Close Your Eyes/Without a Doubt/With This Ring (The Sierra Jensen Series 4-6) (Sierra Jensen Collection, Volume 2) [Hardcover]

Robin Jones Gunn (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2006

Happenstance…or God’s Great Plan?

She’s the bold, free-spirited type. She’s cute, she’s fun, and she’s following God. She’s Sierra Jensen, Christy Miller’s good friend, ready for her junior year of high school! All twelve books in the popular Sierra Jensen series come together in four volumes to reveal the ups and downs of Sierra’s incredible God-led journey!

Volume Two: Paul’s voice lives in her memory, but now it’s loud, clear, and right behind her in Close Your Eyes . With summer fast approaching, it is Without a Doubt bound to be Sierra’s best yet. In With This Ring, she can’t help but ponder the meaning of first kisses and lifetime commitments.

Close Your Eyes

Sierra Jensen has prayed and prayed for the unattainable Paul, but no answers have arrived yet. She hopes a visit with her classmates to a homeless shelter will take her mind off Paul, but guess what? He’s working there! Finally they talk, and before Sierra knows it, Paul agrees to come over for dinner. Their evening together is perfect—until Randy shows up on Sierra’s doorstep! Can things get any more confusing?

Without a Doubt

What could be more fun than a backpacking expedition? Sierra can’t wait to go, especially since things in her life have gotten so…complicated. Paul has moved to Scotland, and Randy is moving into Sierra’s heart. But just when things start to make sense, Sierra is asked out by Drake—the gorgeous guy her best friend, Amy, likes. How can Sierra even think about Drake when she knows doing so will hurt Amy and Randy? When a freak snowstorm hits, Sierra suddenly realizes what really matters most—but is it too late?

With This Ring

Sierra is on her way to Southern California for the very best reason of all: a wedding! Tracy and Doug’s long-awaited I dos are about to happen, and Sierra is eager to join Christy Miller and the rest of their friends. As soon as she arrives, Sierra discovers that everyone seems to be in love—except for her. That’s okay…she has what she needs—a gold purity ring from her dad and a vow of her own: to save herself for marriage. But when Sierra returns home, she wonders if her best friend, Amy, has settled for less than God’s best. Can Sierra convince her that purity is worth celebrating?

Story Behind the Book

“After writing the twelve-book Christy Miller series for teens, a new character showed up on the pages of the final novel. Her name was Sierra Jensen, and she was so compelling as a teenage character that readers began asking for a series about Sierra in order to hear more about her life choices. Our family had just moved to Portland at the time, and I found it easy to picture a sixteen-year-old like Sierra shopping at the local vintage clothing stores, hanging out with friends at a garage band concert, and serving at the homeless shelter on weekends.”

—Robin Jones Gunn

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Robin Jones Gunn is a God-lover who can’t stop telling stories. And by the way, she’s still crazy about her husband after twenty-eight years and confesses their two kids turned out pretty good only because of the extravagant grace poured out on their family.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

one

“HOW COME THIS STUFF makes sense to you?” Randy Jenkins asked, tossing his wadded-up gum wrapper into the fireplace. A high school physics book lay propped like a tent on the floor in front of him, and a half dozen papers surrounded him.

Sierra pushed the painted enamel bracelet up her arm and cast her buddy an encouraging smile. “You almost have it,” she said. “Give it one more try.”

While Randy fussed over his homework, Sierra stretched out her legs and fondly gazed around the warm family room. The grand Victorian house, which had been in her family for more than fifty years, offered plenty of space.

Sierra tilted her head and tried to catch Randy’s gaze with her gray-blue eyes. “You want to take a break and eat something?”

Before Randy could answer, Sierra’s older sister, Tawni, burst into the room clutching the phone in her drooping hand. “Where’s Mom?”

“She took the boys to get haircuts.” Sierra noticed tears glistening in Tawni’s eyes. If Sierra guessed right, Tawni had been talking to her new boyfriend, Jeremy Mackenzie, as she usually did this time of day, every day. Conversations with Jeremy were prone to cause smiles and whispers, not tears.

“Are you okay?” Sierra asked cautiously. She and her sister had never been exceptionally close and such a question could embarrass Tawni, especially since Randy was
there.

“Sure. Fine. I’m going to make cookies,” Tawni announced and marched through the family room into the kitchen.

“Now I know she’s upset,” Sierra said in a low voice to Randy.

He was scratching a list of figures on a piece of notebook paper and didn’t look up.

“Something happened between her and Jeremy. I bet he’s not coming.”

