A Love Surrendered
By Julie Lessman
Reviewed by Martha Artyomenko
I have enjoyed Julie Lessman’s other books, and I have known that they are not the normal Christian novel, but sort of push the envelope a bit. One reason that is, she really touches on how couples can be in love with each other, struggle in their marriage, have some serious issues at times, deal with them sometimes in a good manner and sometimes in not the most perfect manner. I wanted to strangle Steven a lot of this book…..you loved him and you hated him!
Don’t read this book if you want a story where your characters are ones that have no issues, these characters have plenty of flaws, but they love deeply, repent deeply and learn what true love is, even when it hurts. I loved it! This is not a book I would recommend to a conservative teenage girl, but for one that is starting to date, look for admiration from the opposite sex and seeking love….yes, I would. This shows that men need women that will stand up to them in morals, hold out for true love…they are worth it.
It shows the mess that can happen when you do not wait for love, and that sometimes a child gets stuck in the middle. What I loved the most about this book though, was the message of adoption. I have found sometimes in books, adoption can be looked at as a secondary way to have children, but it always goes smooth. Gabe for sure was a challenge!!! I felt myself tearing up with her story a bit, and that is hard to do for me, but I loved the adoption theme of sorts in this book!
This is another great read from Ms. Lessman. You can feel her humor, but also her heart for marriage and relationships in this story.
I think that sometimes we miss out on a great story because of being prudish. Marriage is hard work, this book talks about many of the joys and trials that go along with it, but it also talks about some of the mysteries of marriage, without too many details, but enough that it paints a picture. If this is not what you want in a book, don’t read it. But I encourage you to go outside your comfort zone a bit and think instead of reading a book like the oh, so famous, Created to be his helpmeet book….read this instead. I sure got a lot more out of it!
