Fancy Friday- A Love Surrendered by Julie Lessman Character Casting

                                                        
I'm So EXCITED! Last night I finally was able to start reading A Light in the Window by Julie Lessman, and let me tell you that I have a very good feeling about this book! I can't wait to back to reading later on tonight about Patrick O'Connor and Marceline Murphy! So, let's get this thing started so I can!

A Love Surrendered by Julie Lessman

Orphaned in Iowa, Annie Kennedy moves to
Boston to stay with her spinster aunt. She longs
for romance to fill the void left by her parents' death.
But when she falls hard for Steven O'Connor, the
man who broke an engagement to her sister, Annie
is worried. Will he break her heart too when he
discovers who she really is?

Character Description:

Annie Kennedy- Tired of being treated like a little girl, 17 year old Annie Kennedy is ready to be an adult, and she knows just how to do it! She is ready to put herself out there as an attractive young lady ready for some fun, but she soon realizes what a mistake that decision was. Annie is a petite girl with bright red hair.

Steven O'Connor- The Black Sheep, the Outcast, the Rebel- All these describe Steven way to well. He's a man that now fights for peace and justice, yet has a habit of stirring up his own problems. A man now in his mid-twenties and not ready to settle down. Just because someone grows up in a godly family, does not mean they will uphold the family virtues. Steven is in need of some spiritual transformation, and what better way to do it then to hangout with an innocent little red head?.........

My Choices:

Emma Stone as Annie Kennedy

  
First of all, her red hair is perfect! Secondly, doesn't she look like an Annie? Emma Stone is one talented girl and I think she would do this part justice. I have seen her in a few things, and she can easily switch from funny to serious, from happy to sad, from shocked to calm. Plus, look how pretty she is!

Paul Walker as Steven O'Connor

  
The Bad Boy! I've seen Paul in a couple of the Fast and Furious movies and I really like him, plus it proves that he's good at getting into trouble... I could easily see Paul playing a role as a cop as easy as I could see him as a partier. It was Julie's idea for Paul to play Steven and I can say that I full-heartedly agree.

***COMMENT***

What do you think? YAY or NAY? Who would you pick?

*A Hint of Passion* A Heart Deceived by Michelle Griep

                                          

Description:

MIRI BRAYDEN teeters on a razor’s edge between placating and enraging her brother, whom she depends upon for support. Yet if his anger is unleashed, so is his madness. Miri must keep his descent into lunacy a secret, or he’ll be committed to an asylum—and she’ll be sent to the poor house.

ETHAN GOODWIN’s been on the run all of his life—from family, from the law...from God. After a heart-changing encounter with the gritty Reverend John Newton, Ethan would like nothing more than to become a man of integrity—an impossible feat for an opium addict charged with murder. When Ethan Goodwin shows up on Miri’s doorstep, her balancing act falls to pieces.

Both Ethan and Miri are caught in a web of lies and deceit—fallacies that land Ethan in prison and Miri in the asylum with her brother. Only the truth will set them free.

My Opinion:

Not at all what I expected. Before I even got this book in the mail I started having doubts about it. I have read suspenseful books before and been let down. I just have a hard time taking most of them seriously. However, this one was great!

The beginning started out a little rough. Their were some word choices that I definitely would not have made which made it hard to read at first. But I am one of those people who pushes through almost all the time hoping it will get better, and it did!

As soon as Ethan and Miri met I was hooked. I could barely put it down most of the time. Ethan's attraction to Miri was instant, and her reaction to him wasn't far behind. I like it when the tension between the main characters starts right off the bat when they meet. I feel like a story, at least a romance, does not actually start until they start having feelings for each other.

The part about Miri's brother being mentally insane was interesting. Never read something like that before. I liked how it was done, however, I would have preferred if her brother did not have the occupation that he had. That part was a little unrealistic with the way he treated Miri.

Overall, a good book. Some bad qualities and some good qualities. 

