I fell in love with this author when she wrote her last book. This one had me at "nurse". As one myself, I love reading about what nurses went through in other times and found this story to be heartbreaking and warm at the same time. I cannot fathom the great tragedy that the characters endured, but I enjoyed reading how they overcame the struggles of the time.

WWI feels like an invisible war. Beauty Among Ruins is set in Scotland and those returning from war, needing care, are terrified of an unseen enemy thanks to trench warfare. Overall, this was beautifully written.

I loved listening to the narrator. I felt transported to another time and place.

Beauty Among Ruins is a great romance, full of mysteries, gripping characters, and lovely friendships.

American socialite Lily Durham was forced by her parents to move to Britain in hopes that she will become a proper Lady. But ever the rebel, Lily decides to volunteer with her cousin as a nurse in Kinclavoch Castle. Lily expected to help the wounded soldiers, and have a lovely adventure.
What she didn't expect was to meet Alec MacGregor.
All Alec MacGregor wants is to save his home from the mess his late father created. But with each painting that must be sold, it seems as if Kinclavoch Castle is destined for ruination.
An old injury left Alec unable to join the horrible war, thus Alec decides to open his house for the wounded soldiers and their caring nurses.
The last thing he needs is meddlesome and free-spirited Lily Durham, who seems to always find herself where she shouldn't be.
But after one of the wounded soldiers was kidnapped before he reaches Kinclavoch Castle, Alec and Lily join forces to solve the mystery. And as Lily befriends Alec's ill sister, he suddenly sees Lily in a different light.

Full of banter and mysteries, Beauty among Ruins sucked me into Lily's and Alec's worlds.
One of the things I love the most about this novel is that both Alec and Lily wore their flaws on their sleeves, and are truly relatable characters. They also managed to grow and evolve.
Lily is very impulsive and that always seems to get her into some awkward and even dangerous situations. She doesn't care at all about society's standards, which makes her all the more interesting. Lily is also too stubborn for her own good, but as the plot evolved and more "accidents" begin to occur in Kinclavoch Castle, that same stubbornness only seems to help her.
Whereas Alec has allowed his guilt and shame to control every aspect of his life. Sometimes Alec is too proud and makes some not so smart decisions due to that. But Alec will do anything to help the people in his care, be it his sister, the soldiers, or Lily.
Alec and Lily truly seem to complete one another and help each other grow. Lily matured and became more responsible, and Alec became more friendly and open to the outside world.

Overall I truly enjoyed reading about two very realistic characters who were able to find each other through all the mysteries and the obstacles that life threw at them.

I enjoyed this story based on real life character, Lily Durham. Lily is an American heiress who got into a few situations that caused her parents to banish her to England just prior to The Great War. She is to live with her cousin, Bertie and her family, but is stranded when WWI breaks out. Bertie wants to do her part, especially after her brother is sent to the front and trains as a nurse. Lily trains as an Aide, and they both head off to Scotland for assignment. Kinclavoch Castle is a convalescent home for wounded soldiers in the wilds of Scotland. Alec MacGregor, owner of the castle, is desperately trying to keep afloat and repair the crumbling Highland Castle that he inherited from his father and Laird of clan MacGregor. Because Lily is rather impetuous and does not always think about what her choices may do, she does not get along well with either Alec or Marton Strom, the one she answers to. As everyone gets to know Lily and realizes that her heart is in the right place, they begin to warm to her. With one problem after another occurring at the Castle, Alec begins to realize that he may not be able to save his home.

I really enjoyed Lily's character. She seemed to be a natural nurse's aide. Her caring and upbeat nature is a winner with the patients. She does get herself into a few problems, but nothing that isn't handled well. There is a bit of a mystery going on in this story. There are not only mishaps and problems in the castle, but several incidents seem to point to Lily as being negligent when she did or did not do things to cause them. I enjoyed watching the relationships develop in this story. There were a couple of romances happening as well as Lily and Alec's sister's friendship. I do not want to ruing this story for anyone, so will not say more. This was a very enjoyable mystery, romance, historical fiction with some fun and suspense. I do recommend this one to those who enjoy a good historical fiction without a lot of trauma.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Kate Rudd. She does a great job narrating this story, putting just the right emphasis where needed, and assists in building the suspense in the story. She also does a good job giving the various characters their own voice using tone, inflection and accents well. I always enjoy books that she has narrated. I was gifted a copy of this book upon request. The rating and opinions shared are my own.

