#WYChristmasReadathon No.1 | Book Review of “Finding Father Christmas” (omnibus ed.) & “Engaging Father Christmas” by Robin Jones Gunn

Posted Sunday, 20 November, 2016 by jorielov , , , , , 0 Comments

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Acquired Book By: I am a new reviewer for Hachette Books and their imprints, starting with FaithWords which is their INSPY (Inspirational Fiction & Non-Fiction) imprint of releases focusing on uplifting and spiritual stories which are a delight to read whilst engaging your mind in life affirming and heart-centered stories. I found Hachette via Edelweiss at the conclusion of [2015] and have been wicked happy I can review for their imprints Grand Central Publishing, FaithWords & Center Street.

I received a complimentary copy of “Finding Father Christmas (omnibus) Engaging Father Christmas” direct from the publisher FaithWords (an imprint of Hachette Book Group Inc.) in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

Why I wanted to read Christmas Romances & Fiction this year:

A few years back I wanted to participate in Christmas #readathons – one hosted by an author who likes to pull people together in the book blogosphere and on social media but the other one was meant to be co-hosted between myself and my friend Christine (of whom had maintained her own bookish blog at readerlymusings.com). I never had the proper chance to focus on either one – even as December had a way of coming back round, none of the Decembers I tried to participate was successful; last year notwithstanding as I had a thirty day virus! Oy!

This year, I wanted to make a new tradition of settling into holiday stories between November and December – even extending into January if I found stories I felt would resonate with me at that point in time. I have the hardest time ‘letting go’ of the holiday movies on tv by early to mid January – as it’s the end of the season I love so much to watch! Those films which air on Hallmark Channel and Lifetime are such a delight to become caught up inside due to the innocent joys and the pure happiness of being connected to family and community. We can all use extra joy and I celebrate the light of the festive season being played out on the dramas and romances or comedies this time of the year!

I used to read Christmas stories all the time – long before I blogged my reading life, but somewhere along the way I fell out of step with why I loved reading them! I would queue them from my library or purchase copies outright to include on my own bookshelves, yet the joy of simply ‘reading them’ left me curiously detached! Until this year, where I decided – I don’t want to just ‘watch!’ the holidays unfold this year or listen to the music on the radio starting Thanksgiving week – I want to fully embrace what I’ve always loved doing – reading select Christmas stories and/or inspiring books which make me smile or uplift my spirit in some way that co-relates to the Christmastide and Wintry season!

Therefore, this review of the newly released omnibus of Ms Gunn’s novellas in the Father Christmas series will kick-off my readings which throughout November and December will offer a bit of a capstone glimpse inside the stories which lift up my spirit and make my heart smile! A true mixture of fiction and non-fiction releases – including a few surprises along the way! I happened to have found all of these to read and/or review ahead of the #WYChristmasReadthon which splendidly worked out well for cross-promoting purposes where I can engage in what are you reading this Christmas Season with other readers seeking out wicked good #ChristmasReads!

It’s a beautiful time of the year, and settling back into the stories I always loved reading is an immeasurable joy of mine! These readings and showcases are running a bit concurrent to my science fiction showcases this month, so you’ll always have something unexpectedly awesome to read about if you continue to visit with me this November!

I’d love to know what your picking up to read this season

– be sure to leave your #currentreads and recommendations in the comment threads!

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#WYChristmasReadathon No.1 | Book Review of “Finding Father Christmas” (omnibus ed.) & “Engaging Father Christmas” by Robin Jones GunnFinding Father Christmas | Engaging Father Christmas
Subtitle: Two Novels in One (Omnibus)

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.


Places to find the book:

Borrow from a Public Library

Add to LibraryThing

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ISBN: 9781455565948

on 6th September, 2016

Pages: 352

Published by: FaithWords (@FaithWords)
an imprint of Hachette Book Group, Inc. (@HachetteBooks) via Hachette Nashville

Formats Available: Hardcover, Audiobook & Ebook

The Father Christmas Series includes:

Finding Father Christmas & Engaging Father Christmas (omnibus edition) by Robin Jones GunnKissing Father Christmas by Robin Jones Gunn

Finding Father Chistmas

Engaging Father Christmas

Kissing Father Christmas (Synopsis)

Converse via: #INSPYbooks, #ChristmasReads

About Robin Jones Gunn

Robin Jones Gunn Photo Credit: Ross Gunn III

Robin Jones Gunn has written 82 books over the past 25 years, with almost 4.5 million copies sold worldwide. She received a Christy Award for her novel Sisterchicks in Gondolas, and speaks at events around the US and Canada as well as in South America, Africa, Europe, and Australia.

