Want a NOOK? Explore Now
Will Steven ever see her as more than a sweet country girl who needs protecting? And will he break her heart when he finds out who she really is?
With heart-pounding romance, intense family drama, and the emotional twists and turns Julie Lessman fans have come to expect, A Love Surrendered will ignite your senses and inspire your spirit.
Anonymous
Posted April 5, 2013
This is the last book to the whole O'Connor family. I am upset it is over but it was a FANTASTIC finish to the saga of the O'Connor's. Fully of passion again and romance steamy and full of GOd's love.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.DarlaMM
Posted March 17, 2013
I feel like I'm losing a close friend.
Lucky Mrs. Lessman is starting a new series! Can't wait. Anyway this is the story of Steven O'Connor and Annie Kennedy. Can Steven put his past mistakes away and allow love to bloom or will Annie’s secret tear them apart? Loved it! This story was great and the twist and turns Mrs. Lessman takes, makes your heartbeat quicken. Did not disappoint!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted November 15, 2012
It was a great story of someone coming back to God....I loved the ending of Patrick and Marcy s story....was sad to see it end....It was another great book by Julie Lessman...
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.BDoughty
Posted October 25, 2012
Julie's writing is always passionate and playful, bringing characters to life on the page. Another good book by the queen of inspirational romance!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.pwnmom
Posted September 24, 2012
A Love Surrendered is the last book in the Winds of Change Series by Julie Lessman. It tells the story of the youngest son of Patrick and Marceline O'Connor.
Steven is the youngest son of Patrick O'Connor... the serious one... the straight-laced, upright son. Until he goes to college. After making some mistakes and "sowing his oats," Steven changes his life around and becomes a Prohibition Officer/federal agent. He struggles with trusting himself with a relationship with any young woman, and his friends think he's become boring and they worry for his social life.
Annie is just off the farm. After the death of her mother, and a few months later, her father, she and her little sister, Glory, move into the big city with their estranged Aunt Eleanor. Aunt Eleanor is a strict and seemingly loveless woman who is miserable in her spinsterhood. Annie previously went by Susannah Grace, but decided that with the change of living arrangements she needed to change her own life and her future... she wants to try new things and to be a new her. When her new friend Peggy invites her to sneak out and go to the pier with her and her sister and her sister's older friends, she decides to take a chance. On the way to the pier she is accosted by two men in a dark alley. She is afraid of what they are going to do to her, until she is rescued by an officer who came from nowhere.
Can Steven ever trust himself again? Why is he so drawn to Annie? Can he save her from herself? from him? What will happen when Steven finds out the secret she's been hiding?
A Love Surrendered was a wonderful conclusion to the O'Connor stories and the Winds of Change series in particular. There are twists and turns that I never expected and the romance as well as the spiritual aspects are so passionate and well written! I was just drawn into this story and felt like I was right there on the pier with Annie, Peg, Steven and the gang. I LOVED this book, and would definitely recommend it to others!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted May 31, 2013
This is an AMAZING book by the best author in the world!!! Seriously, Julie Lessman is incredible at making you feel as though you are part of the O'Connor family. I am sad that this is the final book in the series - but I will definitely read these books over and over again! If you enjoy Christian historical romance than you'll love this book!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
By: Julie Lessman
Published By: Fleming H. Rovell Company
Age Recommended: Adult
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: 5
Blog For: GMTA
Series: Wings of Change #3
Review:
A Love Surrendered by Julie Lessman was the conclusion to the series Winds of Change #3. We find that this novel of one of the six O'Connor children, Steven. This novel was definitely one that you will not be able to put down until the end with this one being full of a story of 'love, surrender and trust.'
