Friday, January 20, 2017

Finding Father Christmas/Engaging Father Christmas by Robin Jones Gunn

Book description:

By beloved author Robin Jones Gunn, two timeless, heartwarming Christmas novellas bound together for the first time in an omnibus edition.

In FINDING FATHER CHRISTMAS, Miranda Carson's search for her father leads her unexpectedly to London with only a few feeble clues as to who he might be. Immediately welcomed into a family that doesn't recognize her, and whom she's quickly coming to love, she faces a terrible decision. Should she reveal her true identity and destroy their idyllic image of her father? Or should she carry the truth home with her to San Francisco and remain alone in this world? Whatever choice she makes during this London Christmas will forever change the future for both herself and the family she can't bear to leave. 

In ENGAGING FATHER CHRISTMAS Miranda Carson can't wait to return to England for Christmas and to be with her boyfriend, Ian. She has spent a lifetime yearning for a place to call home, and she's sure Carlton Heath will be it, especially when a hinted-at engagement ring slips into the conversation. But Miranda's high hopes for a jolly Christmas with the small circle of people she has come to love are toppled when Ian's father is hospitalized and the matriarch of the Whitcombe family withholds her blessing from Miranda. Questions run rampant in Miranda's mind about whether she really belongs in this cheery corner of the world. Then, when her true identity threatens all her relationships in unanticipated ways, Miranda is certain all is lost. And yet . . . maybe Father Christmas has special gifts in store for her after all.

My review:

  I read Finding Father Christmas years ago, most likely 10 years ago when it was first published. I couldn't remember much about the book, and had never read the sequels, so I requested it. Besides, I can never pass up reading and reviewing a Christmas book.....

Now onto the book:

The cover: You can sometimes judge a book by its cover, and this one has a great cover.

The setting: The descriptions of the tea house, and other buildings in the town make it sound like a charming town you'd want to visit.

The characters: I liked Miranda right away, and found myself hoping she'd find what she was searching for, and the books were filled with other delightful people. England has always interested me, and the way Gunn described it, made me want to visit it.

  There is a little back and forth between the past and present, but it is done seamlessly and doesn't distract from the story-line as sometimes is the case.

  I enjoyed both books. It had been so long since I read Finding Father Christmas, that it was all new, and I had never read the sequels, so it was definitely new. It is an engaging story that is hard to put down, and I highly recommend it.

About the author: 


ROBIN JONES GUNN is the much loved author of over 90 books with more than 5 million copies of her titles sold worldwide. Her Father Christmas books are a Hallmark Original movie. Her popular Christy Miller series now continues in Christy & Todd: The Married Years. Robin's novels and non-fiction works have received multiple awards and are a favorite with book clubs and study groups. Robin and her husband have a grown son and daughter and live in Hawaii.



Finding Father Christmas/Engaging Father Christmas is available from FaithWords, part of the Hachette Book Group.

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