A Love Surrendered by Julie Lessman

Orphaned in Iowa, Annie Kennedy moves to Boston to stay with her spinster aunt. She longs for romance to fill the void left by her parents’ death. But when she falls hard for Steven O’Connor, the man who broke an engagement to her sister, Annie is worried. Will he break her heart too when he discovers who she really is?

With heart-pounding romance, intense family drama, and emotional twists and turns, A Love Surrendered is everything Julie Lessman’s many fans have been waiting for.

My Review:  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥

As an avid fan of Julie Lessman and the O’Conner family that the Daughters of Boston and Winds of Changes series covered, I was amazed that Lessman saved the best for last. I didn’t think it was possible for me to like this novel better than I did the others, but I was wrong. I loved it.

Annie Kennedy is in love with the last member of the O’Conner family to stay single, Steven, the upstanding FBI agent who rescued her from hoodlums. But Steven’s afraid of falling in love with her. It isn’t only because her older sister, Maggie, and Steven were involved. Steven is haunted by the past and by the guilt he carries. He doesn’t believe he can trust himself to love someone without corrupting her the way he did Maggie. As always, the author put Steven and Maggie in situations that I couldn’t see a way out of. And as always, she brought in the redemption and love God provides when we surrender our lives and our love to Him.

The thread that ran through this novel was trust. We can’t ever really trust ourselves or others until we are ready to be honest with God and rely on His strength to help us. This thread also showed up in Luke and Kate’s marriage, in Colin and Faith’s attempt for a son, in Sean and Emma’s desire for children, and in the attempt of Marcie to convince Patrick to adopt Gabe. All of the O’Conner clan showed up in this story including matchmaking Charity who was hilarious and feisty Gabe whose revealed past will bring tears to your eyes.

This is a must read for anyone who has enjoyed the past O’Conner novels. The ending was very satisfying although I will miss the clan.