Finally & Forever by Robin Jones Gunn

For those of you who don't know this about me, I've been a huge Robin Jones Gunn fan since Christy Miller.  If you're a fan too, you know what I mean.  So, of course, I've been trying for years to follow the journeys of all my dear friends.  They have been such a part of my life now for nearly 2 decades.  How could I not continue on their journey with them?
I finally picked up Finally & Forever the other day and proceeded to read it in less than 48 hours.  I can honestly say that I never guessed that Katie would end up in Africa.  She has always been an important character in Robin's line up.  A great supporting role for her best friend Christy, but I never pictured her falling for an unknown like Eli and ending up in Kenya.  All of this being said, I am glad that Katie ended up where she was truly supposed to be.  I found myself turning page after page wanting to know where the story would go next.  Katie flew to Africa with Eli to see what was there for them.  She arrived in a new culture and soon fell in love with her surroundings.  Along the journey in Africa, Katie and Eli have bumps in their relationship.  Are they truly supposed to be together?  Do their desires for ministry mesh?  What is God's plan?  Heart searching happens and soul searching and the answer comes.  The realization comes that they can mesh their ministry desires and become one in marriage.  The end of the book is grand - what a creative way to do it!
Go get your copy of Finally & Forever, and see the amazing sights of Kenya.  There may even be a miracle in their somewhere too and a chance to see what God's plan for your own life might be.  Thank you, Robin Jones Gunn, for a great book!  Could you write about the wedding now and bring the whole gang back together one last time??

Wildflowers by Robin Jones Gunn

Wow!  I've read this book before and enjoyed it then, but I think I understood and appreciated it more now that I'm married.  This book follows Gena.  She has been married over 20 years and has 3 daughters with her husband.  They are in a committed marriage, but for Gena things have changed over time.  She has lost the love she once had for her husband and the desire to commune with God as well.  During this story, Gena comes to realize many things about herself, God, and her husband.  Only having been married almost 5 1/2 years myself, I can't relate entirely to Gena's struggles.  However, I certainly can relate to some parts of her story, and I think many readers will be able to do the same.  I found the story to be very real in many respects and found some eye-opening truths in the pages as well.  The only sadness for me in reading Wildflowers is that it's the last book in Gunn's Glenbrooke Series.  When you've been a fan of Christy Miller, Glenbrooke, and Sierra Jensen as long as I have, sometimes it can be difficult to close that last book and have to let the characters go until the next time.  Other than that, I really enjoyed rereading this wonderful story of refreshing, reawakening, and rebirth.  It is a great story about marriage, friendship, and family.  I hope you'll take the time to read Wildflowers.  To do it right, I recommend starting with book one in The Glenbrooke Series - Secrets - and then continuing on through the series until you reach the end - Wildflowers, book eight.

A Journey to New Books - From February 26, 2010

It’s time again for some great value fiction. There are six titles in this latest collection of value fiction. I will tell you all about one title and give you a brief summary of the other five. So let’s get started!

I read this book and most of The Glenbrooke Series years ago and enjoyed all that I read. I was thrilled when Secrets came as one of my review books. I had been wanting to reread the series for some time, but I never had an excuse before to do just that. So, I sat down and started revisiting the town of Glenbrooke.

In this story, Jessica heads out on her own to be a teacher. She encounters many sweet people in Glenbrooke whom she comes to appreciate, but why did Jessica head out on her own? What is she looking for? She doesn’t trust God or want to talk to Him. She wants her own life. She meets a firefighter named Kyle, a teacher named Teri, and a landlord named Ida. Each of these people sow into Jessica’s life in different ways, giving Jessica a new perspective on things. This book has a wonderful cast of characters and a real sense of “family” to it. I highly recommend picking up a copy of Secrets and discovering just what can happen when you open your heart to a new place, new friends, and a new faith. Then you can follow the rest of The Glenbrooke Series and enjoy seven more great stories!


Disclaimer: This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.


The other value fiction titles available are:

Beneath a Southern Sky
by Deborah Raney
Daria Camfield is expecting her first child when her husband Nate is reported dead on the mission field. Devastated, she returns to the States and soon marries again. But two years later Nate is found alive in the jungle. How can Daria possibly choose between he two men who love her?

Deep Harbor
by Lisa Tawn Bergren
Tora, Elsa, Kaatje, and Karl face trouble, tragedy, and treachery across the Wast, Hawaii, Japan, and the high seas. These four immigrants from Bergen, Norway, each grow closer to God and learn afresh the value of faith, family, and coming alongside each other in times of need.

Faithful Heart
by Al and Joanna Lacy
The adventures of certified medical nurse and dedicated Christian Breanna Baylor continue as she travels by wagon train to visit her sister, Dottie, in California. Little does she know that her most dangerous encounter might be with Jerrod, her brother-in-law, who’s suffering from dementia caused by combat fatigue.