Set in the scotland during World War One, we follow the journey of America Socialite Lily Durham. She ends up in Europe in hopes to settle her down into a proper lady. Only the war breaks out. Her cousin convinces her to join her in Scotland to help nurse the wounded. Lily is thrust into situations she never expected. I liked Lilly. She had determination and spunk. She brings joy to those around her. She was normal and someone I would have wanted for a friend. Alec is a great brooding scotsman who had so much on plate. I liked him. He definitely grew on me.
I loved watching Lilly and Alec interact with each other. All of the characters were well written and real. I found myself rooting for some of them and others I disliked immensely. I find that I learn something every time I read fiction. Especially historical fiction. I learned more about the houses turned hospital for the wounded. The difficulties of taking care of the soldiers. I could clearly picture this story well. It made me want to learn more about the time period.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the publisher. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

We begin with our lovely American socialite protagonist, Lily Durham, who's
been banished to England by her parents to learn how to become a "proper" young lady that some one will want to marry. Unfortunately, while overseas, the Great War has began, and we finds Lily and her sweet cousin working as nurses to help wounded, recovering soldiers in Scotland. Wounded soldiers are convalescing in Laird Alec MacGregor's home, the Kinclavoch Castle, where he has spent his entire life living and now trying to preserve.

Ciesielski has crafted a completely gorgeous tale rich not only in amazing historical fiction details in the backdrop of World War I Scotland, but also thrown in a bit of mystery, and full of heart and strong characters that I quickly found myself becoming invested in the characters.

If you are interested in beautifully written historical fiction that is filled with facts and absolutely wonderfully written characters, then this is definitely the book for you.

Well-written historical romance set in Scotland during the final years of World War I. The heroine is a New York society debutante who refuses to marry a man deemed socially appropriate. As a punishment, she is sent to stay with relatives in Scotland. However, rather than changing her mind and agreeing to meet her parents demands, the heroine chooses to accompany her cousin to a remote Scottish castle treating injured soldiers. She becomes so dedicated to caring for the soldiers that she's willing to live and work under extreme hardship. At the same time, she and the Laird of the castle develop a mutual attraction. Despite numerous obstacles--from her family, his family, and jealous co-workers--the hero and heroine learn and grow and surmount all obstacles on their way to a HEA. I think the author did a good job integrating information about soldiers injured in WWI and the nurses who cared for them. The narration was excellent.

Beauty Among the Ruins by J’nell Ciesielski follows New York socialite, Lily Durham, on a journey across the ocean to her relatives in England. Her parents hope she gains a sense of direction and responsibility, but they never imagined how playing a role among war-torn men would change her forever. Alec MacGregor is giving all of himself to keep his family’s crumbling legacy--Kinclavoch castle and the abounding estate--from bankruptcy and ruin. But a bubbly American works her way under his skin and changes his perspective on almost everything, but especially himself.
The author has a special gift for painting a luscious landscape of the land surrounding Kinclavoch, to the point you can see the beautiful, rolling hills of the Scottish estate and wish to stroll beside the loch in the spring to see the wildflowers. The descriptions brought a vividness to the story and made you feel as if you were walking alongside the characters.
And those characters are wonderful. Lily may be flippant in her duties at Kinclavich castle at first, but she quickly comes to realize the value of what she is doing. I loved her optimistic attitude, and I am jealous of her ability to handle hostile situations with grace (and maybe a little venom).
Alec is a grumbly mystery, but it is impossible not to have respect for a man who tries so hard to provide for his family and his fellow countryman. He is part of the noble beauty of Kinclavoch, and it was both entertaining and heartwarming to watch Lily soften his heart little by little.
I listened to this book on audio, and I loved it! Hearing the Scottish brogue and Gaelic sayings made the story even more genuine.
Overall, I loved this story. The Scottish countryside. The witty quips from Lily. The brooding of Alec. This is a beautiful, historical romance that also has a twist or two of mystery. This is a novel you will devour but wish you didn’t have to reach the end! Any fan of historical fiction/romance will enjoy Beauty Among the Ruins.
I was given a copy of this book by the publisher with no expectation of a positive review. All opinions are my own.

