Book Review: Love At Any Cost

Author: Julie Lessman
Publication Date: April 1, 2013
Publisher: Revell
Series: The Heart of San Francisco # 1

Jilted by a fortune hunter, cowgirl Cassidy McClare is a spunky Texas oil heiress without a fortune who would just as soon hogtie a man as look at him. Hoping a summer visit with her wealthy cousins in San Francisco will help her forget her heartache, Cassidy travels west.

 

But no sooner is she settled in beautiful California than Jamie McKenna, a handsome pauper looking to marry well, captures her heart. When Jamie discovers the woman he loves is poorer than he is, Cassidy finds herself bucked by love a second time. Will Jamie discover that money can't buy love after all? And can Cassidy ever learn to fully trust her heart to a man?


With delectable descriptions and a romantic sensibility, bestselling author Julie Lessman brings the Gilded Age to life in this sumptuous new series. Readers will faithfully follow Lessman to the West Coast for more romance, passion, and surprising revelations found in "Love at Any Cost."


Fooled by a pretty boy once, shame on him. Fooled by a pretty boy twice, shame on me.

 

For Cassie, San Francisco was not only her chance to put the pain and humiliation of Humble behind, but it ensured she could focus on a teaching career instead of a man. Her lips kinked. Doting on lots of children instead of just one. And girls to boot, because if there was one thing she’d learned in Humble, Texas, it was that boys—little or big—were nothing but trouble.

 

But she knew the answer before the words even left her tongue. The pretty boy was right. She had a burr in her saddle, a pebble in her boot, an ache in her heart.

 

“Always remember,” Nana would say, “life is an adventure and every day a fresh start . . . especially with God by your side.”

Texas oil heiress Cassidy McClare has just been jilted by her ex-fiancé, who turns out to be a rather greedy and selfish man. He leaves her because her father’s oil wells, a major source of income, are no longer producing enough oil, and leaves her devastated. To get away from her newly broken life, she decides to go and stay with her Aunt Caitlyn who lives in the booming San Francisco, California. Not long after arriving there, a lawyer local to the area known as Jamie McKenna becomes drawn to Cassidy and excitedly pursues her. He, just like some of the other good-for-nothing men in her life, has his sights set on her father’s money and all that it could bring for his career and his ailing mother and disabled sister.

 

I loved Cassidy McClare! She was a spunky, energetic girl who had her mind set on never letting her heart be broken again. I was so proud that she didn’t fall right into Jamie McKenna’s charms. She says just the right things at just the right time. Personally, I could relate myself to her a lot! She was sassy, but still had a love and calling from God that she was destine d to follow. She knew where her boundaries lay, but she was honest about stepping out of line from time to time. She was honest with herself and others, and who can’t appreciate that in a character?

 

The pull of God in Cassidy’s life is evident in this book. New Christians could benefit from this book greatly, and I personally felt a strong pull after reading. As a Christian myself, I believe that this book didn’t have too much “preaching” as I have heard people call it before, but had just enough to show the relevance of God in our main character’s life. This book is truly inspirational and I encourage everyone to give it a try.

 

“Available April 2013 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.”