The Golden Cross
by Angela Elwell Hunt
Aidan O’Connor may be a poor barmaid but she’s also a gifted artists. When a famous cartographer takes her on as a student, Aidan is swept into an adventure that will bring her back to her heavenly Father, and into marriage with the love of her life.

Yesterday’s Promise
by Linda Lee Chaikin
Rogan Chantry faces danger from tribesmen, ruthless politicians, and his own family as he searches for gold in South Africa. In England, his beloved Evy is injured by a mysterious assailant. The greed and intrigue surrounding the diamond mines could very well drive them irrevocably apart.


Note: Some or all of the above titles may be part of a series and may not be the first title in the series.

A Journey to New Books – Coming Attractions - From September 4, 2009

I have been hooked on the whole Christy and friends gang for many years now. So when Robin Jones Gunn started the Katie Weldon Series, I was one of the first to get in line for a copy of the first book. I have certainly enjoyed being able to revisit my friends over the recent past. I enjoyed Coming Attractions very much. It keeps in step with Robin’s other stories in this “set,” yet I am not sure how I truly feel about the way the story turned out in the end. I hope that there is at least one more book to come so that I can really gauge how I feel about the whole thing. None of this is to say that I’m completely disappointed with the book. I’m NOT! I really did enjoy this new installment in Katie’s story. She is a woman with a strong desire to do her Father’s will. She is an adventurer, with a good heart, and a love for those around her. She has a flair for finding herself in slightly embarrassing situations, but she never lets that get her down. She is a girl that many females can relate to in some way or another. I certainly would recommend this fun, soul-searching book to my dear friends. If you haven’t read any of Robin Jones Gunn’s book, then I say start at the beginning – find the first book in the Christy Miller Series. If you’re 16, 30, 45, 60, it doesn’t matter – they are great books!

Katie was thinking a lot about her future in Coming Attractions, and I think that that is something we all need to stop and do on a regular basis. I’ve been married now for almost 4 1/2 years and have a daughter in Heaven and a daughter who’s 10 months old, so if I were to stop and think about the next 5 to 10 years, children would certainly be involved. I believe that God will continue to bless my husband and I with other children over that time and His plan for us – our marriage, our family, everything. God has the ultimate plan in His hands. Isn’t that part of what Katie discovered on a new level in this story? You can’t plan everything out; God has the blueprints, not me. I believe though, truly, that He has something special planned for my husband, myself, and our children over the next few years. He is truly amazing!

In My Stack - From March 30, 2009

No, I have not fallen off of the planet. I need to be much more regular in my offerings to all of you. I am currently reading a book by one of my all-time-favorite authors – Robin Jones Gunn. I think she was one of the first Christian fiction authors that I “cut my teeth on.” What a wonderful series of young adult books she wrote for us to enjoy in the the Christy Miller books. Then she followed with more wonderful series and titles. I am currently reading the second book in the Katie Weldon Series – On a Whim. It is a great read so far. Robin Jones Gunn has a tendency to do things in her series books that I, as a reader, don’t expect. They aren’t necessarily bad things but things that, if I had written the book, I might not have done. I always enjoy her stories. They continue to draw me in, whether meant for adults or young adults. I also have the following titles “in my stack:” Too Small to Ignore: Why Children are the Next Big Thing by Dr. Wess Stafford, Pathway to Purpose for Women by Katie Brazelton, Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman’s Soul by John & Stasi Eldredge, and Organizing Magic:40 Days to a Well-Ordered Home and Life by Sandra Felton. There are other titles in my stack, but I didn’t want to bore you with the details. As you can see from my list, I have rather diverse tastes. I am reading On a Whim for pleasure and some of the others to help me in various ministries that I’m involved in at my church and in my life. I hope that you find yourself surrounded with books that are not only enjoyable but also stretch you in new directions. “Stretching” books are some of my favorites because I come to a new understanding of myself or of who I am in Christ. What a wonderful thing! I hope this post finds you all very blessed!

Gardenias for Breakfast by Robin Jones Gunn

As a mother or daughter, have you ever been at that place where you needed to understand your daughter or mother better? If that’s you, then Gardenias for Breakfast is your book. Follow Abby as she and her daughter journey from Hawaii to Louisiana on a trek to see Abby’s grandmother. It’s an opportunity that Abby has longed for so that her daughter can meet and connect with Grand Lady. What Abby discovers along the way is that she can loosen up a bit with her daughter, and she can make a relationship with her own mother too. Abby also comes to realize that just because she connected with her grandmother in a special way as a child doesn’t mean that her daughter will do the same. In fact, Abby’s daughter wants to connect with her own grandmother (Abby’s mother). It’s a story of the bonds of a relationship changing and growing and of pain diminishing while healing takes place. Robin has brought us a story outside her usual realm, but one that I found very helpful and profound on many occasions. So, why not have some Gardenias for Breakfast?