Photo Credit: Ross Gunn III

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My Review of Finding father christmas:

There is a cosy comfort of joy warming into this novella omnibus – as you delight in the ambiance of the British village whilst caught up in the mystery surrounding the lead character! What drew her to cross the North Atlantic flying all the way over the Pond and then, find herself remiss with regrets, longingly hopeful to embrace the warmth of a tea cafe and yet, hesitating just outside the door. Upon entering, your caught up in the quaintness of the cafe itself – the unexpectedly cheerful ‘hallo’ of a man you hadn’t expected to see and the willingness of the woman descending the stairs to stay open a bit later than planned, simply to fill a request for a cuppa tea and a scone to satisfy fatigued hunger.

You pick up on the subtle gestures which are underwrit into the story-line – such as the mysterious greeter might have a purpose yet unknown and how twinkling in the back of your mind, there is something quite amiss about how this woman presents herself and how she internalises her experiences and seasons. Whilst sitting there by the glow of the hearth, her memories spilt out of her soul as if she were re-living them each in turn to the awareness of what was going to come once she reached a certain window back into the past. Her upbringing was spent on the road with her mother – an actress who took on various theatrical roles up and down the West Coast between California and Oregon; the stage was her mother’s passion but she still found golden moments of unexpected happiness spent with her mother off-stage. Miranda had a heart full of memories but there was a twist of uncertainty untying the joyfulness of her remembrance. Almost as if there was something nibbling at her to remember and in so doing, the joyful manner of her reminiscing would buckle under that unwanted truth that was just out of sight.

The despair she had as a child when she first realised her mother hadn’t quite told her the truth about her origins; especially in regards to the fact she had a father was most heart crushing, as it’s hard to understand who you are without understanding where you came from. This was something that was bothering Miranda since that fateful moment she found her birth certificate in a hotel. She lived in hotels most of her childhood, as her life was always ‘on the go’ and her mother craftily ducked and dodged her questions about specifics about her father. Not that the story of her birth wasn’t charmingly tender by itself – it was a beautiful birth story spun out of love from a mother to a daughter, but what it lacked was the rest of the story. Her mother would rather avoid the subject and pretend all was well.

Twice orphaned, Miranda took the courage to change her circumstances by using self-motivating moxie to employ herself at the age of fifteen by passing for eighteen. She never looked back – she was blessed with a surrogate mother who understood her and who did everything she could to provide for her until her death from Cancer. (I was personally thankful her journey with Cancer was lightly mentioned and not extended through her illness; as I’m sensitive to those kinds of story-lines; this was very matter of fact and the story moved on.) It was in San Francisco Miranda found her best break into the world of adulthood but she carried with her remnants of her past – bits of information centred around her father – the title of a play, her father’s (supposed) name and the name of the village of which left her most curious of all. Nothing pointed directly to why her mother had kept her in the dark all those years ago regarding her true identity but one thing was certain she was tenfold blessed by how she was able to thrive with so much adversity alighting on her path.

The faux pas riddled conversation Miranda found herself in such a pickle happened at the cast party in Charton Heath’s theatre group; invited to partake of the festivities due to the interest Katharine took in her to put her wings around Miranda, she would sooner have taken a quick exit from the party than to continue with it! She was muddled on the words between American and British English, whilst finding fitting into a crowd who celebrated the theatre was proving harder than she hoped possible. The truth of it is that she had baggage when it came to the theatre; she wasn’t quite sure how she felt about it nor did she wish to dissect her emotions either! She simply had closed that door on her life so many years ago it felt as if it could not be properly opened again; at least not in the fullness of the joy she once had for it’s lifestyle.

Whilst Miranda’s stay in England was proving to become a bit more complicated than she expected it too, she also found herself reversing certain decisions in her life. She credited two important ones to her mother and to her Aunt Doralee – the blessed woman who had raised her after her mother died. They were the two quintessential women in her life, each giving her something she needed in order to be the woman she is today. The respite from her regular life is granting Miranda ample time to spend on herself – to contemplate the things she should have worked through long since now but never fully invested the time she needed to sort out her thoughts.

