Okay Peeps. I just finished this book like, 3.2 seconds ago and am riding the book-nerd-high, so forgive me if I yammer on, but YOU. GUYS. This year is already shaping up to be a great year, if the books on my review desk are any indication.

Let me begin by saying, J’nell Ciesielski’s name floats around in the book-blogger world, and this book-blogger has been dying to read her work. Now, after reading Beauty Among Ruins, I completely understand why she has her well-deserved reputation. She somehow took “Downton Abbey,” “Braveheart” and Jane Eyre, and smooshed them into a literary love child.

Lily Durham is almost impossible not to love. As an American young woman, pushing back against the strict expectations of being a socialite in the early 1900’s, Lily’s spirit is amusing, spunky, endearing and oh-so-much-fun. To follow her from cast-off daughter (I can throw a shoe at her mother, right? I can throw a pretty shoe, if that would be more acceptable), to selfless care-taker, to finally landing in a place where she refuses to be pushed around was so gratifying. I found myself rooting for her from the sidelines, and wanting to shake more than a few characters who criticized her. (I clearly need more shoes.)

I loved seeing her grow in maturity and ability as she came alongside the grumpy Laird to figure out the answer to the mysterious events surrounding the castle, which by the way, kept me guessing throughout the whole story! I would start to pat myself on the back, thinking I had nailed down the malefactor, only to turn the page and do a double-take as a new clue presented itself. (Also, Bertie! I so enjoyed her!) The characters were wonderfully illustrated and so beautifully human, allowing the reader to truly come into company with Lily, Bertie and Alec. J’nell Ciesielski plainly needs to devote the rest of her life to writing more books, because authors such as she are just what this world needs.

Bottom Line: Step out of your living room, and onto the grounds of Kinclavoch Castle.

What a fun book! I really loved the fairytale aspect of Beauty and the Beast. Plus I had all the feels because hello this naive young girl got sent over to Europe right as the war started. I can’t imagine what those parents must have felt! Anyone else?

Okay, back to the story. It’s so sweet. Young spoiled American goes overseas, gets stuck with the war, but also volunteers as a nurse. Through this, she gets to stay in a castle, albeit one with issues, and meets the Laird who really wants nothing to do with anyone as he tries to save his ancestral home.

I immediately fell in love with the setting and the characters and could not put the book down. I have previously read The Socialite and this was yet another wonderful story woven into characters that make you feel like you’re a part of their life. You won’t be able to put this book down.

Don’t take my word for it of course. Grab your own copy of both books and snuggle up with a fuzzy blanket and some tea. It’s a snowy day in my neck of the woods today and that’s what I’m craving.

I have voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received through Celebrate Lit. All views expressed are only my honest opinion. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC regulations.

Title: Beauty Among Ruins
Author: J’nell Ciesilski


Narrator: Kate Rudd

Ch: 27

Genre: Historical Fiction

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Publisher: Thomas Nelson



Beauty Among Ruins is my first book by J’nell Ciesilski but it won’t be my last. I listened to the audio book and it just added to the hero’s Scottish accent I loved it. Lily the heroine who even though she’s a socialite she strong willed determined and stubborn but I loved her. Both these characters have a lot to learn about themselves, each other and God.


Though Beauty among Ruins isn’t Christian fiction it is a clean read that has a beauty and the beast thread through it. Though set during WWI it’s behind the scenes so to speak because it focus on nurses, wounded soldiers and the great homes that become hospitals.


Alex was one of my favorite hero types, the scared and wounded stubborn who hides a heart of gold. I didn’t want the book to end but I kept listening because I wanted to know what happened.



I received a copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.

This historical mystery/romance set in Scotland during the First World War is an entertaining read. The heroine, Lily, a spoiled American heiress, is sent to Scotland by her parents after one too many scandals at home to serves as a nursing aide at a makeshift hospital set up at Kinclavoch Castle, the seat of Lord Strathem. As time goes on, Lily learns what hard work is and comes to dedicate herself to the wounded soldiers in her care. She also discovers that there is a plot afoot to discredit the taciturn lord of the manor and cause the ruin of his family. The novel moves at a good pace as the relationships between characters are developed. The story touches on the realities of the sufferings of the men in the trenches, both physical and mental, and the limited choices of women in society at the time. The romance between Lily and Lord Strathem is the classic enemies to friends to love type, but the characters are appealing and the storyline, which includes a kidnapping and attempted murder, has elements of suspense. The secondary characters are appealing and there are touches of humor throughout that add to the story's appeal.

