Julie Lessman’s “Surprised by Love” continues the story of the McClare family in 1904 San Francisco. Picking up from book #2, daughter Alli is engaged to Nick, the chief of detectives. Cousin Cassie is still in wedded bliss with Jamie. And Mother Caitlyn is still trying to decide if she can give into her love for, and trust in, brother-in-law Logan McClare.
The third installment focuses heavily on the story of Cait and Logan, as well as the story of daughter Meg, who has returned from Paris no longer the dowdy, frumpy, wallflower she was when she left. She is now an 18-year-old stunning beauty with a newly found confidence and a tender heart to help girls and women ensnared in the netherworld of San Francisco.
A large portion of the book focuses on the relationships between Cait and Logan, and Meg and family friend and “big brother” Bram. Both couples are extremely attracted to each other and love each other, but each couple faces walls as to why they feel they can’t be together. At times I felt frustrated that each couple just couldn’t be honest with their feelings and with each other. Almost the first third of the book deals with the “unrequited love” between each of the couples, before the story really gets started, finally moving on to Meg’s internship with the handsome district attorney, Andrew Turner.
But the rest of the story will bring out many different emotions. It’s fun and happy and sad and exciting and so much more. The author brings out great learning lessons through her characters — helping others and having a tender heart for service, finding confidence and letting go of fear (“ … the Lord goeth before thee, so fear not and neither be dismayed,” as one character points out), learning to trust, forgiveness of one’s self as well as others, and learning from past mistakes and moving on from those mistakes (not letting a mistake in the past rule your life forever). The characters learn that to move on from past pain, they have to let it go and give it to God, “allowing forgiveness to unleash the blessings of Heaven.”
“Surprised by Love” is a beautiful double romance, with many prickles along the way. But it also teaches about sacrifice and offers a lovely lesson on what Bram calls the Abraham Factor — learning the difference between acceptance and resignation, and true sacrifice.
Because the “will they ever finally admit they truly love each other” scenarios between both Cait and Logan and Meg and Bram got a little heavy at times, I don’t feel I can give this book a full five stars. At times I just wanted them to “get on with it already.” But other than that, I really loved this book, including some jaw droppers at the end of the story!
So, four and a half out of five stars.
Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, provided this complimentary copy for my honest, unbiased review.
“Surprised by Love” (The Heart of San Francisco series, Book #3) by Julie Lessman