“What?” Randy said, looking up. His straight, dark blond hair, which was cut in what Sierra’s Granna Mae called a “Dutch boy,” fell into his eyes. “Were you talking to me?”

“Never mind,” Sierra said. Gathering her long gauze skirt in her hand, she stood up and headed for the kitchen. “I’ll be right back.”

“Whatever,” Randy muttered.

The counter was already covered with all the dry-goods canisters from the pantry, including one filled with pasta. Two eggs sat precariously close to the edge of the counter, and a large bottle of vanilla extract stood with its lid off, spreading its pleasant fragrance like a blessing over the baking event. Tawni was smearing butter on two cookie sheets as Sierra entered. Her sister didn’t look up but dumped the rest of the butter stick into a mixing bowl and furiously began to chop at it with a wooden spoon.

“Are you all right?” Sierra asked again.

“Of course I am! Just because Jeremy isn’t coming to see me this weekend after all our planning doesn’t mean my life should come to a standstill. I have lots to do. Lots and lots!”

“Why isn’t he coming?”

“Money, school, finals. Take your pick.”

Sierra lowered herself onto a kitchen stool and felt her heart sinking. During the weeks Tawni and Jeremy had been planning his visit from San Diego, Sierra had been busy secretly making her own wishes. Jeremy had a brother, Paul, whom Sierra happened to meet at the airport in London five months ago. Since then she had seen him around town twice and received two letters from him. Their brief conversations and correspondence had left Sierra with a treasure chest full of “what if’s” buried deep inside her heart.

When she had found out Paul and Jeremy were brothers, it seemed inevitable her path would cross with Paul’s. Then when Jeremy decided to come to Portland to see Tawni, Sierra had known her treasure chest was about to be opened. But now all those possibilities were crushed.

“So, is he going to come later? After school is out?”

“He’s going to try.” Tawni opened the cupboard door and began to move the spices around. “Where does Mom hide the chocolate chips?”

“In the pantry,” Sierra said. “On the top shelf behind the paper towels.”

Tawni went to the pantry and continued her search as Sierra tried to rearrange the dreams in her treasure chest. “That’s not so bad,” she told Tawni (and herself). “Only a few more weeks. Besides, in June, Jeremy should be able to stay longer. This weekend would have been here and gone like that.” Sierra snapped her fingers for emphasis. “Don’t you think it will be much better if he comes for a whole week?”

“I guess. That is, of course, if he can pull together the money by then. His car needs new brakes, and his bank account is shot.”

“Probably from paying his phone bill,” Sierra muttered.

“What is that supposed to mean?” Tawni spun around with a roll of paper towels in her hand.

Sierra should have known better than to challenge Tawni when she was in such a mood–especially because, at eighteen, Tawni didn’t put much value in Sierra’s sixteenyear-old logic. But she spoke up anyway.

“You guys talk constantly on the phone. I’m sure it adds up. Neither of you has that much money. It doesn’t make sense to me. Why don’t you save some money by not calling each other all the time?”

“Sierra,” Tawni said, shelving the paper towels, “you don’t know the first thing about love!”

“You’re right. I don’t.”

Surprised by Sierra’s admission, Tawni didn’t respond but continued her search for the chocolate chips.

“I guess love makes you do crazy thing,” Sierra said. “Like spending all your money on a phone bill instead of a plane ticket.”

Tawni pursed her lips together as if she were holding back a flood of words.

“It was only a suggestion,” Sierra mumbled, holding up her arms in surrender.

You’re not the only one affected by this, Tawni, she thought. All my dreams of seeing Paul are dissolved now, too, you know. Of course, Sierra would never admit that to her sister. A stiff silence crowded the large kitchen as Tawni reached her arm into the dark recesses of the cupboard
above the refrigerator. “Aha! Perfect!” She extracted a large, crumpled bag of M&M’s.

“Those look like they’ve been there for a decade,” Sierra said.

“So? The bag is still closed. Don’t they put enough preservatives in these to keep them fresh into the next century?” Tawni pulled open the bag with a snap and poured the candy onto the counter. “Go ahead. Try one,” she challenged. “I’m not going to try one,” Sierra said. “You try one.” It occurred to Sierra that she and her sister had somehow changed roles. All their lives, Sierra had been the daring, rambunctious one even though she was younger. When they were little, Tawni was the dainty, prissy one who insisted on using a straw to drink her milk lest she fall prey to the dreaded milk mustache.

Now Tawni was acting like Sierra by turning the kitchen into a war zone in her attempt to make cookies, and Sierra had turned into Miss Finicky. Funny how she would go against her true nature just to oppose her sister. “Oh, this is crazy,” Sierra spouted, grabbing a handful
of M&M’s. “Look, I’m eating them.” She tossed them into her mouth just as Randy entered the kitchen.