In the still moments we understand the whispers of questions left unanswered and of the reasons ‘why’ we never could fully accept their hollowed emptiness until our perspective changed. Miranda is re-discovering herself, her mother and her fullness of her individuality whilst holidaying in England at a place where the past and present are interlocked together. When she allowed herself to become involved with people and the celebrations of Christmas in Charton Heath, she was unwinding the tight control she had kept on her emotions. She wasn’t one to celebrate most years, she had locked off that part of her life after the death of her mother – but whilst she was embraced by the Whitcombe family hidden truths about her past bubbled back to the surface in unexpected ways. So much so, the journey Miranda had embarked on would take her inevitably back to centre!

NOTE: In contrast to which character has which bits to reveal to Miranda from the novella to the tv movie – I yield to the tv movie. Yes, this surprised me even thinking this as I have the tendency to yield to books/stories of original canons; however, I saw the film ahead of finishing my readings of this novella, and after I finished I pondered the differences. In the end, I can attest I liked how the film lengthened out the connection between Margaret and Miranda; especially their tentative first conversation. For me, it simply proved to be such a great catalyst between resolving the past and settling the present; the novella’s version works, too, don’t get me wrong, but strangely I longed to revisit the film’s scene a bit more.

I had heard Ms Gunn had input on certain scenes and I was wondering if one of the scenes was the pivotal one between Margaret and Miranda? Hmm. If so, I can see why it felt so authentic to the novella (as those were my initial thoughts Sunday night watching the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries premiere) and why I was a bit surprised there were differences lateron as I continued to read the novella.

I focused more on Miranda’s journey on my review – as there are subtle disclosures that would make it easy to draw a spoiler for new readers who are not as familiar with the characters and the mystery within this novella; it was such a delicate balance of what to include or not include, I erred on caution; yielding to Miranda’s journey rather than broaching why I appreciated Margaret’s character. They were equally important: two woman caught on different ends of a riddling mystery set between two families of whom had no interaction until a serendipitous trip to England presented itself the occasion to cast out family skeletons and reveal hidden truths!

My Review of engaging father Christmas:

Ian is such a Scot in these novellas – and I admit, this part of his personality was missed in the tv adaptation – even though, I readily took the televised Ian as ‘Ian’ without feeling re-missive of his former self – as at that point in time, I hadn’t known this fictionalised Ian half as well as I should have had! Ian is such a traditional Scottish bloke – I love how he grumbled to himself about the accidental reveal of his coveted surprise (i.e. jewelry box!) whilst Miranda and him shared a passionate embrace after such a long furlough apart from one another! You could feel the gap of connection simply by how warmly excited they each were to re-connect and draw close knowing they were once again in the same country: England!

Time shifted forward a full year later – with bits about how the past months between Christmases had gone for Miranda and Ian. Seeing her so settled into her happiness and feeling lighter in spirit due to the resolvements of her past, felt wicked sweet knowing she had unlocked such a hidden well of family! Family is so dearly important – even if you have a non-traditional family like she does – family is still a very strong component of what makes us feel connected, beloved and cherished by those who care for us the most. Seeing her re-embrace the Whitcombe family was a tender moment and one I was so happy to see reside in this sequel!

Not everything was rosy this time round – no sooner had Ian and Miranda hopped the train to take them to Charton Heath, they received alarming news about his father. It was the type of news that put a tailspin on Miranda’s frame of mind and left her uncertain if Ian would have to face what she did when her mother suddenly was no longer a part of her everyday life. The heart heals but time does not erase the truth within the memories nor of the emotional anguish that can be brought back so readily as if someone flicked a switch and bam! your re-living one of the most devastating parts of your own history. Such is the state Miranda was in as the train ambled on it’s way and Ian made plans to fetch is car as soon as they arrived.

Miranda was introspective on how much she had changed – internally finding peace and clarity of her past by her sojourn to Charton Heath the previous Christmas; she was still in awe of how her heart and mind had healed, especially to the lengths as to embrace theatre once more with a vigorous spirit of curiosity. She had proven to herself sometimes emotional angst can be ‘let go of’ and in it’s place there is a solace of acceptance for what couldn’t be changed but of what can finally be ‘accepted’. She had found herself a bit lighter and freer in spirit but on her return trip, she noticed how everything felt a bit more bright and full of the Christmas spirit. Almost as if her soul was more accepting of embracing the cosiness of Charton Health without the baggage of her past weighing her down.

