A Beauty So Rare By Tamera Alexander Book Review

A Beauty So Rare

A Belmont Mansion Novel

 

Review Written By Madi

 

Book Title: A Beauty So Rare

Author: Tamera Alexander

Source: Bethany House Publishers

Genre: Historical Fiction, Christian Fiction

Number Of Pages: 476

ISBN: 978-0-7642-0623-8

Publisher: Bethany House

Year Of Publication: 2014

My Rating: Five Out Of Five Stars

 

Book Description
 

From the USA Today bestselling author of To Whisper Her Name and A Lasting Impression comes a moving historical novel about a bold young woman drawn to a group of people forgotten by Nashville society--and to the one man with whom she has no business falling in love.

Eleanor Braddock, a spinster--plain, practical, no stunning Southern beauty--has long since dismissed any hope of marriage. But when a dying soldier whispers his final words, she believes her life can still have meaning and determines to find his widow. But this compassionate deed takes a harsh turn, and Eleanor finds herself dependent upon the richest woman in America and the most despised woman in Nashville--her aunt, Adelicia Acklen, mistress of Belmont Mansion. A clandestine act of kindness leads Eleanor to an unlikely path for her life--building a home for destitute widows and children from the Civil War. And while Eleanor knows her own heart, she also knows her aunt will never approve.

Gerhard Marcus Gottfried, Archduke of the House of Habsburg and fourth in line to the Austrian throne, arrives in Nashville in search of a life he determines, instead of one determined for him. Collaborating with botanist Luther Burbank, Marcus seeks to combine his own passion for nature with his expertise in architecture. But his plans to incorporate natural beauty into the design of the widow's and children's home run contrary to the wishes of practical, frugal Eleanor, who sees his ideas as costly nonsense.

Yet as the construction project continues, Marcus and Eleanor find common ground--and a love neither of them expected. But Marcus is not the man Adelicia has chosen for Eleanor to marry, and even if he were, someone who knows Marcus's secrets is about to reveal them all.

 

Book Review
 

 This book was FABULOUS. I read the first book in this series (A Lasting Impression), and loved it so much that after I returned it to the library I went out and bought my own copy and have read it multiple times since. Tamera Alexander is a wonderful author, and I have yet to read a book of hers that I did not thoroughly enjoy (and I have read several). She always creates such candid characters that grasp my heart with two hands and pull me through their story with them. I love how she gives each character their own little trademark quirk. It's just precious. For example, in this novel, Eleanor has a thing about pink. She detests it with her whole being. And her father, Theodore, has a soft spot for sugary treats. It's little things like these that endear a character to readers, and I'm very impressed with how well Alexander incorporates these type of things into her books. She really makes sure that you know the character you are reading about. You know their personality, looks, preferences, and background before anything huge happens so that you can see the issue at hand through the eyes of her characters. I also like how her last couple of books were rather lengthy. I know that a lot of people consider that a downer because of the time that it takes to read a book so large, but I get so caught up in her stories that I'm sad when they're over. When good books are longer, it gives you more time to fully understand what's going on, and it lets you spend a little bit more time in your favorite novel. Now if it was a rather BORING book, I would want it to be much shorter, but A Beauty So Rare is anything but boring, and when you read it you will be glad for it's length. I'm gonna travel a little off topic for a second and talk about the cover. Isn't simply gorgeous? Thumbs up to whoever designed it! It perfectly represents the story. It looks so nice next to my copy of A Lasting Impression. Another thing that I like about this book is that although it is  part of a series, it is a stand alone novel as well. That means that you can read this book (the second one) without having to read the first one. You won't feel totally lost and not know what's going on if you don't read A Lasting Impression first. There are small connections to the two books to tie them together, but nothing so major as the story plot. I can't wait to see what this author writes next!

~Madi For The Literary Maidens

Note: I was provided with a free copy of this book by Bethany House Publishers in exchange for my honest opinion. I was not further compensated to review this product and all thoughts and sentiments expressed above are completely my own and unbiased.