Skip to main content

A Heart Revealed by Julie Lessman






She Left Ireland And A Man Who Broke Her Heart...Only To Find An American Who Could Restore It.


Julie Lessman’s new novel A Heart Revealed, the second offering in the “Winds of Change” series, opens in Boston in 1931, where thirty-one-year-old Emma Malloy has fled from an abusive marriage in Ireland.

Although her former husband has left her haunted and deeply scarred. Emma cannot help but develop strong feelings for her friend Charity’s brother, Sean O’Connor.

Described by his sister as very stubborn, Sean maintains that he is not the marrying kind. But as he and Emma draw closer and closer, will her strong, tender heart ensnare him and change his mind?

Transporting readers back to a time when the Empire State Building was brand new and the local speakeasy was a common destination, Lessman outlines the fascinating era and its citizens with deft precision.

Lessman, who has been hailed as a writer with noteworthy skill by Publishers Weekly has once again delivered an epic tale featuring vibrant characterization, wonderful thrills, sharp dialogue, and surprises both large and small.









Julie Lessman is an award-winning author whose books give readers “Passion With a Purpose,” underscoring her intense passion for both God and romance. Julie is the recipient of 13 Romance Writers of America awards and was chosen as #1 Romance Fiction Author of the Year in the Family Fiction magazine 2011 Readers Choice Awards. She was the winner of the 2009 ACFW Debut Author of the Year and Holt Medallion Awards of Merit for Best First Book and Long Inspirational. She resides in Missouri with her husband, daughter, son and daughter-in-law and is the author of “The Daughters of Boston” series, which includes A Passion Most Pure, A Passion Redeemed, and A Passion Denied. Her “Winds of Change” series has recently released with A Hope Undaunted, which ranked #5 on Booklist’s Top 10 Inspirational Fiction for 2010. You can contact Julie through her website at http://www.julielessman.com/.

Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, offers practical books that bring the Christian faith to everyday life. They publish resources from a variety of well-known brands and authors, including their partnership with MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) and Hungry Planet.



Here is my review of this wonderful historical romance:

First of all, I would like to extend a heartfelt “Thank you” to Julie Lessman and her publisher for sending me a copy of "A Heart Revealed" to review for them. I am truly grateful for this generosity. I really appreciate the time, effort and expense it takes to make a reviewer copy available to me.

“A Heart Revealed” is Julie Lessman’s second novel in the Winds of Change series. A continuation of the chronicles of the O’Connor family, this story belongs to characters that this reader has already developed affection for: Sean O’Connor and Emma Malloy.

Emma has borne the bruises of an Irish temper – enough for a lifetime. And she bears the scars, both physically and emotionally, of being the wife of an abusive husband. Although still married to Rory Malloy, Emma has left Ireland, taking a job in America and she has grown very close to her hosts, the O’Connor family.

Sean O’Connor is a confirmed bachelor. He is also Emma’s best friend’s brother. She falls for him unwillingly, fighting every step toward longing and love. Not only does Emma not believe that Sean will ever be able to see beyond her scars to the beautiful woman inside who loves him. Sadly, Emma also doesn’t feel that she is worthy of the love of a good man. Not only is she still married, but she believes that her life of abuse has been exactly what she deserves.

This beautiful, tender and passionate story of love, family and friendship is a masterpiece! Julie Lessman paints a very intimate portrait of her characters’ hearts with such depth and texture and color that these people seem capable of walking off the page and into the reader’s living room. You may want to pick a long weekend to read this novel since you will absolutely lose sleep from being so engrossed in this wonderful story that transports the reader to early 1900s Boston.

Comments

Julie Lessman said…
WHOA, STACEY ... "a masterpiece"???? Heady and WONDERFUL words this morning for this tired and groggy author who's been cleaning and cooking up a storm for company coming in for the ACFW Conference. THANK YOU for opening my eyes so quickly and in SUCH a delightful way!

I don't know if you post your reviews on Amazon, CBD, Goodreads, etc., but if you do, I would be incredibly grateful AND enter you in a newsletter contest I have going on where you can win a signed copy of Steven's story next year, but maybe have a character named after you! Please check out the details on the newsletter tab of my website Newsletter Contest, then e-mail me with the links, and I'll give points in the contest. BUT ... if posting your reviews is not your thing, NO WORRIES!! I'm just incredibly grateful for you taking the time to read my book AND write such a wonderful review.

