is how she ends up in England – it is hoped she will calm down but soon after she arrives the Great War begins and she finds herself joining up with her friend to help nurse the wounded in Scotland.
Alec is the laird of Kinclavoch Castle and has opened it to allow for the nursing of wounded soldiers from the War. Lily joins with her friend to nurse and while there catches the eye of the laird of the manor. But he does not want to be catching anyone’s eye nor does he want to be feeling what he is feeling for this bold American girl. But life does not always go the way we want it to, does it? Especially in a romance novel.
England and Scotland are reeling from the effects of WWI – the financial and the emotional. So many men lost and so much damage from bombs. So many ancestral estates have been ruined and as the heirs look to trying to repair and rebuild it’s to America and it’s family fortunes that the Lords and Lairds go seeking. This is not always appreciated by the “locals.” But money is needed and money must be found.
Alec is fighting emotional battles on many fronts as he sees his legacy slowly being destroyed plus many see him as a cowardly failure for not going to war but he has an injury that precludes that choice. To help support the cause he opens his home to convalescing soldiers which brings volunteer nurses to help care for them. This is how Alec and Lily meet and go through normal romance novel getting to know yous.
As they get to know one another and get closer bad things start to happen, it seems with the purpose of driving them apart. As they try to find the who behind the what they discover where love will bloom.
I really enjoyed this novel. It follows all the expected romance novel paths but it’s made compelling by the Scottish location and the strong characters. It was a perfect reading escape for the bad weather day I had where I just sat, read and enjoyed the story. There is nothing like a well written tale to take you away from a snowy/freezing rain kind of day. A nice warm romance in a castle in Scotland is a great way to spend the day.
Rating:
4.5
The Giveaway:
We have 5 paperback copies of Beauty Among Ruins up for grabs!
The giveaway is open to the US only and ends on January 22nd. You must be 18 or older to enter.
