Surprised by Love Book Review

 The Heart of San Francisco

Book Three

SUMMARY:  She can turn the head of the man spurned her - but can she turn his heart?

     When Megan McClure left San Francisco to study in Paris, no one would accuse her of being poised and pretty.  But on the other side of the Atlantic, this wallflower blossomed into a beauty with big dreams.  When she returns to California and accepts an internship at the district attorney's office, she's thrilled that her life is taking shape.  But the exciting opportunity quickly loses its glow when she discovers she'll be working alongside Devin Caldwell, who mercilessly mocked her at school - and with whom she was hopelessly enamored.

     Bram Hughes is the best friend to whom Megan has always turned for support and advice.  But when she seeks his counsel about working with Devin Caldwell, Bram's vision is clouded by his sudden unwelcome attraction to a girl he had always thought of as a little sister.  He advises forgiveness, but can he forgive himself for pushing the woman he loves into the arms of another man?

REVIEW:  Of the three books in this series, this one is my favorite!  I love how Megan has come into her own, making a few minor changes to her appearance that makes major waves at home.  She takes the DA's office by storm, making her name for herself with the projects she is given being completed thoroughly and in a timely manner.  My favorite part was how a bunch of loose ends are tied up and the surprises that occur at the end of the book.  This is a great end to this series.  I look forward to reading more by this author.

This book was provided by Revell for review without compensation.

Julie Lessman is an award-winning author of The Daughters of Boston series, the Winds of Change series and The Heart of San Francisco series.  The recipient of seventeen Romance Writers of America and other awards, Lessman was chosen as the #1 Romance Fiction Author of the Year in the Family Fiction magazine 2011 and 2012 Readers' Choice Awards.  She resides in Missouri with her family.  Learn more at www.julielessman.com.

Dare to Love Again Book Review

The Heart of San Francisco Series

Book Two

SUMMARY:  She's a sassy socialite burned by love.  He's a jaded cop burned by the upper class.  When sparks fly ... will love catch fire again?

     Spunky Allison McClare is determined to be a fearless, independent woman.  But when she takes a notion to explore the wild Barbary Coast, she quickly discovers she's no match for the unsavory characters that haunt the dark streets.

     Detective Nick Barone would rather do almost anything than teach this petite socialite self-defense, but it seems he has little choice.  Sparks fly every time the two meet until a grudging friendship develops into something deeper.  But is he just a fraud like all the rest of the men Allison's cared for?  Or is he the one who will let her dare to love again?

REVIEW:  This book basically picks up where Love at Any Cost leaves off but follows Alli as she, Cassie, and Mrs. McClare open their school for the needy children in Barbary Coast, a seedy area of San Francisco.  I like Alli's spunk but at times wondered about her when she let her bull-headedness get in the way of common sense.  She is not afraid to work late and take a cable car home by herself , having to walk through some of the worst areas of town to do so.  I like how she is ready to learn how to defend herself from any potential attackers and not standing on social priorities to do so.  She's not afraid to go after what she wants but does fear her bad choices in men will never end.

     I liked how the story ended but also thought it left the story hanging as it ends the day before Jamie and Cassie's wedding.  It ended too quickly because I wanted to see how everyone reacts to Logan's news about Jamie and how the family would react to Nick's return.  I guess that is something for the next book in the series to cover.  

     Great book.  Can't wait to read more.

 

This book was provided by Revell for review without compensation.

 

Julie Lessman  is an award-winning author of The Daughters of Boston and Winds of Change series and was ACFW's 2009 Debut Author of the Year.  Votes #1 Romance Author of the year in Family Fiction magazine's 2012 and 2011 Readers Choice Awards, Julie was also on Booklist's 2010 Top 10 Inspirational Fiction list and is the recipient of fifteen RWA awards.  You can contact Julie at www.julielessman.com.

Love at Any Cost Book Review

The Heart of San Fransisco Series

Book One

SUMMARY:  He's looking to take care of his family.  She's looking to take care of her heart.  Trouble is ... love's looking to take care of them both.

     Cassidy McClare is a spunky Texas oil heiress without a fortune who would just as soon hogtie a man as look at him.  Jilted by a fortune hunter, Cassidy travels west hoping a summer visit with her wealthy cousins in San Fransisco will help her forget her heartache.  But no sooner is she settled in beautiful California than Jamie McKenna, a handsome pauper looking o marry well, captures her heart.  Can love prevail when Jamie discovers that Cassidy is poorer than he is? And can Cassidy ever learn to fully trust her heart to a man?

