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.”
My Thoughts
After adoring the O'Conner family in the Daughters of Boston and Winds of Change series I was extremely excited to read this prequel about the O'Conner parents! And oh what a book it was! I loved it like I've loved every other one of Julie's books I've read. This author has such an amazing talent and once again played with my emotions. It was such fun seeing a younger Marcy and Patrick and watching their journey to love that we'd gotten hints of in the other stories. On one hand knowing how the story would end up made it easier to read and on the other hand it made it more painful. It was painful to watch all the turmoil they had to go through and watching Marcy almost end up with Sam when you knew how amazing her life was going to be with Patrick. I would get so frustrated during the scenes Marcy and Sam were together and then get a dopey grin on my face whenever she was with Patrick. I loved watching as his love for Marcy transformed Patrick into the amazing hero I knew and loved and brought him close to God. I also loved Marcy and her close relationship with God and how that kept her from making the wrong choices! Oh and I can't write this review without mention how much I loved Patrick's interaction with the kids especially Tillie. It was just so stinkin' cute! I could go on for days on how much I loved this book but I better end it so I can go reread the rest of the O'Conner saga!
About the Author
Julie Lessman is an award-winning author whose tagline of "Passion With a Purpose" underscores her intense passion for both God and romance. Winner of the 2009 ACFW Debut Author of the Year and Holt Medallion Awards of Merit for Best First Book and Long Inspirational, Julie is also the recipient of 14 Romance Writers of America awards and was voted by readers as "Borders Best of 2009 So Far: Your Favorite Fiction." Chosen as the #1 Romance Fiction Author of the Year in the Family Fiction magazine 2012 and 2011 Readers Choice Awards, Julie was also awarded #1 Historical Fiction Author of the Year in that same poll and #3 Author of the Year, #4 Novel of the Year and #3 Series of the year. She resides in Missouri with her husband, daughter, son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter and is the author of "The Daughters of Boston" series--A Passion Most Pure, A Passion Redeemed, and A Passion Denied. Book 1 in her "Winds of Change" series A Hope Undaunted ranked #5 on Booklist's Top 10 Inspirational Fiction for 2010. You can contact Julie through her website at www.julielessman.com
P.S. She's just an all around amazing person!
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