The Wedding Chapel

Loved the story telling of the combined generations as it presented past and present. First book of Rachel Hauck I have read and looking forward to beginning another. She tells a great story.

The Wedding Chapel by Rachel Hauch 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. I received a complimentary copy of The Wedding Chapel from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The cast of characters in this wonderful novel are extremely well developed and presented. There is an amazing variety of past hurts and hang-ups that define their personalities. Early in the story I struggled a little trying to keep the different people straight and understand their relationships. As the tale unfolded and I learned more of the layers, the pieces started to fit together. By the end of the book I truly understood what a masterpiece of storytelling had been done by Rachel Hauck. This novel is a very moving tale of reconciliation, redemption, and forgiveness. At times it is heart-wrenching. At other times it is sweet and heart-warming. I received a free eBook copy of this novel through NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.