A Hope Undaunted by Julie Lessman (Book Review)

Title: A Hope Undaunted (Winds of Change Book 1)

Author: Julie Lessman

Publisher: Revell

My synopsis: It is the end of the 1920's and there are many changes for women.  Katie plans to take advantage of all of them.  She swears that she is not going to be like the rest of the women in her family, and marry a man who will want her to bend her will to match his.  She is planning on becoming a lawyer and is starting law school in the fall.  She also has her sights set on Jack to be the man in her life.  He is wealthy, good-looking, well-connected, is also starting law school and she deems him perfect.  Then the pest from her past comes home.

Cluny McGee was abandoned by his mother and taken in grudgingly by his grandmother and eventually shipped off to an aunt when he was a teen.  He spent most of his time on the streets and met the O'Connor family when Brady (Katie's brother-in-law) took him in one summer.  Even though he was older than Katie, she was bigger than he was and the fur always flew when the two of them were in the same vicinity.  Now, Cluny is back, but has abandoned his nickname from his childhood and goes by Luke now.  He is also a lawyer and no longer does Katie tower over him. 

The first time they run into each other, they do not know who the other one is, and still the sparks are in the air.  When he shows up for dinner at the O'Connor's soon after, Katie is almost speechless.  This is not the Cluny she remembers from childhood, but she decides she still can't stand him.

Katie is very strong-willed and because of it, always tries to do things her way.  She often finds herself late for curfew, and one night her dad decides enough is enough.  He puts her on restriction for 2 1/2 months (no Jack!) and tells her she is going to have to volunteer at Boston Children's Aid Society five days a week!  She hasn't even started working there when she finds out that Luke has taken a job there as well!  She just can't get away from him. How is she going to get through an entire summer working with him??

My thoughts: Julie Lessman is a new-to-me author and I am very happy that I have found her!  The O'Connor family was a family that I think everyone who reads this will want to be a part of. They were so real and their problems and passions quickly became mine. I get very involved in stories and found myself crying with them in this one.  Something that I have given up trying to hide from my family.  They just roll their eyes...  There seems to be a theme in my life right now about getting rid of my will and letting God have his way.  This book continued on in that theme so was very close to my heart as I was reading it.  I guess that there is another series before this one called Daughters of Boston that tell the stories of Katie's three older sisters.  I am definitely adding that series to my TBR list!

Don't forget to enter Julie's Giveaway Extravaganza for the chance to win a Kindle - ends Oct 7th!

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

~I received a complimentary review copy from Baker Publishing.~

A Hope Undaunted

Publisher/Publication Date: Revell, Sept 1, 2010

ISBN: 978-0-8007-3415-2

505 pages