One of the most beautiful sequences of all is when the Whitcombe family and Miranda with Ian at her side as Father Christmas himself set off to give some cheer to the children at the hospital. It was one of those tender moments where you can recollect your own memories of giving surprise gifts to those in need (i.e. filling the requests on a Christmas Tree) but with the added advantage of seeing how the gift was received rather than having your hopes and prayers sustain you as you gave with your heart. It is these moments that encircle our spirit and give a deeper meaning to the holidays; when we can give a bit outside of ourselves and raise someone elses spirits if only for a small bit of time to let them know we care about them.

There is a gentleness of spirituality inside the Father Christmas stories – ebbing through the narrative and in a holistic way showing the healing of Miranda’s heart and spirit. It also provided a beautiful backdrop to the evolving story – how other characters come in and out of Miranda’s life whilst leaving a deeper impression of what is truly going on from a wider point of view. Such a wholesome and beautiful story to be tucked up inside ahead of the holidays – one you can see yourself feeling the cosy glow of re-visiting in late Autumn, just ahead of Winter’s firm hold and before the Christmastide.

Note: There is an alternative ending inside this novella compared to the televised adaptation – one that I felt was quite charmingly lovely! I even loved how Ms Gunn cross-compared Miranda’s situation and her birthright with a rather infamous young boy – she found ways to insert the traditions of Christmas and a modern story to create such a heartwarming new tale of love, hope and peace. There are keen moments where reflection is given to acts of forgiveness and the choice between being bitter or being accepting of a change of perspective. All in all, I loved what ‘Engaging Father Christmas’ meant and how it played out.

On how robin jones gunn embraces the Christmas spirit:

There is a bit of fantasy spun into this Christmas Romantic mystery by Ms Gunn; she took inspiration from Narnia (C.S. Lewis) which she broached in a recent interview but also inside the story itself there are mentions of the series. It is her heart-warming way of settling into the soulful murmurings of a human’s memory and mind which attracted me the most about how she voiced her character Miranda’s soul journey. The way in which she infused Miranda with these quiet reflective recollections – where she would fade out of a living moment and tuck herself back through her mind’s eye of a part of her life where memory was still vibrantly alive and where her emotions may or may not have wanted her to travel was beyond endearing! It left you rooted so closely to Miranda’s quest and her solemn resolve to unearth the truth of her father’s identity, you quite literally had an easy time settling into the cosy pace of these novellas!

The way in which Ms Gunn tucked her character into the ambiance of the setting and timescape of the novellas is partially what allowed you to suspend time and simply soak inside her world. The other bit is how openly honest she left Miranda to provide glimmers of the truth percolating to the surface and left the other half as a self-exploration of truth (on behalf of Miranda) as seen through the journey we take alongside her as readers (always favourable!). She has a genuine ease about her writing style – where you can just feel as if you’ve stepped inside her heart and are watching how she’s pieced the words together to develop the arc of the narrative itself! The space for a novella is short and yet, she has filled these novellas with the depth of a novel!

The charming manner she has encased these novellas reminded me of why I love reading the stories about Aunt Dimity by Nancy Alterton! She has this wicked brilliant way of alighting you in such a delight of a story, you cannot help but feel the story wash over you with such familiarity that it doesn’t quite feel like the first reading but perhaps the seventh!? Her words are not just poetic but they resonate on a heart level of knowing what is happening inside the spirit of Miranda – as this is definitely a journey of one woman’s soul reconnecting with her own spirit and heart, whilst she embarks on a journey towards finding home and family. There are timeless moments of self-reflection and self-realisation of purpose and perception intermixed with delightful bouts of unexpected joy from people who left an impression on Miranda upon first meeting. It’s one of those delightful reads where you feel instantly uplifted for having met and are wicked thankful for the hours you could soak inside the stories!

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I had hoped to finish reading the two stories ahead of the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries premiere airing of Finding Father Christmas – however, I was able to read the opening bits of the first story of the same title ahead of soaking into the tv movie! I had read via the author’s Twitter or Instagram feeds (forgetting where she posted!) about how the movie was re-written and a cross between both novellas which are contained in this beautifully lovely omnibus! I’m wicked thankful to have learnt that ahead of time, as I have the tendency to find these things out a bit too late! Sometimes it affects my viewing pleasure and other times, like tonight, it did not! Mostly as I agree with the author – if the essence of the story remains intact even if there is creative liberties taken for how the story is told – I am alright with adaptations to tv or motion picture.

