Dare to Love Again

Dare to Love Again
The Heart of San Francisco (Book 2)
Julie Lessman
(Revell)
ISBN: 978-0800721664
December 2013/416 pages/$14.99
She's a sassy socialite burned by love. He's a jaded cop burned by the upper class.
When sparks fly . . . will love catch fire again?

Spunky Allison McClare is determined to be a fearless, independent woman. But when she takes a notion to explore the wild Barbary Coast, she quickly discovers she's no match for the unsavory characters that haunt the dark streets.

Detective Nick Barone would rather do almost anything than teach this petite socialite self-defense, but it seems he has little choice. Sparks fly every time the two meet until a grudging friendship develops into something deeper. But is he just a fraud like all the rest of the men Allison's cared for? Or is he the one who will let her dare to love again?

Award-winning author Julie Lessman brings the glamour of Gilded Age San Francisco to vibrant life in this journey to find a love that never fails.


"With memorable characters and an effervescent plot that's as buoyant as it is entertaining, Dare to Love Again is Julie Lessman at her zestful best."--Tamera Alexander, bestselling author of A Lasting Impression and To Whisper Her Name

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Julie Lessman is an award-winning author of The Daughters of Boston series and the Winds of Change series The recipient of 14 Romance Writers of America awards, as well as many other accolades, Lessman was chosen as the #1 Romance Fiction Author of the Year in the Family Fiction magazine 2011 and 2012 Readers' Choice Awards. She resides in Missouri with her family. You can contact Julie through her website at www.julielessman.com.

MY THOUGHTS

Julie Lessman's name is synonymous with romance and Dare to Love Again is yet another example why! While this book can be read as a standalone, you'll enjoy it that much more if you have met many of the characters in the first book in this series Love at Any Cost (which I reviewed here). The opulence of Nob Hill is juxtaposed against the depravity of the Barbary Coast and it isn't clear if the greatest danger comes from the clash between the two cultures or from within. Lessman's expertise at building romantic tension makes the pages sizzle. While Allison and Nick are the focus of this story, Allison's mother, Caitlyn, continues to wrestle with her relationship with Logan McClare, her late husband's brother who betrayed her decades earlier but whose singleminded focus is on winning Cait's hand. I could not turn the pages fast enough in this one, folks, and held my breath as the ending approached. I am already eagerly anticipating book three in the series!


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Revell Books as part of their Blogger Review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”