(NOTE!! THIS BOOK IS A SWEET INSPIRATIONAL WITH A BIT HIGHER LEVEL OF ROMANTIC PASSION.)She tampers with his life.He tampers with her heart.Love tampers with them both.Desperate to escape an arranged marriage to a womanizer, twenty-two-year-old Maggie Mullaney flees New York for Virginia City, Nevada with her Aunt Liberty, two spunky suffragists intent on bettering the lives of women. Fresh out … lives of women. Fresh out of nursing school, Maggie hopes to devote herself to serving others rather than just one man, a goal quickly affirmed when she encounters Blaze Donovan, a womanizing cowboy who both riles and rouses her pulse. But when Aunt Liberty’s parents’ house burns down, she and Maggie are coerced into staying at the ranch of Liberty’s ex-husband, Finn McShane, who just happens to be the uncle of the cocky cowboy Maggie had hoped to avoid.
If there’s one thing twenty-nine-year-old Blaze Donovan can’t abide, it’s respectable women who spout piety and prayer, so when he butts heads with perky Maggie Mullaney at St. Mary Louise Hospital, he wants to stay as far away from her as he possibly can. Unfortunately, she now lives in the bedroom next to his in his uncle’s ranch house, a revolting development that sends Blaze to The Ponderosa Saloon more than usual. But when Maggie interferes in Blaze’s life by converting his favorite “disrespectable” girl, Blaze is determined to make her pay. Only problem is—the price HE has to pay may be a little too steep for his heart.
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Oh, yes! MORE of this series, please. Julie Lessman did a wonderful job developing two separate love stories, building on and completing what she started in the opening novella (which I strongly recommend you read first). The sass, the attitude, the fun, the conviction and redemption of multiple characters–so much to enjoy about this extended family as they love and grow together. I can’t wait for the release of the next book in a couple of months.
Loved the continuation of Liberty and Finn’s story!
Maggie Mullaney is a young nurse and unofficial niece of Libby O’Shea. When she heads to Virginia city with her Aunt to try and get a job at the local hospital, she ends up with more than she bargained for.
Blaze is the handsome rogue in town that everyone warns the beautiful young ladies to steer clear of. Blaze works on his Uncle Finn’s ranch and is actually a very kind person regardless of his roguish ways. The first time Maggie and Blaze meet the sparks sure fly and it just gets better from there. I absolutely Love this story. Not only do we get to see what happens to Blaze and Maggie but we get to see what has been going on with the feisty Libby and Finn. I love the storyline and all of the characters. This was a sweet, heart melting romance. Although there was plenty of sass and stubbornness to go around. It made me swoon and gave me butterflies. This story in parts also had me on an emotional rollercoaster, one minute I am smiling and maybe even blushing a little and the next I am broken hearted. a little but put it back together. It made me want to skip ahead and peek at the end, but I didn’t and it did mend my heart and make it very happy. I could not put this book down, it was one that you just wanted to stay up late reading. I loved the emotional journey I went on with these characters. I also love how Julie Lessman always incorporates great life lessons in her stories, lessons about forgiveness and not getting in our own ways. I would highly recommend this book and can not wait for more in this series!!
If you’ve never read a Julie Lessman novel, you’re in for a treat with Love’s Silver Lining. If you’ve read her novels and love them, this newest book will only reaffirm why you love her books. Love’s Silver Lining has all of Julie Lessman’s celebrated trademarks – easy-to-read writing that flows well, fantastic banter and dialogue that are witty, emotional, and full of humor, gasp-worthy twists and turns in the plot that is well-constructed, characters that steal the reader’s heart, and a strong thread of faith, forgiveness, and redemption.
I didn’t read For Love of Liberty, the prequel novel to this series, prior to reading this book but didn’t feel that I missed anything. I do have to read it now just to get the background story behind Liberty and Finn’s relationship.
Liberty and Finn, though they’re dubbed as “secondary heroine and hero” of the story, still get close to half of the plot line. Liberty is a woman with an iron-will, intelligence, crazy volatile temper and a passion for women’s rights who doesn’t trust any man. Finn is a steady, patient, faithful and loyal man devoted to his extended family who can’t let go of his one and only love Liberty. Their relationship is fire and ice (Julie Lessman’s signature relationship!) thrown together that creates a lot of angst, fury, passion and sparks. Both Liberty and Finn need to learn forgiveness and trust to make their relationship work.
Maggie and Blaze are somewhat different as the primary heroine and hero. Maggie is the steady, tender, gentle nurse who is guided by faith and forgiveness. She does have issues with men but learns to forgive. Her faith is the driving force of who she is and what she does. Blaze, on the other hand, has been hurt by so-called religious people in his life and refuses a relationship with God but he is loving, loyal, charming, hard-working, and steadfast as the foreman of his Uncle Finn’s ranch. Theirs starts out as a friendship that evolves into a romantic relationship but Blaze needs to come to terms with his past to fully allow the relationship to blossom.
Oh, what a fun journey! Anyone who loves historical romance set in the West during the late 1880s would totally love this book. I can’t wait for the next installment in the series where we’ll (hopefully) get Blaze’s younger sister’s story as she grows up!
I received a copy of this book from the author/publisher through Singing Librarian Books Tour and was under no obligation to post a positive review. All comments and opinions are solely my own.
Loved this first book in the Silver Lining Ranch Series! (But I am glad I read the prequel novel first!) The characters all come alive when Julie Lessman writes. Don’t miss it!
When I read the book description for Love’s Silver Lining, my first reaction (being the romantic that I am) was, “Oh no! Finn and Liberty’s marriage fell apart? But I was so happy for them at the end of For Love of Liberty!” However, I took a deep breath, and realized that this book had the potential to be even better than the prequel because there would be a “marriage reconciliation” theme, which is a theme that always touches my heart.
Love’s Silver Lining is full of ornery characters who many times believe that they know better than God what path they should take, are unwilling to be still and listen to the truth, and generally make things much harder for themselves than they need to be. It is full of quirky sayings and a few comedic situations that made me laugh out loud. But, it is also full of love…love that builds from romantic attraction, love for family, love for friends, and most importantly, love that an almighty God pours out on the characters of this book.
This author does a great job of creating intense chemistry between characters, while always pointing toward God, who has an intense passion for His people. I loved reading Blaze and Maggie’s story, as well as Finn and Libby’s. I am looking so forward to the next book in this series!
I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
Wow! What an emotion packed novel Julie Lessman has written about two strong-willed couples. The main couple being Maggie Mullany and Brendan “Blaze” Donovan. Maggie leaves New York with her “Aunt” Libby to work in Virginia City, Nevada and help Libby’s parents who have lost their home to fire. Sparks fly when she first meets Blaze and they find themselves becoming friends, at first. Things heat up when their passion for each other heats up.
The other couple is Finn McShane and Libby O’Shea, whom I read about in For Love Of Liberty. It’s been seventeen years since they separated and Libby is back to help her parents. After some fancy footwork by her father, Libby and Maggie end up at Finn’s ranch for six months along with Libby’s parents. Oh what sparks fly then and continue to fly as Finn and Libby knock heads about their former lives. I loved the relationship that they had and all the passion. Rediscovering the love they had, but will it last? Check it out for yourself. Enjoy!
(NOTE!! THIS BOOK IS A SWEET INSPIRATIONAL WITH A BIT HIGHER LEVEL OF ROMANTIC PASSION.)
I received a complimentary copy of this book due to a contest the author had. I was not asked to give a positive review, but I do so voluntarily.