4.9 out of 5 stars

Sean O'Connor wants only one thing--to spend all his days in the bliss of bachelorhood. When he takes a job working with his little sister's best friend, Emma Malloy, he does the one thing he never meant to do. . . he falls in love her with her. There's only one problem . . .she's already married.

   Emma Malloy escaped the hands of her abusive husband eleven years ago when she fled from Dublin to Boston. Still, she intends to keep the vows she made to her estranged husband and God. But nothing prepares her for falling in love with Sean O'Connor. Can she possibly resist her feelings for the only man she's ever truly loved? Is it possible to remain bound to the vows she made so long ago. . . ?  

Julie Lessman has done it once again in this second installment to the Winds of Change series. A Heart Revealed is a riveting story filled with tons of romance. 

I have to say right off that out of all of Julie Lessman's characters, Emma and Sean are my favorite so far! 

Julie Lessman's readers have come to expect more than just a story about two characters in her novels, but rather a family saga that continues to grow with each new book. This novel is no exception. Inside the pages of this story, one will find more conflict between the beloved characters who captured our imaginations in previous novels. 

While this novel definitely contains the spiritual depth that can usually be found in Julie Lessman's work, A Heart Revealed really impressed me! I especially appreciated two things in this story.

The first thing I appreciated was how the main female character not only lived a full, single life, but actually lived it in absolute contentment, realizing she had already been made complete in Jesus Christ. As a single woman, I can't tell you how refreshing it is to read about a woman who has that kind of perspective!  It's a message that took me a long time to learn in my own life, and I'm so glad to see it impressed upon in a romance novel. 

The second thing I appreciated was how the romance in this novel completely differed from most. Rather than focus on starting out with attraction, then moving onto sparks and falling in love, this romance began with a genuine friendship between two people who appreciated and respected each other without looking for anything in return. It represented a logical kind of love that is not normally led by the heart. 

I really enjoyed this story and highly recommend it. I will caution however, that anyone who doesn't like to see any kind of sexual references in Christian fiction, should probably stay away from this book. While Julie Lessman has become well-known for showing the God-created beauty of intimacy and passion within the marriage bed--in a manner that is never explicit and always tasteful--,people who have a low tolerance for this sort of thing may feel uncomfortable with this novel. 

The only reason I gave A Heart Revealed a 4.9 rating and not a 5 star rating, is because there is one loose end that I would have loved to have seen tied up in this novel rather than carried over to the next one. 

Other than that, A Heart Revealed is a great read!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell Publishing in exchange for an honest review.