Review of “A Hope and A Prayer” by Julie Lessman

My Review

*long, happy sigh* SO GOOD!!! This new novel is another epic story complete with the author’s trademark romance, a heart-tugging redemption arc, and richly developed characters, all staying true to the author’s tagline of “Passion with a Purpose.” It kept me intrigued from the first to last page and did not disappoint!

Characters

As always, the characters shine, so distinct, so vivid. First up, we have the heroine Hope! She is precious. Just precious. If you need a lesson on how to create a sweet and innocent character whose moral character Elsie Dinsmore would be proud of, and yet who is actually interesting, look no further than Lieutenant Hope Dennehy. Despite her angelic sweetness that earned her the nickname St. Hope, she actually doesn’t come across as an unearthly, un-relatable character! Maybe because of her flaw of timidity. Which I related with far more than I’d have liked.

I absolutely LOVED her and found her a beloved, endearing character I rooted for every page of the way! Hope’s soul is just so pure. She forgives Bren time and time again. And contrary to popular belief, that’s not weakness. That’s strength. (Though, of course, what’s not strength is just being a doormat.)

Now Bren is the exact opposite of Hope. He has an impetuous, fast-paced personality, intense and passionate in his hates and loves, and I’m pretty sure there’s nothing he has a neutral feeling about. I love him, truly. And I love how Bren has a heart of literal GOLD, despite all his faults. (Hes not a Christian in the beginning, let’s just put it that way.) Yes, he can be annoyingly flirtatious and seems not to care about the hearts he breaks… but at the same time, he loves hard and generously, and is so enthusiastic in his praise and affection. Just read this quote (from Hope’s POV):

“True, he took affection and favors from women, but he also gave to them too, making them feel pretty, loved, and wanted, like he so often did for Hope. He could lift an old woman’s spirit just by dancing with her or inspire confidence in a cross-eyed orphan by teaching him skills in baseball. Whether building swings and a slide for the convent playground or volunteering tasks for Major Peto and the nurses, Bren was a rare person who gave of his time and talents to everyone he met, and Hope couldn’t help but love him all the more for it.”

Lessman did a masterful job at showing his glaring flaws (trust me, I itched to slap him more than once) while still making him HOPELESSLY LOVEABLE. Seriously, who wouldn’t love him?

The conflict in him, how he’s so heartbroken over hurting Hope versus him expressly doing things he hates, it’s awful. Really, Bren’s *coughs* huge problems, and all the demons from his past he struggles with, set the stage perfectly for a redemption arc. *beams* And let me tell you, that did not disappoint. It was worth every dark moment.

Some other characters I must mention are dear sweet Max, suffering from crossed eyes. WHAT A DARLING. That part gave me warm chills when Hope was like, “God healed my sister! I’m not looking at you like you’re a freak!” That whole situation just touched my heart. Also, Hope’s nurse friends were a fun addition to the party – they have such entertaining conversations, which I intermittently laughed at, rolled my eyes at, and melted at. 😀 (And I noticed a lovely new character named Grace Johnson. *grins* )

That scene when Hope finally arrives home and all the O’Connors are “introduced” through that tableaux of sorts hit me with such nostalgia and bittersweet-ness, as if I’ve been friends with them for years and seeing how so many of them have grown up both saddens and thrills me. *wipes away tears and smiles* Not to the mention the classic O’Connor family conversations over dinner. I LIVE FOR THEM.

I absolutely can’t get enough of Gabe and Hope’s conversations, complete with Dubble Bubble, of course. 😉 Gabe is so wonderfully pushy and blunt and I love her. (And I may have fallen in love with Alex all over again in this book…) There are many characters I’m forgetting to mention, but I’ll just end here with my thoughts on Tom. *claps hands together* *offers a flat smile* *blinks* He was SO well written. I was really shocked at what happened. I have to restrain myself from any other comments on him lest spoilers slip out. 😀

Well, as usual, this was the longest section in my review. What can I say, I’m a character-driven writer and reader.

Plot

There are cliffhangers and plot twists GALORE. Some of them are predictable but I have zero complaints, because it’s more suspenseful when you know something’s going to happen, sometimes. The ending plot twists, though, shocked me so much, I was practically on the edge of my seat, and I did not see some of those disasters coming mid-book! And the storyline involving the war was SO well written. The characters were very much involved with it – it wasn’t just a mere backdrop for the story to be placed in front of. It directly impacted the characters, and the atrocities Bren witnessed… absolutely heartbreaking.

