
Kind, plain, and practical, Eleanor Braddock has come to Nashville for a new life after the Civil War. I am privileged to be a part of a special group of reviewers who have access to extras on the novel – you can find a savory custard recipe from the novel here, and a shortbread recipe soon to come! Rich in historical details, it is set at the beautiful Belmont Mansion in Nashville (still standing today). From USA Today bestselling author Tamera Alexander 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.I’m so happy to be sharing my review of Tamera Alexander’s latest novel, A Beauty So Rare¸ today! It is a beautiful novel that shares the hearts of the characters – and the beauty of God’s provision for us. But Marcus is not the man Adelicia has chosen for Eleanor, and even if he were, someone who knows his secrets is about to reveal them all. As work on the home draws them closer together, Marcus and Eleanor find common ground-and a love neither of them expects. Hiding his royal heritage, Marcus longs 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. Archduke Marcus Gottfried has come to Nashville from Austria in search of a life he determines, instead of one determined for him. While Eleanor knows her own heart, she also knows her aunt will never approve of this endeavor.


Adelicia insists on finding 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. Impoverished and struggling to care for her ailing father, Eleanor arrives at Belmont Mansion, home of her aunt, Adelicia Acklen, the richest woman in America-and possibly the most demanding, as well. Plain, practical Eleanor Braddock knows she will never marry, but with a dying soldier's last whisper, she believes her life can still have meaning and determines to find his widow. Pink is not what Eleanor Braddock ordered, but maybe it would soften the tempered steel of a woman who came through a war-and still had one to fight.
