Surprised by Love by Julie Lessman

Back Cover: She can turn the head of the man who spurned her – but can she turn his heart?

When Megan McClare left San Francisco to study in Paris, no one would accuse her of being poised and pretty. But on the other side of the Atlantic, this wallflower blossomed into a beauty with big dreams. When she returns to California and accepts an internship at the district attorney’s office, she’s thrilled that he life is taking shape. But the exciting opportunity quickly loses its glow when she discovers she’ll be working alongside Devin Caldwell, who mercilessly mocked her at school  - and with whom she was hopelessly enamored.

Bram Hughes is the best friend to whom Megan has always turned for support and advice. But when she seeks his counsel about working with Devin Caldwell, Bram’s vision is clouded by his sudden unwelcome attraction to a girl he had always thought of as a little sister. He advises forgiveness, but can he forgive himself for pushing the woman he loves into the arms of another man?

Review: “Surprised by Love” is the third and likely final book of the “Heart of San Francisco” series. To date, I’ve read the first book “Love at any Cost” but unfortunately have missed out on “Dare to Love Again”. I really enjoyed “Love at Any Cost” and knew I had to read the next installment of this charming series.

“Surprised by Love” was a very pleasant read. Megan is such a sweet girl and her inner beauty shines bright, even on those who do not deserve her kindness. She loves easily, forgives quickly, and spills her kindness on anyone who needs it. As a child, Megan was overweight and not attractive, which led to some harsh bullying.

The book begins with Megan’s return from Paris where she undergoes a physical transformation into a stunning beauty. If not for the bullying she went through as a young girl, I would have really struggled with her ‘perfectness’. She is stunningly beautiful, wealthy, and has exemplary mental ability… she is quite the lucky girl. However, it’s hard to hold a grudge again Megan for her good fortune as she is just too sweet to be jealous with.

Megan’s best friend, Bram, is also a very decent man with strong Christian values, and I applauded her pursuit of him during the book. The girl definitely has good taste.

Not only was there the love story between Megan and Bram, but I enjoyed a secondary and equally engaging romance between Megan’s mother and her deceased husband’s brother. Their love story is truly something special… and reading a piece of it here in this book made me want to read an entire book just on them. A very good example of some quality sub-characters!

Overall I enjoyed this book. It made for some happy lunch-time reads. As most of Julie Lessman’s romance books come in three book series, I am interested to see what her next series will be.

"Book has been provided courtesy of Revell and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.
Available at your favourite bookseller from BakerBooks, a division of Baker Publishing Group"