Romance

Wow, yet another rollercoaster ride of a romance!!! (Hey, alliteration! 😀 ) It’s an unlikely love story of second chances, redemption, and unconditional love rooted in God, but only after having gone through the darkest of nights and despite colossal mistakes. I love Hope’s unconditional love for Bren just entrances him. Because he doesn’t yet know God, he can’t really understand why she’ll forgive him time and again, why she cares for him so much…but at the same time, he needs her. (THE CONFLICT IS SO GOOD!!!) Their initial friendship is innocent enough, but after attraction sparks, the love, rocky though it is, is built on that foundation of friendship and care for each other, so you can feel it’s real. Which makes you as a reader care all the more. Trust me, their relationship isn’t all that innocent and simple (sorry, Bren, honey, but it is former you we are talking about here *gives him a consoling pat on the back*), but unconditional love is showcased in a most beautiful way through their story.

I love how Hope (like pretty much all Julie’s Christian characters) is firm that she won’t marry a person who doesn’t share her faith in God. Though ironically enough, the person she decides– WHOOPS. No spoilers. 😀 Um, but anyway, I’ve come across several stories where the Christian character pursues a relationship even when the other person cleeeearly isn’t a Christian. So I really appreciated seeing that principle strongly at play in this book.

Oh, and I was so happy we got plenty of Gabe and Alex as well, and seeing their relationship and how it affected Bren and Hope’s so deeply was splendid. (I LOVE it when the main characters would never be in the place they are without the direct impact of the side characters. Because that’s how real life works, right?) I like how the subject of boundaries in romantic relationships was briefly talked about, since the two weren’t married yet. Thanks to her old wound of needing to feel loved, Gabe was clingy and wanted to go a little farther with Alex… and honestly, Alex was smart to “give in” to Gabe’s incessant want for more “necking” in that moment, because that warned her that it was either only a little, or way too far, no in between (making her take the boundaries more seriously).

Writing Style

Such beautiful prose! The sentences have the same vividness and perfect word choices that I’ve come to admire in Julie Lessman, and it makes for a delightful, visceral reading experience, although some may find themselves glossing over the more historical bits. The dialogue also has a certain wonderfully casual swing to it, and you can totally hear the characters saying most every line. It’s natural and period-appropriate, I think. Not that I lived in the ’40s, but you know what I mean, I hope.

Speaking of which, the research done for this book was just amazing. It was absolutely incredible how many specific details (like the type of fabric, the kind of wood, the name of a candy, you name it) were included. I don’t know how Julie Lessman did it…but she did it. *hats off*

And, it wouldn’t be a Lessman book with out the puns (often in the form of character thoughts) and often subtle yet sharp-shooting, chuckle-inducing humor. I love it so much!!!!!!!!

Themes

WOW. The messages in A Hope and a Prayer were so powerful and stuck with me long after I finished the book. The overarching theme driving this epic story was that of putting God ahead of everything else in your life, whether that be you, your dreams, your friends and family, your addictions, your other passions in life, good and bad, – everything. And He will bless you for surrendering. And as in pretty much all her other books, there’s also a theme of the power of prayer, which I love to see and be reminded of. Seriously, the themes were one of my favorite elements of A Hope and a Prayer! SO GOOD.

This is small, but I wanted to mention how there was a scene where God directly (and miraculously, in a way) intervenes in a character’s life to keep them from heading down the path they’re going. I once read a writing tip that said not to do this because it’s lazy writing and just using God to fix problems doesn’t require any effort on the part of the characters, thus making it unsatisfying. You know what I think about that? NOT TRUE. God does work in real life and intervene on our behalf and that’s realistic for it to be in books too! (Plus, Julie Lessman is kind of a literal QUEEN at character development, so I don’t think that was her taking the easy way out for the character. 😀 )

Content guide: Some euphemisms, slang, moderate violence, alcohol addiction, mentions of lust, things implied between married couples, intense physical attraction and romantic tension including kissing and “necking”, mentions of premarital sex mentioned in the form of memories but portrayed in a Biblical light. There’s one bedroom scene with kissing and caressing between the married couple, while a fast-paced conversation is happening (it is Charity and Mitch, after all, both as stubborn as they come). What it leads to is implied, but the scene cuts once the conversation ends. If you don’t want to read it, skip Chapter 40 and hope you’ll get the gist of what the conversation was about.