Rating: 3 1/2 Stars

Fancy Friday- A Heart Revealed by Julie Lessman Character Casting

                                                     
First, let me say how I am sooo sorry for not having this post up already! I COMPLETELY forgot! I'm actually in Yearbook class at school right now and got on here to check some things. Then I was like, "OMGoodness!!! It's Friday!" So, my apologize. I Really need to be more responsible.:P

Anyway, last Friday I did that Character Casting for A Passion Denied. This week however, I am skipping A Hope Undaunted and doing A Heart Revealed. If you have been here for the other Character Castings then you know why, if not, let me tell you... I went out of order in the beginning and did A Hope Undaunted first. So, if you haven't seen it yet you can click HERE. Any others that you might want to see you can find in my blog archive on the right hand side of the page. Now let's get started...

A Heart Revealed by Julie Lessman

Ten years ago, Emma Malloy fled Dublin for Boston as a battered woman, escaping the husband who scarred her beautiful face. The physical and emotional wounds have faded with time, and her life is finally full of purpose and free from the pain of her past. But when she falls for her friend Charity's handsome and charming brother, Sean O'Connor, fear and shame threaten to destroy her. Could Sean and Emma ever have a future together? Or is Emma doomed to live out the rest of her life denying the only true love she's ever known?

Filled with intense passion and longing, deception and revelation, "A Heart Revealed" will hold readers in its grip until the very last page.

Descriptions:

Emma Malloy- Emma is a battered woman around the age of her early 30's. She was married once before to an emotional and physically abusive husband. Because of him, she has a 10 year old scare marring half her face. Many people thought of her as a beauty when she was younger and she was basically a trophy wife. Now, she needs a real man who can get past her scares to her true inside beauty.

Sean O'Connor- A handsome man in his mid-thirties, Sean is the oldest of the O'Connor children and it's a wonder why he hasn't married yet. He's a hard worker, he loves children, and he's the life of the party. Any woman would love to call herself Mrs. Sean O'Connor, so why isn't their one with the title yet? Well, lets just say that Sean is battered as well, showing his true emotions at the worst times. With a past back from WWI that could haunt him forever, he doesn't let many women get very close other than his family... and Emma Malloy.

My Choices:

Liv Tyler for Emma Malloy

  
The whole time I was reading A Heart Revealed I was literally picturing Liv. She is a subtle pretty, meaning that she can play her looks up or down very easily, which I think would be good for the part. I also think that she could easily play someone who is somewhat depressed. She also seems like a good confidant, being Charity's best friend and all, she would definitely need that quality.

Bradley Cooper as Sean O'Connor

  
Bradley Cooper is a HUNK! In every movie I see him in he is always known for being the good lookin' one in the group. I always pictured Sean O'Connor being a really big hunk, but not knowing just how good looking he really is. In my opinion, Sean had no idea what kind of an effect he could have on women, except for one, and was somewhat oblivious to their attention. When Julie mentioned Bradley to me I literally screamed YES, because he is perfect for the part!

COMMENT

Yay or Nay? Who would you have picked for the roles and why? Any other comments? I would love to hear them:)

A Light to My Path by Lynn Austin

First, let me say that I am extremely sorry that it has been so long since I reviewed a book. I am back in school now and have not had a lot of time to read. Since I will not be having as much time to read because of AP classes and other things going on I will probably only be posting one review every two weeks. I will try my hardest to do that for all of you:)

Description:

 Refiner's Fire book 3 Kitty, a house slave, always figured it was easiest to do what she'd always done--obey Missy and follow orders. But when word arrives that the Yankees are coming, Kitty is faced with a decision: will she continue to follow the bidding of her owners, or will she embrace this chance for freedom? Never allowed to have ideas of her own, Kitty is overwhelmed by the magnitude of her decision. Yet it is her hope to find the "happy ever after" ending to her life--and to follow Grady, whom she loves--that is the driving force behind her choice. Where will it lead her?

