The Wedding Chapel by Rachel Hauck
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Publisher: Zondervan
Publishing Date: November 17, 2015
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 Thoughts:
The amazing Rachel Hauck has written another novel! Put everything down and read it immediately! This latest is a multi-generational tapestry woven together by four, distinct narrators. If you are at all a fan of dual romances set in both the past and present, Rachel Hauck has you covered with 'The Wedding Chapel'.
I think I can safely say the novel largely revolves around Jimmy and Collette's story. The two meet and fall in love in 1949, so much so, that before Jimmy is shipped out to war, he starts building Collette her very own wedding chapel in the woods. But something happens while he is away, something that separates them for years and years.
Fast forward to 2015, where we meet Collette's great-niece Taylor and her husband of six months, Jack. Living and fighting for status in New York, their red hot elopement is falling to pieces. Both Jack and Taylor come from wounded families and as the two drift apart they wonder if it is even worth the fight to stay together, or if they should just succumb to family history. Their paths cross with Jimmy and Collette's and secrets will be revealed.
Four narrators can be overwhelming, but Hauck does it with style. Each characters is distinct, has their own established voice, hurts, reasons, personality...realness. Jimmy was probably my favorite character of the bunch. I was rooting for him through much of the book because he most felt like the underdog, the one most slighted. But the relationship between Tracy and Jack was the most striking. As they start to fight for Jimmy and Collette, they struggle to decide whether or not to fight for their own marriage. Their drifting is very relevant and real; the reader almost wonders if it will all fall apart.
Sadly, I wasn't BLOWN away, but I am 97% sure that is all my fault. I was excited to read the conclusion, but I had a whiny dog and boisterous three year old in the background so my focus wasn't the greatest. Still, 'The Wedding Chapel' was romantic to the core. Incredibly well written, hard to put down, and with an essence of Noah and Allie, 'The Wedding Chapel' fully deserves five stars, but probably won't be on my "Best of..." list for the year.
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Is sixty years too long to wait for love? Two stories of romance, one in 1949 and one in the modern day, meet in Rachel Hauck's The Wedding Chapel.
Join Rachel in celebrating the release of The Wedding Chapel by entering to win a copy and a $100 cash card—perfect for finishing up your Christmas gift shopping!
One grand prize winner will receive:
- A copy of The Wedding Chapel
- A $100 cash card
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