We find that this novel is during a period of Prohibition area and Steven is a prohibition agent..'straight laced guy who is committed to his Irish Catholic family. Now, this story will take off from here with a lots of 'surprising twist' in this story. Then we find Annie Kennedy who is almost eighteen who is seeming has come about to need Steven O'Connor protection in one way or another. There is a big secret than Annie is holding that can break her heart as well as his. Now, what could that be. This is where I say you must pick up the excellent read to find out. The theme of this novel holds to 'staying pure and obeying God in physical realtaions' however, this novel does get very graphic in its descriptions of the struggles the characters do go through. "A Love Surrendered" has a lot of drama and even some humor. I do think picking up the first two books will help some in this reading of the interesting O'Connor's.
If you are looking for a read that has it all...romance, drama, history, humor, with very captivating characters you have come to the right place...for "A Love Surrendered" would be recommended to you.
EMarieH
Posted April 24, 2013
I Also Recommend:
Annie Kennedy moves to Boston after the death of her father. Feeling empty inside and abandoned by God, Annie forsakes her faith and her usual ‘good girlness’ and falls into the company of the wrong crowd. But it’s because of her new ways that she meets Steven O’Connor, a man who had also fallen away but is, very slowly, finding his way back to what is right.
In the very last book of the O’Connor Saga and the Winds of Change series, A Love Surrendered by Julie Lessman, we learn what it means to surrender our hearts to God and read a story about finding a love that’s pure and faithful.
Annie Kennedy never thought she’d meet Steven O’Connor, her sister’s ex-fiance, while backed up against a wall by two scoundrels on a dark street. While he does save her life, Annie is not only embarrassed but she soon finds that Steven O’Connor treats her like she is a child who doesn’t know what she’s doing. He keeps insisting that she’s a good girl, that she shouldn’t hang around with the people she now calls her friends. Maybe he’s right, maybe she should do as he says, but living with her innocent little sister Glory and an aunt who is strict and somewhat cold, Annie can’t seem to stop seeing the people Steven insists are bad for her.
Steven has made some huge mistakes in his life. But he’s getting himself back on track…sort of. While he’s not as wild as he used to be with the drinking and the women, he still can’t seem to get away from the friends who still are. But then he meets Annie and he sees in her the definition of innocence and purity. So why is she hanging out with the crowd he used to go with? The people who can only lead her to trouble and destroy that sweetness that he finds so attractive? It’s girls like her that he ruins. So, while he wants to help her, get her back to where she belongs and away from the people and the places that will eventually hurt her, he also knows he has to keep his distance. Or he may end up hurting her worse than any of those people she calls her friends would.
Julie Lessman, you’ve done it again!! I absolutely adored Steven and Annie’s story! Beautifully written, filled with family drama, passionate romance and overwhelming heartbreak, A Love Surrendered almost beat A Heart Revealed on my Favorite-Julie-Lessman-Novel-List.
In the beginning Annie’s faith had suffered because of the loss of her father, but when she gets it back it guides her through her journey with her frustrating aunt, her struggling surrender to God and her feelings for Steven. Julie Lessman shows us once again that God is always at the center of every epic love story. I loved how Annie’s faith helped Steven open his eyes and his heart to God. Julie Lessman knows how to weave a story of faith and love, intertwining the two with such clarity and skill that they become one and the same. There cannot be love without faith, there cannot be faith without love. Both Annie and Steven discover that a love surrendered to God is the greatest love there is.
This book made me laugh out loud, grin from ear to ear during the beautifully written, heartwarming love scenes and had me in tears at the very end. I can’t believe it’s time to say goodbye to the O’Connor family! Julie Lessman brought these characters to life, she made me love them. It’s like saying goodbye to my own family. I’m going to miss them so, so much!!
AngiOakley
Posted April 23, 2013
A Love Surrendered, the third and final book in the Winds of Change series, is the story of Annie Kennedy. After the death of their parents, Annie and her little sister move to Boston to live with their spinster aunt. Stepping away from her faith, Annie seeks romance and adventure to fill the void. She falls in with the wrong crowd...and at the same time, falls for Steven O'Conner, the man with which her older sister, Maggie, was once engaged.