I loved loved loved the Downtown Abbey tones of this novel! But also, the author made the story completely her own.

Lily is a free spirit. A bit too free in her parents opinion. Which is how she ended on the other side of the ocean to spend some time with her cousin and hopefully have some manners rubbed on her. Her free spirit though is also how she is not asked to return home once war breaks out…

She is all smiles and sass, but people don’t often recognize she is (or has the potential to be) more than what her money indicates. And she doesn’t have to change that much 🙂 though Lord Strathem would maybe desagree at first 😉

Das Buch spielt zur Zeit des 1. Weltkriegs in einem heruntergekommenen schottischen Schloß, das zum Genesungsheim für Soldaten umfunktioniert wurde. Der rote Faden der Geschichte ist Alecs Kampf um den Erhalt des Anwesens und Lillys Auseindandersetzungen mit ihren Eltern. Sie begegnen vielen Widrigkeiten, trotzderer ihre Liebe zueinander langsam wächst.. Beide Protagonisten sind realistisch und sympathisch. Es gibt zahlreiche inetressante Nebenfiguren.
Die Geschichte kommt zu einem überzeugenden und herzerwärmenden Ende.

Which would be the lesser of evils, an enemy in your face, with their knife (metaphorically or otherwise) obviously aimed at a vital organ – or a enemy who pretends to have your back while searching for the best place to stick their hidden knife into a vital organ?

Poor Alec MacGregor doesn’t get to choose which of those is the lesser evil, as his current circumstances have him caught between both, with an obvious enemy trying to bring him down and a hidden enemy pretending to be a friend in the hope of bringing him, quite literally, to his knees.

But this story does not begin as Alec’s story, although it gets itself to Kinclavoch Castle soon enough. Rather, the story begins with the flighty, impetuous and disobedient – at least according to her parents – young American socialite Lily Durham.

Lily is not so much irresponsible as she is a bird who is very much aware of the gilded cage in which she lives – and she resents every single bar of that cage. So when her upper-crust, Gilded Age New York City parents ship her off to her mother’s relatives in England, they think they’re forcing her into an even more restricted life than the one they already have wrapped tightly around her.

Lily’s parents have seriously misjudged, both the circumstances and Lily herself. Lily may leap before she looks, but that’s because if she looks first all she’ll see and hear are her parents misjudging her intelligence, her purpose and even her very person. They misjudge the circumstances even more, as Europe is on the verge of World War I. Once the war begins, it becomes unsafe for ships to cross the Atlantic, out of the very real fear of being sunk by German U-boats, leaving Lily “stuck” in England for longer than the year her parents originally intended.

But the war also brings opportunities for Lily – and her best friend and cousin Elizabeth (called Bertie) to escape the bars of their respective gilded cages. Bertie becomes a nurse. Lily takes the courses with her but doesn’t manage to pass them. Still, with Bertie’s qualifications and her parent’s generous patronage of the nursing service comes an opportunity that neither girl can resist. An opportunity to serve as nurses – or at least as a nurse’s aide in Lily’s case, to convalescing soldiers in a not-too-badly crumbling castle in the Scottish lowlands.

That very same castle that Alec MacGregor, Lord Strathem, is hanging onto, in the face of dangerous enemies and even more dastardly overdue bills and overeager tax collectors, by the skin of his teeth. Along with the fact that he hasn’t sold off all of his family’s accumulated treasures. Yet.

Lily, with her American optimism and her disregard for the rules, bursts into Kinclavoch like a gale force wind of fresh air that neither Alec nor the matron of the nursing service have any desire to accommodate.

But Lily shines her light into all the dark places at Kinclavoch, especially into the hearts of the soldiers she is there to help. And even more into the darkness that shadows bitter, wounded Alec MacGregor.

