A Passion Most Pure (Daughters of Boston, Book 1)

*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

I enjoyed this story which surprises me since I typically prefer contemporary romance. It was interesting to read about the differences between then and now, and I think the thing I liked most was the overwhelming respect the young people had for the adults. Don't misunderstand me, you can see that respect now days, but not to the extent I read in this story. The romance parts of the story got a little tiresome to keep up with, especially where Faith was concerned. She did love Collin, but for various different reasons, she kept trying to get him out of her head and heart by attempting to fall in love with other men. I definitely did not like Charity. She was too mean-spirited and self-centered for my taste. My only other comment/question concerns references to God. I've always thought that when referring to God, that whatever word you used should be capitalized - like Him, He, etc. They weren't capitalized in this book unless it was at the beginning of a sentence....it just seemed odd to me.

Honestly, I think the storyline was interesting. One man in love with 2 sisters. Could have been developed and explored better i think. Charity's character is too shallow, vain and self serving. Collin's character is complex. I like how the author tried to navigate his growth and attraction toward Faith while he's growing in faith. I loved Faith's character in this story, she's strong, principled, in a great relationship with God. I didn't care for the love triangle or emotional manipulation between the characters. I thought there were too many subplots going on which distracted from the main story and made the story go on longer than it should have at times. What I wish the author had made more clear was the depth of Collin's growth, love and respect for Faith and why and how it outshine her above her sister and others in Collin's eyes. Charity's manipulation of Mitch his capitulation were not treated with the right deference to the time, setting that I wish the author could just rewrite that entire storyline. I did love the Mrs. Gerson and her powerful example.

Julie Lessman is making waves in Christian circles with good reason. This was her first novel ever, but you'd think she was a seasoned professional. This book is followed by two more (each about sister of the same family) and there is a 4th coming out in October (the first of a new series, but about the 4th sister) and I'm dying for it.These books are EDGY Christian fiction. They deal much more intimately with the lusts and temptations of real life. Julie Lessman is a very honest author and though the writing is far more EDGY than normal Chrisian romance, it is by no means raunchy or sinful. It is beautifully and these books change lives and inspire the reader to higher heights. The reader can really relate to the characters who are so beautifully developed and each books begins exactly where the previous ended.Lessman is brilliant at twists and turns. You will never know even up until the last page how it is going to end! I own these books already but they are in another country and I miss them so much, I am ordering them again where I live now!Even a non-Christian reader will fall in love with these books as the twists will keep one flipping pages. I always am sad when a good book ends, and though these (at 500 pages) are some of the longest of the genre I have read, they are the quickest read because they are so fantastic.I am not exaggerating. These are the best books I ever read and I am well versed in Christian Fiction Romance.

Julie Lessman is truly an amazing writer. She makes you become the heroin and guides you through the book.This is the story of a young woman Faith O'Connor who secretly falls in love with Collin Maguire. Unfortunately for her so does her younger sister Charity. Collin prefers Charity, but after stealing a few kisses from Faith realises there is a deep feeling for her.It isn't until he goes off to war that he understands Faith's beliefs in God.I couldn't put the book down and got very emotional in parts as the family split up.

Really exciting and so exceptionally well written, now on second book equaly entertaining and can't put it down.I shall certainly be buying the third book,sometimes you could scream at Charity and of course the story is far fetched sometimes o but so descriptive, good plot and God Breathed, He always triumphs in the characters at the end and I managed to learn a lot too, excelent read you wont be disappointed. I love Julie Lessman for her clever twists to her tale!!

I didn't think I was going to really going to enjoy this book, how wrong was that thought. Once I started I couldn't put it down. I related with the characters, I enjoyed the twists and turns of the story. Faith the main character started off weak and woolly and turned into someone strong and a determined honest Christian faith which I greatly admired.

This book begins a beautiful series following the lives and loves of of the O'Connor's of Boston, with each book revealing the hardships, challenges and beauty of falling in love, whilst reminding the reader that there's more to love and marriage than butterflies and roses. These books do not disappoint! They are a must have for every reader looking for a romantic novel that that doesn't just focus on the frills and the flowers, but also the challenges and consequences of living a life with, or without faith! Julie Lessman masterfully constructs the changing times of the early 20th century and weaves together the numerous characters and story-lines seamlessly, creating a world so engaging that you just can't put the books down! I can't wait to read them all again!