By The Book

Welcome to the Blog Tour for A Whim and a Prayer by Julie Lessman, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

About The Book

Title: A Whim and a Prayer
Series: The Cousins O’Connor #4
Author: Julie Lessman
Publisher: Independent
Release Date: September 8, 2026
Genre: Historical Romance

She’s a former orphan desperate to protect her heart.
He’s a best friend who protects her from the start.
Till prayer protects them both from a true love torn apart.

Discarded like so much trash on the steps of an orphanage at age two, seventeen-year-old Winifred Dennehy thinks God has it out for her. Abandoned by abusive parents and born cross-eyed to boot, she spent the first four years of her life battling bullies and verbal abuse. Deliverance came in the form of one Beckett Campbell, the ten-year-old orphan who became her best friend and guardian angel for life, along with an orphanage volunteer by the name of Mrs. D. When Mrs. Charity Dennehy adopts Winnie into her family, has her crossed eyes fixed, and secretly arranges for Beckett to be fostered and then adopted by elderly neighbors down the street, Winnie figures her luck has changed. But instead of attributing it to God like Beckett does, she’s inclined to believe it’s her own grit, charm, and spontaneity that has paved the way.

From the moment twenty-four-year-old Beckett Campbell saw the tiny, cross-eyed orphan who reminded him of the sister he lost, he wanted to love and protect her forever. Best friends from the start despite over five years apart, Winnie’s naïve spontaneity for wild hairs and whims keeps Beck’s mature responsibility busy and happily so. Until the little girl he wanted to protect suddenly becomes the young woman he wants to love. When Winnie insists on protecting their friendship from the fear and risk of anything more, Beck has a decision to make. Friendship forever … or a life apart from the best friend he loves. Praying that Winnie will change her mind, Beck doesn’t hold out much hope for that day. But when an unexpected turn of events alters both of their lives, it puts “a whim and a prayer” on a collision course that just might make a way.

Excerpt

She turned back to the sink as if the matter were all settled, triggering his ire as she continued to remove food from plates and drop them into the water. “So you see, that’s why I’m asking for time apart, Beck, to get our friendship back on track and help get over this annoying attraction that the play seemed to bring out.”

A nerve quivered clear to the back of Beck’s jaw. “I see—an ‘annoying attraction.’ In me, but not in you …” He plucked the dishtowel from the counter.

She gave a nervous shrug as she scrubbed a plate hard. “Well, no, not really. I mean, sure, maybe there was a tiny seed of attraction, Beck, but for me, it was mostly acting.”

Her words lit the fuse of his temper and his muscles instantly tensed—jaws, shoulders, fists, and neck all feeling the strain—a new development with Winnie of late. She continued on as if what he felt or thought didn’t matter, and he could feel his patience begin to crack …

“So, Beck, if you don’t mind, I think we should take a break from spending time together for maybe a month or so. You know, just some space to get our friendship back on track.” She peeked up out of the corner of her eye. “Don’t you think? Then you can just focus on teaching chess to Julia.”

A tic pulsed in his cheek. “Sure, Winnie. I’ll give you all the time you need—starting right now.” Hurling the towel onto the counter, he stalked toward the door, his brain doing a slow burn as he contemplated the idiocy of her rationale. 

“You’re in love with my daughter, Beck, so act like it. You have my permission—in fact, my utmost plea—to remind her every time you see her that you’re in love with her.”

Palm to the wood, he paused, anger suddenly surging through his veins like liquid fire. Doing an about face, he stalked back to where she stood hunched at the sink, head bowed and hands buried deep in the bubbles, perfectly still. 

A gasp left her lips as he whirled her around and kissed her soundly, his lips dominating hers until her moan gave way to let him in. Heat engulfed him while his mouth explored hers, teasing and tasting the only woman he ever wanted to love. Until he finally let go, so abruptly that she wobbled against the sink with eyes glazed and mouth agape. “Yeah,” he said as he delivered a slant of a smile with a stone cut of his jaw, “and that was acting too.”

PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon

More in This Series

About The Author

A lover of all things Irish, Julie Lessman writes close-knit Irish family sagas that evolve into 3-D love stories: the hero, the heroine, and the God that brings them together. Award-winning author of The Daughters of Boston, Winds of Change, Heart of San Francisco, Isle of Hope, Silver Lining Ranch, and The Cousins O’Connor series, Julie was American Christian Fiction Writers 2009 Debut Author of the Year and has garnered over 24 Romance Writers of America and other awards.

Voted #1 Romance Author in Family Fiction magazine’s 2012 and 2011 Reader’s Choice Awards, Julie also made Family Fiction magazine’s Best of 2015, 2014, and “Essential Christian Romance Authors” 2017-2021, 2023, as well as Booklist’s 2010 Top 10 Inspirational Fiction and Borders Best Fiction.

In addition, Julie has written a self-help workbook for writers entitled Romance-ology 101: Writing Romantic Tension for the Sweet and Inspirational Markets, and What’s the Story, Morning Glory: A Memoir Devotional with a “Novel” Approach to Practical Christianity. Contact Julie through her website at www.julielessman.com.

Tour Giveaway

(1) winner will receive a $50 Amazon gift card!

Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight September 21, 2026 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on September 28, 2026. Winners will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US/CAN only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.

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Tags: historical romance fiction, Julie Lessman