A Light in the Window by Julie Lessman

I positively adore Julie Lessman and her O'Connor saga which began in the Daughters of Boston series and ended in the Winds of Change series.  So I was delighted when she announced she is self publishing her  latest story  A Light in the Window which is the prequel love story of Marceline and Patrick.  It will be released in Ebook format and available November 9th.  It is currently available for pre-order on Amazon.com.

Synopsis:  One Woman. Two Men.
One stirs her pulse and the other her faith.
But who will win her heart?

Marceline Murphy is a gentle beauty with a well-founded aversion to rogues. But when two of Boston's most notorious pursue her, she encounters a tug-of-war of the heart she isn’t expecting. Sam O’Rourke is the childhood hero she’s pined for, the brother of her best friend and a member of the large, boisterous family to which she longs to be a part. So when his best friend Patrick O’Connor joins in pursuit of her affections, the choice seems all too clear. Sam is from a family of faith and Patrick is not, two rogues whose wild ways clash head-on with Marcy’s—both in her faith and in her heart.

While overseeing the Christmas play fundraiser for the St. Mary’s parish soup kitchen—A Light in the Window—Marcy not only wrestles with her attraction to both men, but with her concern for their spiritual welfare. The play is based on the Irish custom of placing a candle in the window on Christmas Eve to welcome the Holy Family, and for Marcy, its message becomes deeply personal. Her grandmother Mima cautions her to guard her heart for the type of man who will respond to the "light in the window," meaning the message of Christ in her heart. But when disaster strikes during the play, Marcy is destined to discover the truth of the play’s message first-hand when it becomes clear that although two men have professed their undying love, only one has truly responded to “the light in the window.”

Even though I knew how the story was going to turn out, I was captured from the beginning, wondering how  she would  make the right choice. Lessman does an excellent job of painting a picture of faith and hope, love and loss, the challenge of friendships and relationships, being true and the power of change.  A Light in the The Window is an emotional story, faith filled without being preachy and passionate without being sexual.  I highly recommend it.   


Julie is having a Kindle Fire Contest which will run through December 31, 2012. Be sure to check it out.  Follow Julie on Facebook and check out her website for more information on all her books. 

Thank you to Julie for providing an advance copy of A Light in the Window and for writing Marceline's story.