      Bestselling author Julie Lessman brings the delectable Gilded Age to life in this sumptuous new series.  Join your favorite romantic storyteller as she moves to the hills of San Fransisco for more romance, passion, and surprising revelations.

 

REVIEW:   Cassidy is a refreshing heroine.  I love how she does not like to conform to society's norms and is not afraid to speak her mind.  She attends a formal dance and doesn't wear a corset (an important article of clothing for a respectable lady) and prefers jeans and cowboy boots.  She can best any man at billiards, poker and pinochle without blinking an eye.  Most importantly, she doesn't let the events of her recent break-up and the difficulties she has with Jamie interfere or affect her relationship with God.  In fact, it helps her grow stronger.  She prays for Mark, her former beau, and for Jamie when it looks like he is only after her supposed fortune too.

     Jamie is a different hero.  He admits right out of the starting gate that he is only interested in women who can advance his career, help him get into politics and who has a fortune.  When you find out why he is doing it, you understand even more about his character, which isn't all bad.  Instead of trusting God to help in in his pursuit to help his crippled sister and his family get out of the slums, he is trusting in himself and his potential mate to get him what he wants. 

     One of my favorite parts of the book is when Jamie FINALLY gives his heart and desires over to God and gets to watch God do amazingly more than he ever hoped or imagined for his sister and himself.

      This is an intriguing book that I think anyone would enjoy, especially if you like heroines who like to show what she is made of and then some.

This book was provided by Revell for review without compensation.

 

Julie Lessman is an award-winning author of the Daughters of Boston and Winds of Change series and was ACFW's 2009 Debut Author of the Year. Voted #1 Romance Author of the year in Family Fiction magazine's 2012 and 2011 Readers Choice Awards, Julie was also on Booklist's 2010 Top 10 Inspirational Fiction list and is the recipient of fourteen RWA awards.  You can contact Julie at www.julielessman.com.

A Light in the Window E-book Review

http://www.julielessman.com/contest/

SUMMARY:  One Woman. Two Men.  One stirs her pulse and the other her faith.  But who will win her heart?
     Marceline Murphy is a gentle beauty with a well-founded aversion to rogues. But when two of Boston's most notorious pursue her, she encounters a tug-of-war of the heart she isn’t expecting. Sam O’Rourke is the childhood hero she’s pined for, the brother of her best friend and a member of the large, boisterous family to which she longs to be a part. So when his best friend Patrick O’Connor joins in pursuit of her affections, the choice seems all too clear. Sam is from a family of faith and Patrick is not, two rogues whose wild ways clash head-on with Marcy’s—both in her faith and in her heart.
     While overseeing the Christmas play fundraiser for the St. Mary’s parish soup kitchen—A Light in the Window—Marcy not only wrestles with her attraction to both men, but with her concern for their spiritual welfare. The play is based on the Irish custom of placing a candle in the window on Christmas Eve to welcome the Holy Family, and for Marcy, its message becomes deeply personal. Her grandmother Mima cautions her to guard her heart for the type of man who will respond to the "light in the window," meaning the message of Christ in her heart. But when disaster strikes during the play, Marcy is destined to discover the truth of the play’s message first-hand when it becomes clear that although two men have professed their undying love, only one has truly responded to “the light in the window.”

REVIEW:   This book is a prequel to Julie's series about the O'Connor family.  Having read a few of the later books in the series, it was great getting to see how the family got started.  One of my favorite developments was how Marcy's strong faith helped Patrick change his character, rise above his circumstances and become a better person.  Her faith also helps guide her in many decision making situations and helps her to not give up when things start looking bleak.  This is a great book that is worth checking out.

This e-book was provided by Julie Lessman for review without compensation.

 Julie Lessman is the popular author of A Passion Most Pure, A Passion Redeemed, and A Passion Denied, as well as A Hope Undaunted,  which was one of 2010's Booklist Top Ten Inspirational Fiction winners, and A Hope Revealed.  Lessman has garnered several writing awards, including fourteen Romance Writers of America Awards, and was chosen as the #1 Romance Fiction Author of the Year in the Family Fiction magazine 2012 and 2011 Readers Choice Awards.  She lives in Missouri. You can contact Julie through her website at www.julielessman.com.