Escape Rating B: My feelings about this story are very solidly mixed, I think because the blurb leads the reader to expect that the romance is the primary storyline, and it actually isn’t. It’s definitely there, but it doesn’t feel like the primary plot thread. Or at least I found the romantic suspense plot thread more interesting.

After all, it’s Alec is facing threats on all sides, even if he believes those threats are only coming from one side. He sees the enemy in front of him, because that enemy is screamingly obvious about it. Alec may not know how, or especially why, at the beginning, but the who is right there in front of him, smirking. Alec just can’t figure out how to prove it.

The enemy behind him, well, let’s just say it’s obvious to the reader. Or at least it was equally, screamingly obvious to this reader. And that the how and why in this case were every bit as obvious as the who.

What made this part of the plot so interesting – also infuriating – is that it violates Occam’s Razor, that the simplest solution is usually the right solution. It’s the reason why there is usually only one villain in mysteries, because two villains for the same set of crimes – unless they are partners – stretches the long arm of coincidence a bit too long. It doesn’t here which does lead the reader to wonder if one of the enemies isn’t quite as effective or quite as dastardly as they BOTH initially appear.

The romance here is VERY slow burn. Both Lily and Alec are very wounded people, in both cases emotionally and in Alec’s case also physically. But neither of them expects or is remotely looking for a romance with anyone – let alone with each other. And they kind of get dragged into the realization that they are, after all, in love with each other, kicking and screaming. It’s very much not what either them expected or even wanted at the beginning of the story.

Alec’s situation was more interesting – or had more elements that made it a bit different – than Lily’s. Historical fiction and historical romance are rife with characters like her, birds in gilded cages who get sprung by the exigencies of war. She was a well-drawn character of her type, but didn’t feel like more than that. Alec, on the other hand, had plenty of interesting facets, between his childhood injury that kept him out of the war, the way he’s treated because of it, AND the threats that he faces on all sides, with his family issues with both his mother and his sister on top.

I will say that I was beginning to wonder if his sister suffered from Munchausen syndrome by proxy, but it wasn’t quite that dire. Still bad, but not THAT bad. Her condition certainly made the pile of woes that had been piled on Alec all that much higher.

One of the things that I really liked about this story was that it turned out to be a World War I story that isn’t really about the war itself. Instead, it’s a story about the effects of the war, and that makes it all the more affecting for the reader.

Beauty among Ruins is the standalone novel by J'nell Ciesielski, published by Thomas Nelson. The year is 1915 and we follow socialite Lily Durham when she is sent to England as punishment for having played too many tricks on her parents. They hope she will find an eligible husband, but Lily takes position as nurse’s aid at Kinclavoch Castle convalescent home for WWI soldiers in Scotland. The matron thinks her an air-head unable to do any kind of real work and challenges her with the worst assignments. But Lily is adamant to help and proves to have excellent bedside manner and a knack for keeping the patient’s spirits up.
The Laird, Alec MacGregor is weighed down by financial problems, but Lily’s zest for life manages to get him out of his dark place and improve his courage. Someone seems to be working to ruin the estate. What seems like accidents happen and a patient goes missing. Lily and Alec grow closer as they work to figure out who is responsible.

Main character is socialite Lily Durham who outward has a zest for life but inward suffers raging insecurities. I feel for her as she has heard all her life that her only purpose in life is to make a good marriage. In this story her character goes through an impressive development and she starts to see a new purpose.

Supporting character is Alec MacGregor, Lord Strathem of Kinclavoch whose character starts out as a brooding recluse. He worries about his estate and his constant leg pain. His character goes through a personal development as he has a shift in his emotions and view of life.

I felt this plot stood out with its interesting setting in Scotland and the placing of the entitled main character in an environment where she has to overcome more challenges than merely finding a husband. Taking place in a castle gave it a vibe reminiscent to Downton Abby; only more run down due to financial troubles. The brooding recluse of a Laird also made me think of the initial part of Beauty and The Beast. The combination of the interesting mystery part and the slow burn romance, including vivid descriptions of the scenery around the Castle, transferred me to the Scottish Highlands, where I hope to go some day. Very hard to decide if my favorite part was the mystery or the slow burn romance. Both were captivating and excellently written . I loved the funny dialogue between Lily and Alec and found it fascinating to follow the development of their relationship as they ruffled each other’s feathers and challenged each other’s vulnerabilities. I think they both were favorite characters. The surprising and amusing part where Lily’s parents showed up I thoroughly enjoyed.

