A Light in the Window by Julie Lessman

About the Book:

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.”






My Review:

5 Stars

What a great prequel to six fantastic books. A Light in the Window takes place years before A Passion most Pure and shares with us how Marcy and Patrick. I loved this book just as much as the rest of Julie's books. It was much shorter, sweeter and simple but still the book was filled with drama, romance and a great message. I love how Julie weaves into each of her stories a message about God and what he wants from us. Many of the times it is something that I or someone I know needs to hear and take to heart.

I greatly enjoyed watching Marcy deal with her feelings about Sam and Patrick and watching them fight over her. Even with knowing who she would end up with the journey to get there was worth every page. I absolutely loved the epilogue and it made me want for more and hear about the early years of their marriage. I personally do not think there could be enough books written about the wonderful and passionate O'Connor family.

This is a great book for those new to Julie's books and a great way to begin the journey with the wonderful O'Connors. For those that have read all her books, it makes a great prequel.

* I received a PDF copy of this book from the author for the purpose of this review. Thank you!