Passion Redeemed

Julie Lessman is a wonderful author. She picks up right where she left off, with Charity living in Ireland with her grandma & Mima. She has successfully driven her sister away from Mitch and now has her eye set on him! She also has decided that she won't waste any opportunity to make him fall in love with her. Unfortunately, her ways are not the Lord's ways and she has very little success. One of her ways to lure Mitch, is by using another man, Rigan, who is a willing participant. This can't bode well for any of them. Mitch meanwhile tries everything he can to keep his distance from Charity. He, as well, is not successful, most of the time. He goes back and forth between desiring Charity and wanting sweet Kathleen. This is one messed up guy. He wants to follow the Lord, but many times his body has other ideas. We also catch up with Faith and Collin from "A Passion Most Pure". They are preparing for their wedding, and for Charity to return. That causes all kinds of tension. Patrick, Marcy and the rest of their brood all make appearances throughout the story. I hope to read Katie's story someday. She is definitely a firecracker! It'd be fun reading about her passion. Lord help the guy she sets her eye on (or maybe doesn't)! Julie is fantastic at balancing passion and God's precepts. She knows that God created passion and that it is good, within the confines of marriage. I know some people feel that passion on any level shouldn't be seen in Christian fiction, but the truth is, we are a passionate creation. Don't we want to be married to someone we're passionate about? We should all want to know there are sparks and a stirring inside when we're with the person we love. That is what Julie has done successfully in both of her books. Personally, I don't believe she's "edgy" at all, just realistic. I have fully enjoyed reading Julie's books and can NOT wait for book 3, although I know there are no options. You will really be drawn into this story. I would highly suggest reading book 1 in The Daughter's of Boston series. It will give you background into the interpersonal relationships going on. This should be on everyone's "must read" list to finish off 2008!

Lessman has a knack for drama and angst with a heavy dose of passion. This story is no exception. And like a soap opera, you never quite know who will end up with whom and what will happen next. There is not a boring page in this entire novel. The tension rocks. There is a lot of pain and anger, as well as joy and deep sorrow. But the longing is what gets to me. Don't we all long for love? And poor Charity was operating from a faulty point of view from the get-go. I found that quite profound, and well done. Charity had reasons for being sensual, complex, needy, and rejecting. She had deep-seated reasons for being manipulative as well. I've known so many girls and women like Charity, whose issues caused them to do insane things at times to try to get their way. But their behavior always stemmed from a profound fear of abandonment. I loved how the author portrayed this with such emotion. I also loved how the romance between Charity's parents continued and enjoyed some of the profound talks--and interruptions--they had at night. In regards to the male point of view, Lessman does this well. They say the average man thinks about sex at least once every few minutes. If that is true (and I wouldn't know as I'm not a man) then she has that nailed as well. While this story seemed more heavy on the physical attraction than a Passion Most Pure, it made sense given Charity's extreme beauty and seductive behavior that men would feel somewhat tortured around her. And like most women who've been hurt at a very young age, she blames herself for what happened with Rigan. While I didn't like it, that is so like real life situations. Toward the end I was really hoping another relationship would work out, but I've discovered that with Lessman's Passion series, things don't usually change course and stay there, but the diversion still plays a large part in the healing. So even though I was a tad disappointed at the end, I know that means the third book will resolve that for me. I grew to care so much about one character that I wanted to see him happy. Not gonna happen in this book, but there is always potential in the next novel in the series. So I was still satisfied. But unfortunately, whenever I finish one of Lessman's books I am tortured by having to wait for the next installment. Oh, and when it comes to sensual tension, this author does it better than anyone in the Christian fiction world today. And she has definitely extended the boundaries of what is "allowed" in the CBA, giving hope to other authors like myself, who see passion as being the spice of life and a true gift from God. :) Encore!

A Passion Redeemed by Julie Lessman is the second book in the Daughters of Boston series. Charity O'Connor is still living in Ireland with her grandmother and great-grandmother, despite the rest of her family's return to Boston at the end of the previous book. She has set her sights on Mitch, her older sister's former fiance, but he wants nothing to do with the woman who destroyed his engagement and lied to him. Charity's not going to let a little thing like Mitch's feelings get in the way of what she wants, and she's willing to do anything to make him hers. Lessman had a bit of a challenge when writing this sequel that revolves around Charity, Faith's younger sister. Charity abused Faith horribly in the first book and did so without any compunctions whatsoever, so I had no sympathy for Charity, and honestly, I didn't like her at all. Charity lies and manipulates those who love her, without ever considering the consequences. I wanted to smack her more than once. It is to Lessman's credit that by the end of the book, I empathized with Charity and was glad to see her get her happy ending. Lessman writes deep drama and romance without being melodramatic, but her greatest strength is in her victory in reclaiming sex as a gift from God. Sex has gotten a bad rap, and society tends to think that Christians don't like it or approve of it. But sex, within marriage, is a wonderful gift from the Lord, and the passion between the elder O'Connors, as well as Faith and her husband, is fiery and absolutely wonderful. I can't wait to see what will happen in the next book!

Charity's story is one filled with trying to get everything she wants her way. The refreshing...and sad...part of this book is that she actually bears the consequences. This book is jam packed with romance...and passion -- like you'd expect. But it also has a strong spiritual thread. And as that unfolds the reader gains insight into Charity. How she became the person she is. Why we should love her anyway. And why we root so hard for her. Even though this is a romance...twists and turns fill the road from the first word to the end

Julie Lessman's second book, A Passion Redeemed, is just as great as the first: captivating characters, an excellent plot and a wonderful family saga that pulls you in and makes you part of the family. I couldn't put it down as I laughed and cried along with the O'Connor family. Buy it, read it and spread the word!