Hey, Readers! Today is the release day for the second novella of the Harbor Pointe Series. I’m excited to share my review of Gwen M. Plano’s The Gift.

Blurb

The Harbor Pointe Inn has loomed on California’s cliffs for generations of Hawthornes. For some, it’s been a blessing. For others, a curse. Travel through two centuries of stories to discover the old inn’s secrets.

In an innocent 1958 American suburb, Shelly doesn’t know the power of a kiss. Or how it will change her entire life.

At sixteen years old, she falls in love with a young man. One night—just one night—they go too far. Months later, pregnant and shamed, Shelly’s parents banish her.

Alone and heavily pregnant, circumstances force Shelly to cross the country in an old pickup.

A mistaken turn leaves her lost in a forest amidst a severe snow storm and in labor.

In the dark of night. Shelly must get help for her newborn baby before they both perish. A light in the distance gives her the slimmest glimmer of hope.

After Shelly wraps the infant in her father’s old jacket, she trudges through the snow to a lighthouse keeper’s cottage. Snow half buries the squat stone building.

Will Shelly find shelter, or is it the beginning of the end?

My Review

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Gwen Plano delivers a heartwarming story in The Gift, the second novella in the Harbor Pointe series.

In December 1958, a pregnant teenage girl, Shelley, is sent away by her parents to live with relatives. Driving across the country, she makes a wrong turn during a snowstorm and gives birth—alone and unassisted—in her father’s old pickup truck.

Mary and Jessie, keepers of the Harbor Pointe Lighthouse, lost their only child years earlier. The kindly couple finds Shelly and her newborn baby and gives them a place to stay in their home. There is angst, love, grief, and fear but all wraps up with a satisfying conclusion. This feel-good Christmas story can be enjoyed any time of the year, and I could easily see this as a Hallmark movie.

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48 Responses

  1. Thank you, Joan, for sharing your extraordinary review. I’m deeply moved by your graciousness and support. ❤️

  2. Thanks for the super review, Joan! This one arrived on my Kindle some time during the night, and was awaiting me when I awoke. I can’t WAIT to read it.

    Gwen, I know I’m going to love it, and I’m sending you heaps of wishes for at least a kazillion sales! Congratulations on being part of what I think is a very clever idea for a series. I’ll definitely be reading them all as they are released, and yours is up next! 🤗❤️🤗

    • Ahh, thank you so much, Marcia. I hope you enjoy the story. Joan’s review touched my heart and I’m ever so grateful for the share. ❤️

    • Having a preordered book arrive is like opening a Christmas present, isn’t it, Marcia. I know you love this story. Thanks for your support of Gwen and all the Harbor Pointe authors.

      • Exactly so, Joan. That’s one of the reasons I pre-ordered all of them … so I’d have a new present every month. I’m truly looking forward to each one! 😀 <3

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