Has she fallen in love with a man who cannot love her back?
Elizabeth O'Connor has been like the little sister John Brady always wanted, sharing his love of literature and his thirst for God. But in the throes of the reckless Roaring Twenties, Lizzie has grown up. Suddenly she wants more from the man who has been her friend since she was a child. When this shy little bookworm blossoms into a beautiful young woman bent on loving John, she discovers that his past won't let him return that love. But Lizzie refuses to give up--until his shocking secrets push her away.
Can true love survive the betrayal and deceitful of a painful past . . . or will it be shattered like the fairy-tale dreams of a girl in love?
Brimming with romance, longing, and redemption, A Passion Denied, will quicken your pulse and gladden your heart with a riveting story of the true power of love
My Thoughts
Ok I'm pretty sure this is my favorite book in this series! From the first time we met Elizabeth O'Conner in A Passion Most Pure I knew I was going to love her since I could identify with her shy quietness and her love of books. And I also loved Brady as soon as he came on the scene being Collin's friend and helping lead Him to God. So needless to say I could not wait to see how their story would play out!
I think one of my favorite things about this book was the fact that both Brady and Lizzie had a passion for God from the beginning and they both strove to honor Him with all that they did. I loved how close Brady's relationship with God was, how he lived it out all the time, and how he seemed to be constantly drawing others to Him. Brady is just one of the very best heroes ever written and I actually cried when he thought he had done something awful when he was younger because he was just that close to God that the thought of his sin crushed him. Ok I better stop but I really could go on about Brady for quite awhile!
Lizzie, she is so innocent, sweet, and kind that you really just can't help loving her. My heart broke for her as she dealt with rejection from Brady and then the pain of some truly awful discoveries. But through it all she still remained the Lizzie we knew and loved with a few moments of Irish temper thrown in.
Once again the secondary cast of characters was amazing! I loved Father Mac and his unique ability to mix being a priest and a friend. And Cluny McGee was such fun especially with knowing how he was going to grow up! And of course the O'Conners, McGuires, and Dennehys were fantastic!
Like Julie Lessman books often do this book made me cry at some points and at others left me with a huge grin splitting my face! So in short it was simply amazing!
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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