The Wedding Chapel

Happy Thanksgiving!  I hope everyone is having a very blessed day!  It is also Shopping Reminder Day (like we need a reminder with all the ads we received today).  When I was growing up nothing (except a gas station) was open on Thanksgiving Day. Now, we have so many stores that are open.  My daughter went out this afternoon to take advantage of some of the sales.  I did my shopping online to avoid the crowds!  How about you?  Did you pick up some wonderful bargains today?

The Wedding Chapel by Rachel Hauck is a heartwarming Christian romance novel.  Jimmy (James) Westbrook built a lovely stone and wood chapel for the woman he loved in Heart’s Bend, Tennessee.  Unfortunately, he and the love of his life never used the chapel.  Jimmy is now retired (football coach) and he sees no reason to hang onto the chapel.   A local realtor convinces Jimmy to put the chapel up for sale.  Will Jimmy really be able to sell the chapel when the time comes?   Colette Greer is a famous actress (soap opera) who lived for a few years in Heart’s Bend.  She has not been back since she was nineteen years old (she is now 82).  But then she hears that the chapel is up for sale and she needs to go see it.  What has kept Colette away for all these years?

Taylor Branson has moved to New York (from Heart’s Bend, Tennessee) to become a commercial photographer.  One day she ran into Jack Forester (also from Heart’s Bend) who is an ad man.  They had a whirlwind courtship and then eloped.  Six months later things are not going well on their relationship.  No one in Taylor’s family has ever had a happily ever after in their marriage (everyone is divorced).  Can Taylor and Jack make it work?  Taylor gets a job photographing Jimmy’s chapel for Agricultural Digest.  It will also give her a chance to decide what to do with her grandmother’s home (she inherited it).  Taylor discovers a letter from her grandmother to Taylor about a secret.  What secret was her grandmother hiding and how it will impact her family?

The Wedding Chapel goes back and forth from the present to the past to tell the story of Jimmy, Colette, Taylor, and Jack (and Taylor’s grandmother).  I found The Wedding Chapel a little hard to get into, but once I did I enjoyed the story immensely.  I give The Wedding Chapel 4.25 out of 5 stars.  In The Wedding Chapel we see how destructive secrets are to a family and how they can keep people apart.  Also, how a lack of communication can be hurtful to a marriage.  The Wedding Chapel is well-written, with a lovely setting (Heart’s Bend), and characters that are very relatable.   Once you get all the characters in the book straight, it is easier to read.

You can check out Rachel Hauck's other books on Amazon as well as follow her for updates on new releases.  I received a complimentary copy of The Wedding Chapel from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you for taking time out of your holiday to check out my review.  I hope you have a very Happy Thanksgiving!  Take care and Happy Reading!

Kris
The Avid Reader