Finding Father Christmas/Engaging Father Christmas

I am so delighted when an exceptional novel gets to be made into a movie, and that is just what is happening to Robin Jones Gunn's novels Finding Father Christmas and Engaging Father Christmas. In fact since the movie is due out in December on the Hallmark Channel, the novels have been combined to allow the reader to discover how it all turns out in one spectacular seamless story line just as the movie will do. So if you are looking for a wonderful contemporary Christmas romance, trust me and pick this one up.

In Finding Father Christmas, Miranda Carson's been searching for her biological father based only on a handful of clues her mother left behind as an actress. She apparently had a brief love affair with a man who she refused to divulged to Miranda and only upon her death did she uncover a faded old black and white photo of a child in the lap of Father Christmas and an old playbill of her mother's with an apparent reference to who might be her father in it. Since Father Christmas is only recognized in London, England as well as the photography studio's name on the back of the photo, she believes that is the first place she should begin her search. After she learns that the photo studio has long been sold, she struggles for help with those in a small town of Carlton Heath, who may just know where her legacy lies. She only wishes to know who her father is, not try to upset those who may not be happy with what she uncovers and what that may mean to the family who has never heard of Miranda.

In the sequel to Finding Father Christmas, Engaging Father Christmas has led Miranda to the discovery of who her father was and the family she now has the chance to meet. However, happily ever afters seem to be only in the fairy tales, as rumors swirl of Miranda's birth and how that affects the family name of one of London's most influential families. It could spell disaster or it could bring about the only thing Miranda has ever dreamed of and that is knowing that she isn't alone in the world anymore and that she has a family who could love her if only given the chance. Is there more than the love of her family waiting or does Father Christmas have more than she could have ever wished for?

I received Finding Father Christmas/Engaging Father Christmas by Robin Jones Gunn compliments of Faith Words, a division of Hachette Book Groups for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation aside from a copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased and personal opinion. I absolutely LOVED this book and it reminds me of what I always envisioned for a small town of Carlton Heath set in London, England. Some quirky but lovable characters, heart-warming small town charm, and lots of romance to be found that isn't over the top obvious, even though you know how it might all play out. You want a bit of tension that it might not work out so easily and that you fall in love not only with the main characters but all the secondary supporting ones as well. My favorite was Ellie. You just never know what she will be dressed up as, and she truly loves what she does. It does make me want to watch A Christmas Carol all over again, but more than that, to appreciate the present more than ever before! I'd easily give this a 4.5 out of 5 stars. Don't forget to pick up the 3rd novel, Kissing Father Christmas due out in October!

For more information about Finding Father Christmas/Engaging Father Christmas, Robin Jones Gunn, or where you can pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

Finding Father Christmas/Engaging Father Christmas by Robin Jones Gunn

You can find Robin Jones Gunn on Facebook to stay up to date on all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on Finding Father Christmas/Engaging Father Christmas, please visit Faith Word's website.

Cottage By The Sea

Two squeezes meant simply that I love you; three squeezes in return meant I love you too! That was the way things were communicated silently in the Bryce family, only Erin really needed this confirmation from her father which was always left with wanting more.

As Erin Bryce and her best friend Sharlene prepare for the launch of their new wedding planning business, The Happiest Day, she receives a phone call from her dad's wife, Delores telling her that he has had a stroke. Erin immediately leaves for the small beach side community of Moss Cove in Oregon to see how her father is doing. When he appears normal and back to the old self she remembers, she books a flight home and begins to prepare herself for her new business venture but also a future wedding for her son Jordan.

As Erin waits for her father and Delores to show up for the day of the wedding, she tries hard to keep her emotions in check. She blames Delores for keeping her father away and making all the decisions for him. When the day comes and goes with their presence missing, she phones her father's home and learns they are still there. Ready to unleash all her anger, Delores informs her that her father has suffered another stroke and this time he won't be returning back to his old self anytime soon.

In the latest novel, Cottage By The Sea by Robin Jones Gunn, the reader is drawn into the story between a love that is needed by both Erin and her father, Jack. Now with a stroke removing his ability to verbal communicate, Erin and Jack have to rediscover a way to connect after so many years and reestablish the love that both of them need before its too late. This is a timeless story of one of the great needs I believe a woman needs to have in her life, the love of a father and Robin does such a wonderful job at completing this through her novel. I was moved to tears by how well she made me feel for both Erin and Jack's needs.

I felt the frustration that Erin had toward feeling the care of her father was dumped on her shoulders while everyone else seemed to have a life to return to; her anger at Delores when she learns that Delores simply can not stay with someone who requires this type of care; and her crushing need to find a way to fix things between her and her father as communication between the two have a small window that seems to be rapidly closing.