Anyone who enjoys WWI historical romances with a bit of a unique twist will enjoy this one. Similar authors to explore might be Abigail Wilson or Michelle Griep. Thank you to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for this opportunity to share my honest review. All opinions are completely my own.

Conclusion: Beauty among Ruins is the captivating, unique historical romance set in a Scottish castle converted to WWI soldier’s convalescent home where an American socialite finds romance while mysterious things happen.

Alec's castle is literally crumbling around him, and there's nothing he can do. Upon his father's death, he inherited the castle where he lives with his sister, mother, and the Tommies recuperating there as it serves as a convalescent home. His father had many vices, all which led to the state of the castle, and Alec feels the weight of this burden to his core. Lily is an American sent to Europe to live with cousins at the behest of her mother, who is hoping England will curb her daughter's "wild side." Lily is a woman who wants more than the glittering emptiness that American high society offers; she wants meaning, adventure, and excitement. Early in the book Lily and her cousin travel to Alec's Scottish castle to serve as nurses to the injured soldiers.

While there, thing and after thing goes wrong. Wright, a newspaperman who has it out for Alec, is there to report all the mishaps. Is someone sabotaging the castle and Alec so he's forced to sell? Throughout it all, Lily is struggling to be the nurse the Matron expects her to be. This book is full of growing up, accepting responsibility, and facing adversity. Lily and Alec grow closer, challenge each other, and grow.

Alec was an extremely gruff character, but Lily was able to handle his personality well as she is not one to wilt under pressure. She is naturally joyful, and I enjoyed watching their interactions as they began to understand one another more. The mystery of who was behind all the mishaps was not surprising, but it did keep me engaged throughout the story. The biggest draw for me to this book was the character development. I loved it and would definitely recommend!

I received a free copy of this for my honest review.

Beauty Among the Ruins by J'Nell Ciesielski is a definite read for anyone who loves inspirational historical romance stories. I absolutely loved this story and look forward to reading more books by this author in the future.
Alec is trying to do everything in his power to save his family home even if that means allowing it to be used as a hospital during the war to make amends because he is unable to join the troops on the frontlines, getting rid of most of the staff and selling off most of the family heirlooms.
When he finds himself along with nurse Lily Durham dealing with dangerous and mysterious issues that are threatening his home it becomes even more challenging when trying to find the culprit because they are getting distracted by falling in love.

I was given an ARC from the author/publisher. All conclusions are mine and mine alone.

4.5 stars.
If you are a reader that loves fast action and lots of hot sexy bits, this is not the book for you. BUT if you love a slow burn romance with gradual character development and a bit of intrigue, there is much to love about Beauty Among Ruins.

Lily Durham is an outspoken, fun-loving New York socialite, and a great disappointment to her persnickety mother. Her parents send her to live with relatives in England hoping she will mature. When World War I erupts Lily finds herself working as a nursing aide at a Scottish castle that houses convalescing soldiers. The castle also houses a reclusive laird, his sister, and his mother. The laird, Alec MacGregor, is struggling to keep his estate together in the face of overwhelming debt and expense. Lily and Alec are two people as different as night and day, yet they gradually form an attraction as they each learn more about themselves.

This is not my usual type of historical romance, but I really enjoyed Beauty Among Ruins. There was a joyful openness to Lily that made her an engaging heroine. Plus, her speech and mannerisms seemed genuine to this historical period. Alec was certainly a tortured hero, but most of the torture was of his own making due to pride and loyalty. The mystery element was not strong, but it was not the main focus of the story.

Beauty Among Ruins was a refreshing surprise to me with excellent writing, historic detail, and a sweet romance.

ARC provided by author.

Wow and wow. This exceptionally well written story transported me back to the estate of Kinclavoch in Scotland during the days of the Great War (WWI). By the time I finished the book, I felt as if I had gotten to know the two main characters in this book, Lily and Alec. Their story is a grand and romantic one that fits well into the time in which the story is set.