My Opinion:

These books are amazing! I love how Lynn Austin does the three books: Candle in the Darkness, Fire by Night, and A Light to my Path, each in a different perspective during the Civil War- A white woman from the South, a white woman from the North, and a male and female slave living in the South. They all impacted me in different ways because I saw different ways of thinking, whether they were for slavery or not. They all also did something for the cause, whether it be nursing, spying, making uniforms, or fighting. 

A Light to My Path probably impacted me the most, being from the perspective of slaves. I knew slavery was wrong and that they weren't treated well, but I had no idea of just how cruel the Masters/and or Masters' wives could be. I never thought about how big the consequence was for the littlest mistake, and it ripped my heart out every time one of them was punished.

I liked how, even though Lynn showed how terrible the Owners could be, she also showed how they weren't all the same- that they didn't all treat their slaves so poorly. That there were really nice southerners that treated the slaves with respect.

Another thing that I liked was how the people from each of the books were connected in some way, and I was expecting a happy reunion at the end of this book. Unfortunately, I was disappointed when I didn't get the reunion I was looking forward to.

The message in this book was great! Throughout the whole book you had Grady, who had grown to the age of nine knowing God, but then he was taken from his family and thrown into the worst conditions, that he practically gave up on life and even more- his Faith. Then you have Anna who never had time to grow a back-bone because she had been treated unkindly practically her whole life. The message from Grady was basically to not let your anger control you until it completely consumes everything about you, but to put God in control, because in the end it is God who will send judgement. 

Romans 12:19 (NIV)

Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.

The message that I get from Anna was to not let people walk all over me. That I do have to be kind and a servant to others, but that their are also times when I will just have to say no. I can't think of a verse for this right now, but I completely believe it.

All in all, I HIGHLY recommend this series to everyone! I don't think this is a series meant just for women, but that men can totally read these as well.

A SPECIAL thanks to AERYKAH for recommending this series to me! I would love more recommendations in the future:)

Rating: 5 Stars

Fancy Friday- A Passion Denied Character Casting

                                                 

What time is it? Casting Time! Today I am showing you my cast for the third book in the Daughter's of Boston series, A Passion Denied. However, their is a slight difference to this casting session than the other blog posts. In this one I am going to show you my choice for Lizzie and then three choices for Brady. I am doing this because Brady ended up being the last person that I cast and I could not narrow it down. I will tell you that out of the three I have a favorite and Julie has a favorite, then the other I thought I would still just show because I want to know what all you think. All three of these guys look completely different from one another, but still fit Brady's description. I have a voting poll on the right hand side of the page with the three males names and I would be so appreciative if you went and voted for your favorite after reading this post or just comment below. So, here we go!

A Passion Denied by Julie Lessman

 Young Elizabeth O'Connor is the little sister John Brady always longed for. But she wants much more than that from her spiritual mentor. As she blossoms into a beautiful young woman intent on loving John, he must push back the very real attraction he feels for her. His past just won't let him go there. Unfortunately, Lizzie won't let him go anywhere else--until she discovers he is not all that he seems. Can true love survive such revelations?
Full of the romance and relationships Lessman readers have come to love, "A Passion Denied" is the final book in the popular Daughters of Boston series.

Character Descriptions:

Elizabeth "Lizzie" O'Connor- A young naive girl who has a yearning for romance on the verge of becoming a sophisticated women. Lizzie has pearly white skin with a trendy short haircut to prove that she's growing up. She tends to be on the shy side but around Brady she is anything but. She is determined to win his heart no matter what the cost.

John Morrison Brady AKA Brady- Brady is an extremely attractive man of faith who served in WWI with Collin McGuire. He is a man who has known Lizzie ever since she was a young girl at the age of 14, and can't stop picturing her that way... and frankly, doesn't want to. Brady is strong-willed and determined not to let any woman get close to him ever again because of a shady past he is not likely to share.

