A PASSION MOST PURE follows the life of Faith O’Connor, the eldest daughter in a prominent Bostonian family in 1916. Always at odd with her sister, Charity, Faith is shocked to find out the man she has always held a torch for is courting her younger sister. Collin McGuire is a rouge of a man and someone Faith’s father has forbidden his daughter to have a relationship with, unbeknownst to him that both his daughter are pining away for the same man. Faith, ever so proper, and truly desiring to live a life pleasing to God and her family, she tries to deny her feelings for Collin and ignore the hurtful way Charity makes sport of her lifelong crush on him. Faith knows the Collin she longed for as a little girl is not the same man today. The death of his father turned his life around, making Collin into a brash, cocky, womanizing man who drinks too much. But a part of Faith can’t seem to shake the feelings she has carried for him for so long. Collin, being the overconfident man that he is, shocks Faith one day by kissing her, knowing full well that it is her sister he is courting. That single kiss starts a rollercoaster of emotions in both Faith and Collin. Faith knows it is wrong to be attracted to her sister’s fiancé, but sometimes her heart is stronger than her will and she falls to the tempting situations that Collin continues to put her in. Collin, on the other hand, is confused by his attraction to Faith. While Charity is very pliable, and willing to heed his advances, Faith’s puritan ways grate on his nerves. Never meeting a woman who’s turned down his advances, he’s not sure if he has feelings for Faith or if it is just the excitement of the hunt that has him trying to win over Faith’s affection.
While I liked A PASSION MOST PURE, I’m afraid all the hype surrounding the release of this book left me a little unsatisfied. Though I liked Faith, it seemed like Julie wasn’t sure if she wanted this character to be a strong Christian or a vulnerable female. Now, while I agree that she could be both, I felt at times, the things that Faith did were out of character for the woman Julie would have us to believe she was. Charity, on the other hand was a wonderfully crafted character. As a reader, you found yourself gasping at the lengths she would go to to get her way. Collin was a great character as well. Seeing his internal struggles let you know there was hope for him yet.
Without giving away the different plot twists, I did find this book a little predictable at times and unbelievable at others. The story seemed to loop in a full circle, making you shake your head as you mumbled, “not again”. A major twist at the end was one I found hard to believe, though it favors the reader that likes the “happily ever after” type ending.
Though I had my differences with this, the first of The Daughters of Boston series, I enjoyed it enough that I will want to read book 2. I just will make sure and not listen to all the hype before I do.♥
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