Shortbread in the Highlands by Robin Jones Gunn

 "When friends meet, hearts warm."

Scottish saying

Cousins Nora and Allie are bound by a friendship that feels more like sisterhood, so when their Gran asks them to travel to Scotland on her behalf to claim an unexpected inheritance and unearth her old diary, they jump at this chance for the trip of a lifetime together.

When they arrive in Gran's childhood village, they run into roadblocks but use the delayed schedule to experience the beauty of Scotland. Over shortbread from the local bakery and a boat ride on Loch Lomond, through exploration of ancestral castles and autumn highlands, they wonder what God wants to teach them in this land of mist and heather.

Though they revel in their time together abroad, they find they've brought more baggage than just their suitcases. While Allie fears she may have to leave early to deal with issues back home, Nora struggles to understand all the unknowns before her. What is it about Scotland that keeps drawing her to this unfamiliar place?

As the truth of Gran's past comes to light, Allie and Nora must make weighty decisions. Will they learn to rely on the creative purposes of God, even if it means their lives will never be the same?

Pick up your copy here...

Amazon.com: Shortbread in the Highlands: Contemporary Inspirational Christian Women Fiction of Friendship, Sisterhood, and Travel in the Scottish Highlands (Suitcase Sisters): 9780800744847: Robin Jones Gunn: Books

ROBIN JONES GUNN is the best-selling author of over 100 books, including the timeless Christy Miller series for teens. The characters continue in Christy & Todd: The College Years, The Married Years, The Baby Years and Haven Maker series.

Her multi-award-winning Christian fiction includes the Glenbrooke, Sisterchicks and Suitcase Sisters series. Four of her novels have been made into Hallmark Christmas movies. The Father Christmas movies broke records for the network by becoming the most watched and highest rated movies in 2016 and 2017.

Robin's popular non-fiction includes, "Victim of Grace" along with "Before You Meet Your Future Husband" and "Praying for Your Future Husband" both co-authored with Tricia Goyer. Her acclaimed gift book, "By the Sea" is a fan favorite.

Being Known By Robin Jones Gunn

After her mom passed away, Jennalyn was in the midst of moving, adjusting to life with a new baby, and helping her husband, Joel, work toward his dream job. At the time, she thought she’d processed her mother’s death, but only now that Jennalyn has two small children, a lovely new home, and a husband who is always working does she feel the full impact of what she has lost.

Even among her sweet circle of friends, the Haven Makers, grief silently overwhelms Jennalyn, until an unexpected encounter allows her to express herself in ways she hasn’t fully been able to with her husband. Even though Christy, Sierra, Emily, and Tess provide a soft place to land in times of tension, Jennalyn remains guarded, especially when Tess reveals she is tangled emotionally in a relationship that was thorny from the start.

Will the two women open up and remain honest with the others in their Haven Makers group? Or will their hesitation to truly be known, faults and all, keep them from holding on to the friendships that have been the sweetest gift during this season of life?

Pick up your copy here...
https://www.amazon.com/Being-Known-Novel-Haven-Makers/dp/0735290776/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1587747699&sr=8-1

Robin Jones Gunn has written over 100 books with sales of over 5.5 million copies sold worldwide. She and her husband have two grown children and live in Hawai'i.

Her best-selling Father Christmas novels have been made into 3 Hallmark Movies. Get a behind the scenes look in her book, "How My Book Became a Movie".

Robin's best-selling, award winning novels include the Christy Miller series for teens as well as the Sierra Jensen and Katie Weldon series. The characters in these series continue in Christy & Todd: The College Years, The Married Years, The Baby Years and in The Haven Makers series. More details at www.ChristyMiller.com

The Glenbrooke series by Robin features 8 gentle love stories and her Christy Award winning Sisterchicks(R) novels are a book club favorite. Her popular non-fiction titles include "Victim of Grace", "Praying For Your Future Husband",  "Spoken For", co-authored with Alyssa Joy Bethke. 