Alec McGregor, the owner of the estate, was unable to fight in the war because of an injury. Even though he is facing serious financial troubles, he opens Kinclavoch to become a hospital for convalescing soldiers. Because of his injury; his sister’s illness; and his desperation to save Kinclavoch; Alex’s view of life is troubler and dismal. Lily Durham Durham is an American heiress that, because of her restlessness, was sent to England to spend time with her cousin. But war breaks out while Lily is in England, and both she and her cousin find themselves at Kinclavoch helping to care for the wounded soldiers there.


I enjoyed reading this story and seeing both Alec and Lily grow and change as they work together to serve others. Alec begins to see that there could be a future for his family, and Lily begins to leave behind being a flighty girl and starts becoming a mature, compassionate young woman. Things do not go smoothly with their romance. There’s some suspense and intrigue in this storyline, and I was not expecting a major plot twist in the story.


If you love Christian historical fiction, you’ll want to read this one. The details of the time period are scattered beautifully all throughout the story.


I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

I 1000% loved every minute of Beauty Among Ruins by J’nell Ciesielski. This is one of those novels where the reader escapes his/her world for something magical and romantic. Beauty Among Ruins is a little bit The Secret Garden meets Beauty and the Beast. But it is also a story completely all its own. Set amidst the backdrop of WWI, Beauty Among Ruins takes the reader to a Gothic Scottish castle that’s barely holding up. The landscape, however, is AMAZING. I adore Ciesielski’s prose as her words took me from the high desert of California (where I live) to the lush, vibrant, wild wilderness of Scotland. I truly did get lost (in a good way) in the storytelling and hated when I had to put this book down. My favorite aspect of this beautiful story is the heady romance. The relationship between Alex and Lily begins slightly rough but develops into the most heart-warming, passionate, and swoony wildfire ever. I love the chemistry between the two — they are like long-lost soul mates and it was so awesome getting to watch these two characters find their way to one another.

It is the characters whom I fell for completely. The secondary characters are unique and endearing. They all manage to worm their way into the reader’s heart. Characters like Guthrie, Matron Strom, Bertie, and the many WWI soldiers convalescing at Alec’s castle add so much life and energy to the plot. They are characters I won’t soon forget. Alec makes for one superb hero. He is handsome and he does have quite a closed-off, brooding manner, but what makes him stand out is his innate need to protect Lily, his family, and his home and his ability to see the finer details. I love how he sees Lily for who she is and whom he knows she can become. And Lily is outstanding. She is a ball of sunshine and her heart is as big as Texas. When she sees a problem she does whatever it takes to fix it. She runs headfirst into life and it is so refreshing! Truly, the best part about this lovely story is the wonderful cast of characters.

I could go on and on gushing over how good Beauty Among Ruins is. To me, it’s the perfect storyline. This is a novel I highly recommend. For sure, Beauty Among Ruins is going on my “Forever Keep” pile cause this is a book I want to come back to time and time again.

I received a review copy of this novel in eBook form from the author, J’nell Ciesielski, via Celebrate Lit and NetGalley. In no way has this influenced my review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I don’t usually think a book is movie-worthy, but J’nell Ciesielski’s latest, Beauty among Ruins, has me wishing for a movie or theatre adaptation. I just finished this wonderful novel written as only Ciesielski can. Beauty among Ruins brings us an immediately likable heroine in beauty Lily, a rich socialite who longs to fulfill a greater role in life than what society dictates, and have fun doing it. We also see the loose beast image contrast in Alec McGregor, who though unable to fight in WWI due to an injury, opens his aging estate, Kinclavoch, to convalescing soldiers. The beauty aspect appears as Lily Durham, banished to England, actually ends up in Scotland as a nurse at Kinclavoch and turns the ideas of staid, emotionless, nursing upside down. But most importantly, we see the thawing of brooding, burdened, and emotionally dead Kinclavoch owner Alec. Can their growing love and his metamorphosis survive the repeated calamities that follow Lilly’s arrival to Alec’s beloved Kinclavoch?
If the main characters’ emotions and interplay weren’t enough to build a play or movie, Ciesielski has built a strong supporting cast, which I would love to see acted out. I think there would be some Academy Awards for supporting actors and actresses here!! I just loved even the antagonists, as they filled their roles so well. Some characters weren't clearly all black or white. I loved Lily for seeing the need in one particular person most would have seen as an enemy. I also loved the peeling back of her parent’s pasts until we could finally see their true feelings. And whew, that involved a lot of layers!
I appreciated the glossary of Scottish words at the end of the book, as opposed to the beginning. Points for both the publisher and the author here. I am not a big fan of a lot of early information for a reader in the beginning. It is too easy to skip over those seemingly “nonessential” addendums that keeps me from the meat of the book. In the end, I am ready to savor extra historical bits, glossaries, or study questions, all of which truly enhanced this great book.

