Skip to main content

Review - A PASSION MOST PURE by Julie Lessman

Captain's Log, Stardate 01.25.2007

A Passion Most Pure by Julie Lessman

She's found the love of her life.

Unfortunately, he loves her sister.

As World War I rages across the Atlantic in 1916, a smaller war is brewing in Boston. Faith O'Connor finds herself drawn to an Irish rogue who is anything but right for her.

Collin McGuire is brash, cocky, and from the wrong side of the tracks, not to mention forbidden by her father. And then there's the small matter that he is secretly courting her younger sister.

But when Collin's affections shift, it threatens to tear her proper Boston family apart.

Book 1 of the Daughters of Boston series, A Passion Most Pure will carry your heart from the sophisticated streets of Boston to the green hills of Ireland as men go off to war and women long for their return. Full of passion, romance, rivalry, and betrayal, it will captivate you from the first page.

Camy here:

This was a wonderfully rich historical romance that kept me guessing until the last few pages about who will win Faith’s heart. I love those kinds of books! I couldn’t stop reading because I had to find out how everything turns out.

The characters are very strong Christians with strong faith. They have a mighty impact on the people around them like Collin, with his anger at God, and Mitch, with his stagnant relationship with the Almighty he grew up with.

This is a more sensual book than typical CBA historical romances, and I loved that aspect of it. It made the characters’ struggles so much more realistic and relatable.

The characters are so well drawn that I felt strongly for each of them. In fact, I hated Charity so much, I kept reading and hoping she’d die or get maimed or something in the next chapter!

The novel’s theme of futile chasing after the wind—pursuing things that have no eternal value—is very deftly woven into the story, and resonated with me quite a bit.

I think this would be a fabulous novel for any teenage girl to read. The sensuality is not graphic, and the struggles of the main characters are things any single woman could relate to. There’s a great deal of realism and yet encouragement in the characters’ actions and choices.

I highly recommend this novel. Fans of Deeanne Gist will probably enjoy this one.
Labels:

Comments

Deborah said…
oh thank goodness I'm not the only one who felt that way about Charity. now i don't feel like such a bad person :)
Fri Jan 25, 04:17:00 AM 2008
Kaye Dacus said…
Ooh, thanks for the review. I've been curious about this title and now I'm going to have to go get it. Good thing I've already planned to stop by the bookstore tonight!
Fri Jan 25, 07:47:00 AM 2008
Julie Lessman said…
Camy said: "In fact, I hated Charity so much, I kept reading and hoping she’d die or get maimed or something in the next chapter!"

LOL, you're not alone Camy and Deborah ... I got one e-mail from a reader asking if I would slap Charity for her! Trust me, in book 2, A Passion Redeemed, Charity gets her due. But, oh ... what fun it was to redeem her!! :)

Thanks, Camy, for the great review and for posting it on your site.

Hugs,
Julie
Fri Jan 25, 02:07:00 PM 2008
Amy said…
I, too, loved this book, and am certainly looking forward to seeing Charity redeemed! :)
Fri Jan 25, 03:04:00 PM 2008
LaShaunda said…
I loved this book too Camy. I couldn't put the book down either.

I interviewed Julie on my site.

I'm looking forward to Charity's book.

I can't wait for the book discussion next month. I want to talk about this book.
Fri Jan 25, 03:48:00 PM 2008
Carolynn said…
I can't wait to read this book, I wish I could get it around here, I haven't seen it anywhere! Hopefully the book store or library will get it soon!
Sat Jan 26, 11:33:00 AM 2008
Julie Lessman said…
Thanks, Carolynn, but what a bummer that you can't find it!! I live in St. Louis, so it's a little easier to understand why it's hard to find here (it's sold out in most of the B&N and Borders, probably because I have a large, LARGE family!! ;)), but I don't know why you wouldn't be able to find it unless it's sold out there (dare I hope that's the reason??). I do know that it's being sold in select Wal-marts, so you might try there. If all else fails, check my Web site at www.julielessman.com for upcoming book giveaways in the weeks ahead, including Camy's Loft!

