A Heart Revealed

A Heart Revealed

Julie Lessman 

Fiction, Historical, Romance

Revell Publishing

September 2011

Ten years ago, Emma Malloy fled Dublin for Boston as a battered woman, escaping the husband who scarred her beautiful face. The physical and emotional wounds have faded with time, and her life is finally full of purpose and free from the pain of her past. But when she falls for her friend Charity's handsome and charming brother, Sean O'Connor, fear and shame threaten to destroy her. Could Sean and Emma ever have a future together? Or is Emma doomed to live out the rest of her life denying the only true love she's ever known? 

  

The Great Depression is still raging and jobs are at a premium. When Sean denies the romantic advances of a young girl at work he suddenly finds himself working for Emma Malloy. Sean has sworn off women and wants nothing to do with them in a romantic sense. Sean is also dealing with deep rage and a past of his own. he and Emma are the best of friends and he never expected to see her any other way. Working side by side with her everyday he finds himself more and more drawn to her. Before he even realizes it he is head over heals with Emma Malloy, a married woman.

 Emma is a woman of great integrity and grace. She runs her store with a tight ship and loves the O'Connor family deeply. Her face may be healed but her past is anything but. She still wears the wedding ring that her husband put on her finger 10 years ago. He was abusive and abandoned her but she still considers herself married to him. She loves Sean like a brother but when that love turns into something deeper she's terrified. Running from her own past and dealing with her wounds she desperately tries to avoid Sean. 

Will they find away to be together in a matter that is pleasing and acceptable to the Lord? 

Lessman is an excellent writer. I always enjoy her books and the O'Connor family feels like family. She writes with depth, historical accuracy, and passion. Some readers may find the passionate side of things to be a bit much for Christian fiction. I'm not convinced that she needs to be as detailed as she is to round out her story. In some cases it seems to distract from an excellent story line. 

Both Emma and Sean are wonderful well thought out characters. I did find myself a bit impatient with Emma as she seemed to dwell and mire in her past. I do believe that is extremely true to real life at times but as a reader I wanted her to get there sooner. 

Of course throughout the book we are brought to date on characters from former books and we continue to see the O'Connor family grow. 

Filled with suspense, romance, and intrigue you'll find yourself up late at night to finish this one. I promise! 

My thanks to Revell Publishing for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.