My Choices:

Lilly Collins as Lizzie O'Connor

   
Lilly Collins is very young and as soon as I saw her picture I thought she looked like a Lizzie. *Shrug* Maybe it's because the names sound alike. Anyway, she's very pretty and looks like she could play a shy maybe studious girl. One that is tired of being known as "quiet and smart" so she tries to change her image a little. I mean, she looks pretty innocent doesn't she?

Which One do You Prefer?

?Michael Vartan as John Brady?

  
Michael is Julie's favorite of the three. I think I have only seen him in one movie which was Monster in Law if you have seen that. I really liked his character in that movie. He was a nice, caring guy that didn't care what other people thought about his choices in life, for example, his fiance. Which you can kinda get from the name Monster in Law. Other than that, I don't know much about him as an actor other than he is good looking.

?James Franco as John Brady?

  
James is probably my favorite of the three because I have seen him in the most. He's good at playing almost anything you throw at him: a villain, a best friend, a soldier/pilot...etc. If you haven't seen the movie Flyboys then I definitely recommend it. That is the movie that James plays in that I think of as inspiration for Brady. He plays a man of honor that has been through a lot in his life, but works hard and protects the people he loves. Even though James does play in things that I would never watch, I cannot deny that he is a good actor.

?Cam Gigandet as John Brady?

  
Cam is the other actor that I was looking at for Brady. In my opinion he just looks like one anyway. However, I don't think I have ever seen him in anything, so I have no idea how good he is at acting. I also looked him up on IMDB.com, Internet Movie Database, and it said that one of his trademarks is playing a villain in almost everything he plays in and Brady is NO villain. To sum it up, his looks fit the part but I don't think his acting would.

Please Comment:)

Leave a comment! Out of these three guys which is your favorite? Do you have any other guy in mind? And what do you think of Lizzie?

Fancy Friday- A Passion Redeemed Cast the Characters!

                                              

Here we go again with the second book in the Daughter's of Boston series, A Passion Redeemed! If you have read these books then I hope that you agree with my choices of people on the cover of the book. I hope I don't disappoint you guys! I have consulted with Julie Lessman about my choices and we agreed on them except for my choice of Luke McGee which I did a couple weeks ago. If you haven't seen the Casting Characters that I have done in the past  you can find them in my blog archive on the right side of the page.

A Passion Redeemed by Julie Lessman

 Graced with physical beauty, though shallow at heart, Charity O'Connor is a woman who knows what she wants. She sets her sights on the cantankerous Mitch Dennehy, editor at the Irish Times, who has unwittingly stolen her heart. And although the sparks are there, Mitch Dennehy refuses to fan the coals of a potential relationship with his ex-fiancee's sister. But Charity has a plan to turn up the heat and she always gets what she wants-- one way or another. Is revenge so sweet after all? Or will Charity get burned?

Full of intense passion, betrayal, and forgiveness, A Passion Redeemed will delight Lessman's fans and draw new ones alike!

Character Descriptions:

Charity O'Connor- Not only is she a beautiful blonde that was endowed with womanly curves well before her older sister, but she has the attitude to fit! Stubborn, naive, and willing to do anything to get what she wants- including deceit. Charity O'Connor is not a girl that I would want to make enemies with.

Mitch Dennehy- A sophisticated mature editor that has the looks of a young heart-breaker, with the 6'+ height and the brawn that any man would be jealous of. But his head is just as thick as him himself if you know what I mean... This editor is just as used to getting his way as the obnoxious Charity.

My Choices:

Julianne Hough

 
Okay, so I don't know about any of you, but I think Julianne Hough is gorgeous! If you used to watch Dancing with the Stars, then you probably know who she is. You also probably know who her brother Derek Hough is also. Anyway, if you have read A Passion Redeemed then you know that Charity is not a very likable person. I did NOT like Charity for the longest time, only in the last couple books could I even say that I started to gain respect for her.