Hugs,
Julie
Sat Jan 26, 02:44:00 PM 2008
Carolynn said…
Thanks Julie, I'll do that! But I live in Canada, so maybe it takes a while longer to get them up here, I'm not sure but I'll keep looking! :) I am so looking forward to reading it!!
Mon Jan 28, 08:16:00 PM 2008
Post a Comment

Popular Posts

Toilet seat cover

Captain’s Log, Supplemental Update August 2008: I wrote up the pattern for this with "improvements"! Here's the link to my No Cold Bums toilet seat cover ! Okay, remember a few days ago I was complaining about the cold toilet seat in my bathroom? Well, I decided to knit a seat cover. Not a lid cover, but a seat cover. I went online and couldn’t find anything for the seat, just one pattern for the lid by Feminitz.com . However, I took her pattern for the inside edge of the lid cover and modified it to make a seat cover. Here it is! It’s really ugly stitch-wise because originally I made it too small and had to extend it a couple inches on each side. I figured I’d be the one staring at it, so who cared if the extension wasn’t perfectly invisible? I used acrylic yarn since, well, that’s what I had, and also because it’s easy to wash. I’ll probably have to wash this cover every week or so, but it’s easy to take off—I made ties which you can see near the back of the seat. And...
21 comments
Read more

Chinese Take-Out and Sushi for One

Captain’s Log, Supplemental My agent sent me an article from Publisher’s Weekly that discussed this incident: Chinese Take-Out Spawns Christian Controversy And here’s also a blog post that talks about it in more detail: The Fighting 44s This is Soong-Chan Rah’s blog: The PCS blog In sum: Apparently Zondervan (yes, my publisher), who has partnered with Youth Specialties, had put out a youth leaders skit that had stereotypical Asian dialogue, which offended many Christian Asian Americans. In response to the outcry, Zondervan/Youth Specialities put out a sincere apology and is not only freezing the remaining stock of the book, but also reprinting it and replacing the copies people have already bought. I am very proud of my publisher for how they have handled this situation. The skit writers have also issued a public apology . (I feel sorry for them, because they were only trying to write a funny skit, not stir up this maelstrom of internet controversy. I’ve been in youth work long enou...
39 comments
Read more

No Cold Bums toilet seat cover

Captain's Log, Stardate 08.22.2008 I actually wrote out my pattern! I was getting a lot of hits on my infamous toilet seat cover , and I wanted to make a new one with “improvements,” so I paid attention and wrote things down as I made the new one. This was originally based off the Potty Mouth toilet cover , but I altered it to fit over the seat instead of the lid. Yarn: any worsted weight yarn, about 120 yards (this is a really tight number, I used exactly 118 yards. My suggestion is to make sure you have about 130 yards.) I suggest using acrylic yarn because you’re going to be washing this often. Needle: I used US 8, but you can use whatever needle size is recommended by the yarn you’re using. Gauge: Not that important. Mine was 4 sts/1 inch in garter stitch. 6 buttons (I used some leftover shell buttons I had in my stash) tapestry needle Crochet hook (optional) Cover: Using a provisional cast on, cast on 12 stitches. Work in garter st until liner measures...
10 comments
Read more

Tabi socks, part deux

Captain's Log, Stardate 07.25.2008 (If you're on Ravelry, friend me! I'm camytang.) I made tabi socks again! (At the bottom of the pattern is the calculation for the toe split if you're not using the same weight yarn that I did for this pattern (fingering). I also give an example from when I used worsted weight yarn with this pattern.) I used Opal yarn, Petticoat colorway. It’s a finer yarn than my last pair of tabi socks, so I altered the pattern a bit. Okay, so here’s my first foray into giving a knitting pattern. Camy’s top-down Tabi Socks I’m assuming you already know the basics of knitting socks. If you’re a beginner, here are some great tutorials: Socks 101 How to Knit Socks The Sock Knitter’s Companion A video of turning the heel Sock Knitting Tips Yarn: I have used both fingering weight and worsted weight yarn with this pattern. You just change the number of cast on stitches according to your gauge and the circumference of your ankle. Th...
18 comments
Read more

Favorite chocolate?

Captain's Log, Stardate 04.22.2008 Lately I’ve been on this chocolate kick. Normally, I’m not a huge chocoholic like Captain Caffeine. I enjoy chocolate, but if given a choice, I’ll usually choose a fruit or custard/creamy dessert over a triple decadence chocolate layer cake or a chocolate-lovers’ downfall brownie. But lately, I’ve been eating dark chocolate squares. I think it started when I went into Joseph Schmidt gourmet chocolate shop in Santana Row. We’d gotten Joseph Schmidt truffles for Christmas, and they’d been fabulous—I can honestly say that they were as good as DeBrand truffles (author Colleen Coble’s favorite). So when I saw the brick and mortar shop in Santana Row, I went in immediately. Inside, this man was buying up stacks—and I kid you not, stacks —of the Joseph Schmidt Belgian Dark Chocolate bars. He raved about them, said they were terrific. A cashier was restocking the display case the man had cleaned out, and I snagged a bar. “I’ve got to try one, after watc...
15 comments
Read more