mary's book basket ~ "a heart revealed" by julie lessman

I am a HUGE fan of Julie Lessman's work. So when I received her newest release in the mail I knew it was going to be a long fun evening. Julie has kept me up all night long more than once with her delightful prose, fabulous characters and wonderful sense of time and place.

"A Heart Revealed" is the second book in Lessman's Winds of Change series. I think it's her best book to date. She takes the reader back in time to


Product Description:
Ten years ago, Emma Malloy fled Dublin for Boston as a battered woman, escaping the husband who scarred her beautiful face. The physical and emotional wounds have faded with time, and her life is finally full of purpose and free from the pain of her past. But when she falls for her friend Charity's handsome and charming brother, Sean O'Connor, fear and shame threaten to destroy her. Could Sean and Emma ever have a future together? Or is Emma doomed to live out the rest of her life denying the only true love she's ever known?
Filled with intense passion and longing, deception and revelation, A Heart Revealed will hold readers in its grip until the very last page.


That last line of the product description could not be more true. This romance held my attention to the very last paragraph. I think the key to this novels success is the emotional journey both the hero and heroine go through. Lessman handles the subject matter of physical abuse with such delicacy it's quite impressive. The emotional depth of these characters brings them alive on the page. You know them and are going through everything with them. I think one of the most powerful scenes of the book is when Emma comes to understand that she really is forgiven and free from her past. When Father Mac walks her through the process of confessing her sins and unburdening her soul, it's just so poignant and you can actually feel her relief.  It was just so beautifully written.

Then there are the secondary charachters. The O'Connor family has grown and changed. It's fun for those who have read Lessman's first series The Daughter's of Boston to catch up with the goings on of this wonderful family. Their antics of them and their children are just wonderful. Lessman write's about the good the bad and the ugly of family life with honesty and authenticity. She has such a gift for drawing in the reader and transporting them to a different time and place. If you haven't figured it out, I really LOVED this book!

So do yourself a favor and go buy your own copy, then brew a lovely cup of tea and prepare yourself for one long wonderful night of reading!

Labels: