Saturday, November 16, 2019

Bookish Thoughts: A Gift Like No Other


"Guilt is like a cancer that eats away at our soul, robbing us of joy, hope, and all too often, the very forgiveness that will set us free."  - Patrick O'Conner 

Description:
WARNING: Due to a subject matter that deals with marital problems, please be advised that this sweet inspirational novella contains a higher level of romantic passion.

Her dream is writing.
His is the perfect wife and mother.
Until God fulfills them both
with a dream like no other.

Twelve years ago, Faith O’Connor happily gave up her dream as a copywriter to become a wife and mother, clinging to her husband’s promise she could return someday. But when the opportunity arises to write for the Boston Herald again two days a week, her dream hits a snag … along with her marriage.

To Collin McGuire, family is everything because he never really had one of his own. Raised by a father who died early and a mother who didn’t care, Collin is determined to give his children the very best with a full-time mother. But when he denies Faith her dream, he soon discovers he’s denied his own as well … until Christmas day brings a healing through a gift like no other.


About the Author:
Julie Lessman is an award-winning author whose tagline of “Passion With a Purpose” not only underscores her intense passion for God and romance, but her staunch advocacy for sexual purity before marriage as well. A lover of all things Irish, she enjoys reading what she writes -- close-knit Irish family sagas as well as both historical and contemporary religious and inspirational romance for the sweet and Christian markets.
Author of The Daughters of Boston, Winds of Change, and Heart of San Francisco series with Revell Publishing, Julie 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. Her latest novel, Surprised by Love, appeared on Family Fiction magazine’s list of Top Ten Novels of 2014, and 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 and read excerpts from her books at www.julielessman.com, or through Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, or Pinterest, as well as sign up for her newsletter. Check out Julie’s group blog, The Seekers, Writers Digest 2013, 2014, and 2015 “Best 101 Websites for Writers,” and Julie’s own personal blog, Journal Jots, voted blog of the month in the Readers’ Choice poll of Book Fun Magazine.


My Thoughts:
Disclaimer: I’m not typically someone who enjoys novellas or intentionally seeks out Christmas stories.  They just aren’t usually my cup of tea . . . but I do make exceptions for certain authors, and Julie Lessman is indubitably one of them.  My usual arguments for avoiding them just don’t hold water with hers.  So, if you’re like me, a long-held skeptic of anything that is less than 200 pages in length, give this one a try - I highly doubt you’ll be disappointed.  

I’ve long been a fan of Ms. Lessman’s books and I adore the O’Conner family and all the additions they’ve collected over the course of the series.  Even saying that, when I saw this would be a novella about Faith and Collin McGuire, I admit to slight skepticism.  Theirs was the very first book in the series and they’ve played parts in several of the other ones as well, so what more could there be to tell?  Quite a bit, as it turns out.  If you haven’t read the rest of the series, you may find yourself playing catch up a bit, regarding names, who everyone is, and with some of the stories they tell.  Though I do think the author did an excellent job of explaining a bit, without slowing the story down.  So if this your first foray into the group, I would still say, “go for it!” just anticipate wanting to find the rest of the books ASAP when you’re done.

I would like to note something, though it’s already stated in the description: this story is about a married couple and deals with some marital issues.  So with that in mind, there are some “steamier” scenes than one tends to find in most Christian fiction.  The author’s tag line, “ Passion with a Purpose” definitely fits.  Even saying that, as a married lady myself, I truly appreciated how Ms. Lessman handles even the sensitive topics in marriage.  Her writing continues to point back to the Designer and Creator of all things, including marriage.  Though this book is fiction, many of the discussions within it had me stepping back and double-checking my own marriage and attitudes.  Would I still recommend this book to an unmarried woman?  Yes, I would.  But I would include the understanding that this novella carries with it some heavier topics regarding marriage and enduring through the struggles.  As well as some scenes that may encourage a blush - even Faith blushes at some of the conversations and she’s an “old married lady.”

Now, before I make it sound entirely boring, trust me, it certainly isn’t.  I can’t help but love the eclectic O’Conner clan, with their banter, random advice, love, and shenanigans.  I love how regardless of what’s going on, the family is always there for one another.  Even fathers-in-law to their sons-in-law and best friends to their hard-headed co-owners.  And some of the conversations are definitely laugh-out-loud-while-reading-in-a-crowded-place worthy.
Overall, I would highly recommend this book - especially to married or soon-to-be-married ladies.

Thanks again for stopping by and perusing my blog!  As always, if you'd like to learn more about this book, links are below!

Have a lovely day! 

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