A Passion Most Pure (Daughters of Boston Book 1) - Christian Historical Romance Novel for Women - Perfect for Book Clubs & Relaxing Reading

*Warnings*#1 This is a long review, so pull up a chair and grab a bowl of popcorn. You'll be here awhile. #2 When I read a review, I want substantial information. So I will not skimp on the details. Which will mean some spoilers, so watch out.Julie Lessman has "been around" for 12 years now, beginning with her debut novel, A Passion Most Pure. Inspired by Margaret Mitchell's Gone With the Wind and fueled by her passion for Christ, this daring author has been wowing the world of Christian romance with her passionate, spiritual, heartrending novels of love and redemption.It all started with one story, one family, and two unlikely lovers.I'm here to tell you ALL about it!All right, maybe not all of it, because there would be absolutely no reason for you to read the book, now would there? (Aside from the fact that it's totally awesome and that you would be deprived of wonderfulness for the entirety of your life if you did not...)I've gone through and read basically all of the negative reviews for this book--and that was before I read it, so that goes to say they're unconvincing. Don't bother reading them--and a handful of the positive. Here's what I think: Everyone only read half the book.Half the book is tumultuous in the most pathetic of ways. (Blame's on Charity; not the author.)Half the book is focused on this loose love-triangle plot between two sisters and a misguided rake.Half the book is annoying on the part of the "antagonist" Charity O'Connor, the heroine's sister. (Which is the only negative thing every reviewer had to say. More on that later...)I hereby challenge you to read MORE than half the book. If you're not loving it after you're 51% through, then you may be the one with the problem. (No, no. I'm kidding. I don't mean it like that. Simply that this genre may not necessarily be your forte. If you're more inspirational and contemporary, then I suggest you check out Lessman's Isle of Hope series. Absolutely beautiful!)What I'm trying to say is this: A Passion Most Pure is a gorgeous novel. I've read many debuts, either before or after reading the succeeding novels penned by the author, but A Passion Most Pure is definitely the best. The prose has a maturity that no first-time author could ever possess. (However, most debut authors aren't first-time. It's a long process of trial and error to get published. Beside the point.) Lessman perfectly balances detail and emotion, thought and action, narrative and dialogue. And, yes, the balancing act is basically what I focus on more than anything else--aside from the lovableness of the characters, of course. Very few authors can get it right. Lessman can. And with her pen of awesomeness by her side, she is able to create beautiful worlds and characters and stories.A Passion Most Pure is one of the best worlds yet. Her mix of Boston and Dublin, the chaotic newsroom and the comfort of the O'Connors' living room, the pubs and the churches--it's all so real and lively. I can see the buildings of Dublin in the distance, the parks of Boston as though I stand in the midst of them. I can smell the coffee in the kitchen, the whiskey on Collin's breath.Speaking of Collin...be. still. my. heart. The characters that make up A Passion most Pure--and I mean all of them--captured my heart and won't give it back. (And I just said all this about Cat and Chase in His Steadfast Love, so it just goes to show that Julie Lessman knows how to show a girl a good time. And, yes, that was supposed to be funny. I'm trying. Cut me some slack. I'm still in a Collin-Mitch-Faith funk. ?)Faith O'Connor, the heroine, will challenge you to be a better person. However, she won't make you feel like a wretch. I've read a lot of books where the heroines were too perfect, and others where they couldn't even be classified a Christian. But...Faith...she is so real. Sure, she makes mistakes. But, you know what, she learns from them. Sometimes it takes her a while--and I mean a while--and other times it sinks in instantaneously. I promise that you will love and feel for and with Faith O'Connor. She was true to herself and to her faith, even when it seemed too hard to have that faith.Collin McGuire, the coveted object of affection and third angle in the triangle, is a dreamboat. If you've read A Light in the Window (which I suggest you do before reading A Passion Most Pure, although it's not imperative), then you'll know right off the bat that Collin is a regular Patrick O'Connor--misguided, kind, devilishly handsome, amusing, heartfelt, good-on-the-inside-but-a-classic-bad-boy-on-the-outside. I fell head over heels in love with this man, and, boy, do I wish I had a Collin McGuire in my life! (Just so long as he didn't fall in love with my own blonde-haired, blue-eyed little sister, that is.)Charity O'Connor, the would-be villain of our tale, has made people--and I mean readers--want her maimed and killed. However, I will say this, if you've made it through Scarlett O'Hara, then you'll be able to handle Charity, guaranteed. At times, it seems that Charity's, shall we say, evilness is unfounded or misplaced, but if anyone knows that it's the little things, it's me. Also, if anyone knows that between natural sibling rivalry and perceived favoritism--I'm a mama's girl, but my sister is a daddy's girl, so we butt heads all the time, even though no one's playing favorites. Like I said, Scarlett. I can't tell you how many times I thought of that selfish little brat when I was reading Charity. I'm telling you, mirror image. Great parents, caring siblings, wonderful life, good looks--still terrible on the inside.Mitch Dennehy--oh. Lord. Jesus. That is my kind of man! I won't go into details, because if you're prepared for Mitch's awesomeness, then you won't be stunned into pleasant shock over just how wonderful that man is. Oh, but he is incredible!Patrick and Marcy O'Connor, Mrs. Gerson, Bridget Murphy, Mima, Maisie Tanner, Briana Muldoon, Jackson, Michael Reardon, Brady--yeah, I'm saying Brady in singsong, because I know I'm in love with that guy too--and all the other secondary characters were so vibrant, making the world of A Passion Most Pure so full of life and reality.(A side note on Patrick and Marcy. Between this book and A Light in the Window, we've kind of got a Star Wars deal going on. You can read A Light in the Window first or after reading all of the O'Connor saga. Lessman managed to tie everything together without much inconsistency, however there are ways that you can tell she introduced some new characters/aspects to Patrick and Marcy's story in their prequel. No biggie, but just a heads-up.)Now, where am I?Oh, yes. A Passion Most Pure is a beautiful story. The spirituality of the story and the characters' faith--or, again, lack of--is so true and convicting. The romantic passion, on the other hand, woo-wee! I will say this, for all those reviews that are the single sentence "So much steaminess that I wouldn't call it Christian ever," A Passion Most Pure was, for one, pure, but also not quite as passionate as some of Lessman's other novels. Still, it's right up there with them.Long story short, Julie Lessman took a dare when she wrote A Passion Most Pure. She brought God and romance in their purest form to a genre that didn't have enough of either. Years later, she's still doing it, and this is the great beginning to a wonderful journey that I CHALLENGE YOU to embark upon!BookWorm