Thanks again, Stacey, for blessing the socks off of me! Have a GREAT day!

Hugs,
Julie
Alli said…
Thanks for your review on this book! Julie Lessman is my all-time favorite author, and I just absolutely LOVE how she incorporates SO MUCH the lives of the characters we have grown to love from her previous books! So by the time you get to this book - A Heart Revealed - you already know and LOVE Sean and Emma before even starting the book!

This one was a bit different than all of Julie's other books - because Emma is married, there isn't the heated romantic passion right off the bat and then all throughout the book (which is kinda Julie's "thing" in all of her other books.) Sean and Emma's story shows their love blooming through friendship, but don't worry - she still gives us plenty of her trademark passion and drama through Luke and Katie and Mitch and Charity!! And things definitely heated up for Sean and Emma too, which was great!! :-)

The book is also full of the regular "Julie Lessman" roller coaster-like ups and downs and then of course back up again...with of course a surprise or two thrown in!! I promise - this one will be one for the KEEPER shelf - along with ALL of her other ones!! A definite must read!

Popular posts from this blog

Homiletics Training: Content

Homiletics .   By definition, “homiletic” is the art of preaching or writing sermons.   I think we would all agree that our pastors study the Bible thoroughly to deliver sermons every Sunday to their congregations.   The beautiful news is that every child of God can use this discipline to study the Bible for themselves. As a member of Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) Leadership, part of my required preparation each week is to prepare homiletics for the passage we are studying.   BSF offers an engaging seminar on how to use this method to study the Scriptures.   I’ve taken the seminar several times under two different leaders and I’ve learned something new every time I’ve attended.   I’ve also been doing the process of homiletics for over ten years and I can say that there is no better teacher than the Holy Spirit in this process!   So keep practicing.   Keep sharing and discussing.   I’ve been posting my homiletics on this blog for quite a while, now.   And I would like to share wit

Homiletics: John 10

Contents ( not sentence, direct verbiage from Scripture ): 1 1-2 VT ITY Phar, any1 enter shp pn by gate=thief/robbr; 1 enters by gate=shepherd 2 3-4 Gatekpr opns gate 4 hm/shp listn/he calls shp by name/leads out/shp follo bec kno voce 3 5-6 They nvr follo stranger, run away bec recog voce; J used fig o spch, Phar understd 4 7-8 Thrfr J: VT ITY I gate 4 shp; all who cm b4 me=thievs/robbrs, shp listn them 5 9-10a I gate, whoevr entr thru me savd/they cm/go/find pasture; thief cm only steal/kill/destry 6 10b-12 I gd shepd, lay dn life 4 shp; Hird hd shepd/own shp, see wolf/abandn shp/wlf attck/scattr 7 13-15a Man run bec care nthg 4 sheep; I gd shep; kno sheep/sheep kno me as Fr kno me/I kno Fr 8 15b-16 I lay dn life 4 sheep; have othr sheep of this pen

Homiletics: John 12

Contents ( not sentence, direct verbiage from Scripture, fit on one line ): 1 1-3 6d b4 Pass J2Beth dinr Marth servd, Laz@tbl; Mary $$$$ perf J ft, wipe w/hair, hs filld frag 2 4-6 Judas, l8r betray obj: why wasn’t perf sold, wrth 1y wages, didn’t care abt poor, thief 3 7-9 Lv alone, she sv perf 4my burial, u alwys hv poor; MW lg crwd came bec of J & 2C Laz 4 10-13 CP md plans kill Laz-on acct o hm mny bel; Nxt dy grt crwd: Hos! Blest=He cm in nom o L 5 14-16 J fnd dnky, sat, as writn: Dtr Zion, c ur king cming seatd on dnky colt; @ 1 st Disc undrstd 6 17-19 crwd w/Him whn Laz raisd spread wd; Mny went 2 Him; Phar: lk how wrld gone aftr Him 7 20-23 Som Gks to Phil: we like 2CJ; Phil 2 Andrw, Phil&Andrw told J: hr cm 4 SoM be glrfd 8 24 VTITY unle