Jilted by a fortune hunter, cowgirl Cassidy McClare is a spunky Texas oil heiress without a fortune who would just as soon hogtie a man as look at him. Hoping a summer visit with her wealthy cousins in San Francisco will help her forget her heartache, Cassidy travels west. But no sooner is she settled in beautiful California than Jamie McKenna, a handsome pauper looking to marry well, captures her heart. When Jamie discovers the woman he loves is poorer than he is, Cassidy finds herself bucked by love a second time. Will Jamie discover that money can't buy love after all? And can Cassidy ever learn to fully trust her heart to a man?
With delectable descriptions and a romantic sensibility, bestselling author Julie Lessman brings the Gilded Age to life in this sumptuous new series. Readers will faithfully follow Lessman to the West Coast for more romance, passion, and surprising revelations found in Love at Any Cost.
My Thoughts
After adoring the O'Conners I was slightly worried as to how much I would like this new series. I shouldn't have worried though since I ended up loving it! I loved the McClares from the get go and I can tell I'm going to love reading all of their stories!
Cassie was such a fun heroine! I loved her spunk and down to earth ways! I also loved how wow she was sweet and fun when she wanted she could be tough and no nonsense when needed! And another favorite thing about her was how strong her faith was and how she refused to lower her standards! I felt so bad for her with all the pain she went through but I was greatly impressed by how strong she stayed through it all!
Jamie was great too! Though I was a little annoyed with how he wanted to marry rich I did understand where he was coming from since he wasn't thinking just about himself but rather about his mother and sister. I really admired his love and care for his family and how dedicated he was to making a better life for them. I also really liked the fact that he held himself to a pretty high standard when it came to drinking and women. It was really cool to watch as he learned to give God the control and trust in Him rather than doing everything himself.
As I said I loved the rest of the McClares as well, from kind and motherly Caitlyn, to stubborn rogue Uncle Logan, and Cassie's cousins Blake, Allison, Meg, and Maddie. I also really liked Bram (side note: I love that as a nickname for Abraham!) with his quiet faith and his friendship with Jamie. And then there were Hadley, the old butler with the bad hearing, Rosie, the gruff but sweet housekeeper/nanny, and Miss Behave, the parrot that they taught to say funny things, all of whom I loved.
So suffice it to say I thoroughly loved this first book of Julie's new series and I can't wait to read more!
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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