MY REVIEW:
“Love Everlasting”, Julie Lessman’s second book in the Isle of Hope series is every bit as engaging as the first one. In it the reader revisits the O’Bryen family and not only catches up with what is going on with Dr. Doom and Tess, Lacey and Jack and the rest of the family but gets an intimate view of the stormy romance between sister Shannon and pediatric Dr. Sam Cunningham aka Dr. Love.
To say Shannon and Sam’s relationship was tumultuous might be a bit of an understatement. Shannon has just recently begun to recover from a disastrous college romance and is determined not to get involved with another man. Sam’s party boy reputation made him all wrong for Shannon but she saw through the designer clothing and bravado and found it difficult to resist the wounded boy Sam tried to hide.
“Love Everlasting” is another of Julie’s daring, gritty, and passionate stories that shows life as it really is. Some readers might be offended by the honest portrayal of physical attraction between the couples. That is their prerogative. I personally found the abundant amount of scripture and discussions of faith to far outweigh those scenes. I loved how Shannon tried to help Sam even though she knew it wasn’t a good idea to spend time with him and I loved how just being around her helped make such a drastic change in his life. You know, I wouldn’t be too surprised to hear that someone actually made a decision to follow the Lord after reading this book. It is that powerful!
“Love Everlasting” is an emotionally charged romance (or two) that balances faith and physical attraction. Julie Lessman has done a wonderful job as usual. I would definitely recommend this series to those who enjoy their Christian romance with a generous dose of reality.
A digital copy of this book was provided for review by Singing Librarian Books.
A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Series: Isle of Hope
Genre: Christian, Romance
Publisher: Julie Lessman, LLC
Publication date: September 30, 2016
Number of pages: 307
He sets hearts on fire.
She’s been burned by love.
Can hope survive the flames of the past?
School teacher by day, ghostwriter by night, sweet and shy Shannon O’Bryen doesn’t mind writing romance on the sly, but to live it? No, thank you, not since the man she loved turned out to be a player who broke both her heart and her spirit. Now focused more on her faith and her fiction, she vows the next time she falls in love, it will be safely—through the pages of a book.
Dr. Sam Cunningham is a charismatic player who breaks hearts as regularly as he washes his pearl-white Corvette. Abandoned as a young child, Sam was an orphan shuffled through the foster-care system, bitterly driven to prove he is worthy of love—the kind that lasts forever. Once he learns Shannon is a romance writer, he enlists her help in winning back his ex-girlfriend. She teaches him about faith and the true definition of love, and he soon discovers he’s been seeking it in the wrong place all along—and with the wrong girl. But can he convince a woman who’s been burned by love to open her eyes—and her heart—to a love everlasting?
ABOUT 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. A lover of all things Irish, she enjoys writing close-knit Irish family sagas that evolve into 3-D love stories: the hero, the heroine, and the God that brings them together.
Author of The Daughters of Boston, Winds of Change, and Heart of San Francisco series, Julie Lessman was named American Christian Fiction Writers 2009 Debut Author of the Year and has garnered 17 Romance Writers of America and other awards. Voted #1 Romance Author of the year in Family Fiction magazine’s 2012 and 2011 Readers Choice Awards, Julie was also named on Booklist’s 2010 Top 10 Inspirational Fiction and Borders Best Fiction list.Julie’s most recent novel, Isle of Hope was voted on Family Fiction magazine’s Best of 2015, and Surprised by Love appeared on Family Fiction magazine’s list of Top Ten Novels of 2014. Her independent novel A Light in the Window is an International Digital Awards winner, a 2013 Readers’ Crown Award winner, and a 2013 Book Buyers Best Award winner. Julie has also written a self-help workbook for writers entitled Romance-ology 101: Writing Romantic Tension for the Sweet and Inspirational Markets. You can contact Julie through her website and read excerpts from each of her books at www.julielessman.com.
AMAZON | WEBSITE | NEWSLETTER | THE SEEKERS | JOURNAL JOTS
October 2–Bibliophile Reviews | Wishful Endings
October 3–Book by Book | Singing Librarian Books
October 4–Flowers of Quiet Happiness
October 5–Getting Your Read On | The Green Mockingbird
October 6–Faithfully Bookish | Just Commonly
October 7–Daysong Reflections | Bookworm Mama
October 8–Smiling Book Reviews | Zerina Blossom’s Books
PAM!!! Thank you SO much for being part of my blog tour, my friend, AND for such a wonderful review — I appreciate it more than I can say — especially “daring, gritty, and passionate”!! ;)
Beautifully written review!!
Hugs,
Julie
Love this review! Julie’s take on her characters definitely have “a generous dose of reality”. :))
Loved your review, Pam – thank you!! Not only is ‘Love Everlasting’ an emotionally charged book, each of Julie’s other books are also. It’s the realism (some of them personal experiences – as real as you can get, LOL), passion, and faith you spoke of that draw readers to her writing. Her personal faith, charisma, and passion are echoed in her books – since God directs her writing, they definitely can, and have been, life-changing for some of her readers. Reviews of her books are a testimony of that. I’ve loved and been inspired by each and every book she has written!!
Shared your post!!
LOL, MANUELA … “a generous dose of reality” is putting it mildly, my friend, because every one of my books are based on lessons I have learned the hard way, so I hope you get to read one of my books. And you’re definitely on track to, my sweet friend!
Hugs,
Julie
BONNIE!!! Now how do you have time to come by my blog tour, you sweet thing??? As if you don’t have enough on your plate, my friend. But thank you. You are a gem!
Love you!
Julie
Thank you Pam for this review! You did such a great job of summing up what makes Love Everlasting so special! Not to mention giving Julie Lessman much deserved credit. I hope many readers give this book a chance and come to love Julie Lessman and her stories as much as I do!
LOL, LYNNE … you are EVERYWHERE, my sweet friend!! Thanks for coming out to show your support — it means more than I can say!
Hugs and more hugs!
Julie