Book Review of An American Beauty

Arabella is determined to save her family, even if it means working in a place that isn’t exactly respectable. What can one do in the war-torn Richmond, Virginia? Then she meets a man who could change all that. Known today as a great philanthropist, this woman’s story is shrouded in mystery and scandal. Read a possible scenario of how she became a woman too largely ignored in US history.

I love historical fiction especially if it is about people who often go missed. This is one such lady. I admit that I never heard of her. During and after the reading the book, I began researching her. To be honest, the book doesn’t even scratch the surface. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

This is a rough time in history as the United States turns to right itself after a horrific civil war. Many women are left widows with no one to support them. The struggle is real for all but a few select. As the money starts to return from the North, families will do anything to get some and stay alive. Arabella and her family are not alone. One of several children to a widow, she gets a job in an illegal gambling hall to put food on their table. But it leads her to a wealthy Northerner…a married one.

The book starts off with an intriguing start as we are taken into the world of post-Civil War South. (Okay, the actual beginning is much later but still intriguing.)…