There are lots of plot summaries available on this book if you wish to read about the story. Hereafter is my personal review of this book. I chose to read this story because it was set in a part of the world near and dear to my heart, the time period is always appealing and who doesn't love a good love story! I really appreciated the variety of characters this book creates - even the dog has a personality. It has the gruff dowager lady, the curmudgeon lord of the manor, the backstabbing self-centered beauty, the unapproving parents and the ethereal sister to name a few! The characterization was appreciated and vivid. I enjoyed reading about the "finding purpose" of the main character as she finds herself caring for the collection of wounded souls in the story. It has a pleasantly predictable story line, not really too many twists and turns, but that is not surprising by the kind of book this is. I enjoyed reading the lyrical language describing the Scottish highlands and the duck out of water personality of Lily in the beginning. I appreciated the insertion of the odd Gaelic phrase and certainly the authentic Scottish vocabulary that is peppered through out. This was my first book by this author and I would happily read another by her. I was not dissatisfied by this story, it was pleasant and was what I anticipated - a lovely departure in time and place to find love on the Scottish Highlands! I received this book in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. My thanks to the publisher! #BeautyAmongRuins #NetGalley

Beauty Among Ruins is the first book by J'nell Ciesielksi that I have had the pleasure of reading. I actually got to enjoy the audiobook version and it was very well done. The narrator did a fabulous job with it. The story itself was also refreshing. It was nice to read a romance that didn't have sexual scenes or foul language. And, the descriptive pose in it was beautiful. I really felt that I was in Scotland walking among the heather and standing on the castle balcony. It makes me want to go for a visit and experience it myself! I truly enjoyed Lily and Alec's story. They both had great character arcs, coming into themselves as people who realized they both had gifts and talents to offer! Highly recommend. And I may have to look for a few more by Miss J'nell!
Thanks to #NetGalley for the chance to listen to the story and to the publisher! #beautyamongruins #Bookstagram #all_the_pages

J’nell Ciesielski very quickly joined my must-read author list with her debut, Among the Poppies. Her writing style immediately hooks me every time and I adore her characters, even the baddies are intriguing. Beauty Among Ruins lived up to and surpassed my all my hopes and expectations for this author! I adored every minute of this story and could not get enough of it. Lily was one of the most charming heroines I’ve read in quite a while and her romance with Alec was truly beautiful. The setting was amazing, we really don’t get enough books set in the Scottish Highlands, and I could feel the disuse and disrepair of Kinclavoch Castle. The mystery was intriguing, and I honestly was surprised by the end. I cannot wait to see what Ciesielski has in store for us next!

Kate Rudd did an excellent job with her narration of the audiobook! Each character had their own distinctive “voice” that didn’t get lost and jumbled together and she really brought the story to life. A great production.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

A historical romance set in Scotland during the First World War between an American socialite Lily Durham and a Scottish laird Alec MacGregor. I listened to this as an audiobook and liked it. It is a clean romance with a mystery angle to it and a good setting. I have previously heard Kate Rudd's narration for the book Cul-de-Sac and really enjoyed it. Her narration for this book is clear as well which made it easy for me to follow the story, but the Scottish accent she used for the Scottish characters was a bit let down.