Notable Quotables:
“Situations are simple. It’s the people who twist them up.”

“ ’Tis a hardiness we’re born with.” Though not all. Some were made to suffer no matter the strength in their hearts.

“Kindness always deserves recognition.”

I received a copy of this book from the author and publisher through Celebrate Lit via NetGalley. I also bought a copy. These are my own unsolicited opinions.

Riveting (despite lack of faith)

Because this book is published by Thomas Nelson, I trusted it would be a faith-based novel. It was not. However, it is a clean story and a very good read set in Scotland regarding soldiers who are recovering from the Great War in a run-down castle with a stuffy Laird and a bevy of nurses. Plus mysterious things keep happening endangering everyone.

Favorite Quotes:

"Had the disease spread into the castle to rampage through Alec's study and ladle harm into innocent teacups?"

"In the back corner, Captain Gibbons and his new neighbor, none other than Lieutenant Wallace, debated the merits of bacon versus streaky bacon. There would be no winner in this debate as all bacon was delicious."

"You did claim to be capable, yes?" "Yes." He continued walking. "Good. If nothing else, I expect my daughter to be a woman of her word." Dumbfounded, Lily stared after him. It was the longest conversation she'd ever had with her father. And what a doozy!

The author truly weaves a wonderful tale, and I would recommend it to those who enjoy an entertaining escape into history, with a bit of romance, danger, and clever wording.

I was gifted a book from the author & publisher for my honest opinions, which are all my own without compensation or further expectation.

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Including an old castle in a book always seems to open the door to the potential for intrigue and suspense. Add to this delight the author’s well-turned wording in phrases of description that bring pleasure to the inner ear. People the scenes with characters that enrich the story with their personalities and foibles amid an intriguing plot that increasingly intensifies, and you have the makings of a great novel. And it’s set in Scotland, a fun country to read about—even in the midst of World War I. The saga seemed authentic, with plenty of drama, twists, and surprises, although I found it easy to guess who was behind the disasters. Join Alec MacGregor as he fights to save his ancestral domain and Lily Durham, an American who is helping to nurse the “Tommies” at the convalescent home set up in Kinclavoch Castle, for an adventure you won’t soon forget. I received a copy from Celebrate Lit. All opinions are my own.

This is my first book to read by this author and I can tell you it will not be the last. I loved this book, it had my attention from the very first chapter. Beauty Among Ruins is set in Scotland during the Great War. It all takes place in the small village of Laggan and its nearby estate Kinclavoch Castle. The estate is crumbling and has few tenants or servants for there is no money to keep it up. Little by little parts of the estate has to be sold to keep up the rest. The laird, Alec MacGregor has opened his home to soldiers that are healing and recuperating from the physical and mental traumas from the battlefield. He feels like he is a failure for not joining in the battle, but an old wound keeps him at home, hence opening up his home for a hospital, gives him some satisfaction. Among the nurses at this “hospital” is Lily Durham, a wealthy young American socialite that has been shipped to England to stay with her cousin BeIty, by her parents in hopes that the change will turn her into a “proper lady.” Both she and her cousin volunteer to work as nurses, but Lily being American has different thoughts about how to treat the patients and causes quite an upheaval. This just adds to Alec’s problems. He never dreamed he would have to contend with such a person, as all he wants to do is stay secluded in his part of the castle and nurse his wound. But he cannot escape Lily as there is always some complaint surrounding her…..You will love the drama, suspense, mystery and everything concerning this novel. The author does a fantastic job in creating these characters, you feel like you are actually in their presence. I highly recommend this book….Thank you so much to Thomas Nelson-Fiction for the ARC of this novel, it was spectacular. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