If you have seen the new Footloose, then you know that Julianne Hough is very capable of playing a spoiled brat. Her Dad is even a preacher in the movie and she still goes against her upbringing to do whatever she feels like doing. Which is much the same as Charity O'Connor.

Younger Brad Pitt W/Short Hair as Mitch

  
The moment I started reading A Passion Redeemed I practically pictured a younger Brad Pitt, obviously with his shorter hair, and when I came across the middle picture I was just like, "DING DING DING!!!" He totally looks like he could be a editor for some kind of newspaper. If you have read the book then you also know the age difference between Mitch and Charity and so that is another reason I think this Brad Pitt would work.

See my review of APR by clicking HERE!

Leave a Comment!!!

YAY or NAY? Who would you have picked to play these roles? Any other comments?

Fancy Friday- A Passion Most Pure Casting and GIVEAWAY

                                                      

Last weeks Fancy Friday inspired me to do more of these. In fact, I got sooo into it that I just couldn't stop tell I completed EVERY couple from both DOB and WOC. This week I am sharing the first book, A Passion Most Pure from the DOB series. Then, I think I'll probably continue to go in order after that. I don't know yet if I will do one of these every week until I'm finished showing them all off, or if I will do things in between.

I have been consulting Julie Lessman these, so she has seen them all already. We both have agreed on these except for last weeks Luke McGee. I hope all of you like the rest of the casting. So, without further ado here is Collin McGuire and Faith O'Connor!!!

Character Descriptions:

Faith O'Connor- As a kid/teen Faith was a very scrawny/boney girl. She was born with a twin named Hope but around the age of 9 Hope died because of health issues. For a long time Faith wore leg braces because of birth complications as well. She had Auburn hair and green eyes that were consider haunting. However, when she grew up she filled out a little bit and gone were the leg braces. Her eyes became mesmerizing and her hair beautiful. She was average height. Her character/morals were pure, but she was definitely high strong.

Collin McGuire- He's what you would consider a Hot player in high school. He was tall at a height of over 6', tan from being outside, and just plain handsome. But of course, he knew this. So he may have been very nice to look at on the outside, but there wasn't much to look at on the inside. Until he meets Faith anyway... He has dark brown hair and piercing grey eyes.

My Choices:

Kiera Knightley as Faith O'Connor

  

Now, I know that Kiera doesn't have red hair or green eyes, but that's besides the point. I mean, they can change those things for movies right? I picked her because she is of the right build and character. We all know that Kiera is definitely a small women. She is also great at playing stubborn girls who just have to prove everyone wrong as well, example, Pride and Prejudice. She's also pretty without being OVER the top, kinda a subtle sneak up on you beauty. Know what I mean?

Young Hugh Jackman as Collin McGuire

  

Now I don't know about any of you, but I have always thought Hugh Jackman was EXTREMELY attractive and I'm 17! I know, my family jokes around saying I like older men, but who can blame me when it comes to that face? And when he was younger? *Sigh*. Anyway, Hugh is 6'2'' and obviously tall dark and handsome. And if you've seen him in anything you should know that he does have this arrogant look about him. So, I pretty much just think he's perfect for the part!

 

And you can see my review of the book  by clicking here!

GOOD NEWS!! We have an unscheduled giveaway this week because Julie was SO thrilled with my celebrity montage of her books, that she's offered to do an ebook giveaway of ANY of the books in "The Daughters of Boston" or "Winds of Change" series or A Light in the Window!  Here's a link to check out all of Julie's books (http://www.julielessman.com/books/) AND you can read Julie's favorite romantic and spiritual excerpts from each book here (http://www.julielessman.com/excerpts/). So tell me YAY or NAY on my celebrity choices for Faith and Collin and your choices of celebrities for them if you have any, okay? 

If you've NEVER read Julie's books before, NOW is your chance to start at the beginning of this very passionate Irish family saga (book 1, A Passion Most Pure won American Christian Fiction Writers 2009 Debut Book of the Year!).

 

 

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