Beauty Among Ruins

A Novel of the Great War

By: J'nell Ciesielski

Narrated by: Kate Rudd

Length: 12 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

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?

Praise for Beauty Among Ruins

“An atmospheric, engrossing romance for fans of Downton Abbey and Somewhere in France. A real gem!” (Aimie K. Runyan, internationally best-selling author)

“A satisfying and highly enjoyable read that I recommended for readers of historical fiction, mystery, and romance.” (Tea Cooper, author of The Woman in the Green Dress)

• World War I historical romance
• Full-length stand-alone novel
• Book length: 113,000 words

©2021 J'nell Ciesielski (P)2021 Thomas Nelson

Couldn’t put it down

I’ve been waiting nearly a year for Tennessee Reads to have this available for me. Snapped it up and began immediately.

At first I didn’t care much for Lilly. She seemed arrogant and spoiled. But as her good heart came through in service to others I couldn’t help but care deeply for her.

And of course I didn’t much care for Alec at first either. He was gruff and unyielding. But his love for his sister and need to protect their dignity and home was just a glimpse into the man underneath.

Love, love Scottish settings and history. Books like this always make me want to go. Okay, not in the winter. Brrr.

This was an audio version and it was quite good!

An absolute joy of a book.

Nicely done

This is an enjoyable clean mystery romance set during the early years of WWI in Scotland. The narrator has a good story telling voice though her rendition of men’s voices aren’t the greatest. Yes, I will probably listen to this again.

Incredible Story!!!

Captivating Listen! Beauty Among Ruins by J'nell Ciesielski is incredible! I loved the vibrant imagery of the castle setting in Scotland during WW!. The characters the author wrote were intriguing in their wounded ways. Taking debutants and aristocrats and making them nurses or soldiers was a way of life back then. The author wove a great storyline where duty was above all else. There were several different storylines going on in this book that meshed together. There was also some added suspense in the book and some nefarious deeds. The main characters of Lilly and Alec were so compelling individually and their interactions together. They had great chemistry and banter. Kate Rudd performed this book flawlessly. She captivated my attention and I could visualize so many details. She really brought the characters to life with her voice. I loved the burr she put in her voice too. #Net Galley thank you so very much for the review copy audiobook, I loved it so much that I purchased a copy of it for myself. This is a fantastic listen! I absolutely loved it and highly recommend it.

i liked this one

it is basically the same story as "among the poppies" by the same author was, but I'm not complaining. i wanted something similar and this... is definitely that.
i really liked alec and his wound, it made him interesting.
the narrator was a bit meh. her Scottish wasn't very good and her male voices were very nasal: i understand it's hard to make a low voice, but all the men sounded like they had the flu.

Great light read

I love this book. It is light, romantic, but still worth its twists. It’s one you could read over and over again.

Bad narration of Scottish men

Story is okay - entertaining but not great. Narration was fine until she did the male voices. Terrible. Murdered the Scottish accent. Sad to have wasted my credit on this but if it’s ever free it’s a way to pass the time.

Poor choice of narrator

The story is good for its genre. However, when choosing a narrator for a story that takes place in Scotland, the producers need to find someone who can read with a Scots and British accent!

Cheesy and a little boring

Stuck up society type characters. Mostly one dimensional. No real passion in this book. I finished the book but would not use a credit this author again.

I give up….

This was awful - poor writing, bad narration, cardboard characters, predictable story. Don’t understand the good reviews.