Monday, September 20, 2010

A Hope Undaunted by Julie Lessman ~ 5 stars + Favorite!

A Hope Undaunted
Julie Lessman
Winds of Change series #1
Revell
About the book:
What happens when the boy she loved to hate becomes the man she hates to love?

The 1920s are drawing to a close, and feisty Katie O'Connor is the epitome of the new woman--smart and sassy with goals for her future that include the perfect husband and a challenging career in law. Her boyfriend Jack fits all of her criteria for a husband--good-looking, well-connected, wealthy, and eating out of her hand. But when she is forced to spend the summer of 1929 with Luke McGee, the bane of her childhood existence, Katie comes face-to-face with a choice. Will she follow her well-laid plans to marry Jack? Or will she fall for the man she swore to despise forever?

My review:
From the first sentence to the last page, A Hope Undaunted will capture your emotions and enthrall you with a thoroughly excellent read.

Katie is the most stubborn of all the O’Connor kids and she definitely gets herself into a lot of trouble through that trait. But, just as stubborn is Luke McGee a.k.a. “Cluny” the brat who used to torment her as a child. These two butt heads throughout the whole book with sparks flying and witty writing that keeps those pages turning.

I thought Julie did a great job of fleshing out the characters and I was rooting for them the whole way. In her usual style, Julie kept the storylines of her past characters alive but not so much that it detracts from Katie and Luke’s. I was so into the story that I laughed, cried, and stressed out whenever something was going wrong. I cannot wait to read the stories of the two O’Connor boys! I know they will both be fantastic if Julie’s previous books are any indication.

Available September 2010 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

15 comments:

justpeachy36 said...

I'm reading this one this week and I'll have to say, I really like it so far. I'm glad you enjoyed it to.

Did you know the author is having a promotion on her website where she is giving away a Kindle loaded with A Hope Undaunted?

Amber Holcomb said...

Great review, Carman! :) I'm reading the book this week, too, and it's really good! I'm definitely looking forward to reading more about the two O'Connor boys. ;)

Also, I wanted to let you know that I have a blog award for you:

http://seasonsofhumility.blogspot.com/2010/09/change-in-seasons-and-blog-awards.html

Thank you for having such a great blog!

~Amber

Carman said...

justpeachy36~ No, I didn't know that! Thanks for telling me. I'll check it out. :) Hope you enjoy the end of the book too!

Amber S~ Thanks! Oh, me too! I can't wait. Thanks! I'll stop by your post. :)

apple blossom said...

Oh, I highly recommend this author. Matter-in-fact in running a giveaway for this book on my site right now.

http://myheartbelongs2books.blogspot.com/2010/09/hope-undaunted-by-julie-lessman_20.html

Katie said...

Sounds wonderful!!!! I cannot wait to have it in my hands!

God bless!


~Katie G.

misskallie2000 said...

I have read great reviews and can't wait to read Hope Undaunted. Thanks for your great review.

misskallie2000 at yahoo dot com

kristia4 said...

My sister read the first book, and has been trying to enter all the giveaways for Julie Lessman's books that she can find (and bugging me to enter them too, LOL). Seems to be a lot of promotional stuff going on 'cause this book just got released. Hopefully, I'll get to read one of her books soon. =)

Lady DragonKeeper said...

Great review! I've only read her first book, but hope to read the rest eventually. (Yes, K, I've been "blog hopping" like crazy trying to win any of Mrs. Lessman's books, LOL).

Unknown said...

Carmen, that is a very fresh review and I enjoyed your take on Julie's fantastic story. I'm hoping again that my chance will be the winning one for "Hope Undaunted." I admire Julies style of writing and others will have a hard time keeping up with her pace. Thanks for your review and the chance to win. Can I please?

Blessings,
Barb Shelton
barbjan10 at tx dot rr dot com

Carman said...

apple blossom~ awesome! Thanks for posting that!

katie g~ I couldn't either! LOL

misskallie2000~ Thanks for commenting! :D

Carman said...

kristia4~ Her books are all awesome! This is actually a "sequel series" to her first series "Daughters of Boston" You should read those asap! :)

lady dragonkeeper~ I hope you get to read the rest really soon!

barbjan10~ Thank you so much! :D This actually isn't a giveaway, just a review, though. Sorry!

tracysbooknook.com said...

I also enjoyed A Hope Undaunted and am a big fan of Julie Lessman.

I found the characters to be fairly three dimensional and enjoyed the interaction between the two main characters, Katie and Luke - although at times I was surprised by Katie’s sudden abrupt turns. The O’Connor family is true to form in their larger-than-life sort of Irish personalities and entertaining as always.

I posted a more in-depth review of my own at
www.tracysbooknook.com.

-Tracy

Carman said...

Tracy~ Me too! Love your thoughts. Thanks for commenting!

tracysbooknook.com said...

Oops!

When I said a "more in-depth review" I meant more in-depth compared to the short comment I had made.

Sorry if that was unclear.

-Tracy

Carman said...

Tracy~ LOL! That's fine. :) I understood as far as I can remember, but if not I didn't take offence! ;)