A Beauty So Rare by Tamera Alexander #review

A Beauty So Rare by Tamera Alexander follows the story of Eleanor Braddock. Eleanor has been brought up to be practical and has always thought of herself as plain and not a typical Southern beauty. Due to her age she feels she will never marry. Impoverished and struggling to care for her father and his mental decline, Eleanor arrives at Belmont Mansion. Belmont Mansion is home to her aunt, Adelicia Acklen, the richest woman in America and also one of the most demanding. Adelicia is determined to find her niece a husband but Eleanor wants to follow a different path. From one act of kindness, Eleanor begins to take care of the widows and fatherless children from the Civil War, something she knows her Aunt will never understand nor approve of.

Archduke Marcus Gottfried has come to Nashville from Austria in search of a life that he dreams of instead of the one that has been preset for him. He hides his royal heritage so that he can follow his passion for nature and combining this with architecture. His dream is to develop the most marvelous building in American history.  He begins to work on the home that will help Eleanor care for the widows and their children and this begins to draw them closer together. They find so much in common and begin to fall in love.

A Beauty So Rare was a fantastic read from start to end. Eleanor was a character that you could easily relate to and connect with. She is a tad bit unsure of herself, determined to make her own way and go against society norms. Throughout the novel she is forced to struggle with her father’s mental decline which many can relate to and understand the difficulties that can arise with dementia. This is not an easy topic but throughout the novel she cared for him and did all she could for him.

Eleanor selflessness was one of her most admirable traits. She was always ready and willing to give more. She came to Nashville with little money in her pocket but she still cared for those less fortunate. Despite dreaming of owning her own restaurant she cooks and cares for those less fortunate. Her character really shows us that as Christians (and people in general) we are always called to care for others and give where we can. It has inspired me to help out more in my own community!

The love that blossomed between our two main characters was simple and sweet. The two characters made you smile, laugh and shake your head. Similar to moments in our own relationships with our significant others today!

A Beauty So Rare was full of historical places, people and information. This really helped to draw you into the story and see into Eleanor’s world. Tamera does an excellent job of re-creating society in this time period fully immersing you into this historical period.

Eleanor shows us that true beauty comes from within and shines through all of our acts of kindness and selflessness. A Beauty So Rare is a definite must read!

Rating: 5/5

Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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Win a NEW Spring Wardrobe from @TheQuiltsofLove | “Maybelle in Stitches” Giveaway!

Don’t miss the newest Quilts of Love book, Maybelle in Stitches, by Joyce Magnin. Maybelle can’t sew. But when she finds an unfinished quilt in the attic of her mother’s house, she gets the crazy idea to complete it.

Joyce is celebrating the release with a $200 Modcloth giveaway. Enter today for a chance to spruce up your spring wardrobe!

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  One winner will receive:

  • A $200 ModCloth.com gift card
  • Scraps of Evidence by Barbara Cameron
  • A Sky Without Stars by Linda S. Clare
  • Maybelle in Stitches by Joyce Magnin

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on April 19th. Winner will be announced on April 21st on the Quilts of Love blog!

Spread the word—tell your friends about the giveaway via FACEBOOK or TWITTER.

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#PJSpringCleaning Photo Challenge

How many of you have collected massive amounts of photos over the past couple of months? If you are anything like me (my poor kids!) you probably have hundreds of photos saved on your hard drive. Last count put me at 2000 (good thing my husband has not seen it yet!).

Posterjack wants to help you clean up your hard drive and give you the chance to win one of five $25 vouchers!

Starting next week, from April 7th to 11th, Posterjack will be hosting a photo challenge on Twitter with followers sharing photos using the hashtag #PJSpringCleaning that illustrates these five daily themes:

  • What was I thinking?!
  • Funniest candid moment (sure everyone has quite a few of these!)
  • I completely forgot that happened…..
  • Crazy how different they look
  • I want this photo on the wall (I have several of these!)

Posterjack is also offering readers 15% off their orders to help celebrate Spring. To redeem this offer, please use the code:  SpringCleaning before April 20th, 2014 at midnight.

Here is my photo I really really want on my wall:

 

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Enter to win a Kindle HDX from @TLHigley in THE QUEEN’S HANDMAID giveaway!

Tracy L. Higley is celebrating the release of The Queen’s Handmaid with a fun giveaway.

Retailers + Resources gave it this glowing review: “Rich in historic detail, Higley’s vivid writing brings to life the plots and intrigues that swirled through the ancient world as alliances were built and broken on the calculated schemes of power-mad monarchs.” 

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    • A Kindle Fire HDX
    • The Queen’s Handmaid by Tracy L. Higley

    Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on April 19th. Winner will be announced April 21st on Tracy’s blog.

    Don’t miss a moment of the fun; enter today and be sure to stop by Tracy’s blog on April 21st to see if you won.

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    Soccer Time! #WW

    With the arrival of spring brings about the return of outdoor soccer for our family. Our son plays competitive soccer and practices all year round but now with the good weather they will soon be outside.

    Today’s (not so) Wordless Wednesday post is dedicated to both my boys and their love of soccer!

    Make sure to link up your Wordless Wednesday post below so I can visit you too!

    Have a fabulous day!

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