 

A Love Surrendered Book Review

Winds of Change Series

Book #3

SUMMARY:  She's hoping to find her first true love.  He's hoping to forget his.  Will her secret come between them?

     Orphaned in Iowa, Annie Kennedy has moved to Boston and is embracing the city life, with a new name and a wide-open future.  When she gets involved with a fast crowd at Ocean Pier - one that included the handsome Steven O'Connor - she is pulled deeper and deeper into a world of rule breakers and mischief makers.  She finds herself drawn to Steven and the whole O'Connor family.  But a secret Annie is keeping has the power to destroy her best-laid plans.

     Will Steven ever see her as more than a sweet country girl who needs protecting?  And will he break her heart when he finds out who she really is?

     With heart-pounding romance, intense family drama, and the emotional twists and turns Julie Lessman fans have come to expect, A Love Surrendered will ignite your senses and inspire your spirit.

REVIEW:  I like the development of Annie's faith and character.  After the death of her father and having to move to Boston to live with an aunt, Annie is at a crossroads with her faith.  Aunt Eleanor is not easy to love with her very strict ways and her hard demeanor, so different from her loving father.  But, after a few bad decisions and an incident with Stephen, Annie chooses to live her life the way God intended and makes prayer and restraint a part of her life.  In doing so, she touches the lives of those around her for good.  Aunt Eleanor also has a change of heart and becomes the loving and guiding parent-figure Annie and Glory both need.  Stephen, convinced at first that Annie was still just a little girl wanting to play at being a woman, realizes God has changed her heart and it's the real deal.  When faced with some very difficult decisions, Annie holds strong to prayer and God's Word, trusting that He would lift her up, and walking the high road.  

     This is the third book in the Winds of Change series and the sixth book about the O'Connor family but it stands well on it's own.  Julie's novels are called Passion with a Purpose with good reason.  Though she doesn't go into detail about the intimate relationships of her characters, the author does show what a biblical marriage can look like and the struggles single people have with the feelings and impulses that are intended for marriage. 

This book was provided by Revell for review without compensation.

Available October 2012 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

Julie Lessman is the popular author of A Passion Most Pure, A Passion Redeemed, and A Passion Denied, as well as A Hope Undaunted,  which was one of 2010's Booklist Top Ten Inspirational Fiction winners, and A Hope Revealed.  Lessman has garnered several writing awards, including fourteen Romance Writers of America Awards, and was chosen as the #1 Romance Fiction Author of the Year in the Family Fiction magazine 2012 and 2011 Readers Choice Awards.  She lives in Missouri. You can contact Julie through her website at www.julielessman.com.

A Heart Revealed Book Review

SUMMARY:  Her heart is tied to a youthful vow... but can true love set it free?
     Ten years ago, Emma Malloy fled Dublin for Boston, running for her life.  Her emotional wounds have finally faded, and her life is now full of purpose and free from the pain of her past.  But when she falls for her friend Charity's handsome and charming brother, Sean O'Connor, fear and shame threaten to destroy her.  Could Sean and Emma ever have a future together?  Or is Emma doomed to live out the rest of her life denying the only true love she's ever know?
     Filled with intense passion and longing, deception and revelation, A Heart Revealed will hold you in its grip until the very last page.

REVIEW:  This book was AWESOME!!!  I had a really hard time putting it down.  This is second of two phenomenal books I've read recently.  Everything about the characters and the storyline grabbed my attention: Charity's friendship with Emma that is so strong Charity would do anything to help Emma;  the O'Connor family who looks past Emma's physical scars and sees the beautiful woman she is inside; the long standing deep friendship between Sean and Emma;  Emma's determination to keep her wedding vows even though her husband was abusive, lives in a different country, and she hasn't seen him in ten years; and last, but not least, the depth of Emma's relationship with Jesus Christ, knowing He helped heal her of abusive past and will always be there for her.  Emma is probably the best heroine I've ever read (and I've read a TON of books).  Julie Lessman did an outstanding job on this book.  She has written several others about the O'Connor family and I want to try to find them.  I'm sure they are as good as this one.

Available September 2011 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

This book was provided by Revell for review without compensation.

Julie Lessman is the popular author of A Passion Most Pure, A Passion Redeemed, and A Passion Denied, as well as A Hope Undaunted, which was one of 2010's Booklist Top Ten Inspirational Fiction winners.  Lessman has garnered several writing awards, including ten Romance Writers of America awards.  She lives in Missouri.  You can contact Julie through her website at www.julielessman.com.