My Thoughts...
This book takes off from Book one Becoming Us. You don't necessarily have to read book one but it was so good.
I love the whole idea of the Haven Makers group, we need something like that.
This is an emotional read, but a good one.
I am such a fan of Gunn's she always writes maters of the heart in a way that draws you in for the long haul.
I gave this book 4 stars and I can't wait for the next book. I recommend this series.
   The Mary Reader received this book from the publisher for review. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are our own.

Becoming Us By Robin Jones Gunn

From the author of the best-selling Christy Miller and Sisterchicks series comes a refreshing novel that celebrates the gift of friendship.

Five young women, including beloved Gunn characters Christy Miller and Sierra Jensen, gather for a simple Christmas party and soon become unlikely best friends. Told from the viewpoint of Emily, a timid young mom going through a difficult season of life, the regular gatherings provide the much needed community she's longed for. As the women begin sharing their life stories in Becoming Us they are endeared to each other and find ways to challenge, encourage, and help each other become the nurturing mothers they wished they'd had when they were growing up. They see themselves as Haven Makers and unite to be remembered for what they do and not for what was done to them.

Pick up your copy here..
 https://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Us-Novel-Haven-Makers/dp/073529075X/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_1?crid=3AZOO0S9B2DNP&keywords=becoming+us+robin+jones+gunn&qid=1556982391&s=gateway&sprefix=Becoming+us%2Caps%2C171&sr=8-1-fkmrnull

Robin Jones Gunn has written over 100 books with sales of over 5.5 million copies sold worldwide. She and her husband have two grown children and live in Hawai'i.

Her best-selling Father Christmas novels have been made into 3 Hallmark Movies. Get a behind the scenes look in her book, "How My Book Became a Movie".

Robin's best-selling, award winning novels include the Christy Miller series for teens as well as the Sierra Jensen and Katie Weldon series. The characters in these series continue in Christy & Todd: The College Years, The Married Years, The Baby Years and in The Haven Makers series. More details at www.ChristyMiller.com

The Glenbrooke series by Robin features 8 gentle love stories and her Christy Award winning Sisterchicks(R) novels are a book club favorite. Her popular non-fiction titles include "Victim of Grace", "Praying For Your Future Husband", co-authored with Tricia Goyer and "Spoken For", co-authored with Alyssa Joy Bethke.

My Thoughts..
 A book about a group of woman who look for the good in bad times.
How does that sound to you?
What can a group of ladies get into in times of trouble? You have to read this book to find out what happens between the pages of this one.
I gave this book 4 stars and I hope that you will pick up a copy to enjoy this spring.
 The Mary Reader received this book from the publisher for review. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are our own.