My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher Thomas Nelson and the author for the audio-ARC of the book. The book was published on 12th January 2021.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐✨💫

Wayward American heiress, Lily, has no time for the delicate conventions of New York's upper crust. When her wild antics prove too much for her mother, she is packed off to boring old England to learn some manners.
With spectacularly bad timing she arrives just a few months before the outbreak of the first world war. The passage home is now too dangerous, and so she is stuck. Along with hoards of well bred young ladies she volunteers to help care for injured soldiers. She is assigned to a makeshift hospital in crumbling mansion in the wild Scottish lowlands. She sees up close the horrors of war, in the form of the damaged men returning from the front, but the war also brings her freedom. Although the work is hard, dirty and unglamorous, she is finally freed from the shackles and expectations of her class.
Lily's sense of adventure and bright eyed fun does not endear her to everyone, especially the stern matron. The growing attraction between her and the gruff estate owner further complicates matters, and as if that wasn't enough, there is a kidnapping and a poisoning. Lily suspects sabotage, but by whom? And just how far will it go?
This is a melodrama, pure and simple, the dashing laird on his trusty steed rescues the damsel in distress. There is shrieking and clutching of throats and fainting. I could absolutely see this as an ITV2 drama, the pastel shades of 1916, the pretty nurses and uniformed soldiers, the sweeping Scottish countryside, it is very atmospheric.
The author does play fast and loose with Scottish geography, the story is purportedly set in Lanarkshire, in the lowlands just east of Glasgow, but manages to fit in a large number of Highland romance tropes. The bekilted locals striding around the remote, rugged landscape, speaking Gaelic, cursing the English and swigging neat whisky. There are even some jokes about haggis, you can probably guess the rest. (Someone should tell the author that haggis tastes really nice – that is why we keep eating it (unless you are vegetarian – no-one likes vegetarian haggis)).
There are huge plot holes, including one super massive plot hole at the end, not so much a plot twist as a plot implosion, just when I thought I had heard it all. I will admit that is is enthusiastically written and fair bounds along. I think I might have enjoyed it more if the narration had been up to scratch, but sadly it was not.
The narrator has an American accent, I found some of the phrasing a little off, but this may be an American thing. I can't comment on the voicing of the American characters but the voicing of the Scottish and English characters was very far from realistic. I eventually had to pretend to myself that this story takes place in a strange nordic/irish enclave to get through it without laughing. The narrator seems to really struggle with the male characters also. I can imagine that narrating a book like this is a real skill and very complex, unfortunately I think that this was the wrong narrator for this particular book.
Would I have enjoyed this more with a better narrator? Absolutely, but, as lively and dramatic as this may be, it will never be a great book.

Beauty Among Ruins (Audiobook)
by J'nell Ciesielski
Narrated by Kate Rudd
The longing in Kate Rudd's voice is exceptional in giving the characters life, and comprehension of the story.
Beauty Among Ruins follows the life and times of nurses during the beginning of world war 1 and how the hardships of trench warfare change the reality of wars. As the story said, no longer are the knights arrayed for battle on a horse in armor. They are poor men in rough and rugged ill-fitted uniforms, with little preparation or correct supplies. Trudging in the mud and muck, they fight mostly unseen men, spending their life in terror. This affected the injured men greatly. Their horrors part of new reality of modern warfare, creating unknown ailments. The nursing of these men was difficult on its own. Add in the slowly crumbling Kinclavoch Castle, where the lord is slowly loosing all he has because of the excesses of his fathers behavior. The story centers on the aid, a young American , who volunteers to help these men. She has many barriers that are placed before her, not only the lacking of her education, but the cultural pitfalls cause Lilly to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Continual tragedy at Kinclavoch cause the lord to loose more and more of his heritage, as he is forced to sell off the land, and even place the castle on the market to cope with. The dark reality of the gentry loosing all they own because of modern methods of life, add a layer of difficulty in the story. The triumph of the characters is their redemption for staying the course to find their own independent way through one of England, and Scotland's most difficult times.