Steven O'Conner, believes Annie to be just an innocent kid from the midwest. And he wants her to stay that way, doing his best to protect her from men like he once was. As their paths continue to cross, however, Steven begins to find himself slowly falling in love with her. But something from his past stops him dead in his tracks and threatens to tear them apart.
In true Julie Lessman fashion, she waits til the end to throw a twist into the story that you don't see coming. And she shows that even though we may lose our way, we can always come back to our loving Heavenly Father.
Anonymous
Posted April 13, 2013
Great book! I love Julie Lessman. I read the whole series, this was book #7 and i didnt want it to be over. I simply adore the OConnor family. This book was suspenseful and kept me guessing, i was happy, sad, angry and mad!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.bertie43
Posted March 29, 2013
Enjoyed it very much
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.DanicaPage
Posted December 31, 2012
An incredible read that I really enjoyed!
My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars.
Disclaimers: I received a temporary e-galley of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion. Thanks!
My Overall Thoughts/Impressions: I didn't know what to expect from this novel when I saw it on Netgalley. I love Christian fiction and so
I decided to give it a shot. I hadn't read the previous two in the series so I really was going into this series blind.
I absolutely adored this book. In fact, I was stunned by how much I loved it. I knew it would be good because I knew Lessman was
an incredible author, but I didn't think it would be this good.
I loved every single one of the characters in this book. I could spend a whole post talking about every single one of them; however,
since the main characters were Annie and Steve, I'll focus on them for awhile.
I loved Annie. She wanted so badly to fit in and she wanted to find herself after her parents' death. She falls in with a
questionable crowd and is warned to find better friends. I loved watching Annie grow as her faith increased and as she
started making better choices. Annie was definitely not a flat character and I loved that.
And then there was Steven. Steven was not perfect. I loved that, so often the male characters are perfect and it
makes the story seem flat. I loved watching Steven as he struggled to make the right choices and to be a better person.
And of course, I loved the interactions between Annie and Steven. That was definitely an interesting portion of the novel. I
also loved how you gained insight into other character's minds throughout the novel.
Usually I can guess the plot line of novels, and while I guessed the general plot, I was thrown for a few loops. Lessman tucked in
a few twists that I absolutely didn't see coming.
Lessman's writing was inspiring, entertaining, and uplifting. Lessman is a master at crafting words. I flew through this
novel and loved every single minute of it.
Fans of Christian fiction will love this novel. Readers who have not read the previous two books can read this novel
without feeling lost, but there are a lot of characters that might be a little hard to keep track of at first.
I definitely recommend reading this series in order and I know I will be going back and reading the first two. I am definitely going
to be tracking them down ASAP.
In Summary: Lessman has created a beautiful writing style and creates realistic characters that readers will love.
One of my favorite Christian fiction novels of the year.
Warnings/Side-notes: This is a very clean novel. It does talk about sex but in a very vague
and appropriate manner.
The Wrap-up: I absolutely adored this novel and definitely recommend it. Lessman is a brilliant writer.
I definitely recommend checking out her novels.
Love,
Danica Page
JesuSaves
Posted November 13, 2012
I wrote this review when I just finished reading A.L.S and let's just get one important thing out: Julie Lessman has got incomparable, amazing talent. Hallelujah. Amen. And Praise the Lord.
I am SO glad she took on this writing journey and so not exaggerating when I say that I'm lost for words right now.
WOW! People, if y'all haven't any one of her books, what are you waiting for? They're more than just mere works, in my opinion. They truly have deeply blessed me. Each one of them.
I laughed. I wiped away tears upon tears of mine (I'm afraid PLENTY of tissues will be needed for this one which - in my opinion, is not only the best in the series but also one of the best in 2012!) The drama got me gasping and all and oh how my heart melted.
The beloved, sweet O'Connors.... *snif!* How I love thee!