This is definitely a heavy book, though clean. It’s geared for more mature readers, and I know the author didn’t take the subject matter lightly in the least, and I respect her a lot for boldly dealing with these matters through a Biblical worldview. My rating would be 16+.

Overall

Julie knows how to tear my heart into shreds!!!!! She does a brilliant job of writing the characters deeper and deeper into a hole of hopelessness until you really think they’re too far gone… but they’re not. Her forte truly is stories of redemption. Having finished A Hope and a Prayer now, though, I need more!! I want to see Hope and Bren and Alex and Gabe’s weddings, so bad, and find out what happened to Henry!!! As it is, I wait in eager and desperate suspense for the next book, or I’ll have to resort to writing fanfiction. *winks* I recommend this to fans of Julie Lessman books, raw and gritty fiction, World War Two romance, and stories with life-changing spiritual messages.

One of my favorite quotes:

“You only need me to be quiet and compliant and let you be in control, a quiet soldier who will follow every order, jump at every command. But I was born for gentler things, Dr. Hannity. I was born to be needed deeply, like Bren needs me. To love deeply, like Bren needs to be loved. And,” she said with a touch of awe, “to help pull him from the fire so God can heal his scars.” (A Hope and a Prayer, Julie Lessman)

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About the Book

Flying high as a daredevil aeromedical evac pilot in the European Theatre, “Lieutenant Love” O’Neill crashes and burns when the woman he loves falls for another. Depending on the support and prayers of Nurse Hope Dennehy to save him, Bren re-evaluates his free-wheeling lifestyle when he witnesses the heinous atrocities of the Buchenwald concentration camp. Suddenly nothing in life is as important as taking care of those he loves … or is it? Battling demons from his past, Bren learns that only one thing can truly save him from himself.

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Voted #1 Romance Author in Family Fiction magazine’s 2012 and 2011 Reader’s Choice Awards, Julie’s novels also made Family Fiction magazine’s Best of 2015, Best of 2014, and “Essential Christian Romance Authors” 2017-2020, as well as Booklist’s 2010 Top 10 Inspirational Fiction and Borders Best Fiction.

Julie has also written a self-help workbook for writers entitled Romance-ology 101: Writing Romantic Tension for the Sweet and Inspirational Markets. Contact Julie through her website at www.julielessman.com.

The Tour Schedule

October 1 – https://readingismysuperpower.org/

October 2 – https://myfavoritepastime.blogspot.com/

October 3 – (New-release spotlight) https://www.graceajohnson.com/

October 4 – https://novelscorner.wordpress.com/

October 5 – https://www.literaryscape.com/literaryscape-book-club

October 6 – http://misspippireads.blogspot.com/

October 7 – http://frommipov.blogspot.com/*

October 8 – (Live-stream on CrowdCast) https://www.crowdcast.io/c/kv9snz8wcfqr

October 9 – https://brittreadsfiction.wordpress.com/

October 10 – https://sarainawhitney.wordpress.com/blog/*

October 11 – https://splashesofjoy.wordpress.com/

October 12 – https://kellybridgewater.blogspot.com/

October 13 – https://flakymn.blogspot.com/

October 14 – https://blissbooksandjewels.com/

(*there was a swap with dates!)

Giveaway Time!

Julie is running a contest based on YOUR comments, so comment to enter the giveaway!!! One commenter from each stop will win an e-book, and everyone who comments will ALSO be entered to win a signed paperback of one of Julie’s novels!!! So comment away! 😉 😀 (If you comment on each of the posts in the blog tour, you’ll have a higher chance of winning! 😉 )

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What are your favorite stories of redemption? Have you read any of Julie Lessman’s books? What’s your favorite WWII story? (And have you read Elsie Dinsmore? Those books used to be some of my favorites when I was younger. 😀 I’m not against them, I just don’t fancy how perfect Elsie is, when she’s a kid, at least)? What book are you most excited to read this October?