“What’s happening?” he asked.

“I’m making cookies,” Tawni said. “And Sierra is acting like her stubborn self.”

“I am not,” Sierra said, her words coming out garbled through the M&M’s.

It wasn’t unusual for Randy to hear this kind of banter, which frequently flew between Sierra and Tawni. About three weeks ago, he had started to stop by Sierra’s house regularly. At first it was on Friday nights, and any other night he wasn’t working at his lawn-care business. He even came by one night and had dinner with Sierra’s family when Sierra was at her friend Amy Degrassi’s house. Sierra’s parents encouraged “drop-by” friendships, so Randy had
quickly become part of the family.

“I have only one question,” Randy said, sitting next to Sierra and nudging the two eggs away from the edge of the counter. “When will they be ready?”

“Soon,” Tawni said, measuring the sugar and doublechecking to make sure it was exactly right.

“Let us know when you’re ready for taste testers,” Randy said, heading back to the family room. “I have to finish this homework tonight.”

“Me too,” Sierra said. She gave Tawni a pleasant look and added, “Just keep telling yourself it will only be a few more weeks before he comes.”

Tawni looked surprised and tossed back an amiable, “Yeah, well, thanks for caring.”

Oh, I do! Sierra thought. More than you know, dear sis. More than you know!

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 432 pages
• Publisher: Multnomah Publishers (June 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590525892
• ISBN-13: 978-1590525890
• Product Dimensions: 5.3 x 1.4 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #142,935 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

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.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A satisfying read!, July 6, 2006

By 

Armchair Interviews (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Only You, Sierra/In Your Dreams/Don't You Wish (The Sierra Jensen Series 1-3) (Sierra Jensen Collection, Volume 1) (Hardcover)

This collection includes the first three books in the Sierra Jensen series written by Robin Jones Gunn.

Only You, Sierra introduces sixteen-year-old Sierra. Flying home from a mission trip in the UK, Sierra has met several new friends, including Katie and Christy, who readers of Robin's Christy Miller series will recognize. Normally outgoing and adventurous, Sierra is surprised to feel anxiety about her family's move to Portland, Oregon during the time she was away. A new home, new school, and potential new love interest challenge Sierra to reevaluate beliefs about herself that she has long taken for granted.

In Your Dreams finds Sierra watching over Granna Mae for a few days while her family is out of town. While it's difficult for Sierra to see her Granna's memory come and go, what seems to be a simple responsibility becomes more than Sierra bargains for when Granna Mae receives a call saying she needs immediate surgery. Meanwhile, Sierra tries to find a part-time job and wonders why, when she was the most popular girl at her old school, she is having such a difficult time making new friends in Portland.

Don't You Wish takes Sierra and her sister Tawni to spend Easter break at the beach with Christy, Katie, and their friends. When Tawni hits it off immediately with Jeremy, and even Katie pairs off with Antonio, an Italian exchange student, Sierra struggles with being jealous and feeling left out. She wants a boyfriend too. She tries to have fun and even learns to surf. But when Sierra witnesses Christy and Todd, to her the perfect couple, going through a difficult time in their relationship, she realizes everyone has struggles in their life. And she learns, as 1 Tim 6:6 states, that godliness with contentment is the greatest gain.

"Have you ever felt as if you were caught between two lives? The one you're living, and the one you wish you were living?" Sierra asks Christy.

Armchair Interviews says: Readers of all ages will understand Sierra's feelings and be ministered to by the timeless truths God reveals to her throughout this collection.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome Book., February 29, 2008

By 

A Teens Review "A Teens Review" (Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Only You, Sierra/In Your Dreams/Don't You Wish (The Sierra Jensen Series 1-3) (Sierra Jensen Collection, Volume 1) (Hardcover)

I loved this book. I will admit though, when I firt started reading it. I was thinking 'This book is going to be soo boring' But, the more I was reading it. The more I found I loved it. For any christian girl, or even a girl who wants to learn more about god. This would be an awesome book for them. It deals with a lot of the things that teen girls deal with. And the way Sierra Jensen handles all the things that are thrown at her, is awesome. She can turn and awful mistake, into a chance for god to use her.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lessons learned, November 10, 2011

By 

Chrystal Mahan - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sierra Jensen Collection, Vol 1 (Kindle Edition)

All books are intended for young adult readers. Being 36 years old, I would have to say that even as an adult I found them a lot of fun to read. I really like how they all have growing, coming of age, life lessons written in such a manner that many can related and understand. I think a lot of young adults can learn a lesson or two from these books.