Robin Jones Gunn delivers a deeply spiritual novel in
Forever With You (Robin’s Nest Production) as part of her Christy & Todd, The Married Years series. Robin is a prolific author of Christian
romance novels with a long-running career writing bestsellers. For years fans of the Christy Miller series, which was published for a young female audience, have been asking for Robin to pick up the series again. Those fans are all grown up and want to know what Christy is doing as an adult. This new series is Robin’s answer for her devoted readers.
This novel opens up as Christy and Todd have been married just under two years. Todd is an
overworked youth minister while Christy works in a book store. They live modestly, but happily, in an
apartment in Southern California.
The story begins with Christy fixing a special dinner for
Todd (Ritzy Chicken, recipe is included in the back of the book) because she
has happy news to discuss with Todd. Unfortunately, Todd gets called back to the church for a budget meeting. The result of the church budget meeting is
that Todd no longer has a job. Christy’s
good news of being offered a research position for a higher salary but no
benefits is put on hold at the same time Todd loses his job. Then more depressing news comes when
Christy’s research position offer is rescinded. The news just keeps getting worse when Christy is laid off from her
bookstore job due to slow sales.
At times like this, when no money is coming in and
everything seems to be falling apart, it would be easy to just give up, blame
each other, blame God or others for the troubles in their life. Todd and Christy do some of that as it takes
time for them to discover that God is working on their behalf in the
background. Reoccurring themes
surrounding Todd and Christy include being happy where they are in life,
appreciating what they have instead of complaining about what they don’t have,
waiting for God’s timing, and knowing that God is always working on their
behalf. Todd and Christy receive support
and understanding from a large group of friends and family.
Robin Jones Gunn has put several interesting characters
into Forever with You. Christy’s Aunt
Marti in particular, who wobbles between being thoughtful and being
thoughtlessly cruel adds a different dimension to this otherwise exquisitely
uplifting novel. Todd and Christy show
their human side during this season of job losses and financial insecurity, as
well as showing their Christian beliefs.
Forever with You is book one in the Christy & Todd,
the Married Years series and is part of a connected series of books written by
Robin Jones Gunn. There is an earlier series
entitled Christy & Todd, the College Years as well as the previously mentioned Christy Miller series, which is still a top-selling series. Robin is delighting fans with this new series and its inaugural novel.
Gloria
is a 59-year-old retired RN and
former accountant who has
a life long love of reading. She has spent the
last two years reading every
Amish novel she can get her hands on. When not
reading, Gloria spends her day trading stocks
and options,
tweeting under the name of @gloriason, and
expressing her gratitude to God. She
blogs at amishreader.blogspot.com.