The parts of the book I was immediately drawn to are the setting for the story, being a long time resident of Orange County in California, the reminders of the strawberry fields in Irvine, the John Wayne airport and the poetic way that Robin leads you into the story and magically paints a picture so well, you know it's real. Here's one of my favorite lines from the book, describing the ocean outside her father's cottage:

"Erin could now recognize the waves' varying sounds. She knew, just by listening to the intensity of the waves' roar through the open kitchen window, when they were crashing against the rocks and sending a spindrift into the air. She also knew when the sea was at rest, simply breathing in and out, sending the waves rolling to the shore and then curling them back. Today the sea was feisty. With a curled-up fist, it hurled the white-capped waves onto the shore. The salty avengers tumbled far up the sand before receding in haste and preparing for their next pitch. (pg 177)."

I received Cottage By The Sea compliments of Howard Books, a division of Simon & Schuster Publishers for my honest review. This is such a beautiful book to describe the love between a father and daughter and one that Robin shared through her own personal experience. This one will tug at your heart strings and reel you in with all the emotion from words found on the pages. It truly will be unforgettable for me and one I will treasure. This one rates a 5 out of 5 stars in my opinion and one that has found a permanent place in my library.

For more information on this book, the author and where you can purchase this book , please click on the links below:

Cottage By The Sea by Robin Jones Gunn

You can also visit Robin Jones Gunn on her website by clicking here. You can also become a follower of hers on Facebook and stay up to date on all the latest here.

Canary Island Song

Often times we have to accept our lot in life. Whatever choices we have made along the way are personalized just for us.

When life dealt Carolyn a tough hand, she dealt with it the best way she could. She coped on the outside, put on a smile when need be, and avoided the subject of her husband, Jeff's death. Even after so many years the grief remained buried deep inside. As long as no one mentioned it, she could ignore it.

Yet, life was passing her by! Her twin sister, Marilyn is already married and she is moving on and finally out of her house. Now alone, she takes the advice of her sister and daughter, Tikki, that she needs to get out there again. Meet some one. Fall in love again!

With the approach of her mom's 70th birthday, she plans a surprise for her and returns to the Canary Islands. She is ready to begin a new start, but what she didn't expect was to meet up again with the man who captured her heart at 18 and broke it. Will she be ready to start a new life or will her past reclaim her and hold her heart captive again?

I received Canary Island Song by Robin Jones Gunn, compliments of Christian Fiction Blog Alliance for my honest review and have to give this one a 5 out of 5 stars. We all have had our fair shares of heart breaks in our life, but rarely do we get the opportunity to possibly rekindle that old flame. This is a novel about romance but also about dealing with grief and the ability to move forward even though our hearts and emotions will sometimes hold us back. Filled with so much love and hope, this novel is a great summer book that will take you to the most unexpected places.

Here's even more great information about the book, the author and even a first chapter sneak peek!

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Canary Island Song Howard Books; Original edition (July 5, 2011) by Robin Jones Gunn





ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Robin Jones Gunn was born in Wisconsin and lived on a dairy farm until her family moved to southern California when she was five years old. She grew up in Orange County and spent her summers at Newport Beach with friends from her church youth group. After attending Biola University and Capernwray Bible School in Austria, Robin and Ross were married and spent the next two decades working together in youth ministry.



It was the young teens at Robin’s church who challenged her to write stories for them. She hadn’t thought much about being a writer, but took their request to heart and set her alarm for 3am, three days a week. With two small children it was the only time she could find to write the first story about Christy Miller. After two years and ten rejections the novel Summer Promise was accepted for publication in 1988. Robin hasn’t stopped writing since. Over 4 million copies of her 75 books have sold and can be found in a dozen translations all over the world.



Robin and her husband now live in Hawai’i where Ross is a counselor and Robin continues to write to the sound of tropical birds chattering in the palm trees outside her window. Their children are grown but manage to come to the islands with their families every chance they get. Robin's awards include: three Christy awards for excellence in fiction, a Gold Medallion finalist, Mt. Hermon Pacesetter and the Mt. Hermon Writer of the Year award. Robin travels extensively and is a frequent key-note speaker at various events around the world. She serves on the Board of Directors for Media Associates International and Jerry Jenkin’s Christian Writer’s Guild.





ABOUT THE BOOK

When Carolyn’s grown daughter tells her she needs to “get a life,” Carolyn decides it’s time to step out of her familiar routine as a single woman in San Francisco and escape to her mother’s home in the Canary Islands. Since Carolyn’s mother is celebrating her seventieth birthday, the timing of Carolyn’s visit makes for a perfect surprise.

The surprise, however, is on Carolyn when she sees Bryan Spencer, her high school summer love. It’s been seven years since Carolyn lost her husband, but ever since that tragic day, her life has grown smaller and closed in. The time has come for Carolyn to get her heart back. It takes the gentle affection of her mother and aunts, as well as the ministering beauty and song of the islands to draw Carolyn into the fullness of life. She is nudged along by a Flamenco dance lesson, a defining camel ride and the steady gaze of Bryan’s intense blue-gray eyes.

Is it too late for Carolyn to trust Bryan? Can Carolyn believe that Bryan has turned into something more than the wild beach boy who stole her kisses so many years ago on a balmy Canary night?

Carolyn is reminded that Christopher Columbus set sail from the Canary Islands in 1492 on his voyage to discover the New World. Is she ready to set sail from these same islands to discover her new life?



If you would like to read the first chapter of Canary Island Song, go HERE.