I’ve been a lifetime watcher of Hallmark Chanel, however, it wasn’t until last year when I had the joy of anchouring my viewings of #HallmarkChannel to Hallmark Movies & Mysteries! I still remember the angst of ‘missing out!’ on the murder mysteries – esp #AuroraTeagarden prior to Autumn 2015, as I had distinctly loved one of the first ones which aired on the (basic) cable network. Getting an upgrade to where I can watch series or movies #ondemand (except for most of Hallmark Channel, uniquely enough?) has been a true blessing in my life! Also, getting to *devour!* those murder mysteries on a regular basis is just pure blissitude! Although I adore the Teagarden mysteries – the change in cast for Aurora’s suitor didn’t work for me as much as when she was paired with Robin Dunne. (you can see him in an article on this fansite for the series) This surprised me because I *love!* Yannick Bisson as Murdoch in #MurdochMysteries (on S7, so no spoilers in the comments, please!) but not as Aurora’s beau! :( I’m more akin to watching the Garage Sale Murders and Murder She Baked nowadays! lol

Ergo, what I’m trying to point out is that I’m one of those #HallmarkMovies + #HallmarkChannel geeks who loves the Sweet Roms and the Contemporary or Historical Romances they put together each year. Watching Christmas movies on tv has been a tradition of my family’s since before Hallmark entered the scene and started to make it a proper ‘tv season’ each and every year with new releases! And, of course I’m a #Hearties as well – ever since S1 of When Calls the Heart! I’ve happily enjoyed all the lovely movies Erin Krakow has been included inside – but seeing her in a heartwarming Christmas movie is a special treat! Who knew I get two of these lovelies this year, as there is a *special!* When Calls the Heart Christmas movie!? Eek. #awesomesauce

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As soon as the story began to unfold (shifting back to Sunday’s broadcast!) I started to notice what Ms Gunn meant about ‘the added back-story’ and how the story shifted away from the book! Mind you, I was still in the opening sections but I could see how they pieced this together because after so many years watching Hallmark Channel, you could say I understand their ‘method’ of producing their movies! You could almost break this one down to a working script – just based on the opening chapters and seeing which ‘key’ sequences were maintained and how they augmented the piece to the adaptation from the original canon! I love it when I can do that, too, as it gives me a mental workout to keep track of the ‘changes’ whilst embracing the bits they left in from the author’s pen!

Obviously the biggest change is the location – originally Miranda was from San Francisco at the start of the tale where she hops a plane for London; now it’s Seattle and shifts to Vermont (no surprise there! this is one of Hallmark’s favourite fictional settings! even though I believe this one was filmed in BC!) but the back-story kept the Bay Area in the thread of her narrative, too. (smiles) Also, the role of the cafe is switched to an Inn whilst the components of the initial meeting between Miranda and Katharine are in-tact (to a certain extent) their relationship changes almost immediately from the glow of fantasy-inspired tributes (the ethereal vibe is gone) to a more contemporary setting of a girl out on holiday but with ulterior motives for choosing Vermont. The name of the town remained the same and for some strange reason they changed how her mother died – which I’m thinking was logistics of stunting it for the tv movie.

I won’t go into more of the changes as I don’t want to spoilt it for my readers, but I wanted to say, if you start reading these novellas or if you read them in full ahead of the movie, I think you will find the movie from Hallmark is tender and sweet; it has the warmth of a holiday movie your seeking but also the grace of how unexpectedly your greatest questions can become answered in the most unlikely of ways whilst finding your true ‘home’ is just as complicated as understanding your identity.

Having fully read the novellas and having seen the adaptation inspired by them, I found my heart sung with appreciation for all three! The novellas stand together on their own accord and the adaptation is a celebration of the novella’s heart – I can well imagine this left Ms Gunn a bit misty with tears for seeing how her stories and characters touched the script to embrace her messages! I am thankful I ‘met’ the stories as they gave me a new re-appreciation for the adaptation – all of them combined are a brilliant ‘new’ tradition for celebrating Christmas tucked inside the stories which celebrate the season!

To find an airing of this delightful Christmas Rom, please visit the main page on HM&M!

