Surprised By Love by Julie Lessman

There are 3 things I can count on in a novel by author Julie Lessman:

1. Lots of drama

2. Passionate Romance

3. The ultimate surrender of a characters will to their Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ.

I cannot read a novel by Julie Lessman that I don't find myself getting anxious that everything is going to turn out for the characters I am invested in! Surprised By Love is no exception in this area. From the very beginning I was fretting over the relationship of Bram and Meg and between Cait and Logan. The twists and turns that the characters go through had me taking deep breaths to calm my stressed-out nerves! Each relationship had its ups and downs. Meg and Bram are such sweet God-fearing characters that I fell in love with them immediately. And throughout this series I have been waiting for Cait and Logan to get their relationship straightened out. Surprised By Love has the perfect "Happily Ever After" ending that I so crave in a romance novel.

Next, any Julie Lessman fan knows that her novels are always going to have passionate romance for her characters. After all, her tagline is "Passion with a Purpose." Surprised By Love does not disappoint in that department. There is passion between characters and there is passion for faith shown throughout the novel. I happen to be a fan of the steamy kisses portrayed in Surprised By Love! These scenes are portrayed carefully, tastefully and realistically and never go beyond the bedroom door.

Lastly a feature in all of Julie Lessman's books that I appreciate the most are the characters ultimate surrender to their Savior. There is nothing more romantic than watching a soul that is lost in darkness slowly yield their will and desires to a patient and loving Savior wooing them to Himself. Logan is just such a soul. Struggling constantly against surrendering his will to the Savior Logan finds that things don't always go the way he wants them to. I loved reading his transformation, his surrender and his ultimate victory and peace in the Savior.

Surprised By Love also features characters from the first two books in the series which is always fun to catch up with what is happening with them. I enjoyed the witty banter between all of the characters. The McClare family has found a spot in my heart just as the O'Connor family did in the Daughters of Boston and Winds of Change series.

Check out my reviews of the first two books:

Love At Any Cost

Dare To Love Again

Dare to Love Again by Julie Lessman

Allie McClare has had her heart broken more than once so she has no time for another man in her life. Becoming a teacher in the new Hands of Hope school that she and her mother and cousin have opened for young girls living in the Barbary Coast of San Francisco, Allie strives for independence.

Nick Barone("long e") is a bitter young detective. Betrayed by his former debutante fiance' Nick has no patience for the likes of Allie McClare. Especially when upon meeting her she proceeds to hit him with her pointer! Not given a choice, Nick is assigned to protect Allie and teach her Jiu Jitsu as part of her becoming independent. As part of the contract Nick is forced to sign by Allie's Uncle Logan, he promises not to make any advances towards Allie. What "Mr. Cranky Pants" doesn't count on is how different Allie is from any woman of means he has ever known.



My Thoughts:
My new favorite Julie Lessman book!! This second book in The Heart of San Francisco series was amazing! Allie is such a sassy character. I absolutely loved her and Nick. I did send a message to Julie Lessman telling her that if I were Nick I would have taken the stick away from Allie and swatted her backside with it. She was such a stinker to begin with. So stubborn and naive about her safety in the Barbary Coast. But she was also very good in apologizing and being contrite. As with other books that Julie Lessman has written we always get secondary characters and returning characters stories as well. I can't wait to see what happens with Logan and Cait(Allie's Uncle and mother). They have had a bumpy road to get over, but they are so much in love with each other they are meant to be together. We also get to read more about Cassie and Jaime and their coming nuptials. I say this was my favorite Julie Lessman book, but I think I have said this after every book I have read by Julie! If you have never read a Julie Lessman book I highly recommend that you remedy that! Dare to Love Again is one of those books that had me laughing out loud and maybe, just maybe, shedding a little tear.

My reviews of Julie Lessman books:

The Daughters of Boston Series:
A Passion Most Pure
A Passion Redeemed
A Passion Denied

The Winds of Change Series:
A Hope Undaunted
A Heart Revealed
A Love Surrendered

Prequel to the O'Connor Family:
A Light in the Window

The Heart of San Francisco Series:
Love at any Cost