Title: The
Wedding Chapel
Author: Rachel Hauck
Publisher: Zondervan
Market: Christian
Genre: Christian Fiction; Christian
Romance
Length: 384 pages
Pub.
Date: November 17, 2015
Description (from Amazon):
An
old, forgotten chapel holds the key to love and forgiveness.
Retired hall-of-fame football coach Jimmy Westbrook never imagined anything would come of his labor of love—building a wedding chapel for Collette Greer, the woman he fell in love with in 1949. But now a realtor wants the land the chapel sits on, and he sees no reason to hang onto the past.
Photographer Taylor Branson is trying to make a life for herself in New York. Leaving her hometown of Heart’s Bend, Tennessee, she put a lot of things behind her, including her family’s string of failed marriages. When she falls head-over-heels for Jack Gillingham, a top ad man, their whirlwind romance and elopement leave her with doubts. Jack, while genuine in his love for Taylor, can never seem to find the right way to show her he really cares.
When a post-mortem letter from Taylor’s Granny Peg shows up, along with an old photo, she is driven to uncover family secrets and the secret to her own happiness, starting with an assignment to photograph an unknown, obscure wedding chapel back in Heart’s Bend.
Taylor begins a mission to convince Jimmy that the chapel is worth saving—and that forgiveness and healing might happen within the chapel’s walls . . . for both of them.
Retired hall-of-fame football coach Jimmy Westbrook never imagined anything would come of his labor of love—building a wedding chapel for Collette Greer, the woman he fell in love with in 1949. But now a realtor wants the land the chapel sits on, and he sees no reason to hang onto the past.
Photographer Taylor Branson is trying to make a life for herself in New York. Leaving her hometown of Heart’s Bend, Tennessee, she put a lot of things behind her, including her family’s string of failed marriages. When she falls head-over-heels for Jack Gillingham, a top ad man, their whirlwind romance and elopement leave her with doubts. Jack, while genuine in his love for Taylor, can never seem to find the right way to show her he really cares.
When a post-mortem letter from Taylor’s Granny Peg shows up, along with an old photo, she is driven to uncover family secrets and the secret to her own happiness, starting with an assignment to photograph an unknown, obscure wedding chapel back in Heart’s Bend.
Taylor begins a mission to convince Jimmy that the chapel is worth saving—and that forgiveness and healing might happen within the chapel’s walls . . . for both of them.
My Review:
I
received this book as an Advanced Reader Copy via the publisher at NetGalley in
exchange for my honest review.
I
requested this book because I have read and enjoyed several of the author’s
books previously. So when I saw she was
releasing a new one, I started stalking NetGalley until it was available. I went into the reading expecting a sweet
romance on the lighter side. While that’s
not what I received, I wasn’t disappointed.
This
book has more depth and tackles weightier topics than the others I had read by
Hauck. The narrative travels back and
forth between present day and the generation past. Telling the stories of newlyweds, lost love,
family dysfunction, and lies alongside first love, hope, and redemption. The romance was realistically handled in all
relationships.
The
characters were decently developed.
Their actions were a bit more predictable than I like, but I did still
feel like I could connect with them and understand their motivations. The narrative is told from multiple points of
view. So it was a very well-rounded
tale.
I
was confused at the start of the book and was sometimes startled out of the
story by a switch in time and point of view.
However, once I got into it the pacing was great; I had no issues following
the flow. There was a lot of conflict in
this book – both internally and between the characters. The conflict and the processing of it is what
moved the story along.
There
were several grammatical errors and issues.
Those grated on my nerves.
However, I’m hoping and assuming they were fixed between the Advanced
Reader Copy and the final book printing.
My
other slight gripe was the heavy spiritual content towards the end of the
book. The God content and spirituality
was there throughout. But more as
another character and in an incorporated way for most of the book. However, towards the end it got a bit
preachy. Which, I realize that sometimes
in our lives we just need to hear the Word clear and straight. So it’s only a minor complaint that it didn’t
all stay smoothly integrated.
While
I don’t think there is any graphic content, there are some trigger topics for
sensitive readers: premarital sex and
infidelity being two of the larger ones.
I
think this book appeals to women who like books about complicated relationships
but still enjoy a happy ending. I
certainly enjoyed the reading of it.
***This
review is also posted on The Christian Manifesto
Pros:
· Interweaving of
various stories past and present
· Interesting
characters
· Dealt with
delicate topics in an appropriate way
Cons:
· Predictable
· Spiritually heavy
handed towards the end
· Wanted more from
the ending
·
My
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 (Good)
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