A Passion Denied

Title: A PASSION DENIED
Author: Julie Lessman
Publisher: Revell
June 2009
ISBN: 978-0-8007-3213-4
Genre: Inspirational/historical

Can true love survive the betrayal and deceit of a painful past – or will it be shattered like the fairy-tale dreams of a girl in love? (from the back cover)

Elizabeth O’Connor has secretly loved John Brady ever since he lead her to Christ at the tender age of thirteen. But John is more than a decade her senior, and he has this annoying habit of treating Elizabeth like a little sister.

When Elizabeth decides to step out of character, and get her long hair cut into a bob, change her name to Lizzie, and embrace the women’s rights of the Roaring Twenties, she hopes that John will notice that she’s no longer a tender child, but a beautiful young woman. But even though John seems to act a little attracted to her, he still insists on keeping Lizzie at arm’s length.

But then Lizzie discovers that something in John’s past won’t allow him to love…will the shocking secrets cause her to give up her quest, or is it possible for them to find happiness?

A PASSION DENIED is the first book I’ve read by talented author, Ms. Lessman, though this is her third book in The Daughters of Boston series. A PASSION DENIED easily stands alone, and I could see even in the first chapter where Ms. Lessman came up with the title.

The Roaring Twenties is a time period I have an interest in learning about, so I was interested in reading this story. Ms. Lessman has a talent in bringing this era to life, so I could actually feel the press of the crowds as I strolled through the city in the pages of this book. Ms. Lessman has a tag line “Not your mother’s romance novel.” and I could also see where this was true. I was a bit shocked at first by Lizzie’s bold behavior, but I quickly grew to care for the characters.

A PASSION DENIED is a very long book – almost five hundred pages, and at first it’s size put me off. But as I got into the story, the size of the book ceased to matter, I just noticed the story. Don’t miss this historical romance. A preview of the first book of Ms. Lessman’s first book in a new series (coming in the summer of 2010) is included at the end of the book. $13.99. 473 pages.