A Passion Denied, Daughters of Boston Series #3
4.9
5
106
106
No Denying This is a Great Book!
The third and final book in the Daughters of Boston series, A Passion Denied is the story of Elizabeth O'Conner. 'Lizzie', as she is known by her family, was always a shy, quiet girl with her nose in a book. Now she has grown into a beautiful young woman with thoughts of romance, particularly for the man who has been her friend since she was a gangly thirteen-year old.
A man of God, John Brady has always thought of Lizzie as the little sister that he never had, sharing her love of books and her hunger for spiritual things. But when Lizzie's romantic feelings become apparent to John, his own feelings for her begin to change as well. But will dark secrets from his past stop a budding romance?
In this story of love and turmoil, Julie shows that there is forgiveness through God...forgiveness for others and forgiveness for one's self.
April 23, 2013
Awesome Book number 3
I loved the characters in this book. I cried and laughed along with them.
The way that Julie Lessman writes keeps me so enthralled, I can hardly put the book down.
I tell my friends and family that they need to read her books they are awesome.
April 19, 2013
Elizabeth's Story of Forgiveness and Conclusion
(sigh, catching my breath) My goodness, this beautiful author knows how to keep her readers wanting to see the happy conclusion with this beloved family in fiction! Denied is ElizabethâÂÂs story of the OâÂÂConnor family and itâÂÂs hard to believe sheâÂÂs gone from a child to a lady so quickly. ThatâÂÂs one of the best pleasures of this series, watching the characters grow up as they do. In this book we get to experience the wonderful relationship between Faith and Charity, the relationships with their husbands, and how these sisters encourage âÂÂLizzyâ in her desire to win John BradyâÂÂs heart once and for all. It was non stop amusement and touching moments seeing how these sisters banded together to see their baby sister happy.
Elizabeth âÂÂBethâ is now 17 (turns 18 before the story is over) and tired of John Brady not noticing her, everyone else knows her as âÂÂLizzy.â One of the goals in this book is for Lizzy to kiss Brady, but will this endeavor cause their friendship to end?
Faith is having a small marital issue with Collin; Charity is having the opposite marital issue with Mitch; Patrick is working long hours at the newspaper to keep up with all the work placing restraint on his marriage to Marcy (they have now been married for 26 years-WOW). Someone from Patrick and MarcyâÂÂs past shows up presenting another obstacle to overcome and more praying. I took great pleasure when Patrick throws this obstacle out of his house thinking the person was a friend. This is a letter IâÂÂd love to address to Patrick regarding the whole issueâ¦
Dear Patrick OâÂÂConnor:
IâÂÂm currently reading about the problem youâÂÂre facing with Marcy and I have to say, youâÂÂre really misunderstanding your bride in this situation. She endured a crush on Sam for a time and then courted him briefly. She never realized the man he really was therefore even though she loved him, she couldnâÂÂt have understood unconditional love before you came along. Sam was never a real friend to you and he hasnâÂÂt changed. He only sees what he canâÂÂt have and because of that he lives in an unhappy existence. He is a jealous, selfish, inconsiderate, petty, and deceitful person that you need to stay away from and forgive as God gives you the strength to do so. He never loved Marcy and he will say anything to break up what he knows to be a powerful marriage you and Marcy enjoy. Please donâÂÂt give in to those lies, please believe that MarcyâÂÂs heart is forever yours, and place your trust back in GodâÂÂs capable hands. Because when God ordains a marriage between two beautiful people like you and Marcy, let no man attempt to put that ordination asunder or that man will suffer consequences. ItâÂÂs not worth it, Patrick, you are truly loved both by God and by Marcy. Looking forward to the part in this story when you receive this revelation.
Your faithful reader, Kara
PS. Thank you for being so protective of your daughters, thatâÂÂs such a blessing to read about in your family!
Okay, had to put that out there ï Marcy and Patrick have smaller roles in this book, but overall the OâÂÂConnor family is still a huge part of each otherâÂÂs lives and itâÂÂs so refreshing to see them together whether theyâÂÂre eating, praying, playing games, or comforting one anotherâ¦..it never gets old watching them as a family. They learn in everything that God is big enough, that He loves them enough, that His grace is sufficient enough, and that His peace will sustain them through anything. HereâÂÂs some precious advice to Marcy from Mrs. Gerson when Marcy is suffering through something new:
âÂÂThe kind of love you and Patrick share always tips the scales in the otherâÂÂs favor. Patrick canâÂÂt do that right now, Marcy, but you can.âÂÂ
Marcy swallowed hard. âÂÂHow?â It was a whisper, a faint surrender.
âÂÂFourfold, my dear. First, you repent for any bitterness youâÂÂve held up until now. Second, you learn from the Master. Once, when Jesus was asleep in the boat with his apostles, a storm threatened. The Bible says that Jesus rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. You will do the same. When bitterness comes, you will rebuke it in Jesusâ name, and he will send the calm. Third, you will put feet to your faith, because action speaks louder than words. And love, my dear, speaks louder than anything. That means you will demonstrate your love for PatrickâÂÂa love note, a favorite dessert, a kind toneâÂÂregardless of how he treats you. And finally, my dear, you will pray. Pray for God to soften his heart, to wrest him free of from the grip of sin, and to bless him. And this, Mrs. OâÂÂConnor, is the most powerful step of all. Because if you are faithful to the first three, your prayers will unleash the power of heaven.âÂÂ
During the apology scene with John Brady and his siblingsâÂÂwhy did they feel the need to spike his punch if they genuinely forgave him? This gets explained later on and I DID NOT see it coming. However, that scene had me suspicious and later on I realized why.
It has TRULY been a pleasure reading this series and watching this family overcome any obstacles that came their way. The OâÂÂConnors are flawed in various ways, but Lessman does a brilliant job of showing that God can get us through anything if we just surrender to Him and trust Him with our heart (this lesson is done without preaching). Forgiveness is also a HUGE theme throughout this series and sometimes the person wronged has to forgive multiple times before healing has been completed. IâÂÂve learned that communication is utterly relevant even in ideal marriages and that communication is something we learn in our relationship with God. I also learned that marriage is something we need to seek God about before considering making a commitment, but it is worth fighting for when you marry the person God has designed for us as a partner. IâÂÂm looking forward to the Winds of Change series and IâÂÂm so happy that the OâÂÂConnors got their happy ending. I highly recommend A Light in the Window, the prequel to this saga and where it all startsâ¦..Marcy and PatrickâÂÂs story AFTER reading these three books!
April 10, 2013
Powerful Story of Forgiveness
This story had a good message of the powerful love and depth of God's forgiveness. It was full of passionate love of God and definetely recommended. Two thumbs up!!
March 29, 2013
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