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 includes 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.
My Thoughts
This book is hard to read. Not because of anything to do with the actual story though! What makes it hard is that it's the last of the O'Conner books! After 7 books and 3,248 pages we have to say goodbye to this family that has embedded themselves in our hearts and it's quite painful! Also this book is 100 pages shorter than the others which is a little sad (mean publishers), I think this is the only almost 400 page book that I found too short! And lastly I was sad that we don't get to see any of Steven and Annie after their marriage like we did with all of the others!
But now that I have all that out of the way I can commence the gushing about how much I love this book! And boy did I love it! Like all the others it is simply phenomenal!
From the moment we meet the quiet eight-year-old Steven in A Passion Most Pure I knew I was going to love him and I wasn't wrong. Growing up he was always the good child, rarely getting in trouble, doing what he's told, getting good grades, and just generally being the model child. Then in college that all changes and starts hanging with the wrong people and disobeying his parents at every turn. But when his rebellion threatens the life of his father he does a complete 180 and turns into the law-abiding prohibition agent is riddled with guilt and constantly trying to redeem himself. My heart broke for him as he struggled with his guilt, with trying to do the right thing, and with trusting God and letting Him change his life. I absolutely loved the conversations Steven had with his father and Sean and I was so happy when he began to take their words to heart! It was so cool to see the transformation and even though I loved him before he became so much more awesome after!
And Annie! I loved her so much!! I loved how strong she was and how she let her relationship with God cover every aspect of her life! I was so proud of her when she was willing to let Steven go if he tried to push her past her boundaries and later in the story when something life-shattering happens and she finds the strength to forgive those who hurt her (I don't want to spoil anything but those of you who've read the book know what I'm talking about!)! I could go on for quite awhile about how much a love Annie, her kindness, her innocence, her heart full of love, and so much more!
There weren't as many new secondary characters but I did love Glory, Aunt Eleanor, and Frailey! And I once again loved Patrick and Marcy, Collin and Faith, Mitch and Charity, Brady and Lizzie, Luke and Katie, Sean and Emma, Gabe, and all the grand-kids!
There were hard moments, funny moments, and sweet moments in this book all of which created a story I will never forget! And even though I was sad to see it end the epilogue left me with a huge grin on my face! I love the O'Conners so much and I'm sure I will visit them again soon!
Meet 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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