Thursday, September 22, 2011

A Heart Revealed by Julie Lessman - REVIEWED


About the Book: (from the publisher)




Julie Lessman’s new novel A Heart Revealed (ISBN: 978-0-8007-3416-9, $14.99, 512 pages, September), the second offering in the “Winds of Change” series, opens in Boston in 1931, where thirty-one-year-old Emma Malloy has fled from an abusive marriage in Ireland.



Although her former husband has left her haunted and deeply scarred. Emma cannot help but develop strong feelings for her friend Charity’s brother, Sean O’Connor.



Described by his sister as very stubborn, Sean maintains that he is not the marrying kind. But as he and Emma draw closer and closer, will her strong, tender heart ensnare him and change his mind?




Transporting readers back to a time when the Empire State Building was brand new and the local speakeasy was a common destination, Lessman outlines the fascinating era and its citizens with deft precision.




Lessman, who has been hailed as a writer with noteworthy skill by Publishers Weekly has once again delivered an epic tale featuring vibrant characterization, wonderful thrills, sharp dialogue, and surprises both large and small.




My Thoughts:


With every novel, Julie Lessman created more complex and compelling characters. Still brimming with passion, A Heart Revealed explores a couple of very wounded lives struggling to find peace and wholeness during a time when even the nation they call home is falling to pieces financially. Julie explores a lot of different family relationships as well during the course of this story, adding a depth and richness that everyone will find appealing.



No matter who you are and where you are in relationship with either God or man, you will find a lot to relate to in this story. I applaud Julie for creating the most riveting story line yet in her latest series. Keep up the good work my friend! You are blazing trails!!






About the Author:


Julie Lessman is an award-winning author whose books give readers “Passion With a Purpose,” underscoring her intense passion for both God and romance. Julie is the recipient of 13 Romance Writers of America awards and was chosen as #1 Romance Fiction Author of the Year in the Family Fiction magazine 2011 Readers Choice Awards. She was the winner of the 2009 ACFW Debut Author of the Year and Holt Medallion Awards of Merit for Best First Book and Long Inspirational. She resides in Missouri with her husband, daughter, son and daughter-in-law and is the author of “The Daughters of Boston” series, which includes A Passion Most Pure, A Passion Redeemed, and A Passion Denied. Her “Winds of Change” series has recently released with A Hope Undaunted, which ranked #5 on Booklist’s Top 10 Inspirational Fiction for 2010. You can contact Julie through her website at http://www.julielessman.com/.

2 comments:

Julie Lessman said...

KIM!!! Long time, no see, my friend!!! Thank you SO much for the great review, girl, and I hope things are going well for you. How is your son doing?

I don't know if you are prone to posting your reviews on Amazon or CBD or Goodreads or elsewhere, but if you are, I am running a newsletter contest where anyone who posts a review on Amazon.com, CBD.com, Goodreads, B&N or anywhere else, gets a point for every review posted. Even one review posted enters you into a drawing for a signed copy of Steven's story, A Trust Restored when it comes out next year. The persons who come in first and second in posting the most reviews will get a character named after them in Steven's story and the top winner will also get a $50 gift card. So if that sounds like something you'd be interested in, let me know by forwarding me the links. BUT ... if posting reviews is NOT your thing, PLEASE do not worry about it, okay?

Hugs and more hugs,
Julie

Alli said...

Great review! I just wanted to add that if you've never read any of Julie Lessman's other books - YOU NEED TO!!! She is HANDS DOWN my favorite author, and she once again has written a book chock full of love, humor, passion, and story, story, story!!

This is the 5th book sharing the lives of the very Irish O'Connor family (The Daughters of Boston series is the 1st three, and the Winds of Change series continues where the Daughters of Boston left off), and I just absolutely LOVE how Julie incorporates SO MUCH the lives of the characters we have grown to love from her previous books! So by the time you get to this book - A Heart Revealed - you already know and LOVE Sean and Emma before even starting the book!

This one is a bit different than all of Julie's other books - because Emma is married, there isn't the heated romantic passion right off the bat and then all throughout the book (which is kinda Julie's "thing" in all of her other books.) Sean and Emma's story shows their love blooming through friendship, but don't worry - she still gives us plenty of her trademark passion and drama through Luke and Katie and Mitch and Charity!! And don't worry - things will definitely heat up for Sean and Emma too, so don't lose heart!! :-)

The book is also full of the regular "Julie Lessman" roller coaster-like ups and downs and then of course back up again...with of course a surprise or two thrown in!! I promise - this one will be one for the KEEPER shelf - along with ALL of her other ones!! A definite must read!