Book Review: A Love Surrendered by Julie Lessman

I am embarrassed to say that I have owned three books by Julie Lessman for about five years, but never read them.  However, after reading A Love Surrendered I decided to read them all very soon, as well as the first two books in the Winds of Change series.  This is the story of Steven O'Connor and Susannah Kennedey, who (for reasons I was never quite sure of) changed her name to Annie.  They meet in the first chapter when he saves her from two thugs on a dark city street.  They meet again just a few minutes later at a party, and the sparks fly immediately.  They both feel an attraction to the other, but he thinks she's just a kid and he needs to protect her.  Their romance is furthur complicated by the fact that he was in love with her older sister in the past.  Annie realizes this the first night, but manages to hide it from him.  Steven is running from shame in his past that he can't escape, and Annie is running from a God she thinks no longer loves her.  Their relationship is filled with ups and downs, including her sister's return and a surprising secret.  As the book progressed, I really wondered if they would end up together in the end or not!
Although this is the third book the Winds of Change series, it is really a continuation of Ms. Lessman's Daughters of Boston series, taking place several years in the future.  I have not read the Daughters of Boston series yet, but I started on the first one last night as soon as I finished A Love Surrendered.  One thing that I really enjoyed about this book, was all the side stories.  Since I wasn't familiar with the previous books, I didn't know the history involved with the other characters, but it didn't hinder my enjoyment of the book.  I don't think you would have to read the others first.
Ms. Lessman has presented a good story here about purity before marriage.  I think this is a topic that is often forgotten in Christian fiction, and I applaud her for writing it so clearly.  I thouroughly enjoyed this book and can't wait to read more of this author's work!

Happy reading!
Lyndsie