A Passion Redeemed…wow…I didn’t think it was possible to like Charity after all she did in A Passion Most Pure! However, the author was able to pull it off. I definitely recommend reading A Passion Most Pure before reading A Passion Redeemed. You just have to know the kind of person Charity was and the things she did in that book to truly appreciate the change that comes about in this second book.
About halfway through the book, I started to feel for Charity. I didn’t really like her yet, but could see that there might be hope for her. She made lots of bad decisions…I mean LOTS! The girl just couldn’t stop her lying! Just made me want to shake her! Then, when a powerful secret from Charity’s childhood is exposed, I felt sorry for her and could understand her attitude toward God and life in general a little better. By the time I was nearing the end of the book, I was totally on her side, hurting for her as she tried to put her life back together after many disappointments.
Now, the love interest…Mitch. Thickheaded, yes, that term is used in the book for him quite often. It pretty much sums him up. He is older than Charity and he is the ex-fiancé of Charity’s sister, Faith. That entire story is told in A Passion Most Pure. Mitch started following Christ during that novel and is now trying to live his life in a way that would please God. However, Mitch has some major trust issues due to events in his past and this becomes a serious problem between he and Charity.
Both characters have some major flaws and make some big mistakes in this book. It is only by the grace of God and, in Charity’s case, the guidance of Christian friends and family, that things will have a chance of working out in the end. This was a very enjoyable book. (5 stars)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Julie Lessman is an award-winning author whose tagline of “Passion With a Purpose” underscores her intense passion for both God and romance. Winner of the 2009 ACFW Debut Author of the Year and Holt Medallion Awards of Merit for Best First Book and Long Inspirational, Julie is also the recipient of 14 Romance Writers of America awards and was voted by readers as “Borders Best of 2009 So Far: Your Favorite Fiction.”
Chosen as the #1 Romance Fiction Author of the Year in the Family Fiction magazine 2012 and 2011 Readers Choice Awards, Julie was also awarded #1 Historical Fiction Author of the Year in that same poll and #3 Author of the Year, #4 Novel of the Year and #3 Series of the year. She resides in Missouri with her husband, daughter, son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter and is the author of “The Daughters of Boston” series—A Passion Most Pure, A Passion Redeemed, and A Passion Denied. Book 1 in her “Winds of Change” series A Hope Undaunted ranked #5 on Booklist’s Top 10 Inspirational Fiction for 2010.
You can connect with Julie at http://www.julielessman.com/ or http://seekerville.blogspot.com/ as well as on Facebook and Twitter.
Britt Reads Fiction 
I hear you! It was great to see changes that happened with Charity. Lessman is soooo fantastic!