My review of A Light in the Window: an Irish Christmas Love Story 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:

I have never read a book by Julie Lessman that I haven't totally adored. This prequel to the other six books in the O'Conner family's saga is more than satisfying, but I knew it would be since I love the author's writing. I enjoyed how this story brought everything together from the other books and showed how Marcy and Patrick grew to love each other following some major changes in both of their hearts early on. 

This story has the expected romance and heat from a Lessman novel and the angst that continually pulls and pushes on the main characters to bring them together and tear them apart... repeatedly. Lovers of emotional tug-of-wars will enjoy this book. I thought it was great that I knew the characters well before I began to read the book. It made the story that much more satisfying, especially knowing that Marceline eventually got the large family that she'd always dreamed of.

Last, for people who haven't read any of Lessman's other books, reading this one would be the perfect place to start. I really enjoyed it. 

A Light In the Window was published by Ten Talents Press and released Nov. 9, 2012.