Love, love, LOVE! The banter between the hot-headed Scottish Alec and young Talk-Before-Thinking American Lilly had me laughing out loud. Lily's jolly optimism is endearing as the matron, a fellow nurse worker, Lard Alec himself, keep her humble. She makes the best of her situations as she strives for acceptance and meaningful life. Alec prideful lard who's facing many house repairs, possible foreclosure, and threats, doesn't feel worthy of his title and is solely focused on staying afloat keeps everyone at arm's length with his sharp tongue and sour mood.
This is the first book I've read by J''nell but it won't be my last. The beauty the hurt soldiers, Alec, and Lily find in this broken place and broken souls had me swooning with each poetic word the author penned not only in the romance but in the rawness of humanity and. the heart.

I liked this book a lot. I thought the character development and story were great. I liked the writing style and the narrator.

This book was fantastic. Lily Durham is an American heiress who doesn't always follow the rules. Her family sends her to England to stay with a cousin and hopefully learn to behave. World war one starts and Lily and her cousin want to do their part and train to be nurses. Lily gets sent to Scotland where she doesn't quite get along with Laird or with Matron Strom(who is also in charge of the hospital).

I really loved Lily. She was such a real and honest character. I couldn't help but want the best for her. Being a nurse during wartime really helped her grow up quickly. She didn't have time for her antics. She turned into a kind soul and exactly what the laird needed.

I loved the writing style and plan on reading all of J'nell Ciesielski's books. The narration was perfectly matched the story!

Lily Durham is a bold, blossoming young lady of society, but her parents find her a bit hard to put up with sometimes, especially in her saucy moods. The choice was easy to send her away to Scotland for a while. Paired with her cousin Birdy, these two are tending to the injured soldiers who are recovering at Kinclavoch Castle, which happens to be owned by the allegedly grumpy laird, Alec MacGregor...

For fans of Downton Abbey and other period dramas. Set during World War I in the great Scottish Highlands.

The last 20% of the book was terribly exciting. My only regret with this book is that it's published by Thomas Nelson, and while it was a sweet, clean story, there is no scripture or religious content to label it as Christian fiction. But nonetheless, it's still a good tale.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a free copy in return for an honest opinion.

A Scottish Historical Romance about Lily a American Heiress and Alex a Scottish Laird Two unlikely characters who develop a love hate relationship.
Good interesting facts about the hospitals during WWII,with drama,intrigue,mystery and a sweet romance.
Really enjoyed listening to.had no problem with narration.
A good romance.
Voluntarily reviewed.

I enjoyed this title, but I wasn't entirely keen on the narrator. Her accent sometimes fluctuated between something that sounded more like Pakistani or Jamaican than English or Scottish.

Alex, Lily, and their supporting characters were excellent, even Matron proved not to be such a dragon at the end. I did also appreciate the vague nods to various classic movies and novels in certain details. The geographical setting was realistic and well used too. I don't think there were any wild boars in Britain in 1915 though. Not even in the Highlands. They became extinct in the 1500s and weren't reintroduced until the 1950s.

I did spot a few Americanisms coming from the British characters, and I dunno, I why do all Scottish characters have to be these extreme nationalists? The English and Scottish actually have more in common that Americans like to admit.

An enjoyable historical novel which was little more lighthearted than some of the author's other offerings where the characters are on the front line of the war, or caught up in international intrigues.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson for approving my request for this audiobook. I was not required to write a positive review.

This book was absolutely lovely! It’s a clean romance set in historical Scotland. The location of this story was amazing! I felt like I was right there, and I loved it! The descriptions were beautiful and perfect!

I loved that the main character is completely out of her element as she is sent from America to Scotland. I liked seeing her off-balance throughout this. It made her character journey so fulfilling! Her nursing position during the Great War made the historical aspect of this story wonderful. I liked the details and research that clearly went into making this feel so real.

I enjoyed the romance between Alec and Lily. I enjoy an enemy to lovers trope, and I like a dark, brooding love interest, and I got both with this one. Their relationship has heat and sparks that fly between them as they start to melt and find the joy of each other’s company.

Overall, I really liked this book. The location was perfect, and the romance between the characters was heart melting.