I just can't wait to see what God has in store for Julie! All the glory be unto God for this author. She's got so much talent that I can even hear that NYT best-selling list calling her name.
Write on, Ms Lessman... write on!
*Satisfied Sigh*
This is my honest review. So many thanks to the author and the publisher for a copy of the book.
THESELF-TAUGHTCOOK
Posted October 7, 2012
Annie Kennedy was left orphaned and bitter at a young age. She moved to Boston to live with her aunt, determined to experience all that life has to offer. Using her aunt's last name, she became friendly with the crowd her older sister had left behind, never intending to fall in love with the her sister's ex-fiance'. Steven has spent the intervening time trying to forget her sister; will he be able to move beyond his own past to create a future with Annie?
A Love Surrendered is classic Christian romance. It is decent, safe, and people say really sweet, religious things to one another that few say in real life. For example:
"...I thank God every hour of every day for the joy of being your wife, Sean."
It isn't bad; it's just very, very nice. That being said, there is enough suspense in the plot to keep the reader hooked. Will he find out her secret? If he does, how will he react? Will her new city friends be a bad influence on her? Having started this series with this book, the third in the series, I suggest that if you have not yet read Books 1 and 2, you might want to buy all 3 and begin at the beginning. I know they are now on my TBR list.
4 stars
“Available October 2012 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.”
ibjoy1953
Posted October 6, 2012
MY THOUGHTS ON THIS BOOK
Now we have Steven’s story. Getting over Maggie has taken three years, and well, he’s really not over her. But never in his wildest dreams did Steven think that helping a young lady, or really a stupid kid walking in an alley, would change his life forever.
After his breakup with Maggie, Steven was hard and stubborn, plowed down with guilt over the choices he made in his younger life. Annie was seventeen soon to be eighteen and was curious to know how the fast life was lived. With Peggy and the other girls’ help, she was willing to do whatever it took to make a guy kiss her. But what she didn’t know was the kind of guys Peggy and her friends hung out with. But why did it bother Steven so much that Annie wanted to hang with this crowd, when it’s really none of his business?
I thoroughly enjoyed another visit with the O’Connor’s in Julie Lessman’s new book A Love Surrendered. Again, Julie has written an intriguing story with a plot so well developed, and so many twists and turns that your head will be spinning and your heart will be beating faster as the story unfolds before your eyes. And I appreciate how Julie deals with everyday issues that people face every day through the O’Connor family throughout this three book series. And more importantly, how she shows how we can make a mess of our lives, but when we give our lives to the Lord, and trust Him for our difficult issues, He will carry us through them.
You just have to read this series to know what I am talking about! And I strongly encourage you to pick up a copy of A Love Surrendered, and the first two books in the Winds of Change series,
“Available October 2012 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.”
I received this book from Revell Publishers. I was not required or expected to write a positive review. The opinions in this review are my own.
Sometimes life takes so many twists and turns it can leave a young heart dizzy. Especially one trying to accept changes and fit in an unfamiliar world… Annie, still seventeen, is forced to grow up faster that most. Now living with her little sister and an aunt they know little about, the relationship is strained. Things begin to change as Annie ventures out, seeking friendship and on a quest to find love. Love or lust? Only Annie’s choices will determine what path she follows…. Many characters, personalities and family challenges to keep you busy! “Available October 2012 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.”
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted February 7, 2013
No text was provided for this review.
Anonymous
Posted November 2, 2012
No text was provided for this review.
Anonymous
Posted October 30, 2012
No text was provided for this review.
Anonymous
Posted October 29, 2012
No text was provided for this review.
Overview
He's hoping to forget his.
Will her secret come between them?
Orphaned in Iowa, Annie Kennedy has moved to Boston and is embracing the city life, with a new name and a wide-open future. When she gets involved with a fast crowd at Ocean Pier--one that includes the handsome Steven O'Connor--she is pulled deeper and deeper into a world ...