From the first page of this book I fell in love with Lily. I loved her zest for life, her spunk and her desire to want more out of life. Despite all she had been through, she learned to live an I admired that.
Alec was a wonderful character too. He suffered under the burden of trying to pick up the pieces after his father had messed things up, his sister's health and his mother's stubbornness and a slimy journalist that just wouldn't quit
I admired his strength under the circumstances and loved his interactions with Lily from the start.
It was a beautiful story and would be the joy of every historical romance lover.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author. All opinions expressed are solely mine

When Lily Durham shows up at Alec MacGregor’s home, she’s the unstoppable force that runs roughshod over an immoveable object—Alec.
Feeling that her fun-loving nature serves no purpose, Lily can’t help but toss confetti of fun and joy into her every circumstance. And at Kinclavoch Castle, she just might realize that laughter truly is the best medicine. And her seeming frivolity truly is her best gift.
Lily’s sunshine spills into Alec’s shadows, both of his heart and of his home, while his solid and staid nature tempers her impetuous tendencies.
As they navigate new territory together and overcome one obstacle after another, they take on the most daunting task of all—their hearts.
Ms. Ciesielski’s writing is a wonderful mix of color and emotion, vivid setting and depth of emotion. Like an artist’s acrylic pour (this reader’s newest artistic outlet) each element shifts together with the other, creating a most illustrious masterpiece. Like veins in a piece of marble.

ROBIN’S FEATHERS
ALL | THE | FEATHERS!

I received a complimentary copy of this book, but was under no obligation to read the book or to post a review. I offer my review of my own free will. The opinions expressed in my review are my honest thoughts and reaction to this book.

#Blogwords, Tuesday Reviews-Day, #TRD, Book Review, Beauty Among Ruins, J’nell Ciesielski, Celebrate Lit Publicity

It has been a joy to read a book rich in history while sweeping across the ocean. The author describes the time period with excellence and gives readers a front row seat as the curtains open on a journey to a castle thst has seen better days. It cries out for someone to bring it back to beauty where joy is found.

Lilly is everything I like in a character. She is sassy, stubborn, delightful and perhaps a little annoying to some. How she got to the castle is a minor detail when you realize she was meant to be there for emotional support. I loved how she took on jobs that were not all that fun. Her compassion for her patients bring them peace and hope.

Alec is rather snotty at times and dare I say a bit boring. He is proper and won’t stand for any shenanigans. Oh how I laughed as I read as Lilly pushed his buttons with disregard to rules. She is a nurse but to me she was just what the castle needed to bring it back to life. It seems rather dreary and dark in the hallways as maids scattered about afraid to speak. Alec does have a redeeming quality which made me like him. He is determined to care for his family and keep the castle running.

The work that is being done to help soldiers that have been injured is dear to Alec. He has opened his home for them to get the best of care and find rest in the midst of chaos. The story is inviting and at times very funny with Lilly getting lost in the castle. Oh I had high hopes for her and Alec to become attracted to each other. After all opposites do attract, so they say.

There is a part in the story where a soldier is kidnapped right out of his bed while being cared for at the castle. Now what is that about? Is it someone who wants to cause others to question the work being done there? Or perhaps it’s the person who is insistent on buying the land and castle from Alec? I couldn’t wait to find out what was in store for our sassy Lilly and brooding Alec. I loved learning more about the war and how it caused emotional damage as well physical damage.

Set in a picturesque background the author delivers a story of determination, survival, trust and mystery. This is one story I really didn’t want to end. I became very fond of the characters and loved how each one added something to enhance the story. I can say for sure that this is one book not to be overlooked. It is charming, with a bit of nobility mixed in that makes me want to travel back in time to sit with Lilly and enjoy her enthusiasm for life.

The ending is filled with tragedy and wraps up the mystery with finesse . Some people are so greedy they will do anything to get what they want. In the end truth prevails and I am happy to know that Alec can begin to enjoy life again without the threat of danger anymore. Lilly is the one thing missing that may bring Alec hope for the future.

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.