A Beauty So Rare

This is a story that intertwines history and fiction.    The story takes place in Nashville TN, not long after the civil war.

In this story we are introduced to Eleanor Braddock, plain, practical, no stunning Southern beauty; a single woman past her prime of marriage.  But with a dying soldier's last whisper, she believes her life can still have meaning and determines to find his widow.  Penniless and struggling to care for her ailing father has been determined to get along in life with her father; who has a faltering memory.   Eleanor arrives at Belmont Mansion, home of her aunt, Adelicia Acklen, the richest woman in America--and possibly the most demanding, as well.  , Adelicia promised Eleanor’s father to find her niece a husband, but a simple act of kindness leads Eleanor down a far different path--building a home for destitute widows and fatherless children from the Civil War. While Eleanor knows her own heart, she also knows her aunt will never approve of this endeavor.

Then we are introduced to the Archduke Marcus Gottfried who has come to Nashville from Austria in search of a life he controls, instead of one determined for him. Hiding his royal heritage, Marcus desires to combine his passion for nature with his expertise in architecture, but his plans to incorporate natural beauty into the design of the widows' and children's home run contrary to Eleanor's wishes. As work on the home draws them closer together, Marcus and Eleanor find common ground and a love neither of them expects.

Complete with discussion question, this is an excellent book to be used for a reading circle, or just on one’s own to give thought to what one is reading.   This is an excellent book, well written and hard to put down!

 I received this book free from Baker Publishing. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”