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Watch this inspiring s/o from Ms Gunn about the Hallmark Movie! via Robin Jones Gunn

I would love to read this ‘behind-the-scenes’ story one day! I’m presuming it’s available as a printbook release and therefore one that I’ll look forward to reading!! Her inspiring spirit to never give up the hope of seeing her stories come alive in film/tv adaptation remind me of Ms Macomber of whom never thought her series (i.e. Cedar Cove or Mrs Miracle, etc) would make it onto Hallmark, either! It proves that sometimes things are meant to be even when we cannot see the path ahead of us!

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This book review is courtesy of:

FaithWords

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I look forward to reading your thoughts & commentary!

Especially if you read the book or were thinking you might be inclined to read it. I appreciate hearing different points of view especially amongst bloggers who gravitate towards the same stories to read. Bookish conversations are always welcome!

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Writerly Yours Christmas Readathon 2016

I am cross-promoting my Christmas readings this year via the #WYReadathon of which was put together after I had envisioned my own Christmas selections! I felt it was quite kismet on the timing of it all, and looked forward to engaging with other readers who were going to blog their readerly delights this Thanksgiving and Christmas season! I find that I am the most comfortable reading Christmas Stories between Thanksgiving and Twelfth Night (in January); as the stories just appeal to me to be read during this short period of time where the fullness of the season is not only apparent but can be felt by spirit, mind and heart. I look forward to sharing more of my selections with you as I proceed forward with my readings! Happy Christmas!

Watch during *Thanksgiving Week!* for more #WYReadathon selections including “Kissing Father Christmas” and “A Very Blessed Christmas Colouring Book”. Thanksgiving week will be full of light-hearted stories of love & hope whilst embracing some of my #ChristmasReads early! Coming in December is a *25!* colouring book journal special feature wherein each day I will be blogging my journey with this special devotional journal where colouring & mindfulness walk hand in hand.

I had a lot of joy extending my readings inside this novella collection from Sunday to Sunday – where I delighted in the happy glow of warmth Ms Gunn stitched into her stories!

View the bloggers involved & the premise of the readathon!

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{SOURCES: Cover art of “Finding Father Christmas/Engaging Father Christmas (omnibus)” and “Kissing Father Christmas”, book synopsis of the omnibus, author photograph of Robin Jones Gunn and author biography were all provided by the publisher Hachette Book Group Inc. via their Bloggers Portal and used with permission. Post dividers by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination. Tweets were able to be embedded by the codes provided by Twitter. #WYReadathon badge provided by Priya of Writerly Yours and is used with permission. YouTube video by Robin Jones Gunn was able to be embedded due to codes provided by YouTube. Instagram image was able to be embedded due to codes provided by Instagram. Blog graphics created by Jorie via Canva: Book Review Banner using Unsplash.com (Creative Commons Zero) Photography by Frank McKenna, Post Script banner created using Coffee and Tea Clip Art Set purchased on Etsy; made by rachelwhitetoo and the Comment Box Banner.}

Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2016.

I’m a social reader | I tweet as I read

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

  • #WYChristmasReadathon

About jorielov

I am self-educated through local libraries and alternative education opportunities. I am a writer by trade and I cured a ten-year writer’s block by the discovery of Nanowrimo in November 2008. The event changed my life by re-establishing my muse and solidifying my path. Five years later whilst exploring the bookish blogosphere I decided to become a book blogger. I am a champion of wordsmiths who evoke a visceral experience in narrative. I write comprehensive book showcases electing to get into the heart of my reading observations. I dance through genres seeking literary enlightenment and enchantment. Starting in Autumn 2013 I became a blog book tour hostess featuring books and authors. I joined The Classics Club in January 2014 to seek out appreciators of the timeless works of literature whose breadth of scope and voice resonate with us all.

"I write my heart out and own my writing after it has spilt out of the pen." - self quote (Jorie of Jorie Loves A Story)

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Posted Sunday, 20 November, 2016 by jorielov in 21st Century, Balance of Faith whilst Living, Blog Tour Host, Christianity, Christmas Romance &/or Holiday Story, Contemporary Romance, England, FaithWords, Family Life, Inheritance & Identity, Inspirational Fiction & Non-Fiction, Modern Day, Post-911 (11th September 2001), Romance Fiction, Single Mothers, Spirituality & Metaphysics, When Calls the Heart




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