Beauty Among Ruins by J'nell Ciesielski

From the publisher: 

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?

 

Let me preface this by saying that romance isn't one of my usual genres, so this won't be from an experienced fan's viewpoint. Despite this, I've somehow found myself on the romance email lists, and of course I'll look at the blurb of every book that comes my way. I've had a little more success enjoying historical or paranormal romances, so between the cover and the description, I figured I'd give this one a try.

I very much enjoyed Downton Abbey and that definitely influenced me picking this one up. There's very much the same flavor here, given the same time period and similar setting. As described by the publisher, the book follows Lily and Alec as they deal with the War, financial hardships, and their growing feelings for each other. The 'mysterious events' provide a narrative framework for moving the story along, but I would have been just as happy without them, or if they were toned down a little. The characters are well developed, with definite growth in both Lily and Alec, the dialog is believable, and the author was kind enough to include a Gaelic and Scots glossary. Reading the publisher's description again, Lily's backstory could have stood with a bit more developing; the book opens with her sneaking up from a servants' party, but other than that there is little written on what was bad enough to send her away. 

I really enjoyed this book, and I'm very glad I took a chance on it. I definitely recommend it for romance fans, and those who enjoyed Downton Abbey. Beauty Among Ruins will be available at the Galesburg Public Library after its January 12, 2021 release date. Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for the ARC. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.