A Passion Denied by Julie Lessman

A Passion Denied, Daughters of Boston Series #3

Revell / 2009 / Paperback

Number of Pages: 464

ISBN-13: 9780800732134

I'd like to thank Donna from Baker Publishing Group for providing me with my copy of Julie Lessman's 3rd book in her Daughters of Boston series A Passion Denied.

Let me start off by stating as a reader, we aren't denied anything in Julie's 3rd installment of the DoB series. We've all heard that good things come in threes and this is proof that's true.

We are brought into the turn of the century with Beth's story. She has fallen in love with John Brady, who sees Beth not as Lizzie, the 17 year old young woman, but as the 13 yr old girl he met in Book 2. With her sister, Charity's help, she's out to prove to Brady she's no little girl anymore. As with all of Charity's plans, things don't go exactly as desired.

Brady on the other hand is wondering what is happening to his life. Everyone is telling him Beth is all grown up, but his past forces him to view her as nothing more than a friend. That same past keeps him from living in the fullness of God's grace and mercy as well as complete forgiveness.

In the midst of figuring out how to love Brady from a distance, Beth meets someone who knows about his past and is willing to get to know Lizzie better. Of course this isn't something Brady has expected and their lives are all turned upside down.

Julie doesn't just give us Lizzie's story. She perfectly weaves Charity & Mitch, Faith & Collin, and Marcy & Patrick lives into the activities around Lizzie and Brady. Charity and Mitch are expecting while Collin is determined to have Faith pregnant. Marcy and Patrick are in for a visitor of their own that throws their entire world topsy turvy.

The passion each of these couples shares is vibrant and exciting. Julie does a fantastic job of portraying marriage as a creation that is meant to be enjoyed even after having been married for years. Novels tend to ignore the married couples focusing the passion on the unwed. Well, not our Mrs. Lessman. This woman knows how to stoke the fires of romance between married couples and does an excellent job of it. Thank you Julie for giving us a positive example in the couples in your novels.

A Passion Denied doesn't make marriage seem all rosie and perfect all the time. Each marriage in this novel shows that they each deal with different marital issues and how they are able to resolve them. I appreciate that Julie comes full circle with each of these. I also love how the families are so connected. They love and care for each other very much and I believe are a wonderful example of how families should be.

I am barely able to contain myself when it comes to Julie's next set of stories. Getting to know Katie more throughout this story sets up the reader to be chomping at the bit for the next installment. I have a feeling with the bases loaded, Julie will hit a Grand Slam with Katie's "passion". She's a spit fire and it looks like she will be giving some young man a run for his money. I wonder if Chuny, from A Passion Denied will be involved, as he seemed to know exactly how to push her buttons and thoroughly enjoyed it.

If you'd like to purchase Julie's book(s) I have a link to Christianbook.com on the right side of my page. Type in A Passion Denied and it will take you right to it.