Tea With Elephants Review

About the Book

 Ever since they met as teenagers volunteering at a conference center in Costa Rica 20 years ago, Fern Espinoza and Lily Graden have shared a close friendship, even though they live in different states. They can hardly believe it when their teen dream of traveling to Africa together becomes a reality. It's the trip of a lifetime--but life sure isn't what they thought it would be back when they were young.

Along with their suitcases, each woman brings along emotional baggage that weighs heavily on them. Yet the people they meet and the places they experience have the power to change their hearts--but only if they surrender to the lessons God wants to teach them in this unexpected land of emerald tea fields, graceful giraffes, and rambunctious elephants.

Pack your bags and get ready for adventure as Robin Jones Gunn invites you on a safari of the heart in this vulnerable exploration of how to move forward in faith even when the future is uncertain. (Goodreads)

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My Thoughts

I was excited to see that Robin Jones Gunn had a new book! The setting is what really caught my attention on this one because rarely is a book set in Africa. The author truly does take the reader into an adventure. Giraffes included. I thought the setting was really well written and the friendship between the two women is so great. There is typical real life issues brought up in this novel that both Fern and Lily have to deal with. I also appreciate the different ethnic backgrounds on some of the characters. Overall this is a good read that shows that friendship can last years and still be good. It also shows that it is okay to wrestle with the hard questions on past choices and current decisions. Some parts move a bit slow but it is still a decent read. 

Three Stars. 

"I received this book from Revell for free. All opinions are my own and I was not required to write a positive review."

Spoken For Book Review

via

 About the Book

Say Yes to the Love Story of Your LifeA great romance was set in motion before you were born. A relentless Lover is pursuing you, and He has made His intentions clear. He wants you to be His forever. How will you respond to the One who longs for you to be His with your whole heart?

In Spoken For, Robin Jones Gunn and Alyssa Joy Bethke speak to your heart about what it means for you to belong to Christ, who you are because of His love, and how that affects the way you live. Drawing on biblical promises and their personal experiences,   these two friends share what it’s like to live out God’s unfolding love story.

You are not up for grabs. You are spoken for.

Includes questions for group discussion and personal reflection.

(Goodreads)

My Review

I enjoy Robin Jones Gunn so I was encouraged to pick this book because of her writing. I really enjoyed this book, though it could be read more as a devotional or even a small group study. Each chapter includes questions at the end which I actually enjoyed. Sometimes I don't get much from the questions but these really related. 

Here is a tidbit I enjoyed: "God doesn't have any grandchildren. Just because your parents are Christians, that doesn't automatically make you a Christian." The author is referring to a speaker once heard and I thought it summed things up nicely. 

Also, on page 23 there is a long list of  What God Says About You and this is a ton of verses where it's obvious you are God's treasure. I really enjoyed this part. Later on in the book is also takes this a bit more in depth. Overall both of these women have great things to say. At first I thought it was geared toward younger teens, which it could but I think it's great for anyone to read. 

I highly recommend! Pick it up when it comes out April 15, 2014!

• Robin's Website
• Alyssa's Website
• Video
• More Info
• Read Chapter One
• Author Bio

"I received this ARC book from Blogging for Books for free in exchange for an honest review."

Victim of Grace

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Victim of Grace by Robin Jones Gunn is an encouraging read, I highly recommend. 

Robin Jones Gunn reveals poignant truths from her life as well as from the lives of women in the Bible as she flips the notion that we are at the mercy of circumstances. She asks, what if God has dreams for you? What if he is accomplishing those dreams in the midst of shattered hopes? When life doesn't go as expected, it's easy to feel like a victim. We look at the events that have gone wrong and view our lives as impaired. What if we could see our future as God sees it? Would our view radically change if we understood we are indeed victims rather than of happenstance? God, the Relentless Lover, has vigorously sought you. He has instilled dreams in your heart that are grander than you can imagine. But the route to their fulfillment often is through a path you wouldn't seek. What if God wants to take the hopes that tug at your heart and enliven them? Are you ready to live inside the mysterious joy of being a victim of grace? (Goodreads)

I really enjoyed this book, though it's not one I wanted to sit down and read at one time. I read it each day and got something out of it every time. Robin writes about a personal story and then compares it to that of a Biblical person. I know there are a lot of books that do the same, but this one stood out to me. Robin writes with honesty and she included some great verses and sayings that I will need to copy and print out. Honestly, this book came at just the right time and the following verses and quotes I needed to read.  I highly recommend this book!

"I received this book from Booksneeze for free in exchange for an honest review."

Grace: (noun) a manifestation of unmerited favor. 

Victim: (noun) from the Latin Victima, a live sacrifice. 

"I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

The great thing with unhappy times is to take them bit by bit, hour by hour, like an illness. It is seldom the present, the exact present, that is unbearable. -C.S. Lewis, Letters to an American Lady

Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin. Zachariah 4:10

Godly people do not fear bad news; they confidently trust the Lord to care for them. Psalm 112:2,7

[To forgive is to] set a prisoner free [and] discover that the prisoner was yourself. -Lewis Smedes, Forgive and Forget

Secrets Book Review

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Secrets by Robin Jones Gunn is the first in the Glenbrooke Series. When I first requested this book I didn't realize that it has been published for quite awhile. I have also never read anything by Robin Jones Gunn, not even the Christy Miller series. In any case I had no idea what to expect.

Secrets is about Miss Jessica Morgan and starts off as her escaping from something and hiding her identity in the small town of Glenbrooke. After being in a car accident, a young man named Kyle enters her life. Kyle is first to rescue her from the car. Kyle is a strong Christan man and Jessica has nothing to do with God. As Jessica's identity becomes an issue with her new job as a teacher she must decide what the right thing to do is, even if it's the last thing she wants to do.

The author also added in a trip to Mexico that Jessica ends up going on, not necessarily by choice. Kyle happens to be going on this trip as well and her eyes are opened to how great God is. I liked this part because it reminded me of a trip to Mexico I took. In the end it is quite obvious that God has been in control the entire time.

I enjoyed this book, though not my favorite. It is very predictable even though it is trying to hide a secret. Her secret really isn't as big a deal as it is made out to be and thus was a tad disappointing. In any case it was a light enjoyable read.

Robin Jones Gunn website has a lot more information where you can read about all the books she has written.

"I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review."