Sisterchicks in Gondolas By Robin Jones Gunn

Sisterchicks Take the Boot! (and we don’t mean shoe thievery) Jenna and Sue have been sisters-in-law for nearly thirty years but inseparable friends for only the last five. When Jenna is invited to a week’s stay at a fifteenth century restored palace on a quiet canal in Venice , Sue is her travel companion of choice. The catch? They must cook for a group that is staying at the palace for a retreat. It’s the first time Sue has been this far from home, and both women are coming out of a valley season of life where they operated each day in long shadow s of fear. Entering into the lilting gondola-paced Italian lifestyle and discovering corners of Venice most tourists never see, they welcome a new time of refreshing. And over boiling pots of pasta, they dare each other to dream again. Ciao bella! SISTERCHICK n.: a friend who shares the deepest wonders of your heart, loves you like a sister, and provides a reality check when you’re being a brat. When Jenna is invited to Venice for a week of cooking for a small retreat group, she knows just who to take along: her sister-in-law Sue. With her Dallas drawl and wild tangle of red hair, Sue desperately needs her own retreat from the pressures of the past two years…and blessedly for their guests, Sue actually knows how to cook (unlike Jenna)! With about six words of Italian between them, a map, and a keen appetite for gelato, they puzzle out the lovely city together. During their stay, Jenna and Sue become victims of grace in ways they never expected—starting with their accommodations: a restored fifteenth-century palace on a quiet canal complete with a stairwell perfect for mattress sledding! Coming out of a time of dark shadows in their lives, these two friends dive into a new season of refreshing and realize that sometimes when serving God, the most important thing to do is just show up…and watch for goodness and mercy to follow close behind. Come join Jenna and Sue over boiling pots of pasta in this lilting gondola-paced adventure! Discussion guide included Story Behind the Book Sisterchicks in Gondolas was birthed after Robin experienced Italy for herself. “In the summer of 2004, I went to Venice with my lifetime fellow Sisterchick from Ireland , Ruby,” she says. “We explored the city with our daughters and discovered the joys of Italian living.” With a splash of humor, grace, and a few zany antics, this latest Sisterchicks release continues to celebrate the unique and timeless bond between women friends. Entertaining and delightful, the story also challenges readers to examine their relationships with one another and with God. Pick up your copy here: http://www.amazon.com/Sisterchicks-Gondolas-Robin-Jones-Gunn/dp/1590525051/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1355100246&sr=1-1&keywords=sisterchicks+in+gondolas

You are warmly invited to visit Robin's website at www.robingunn.com. Be sure to sign up for the Robin's Nest Newsletter and have a browse in the Online Shop.

Over the past 25 years Robin has written 70 books with over 4 million copies sold.

She started writing for teens when the girls in her church youth group challenged her to write stories for them. It took 2 years and 10 rejections before the first Christy Miller novel was published in 1988. Since then the tales of these Forever Friends have continued. The Christy Miller series was followed by the Sierra Jensen series, Christy and Todd the College Years and the Katie Weldon series.
As Robin's readers grew older they asked for more stories about characters their age. The 8 book Glenbrooke series was launched followed by the Sisterchicks(R) series and a variety of standalone destination novels including "Under a Maui Moon" and "Canary Island Song".

Join Robin Jones Gunn on her facebook public figure page where she frequently posts updates on her latest travel or writing adventure.

I have read and loved all of Robins books, my favorite being the Glenbrooke series and my second favorite series is the Sisterchicks.

Sisterchicks in Gondolas was so good I loved it. I love books about friends and fun!

I have always wanted to go to Venice so reading this book was so fun and I feel as if I have been to Venice finally.

I highly recommend this book, you will love Robins fun easy read.

5 stars for sure

I was given a copy of this book by the publisher

Review of Cottage by The Sea by Robin Jones Gunn

Erin Bryce and her best friend, Sharlene, count the day they start their wedding planning business as a very happy day. So much so that they name their company The Happiest Day to reflect the fulfillment of their long-held dream as well as their clients’ longing for a wedding celebration to match the exhilaration of being in love. As a bonus, the two women utilize their business to help Erin’s son Jordan and his fiancée, Sierra, plan a grand wedding.

But the two friends aren’t prepared for the cloud moving in to cover the sunny, successful start of their business. Erin’s father, who lives in a small coastal Oregon community with his brusque, downright odd second wife, Delores, develops a medical problem that puts him in the hospital. Erin responds by rushing from Southern California to her father’s—and oh, yeah, Delores’s—cottage by the sea.

What greets Erin when she arrives sends her tumbling down a bewildering path to a different kind of happiest day. Her journey tosses her through highs and lows of hurt and healing, betrayal and renewal, wrong assumptions righted, and the brightest future one could ever hope for. All just around the corner, at the cottage by the sea.

My Review

I was a little disappointed with Robin's new book. I really enjoyed the Sisterchicks novels that she wrote and thought that Cottage By The Sea was going to be just as good. It was very slow and just not my kind of book. I had a very hard time getting into this book!

About the Author

Robin Jones Gunn is the author of more than seventy novels, which have sold more than 4 million copies worldwide, including three Christy Award winners and a Gold Medallion Award finalist