Blog Tour & Review :: The Wedding Chapel by Rachel Hauck

Title: The Wedding Chapel

Author: Rachel Hauck

Publisher: Zondervan (November 2015)

Source: Received from publisher via LitFuse Publicity Group

Buy book: here

For sixty years, a wedding chapel sat silent, waiting for love. But times have changed and the hour has come when it just might be too late.

Retired hall-of-fame football coach Jimmy “Coach” Westbrook never imagined anything would come of his labor of love—the wedding chapel he built for Collette Greer, the woman he fell for back in ‘49. But now an offer has come to turn the chapel into what it was meant to be—a place for love—and Jimmy sees no reason to hang onto his dream any longer.

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 abysmal marriage rate. But love surprises her when she falls head-over-heels for Jack Forester, a top ad man. Their whirlwind romance results in an elopement, and a mountain of doubt. Jack, while genuine in his love for Taylor, can never seem to overcome his own demons to find the words of his heart.

When Taylor takes an assignment in Heart’s Bend, the job does more than send her back to her hometown, but into a world of family secrets buried beneath the sands of time.

When Taylor’s journey intersects with Coach’s, they rediscover the heartbeat of their dreams and that the love they long to hold is right in front of them. And worth every waiting moment.

Review:
I adored this latest book from one of my favorite authors, Rachel Hauck. Hauck has a way of writing Christian fiction in a way where faith is interwoven into the story in a very natural, realistic, relatable way. I am a huge fan of Christian fiction and that is not always easy to do. Usually the "God parts" seem weird and out of place sometimes. However, the way Hauck shows God working through all the aspects of the character's lives is refreshing because it feels authentic. It feels like something you and me deal with on a daily basis. And that is why you love Hauck's writing, because you always feel like you are right there in the story with the characters with them and you really care about them too. A lot. The love stories are never superficial, but full of romance in a way that you don't usually read about in contemporary romance. This is my fourth or fifth book that I've read from Hauck and each book just keeps getting better and better. 

This latest book, The Wedding Chapel, is a treat. I love stories told from multiple perspectives because I think it makes gives it more depth. However, it's not always an easy thing to do. I know this firsthand because the novel I started during NaNoWriMo is told from two points of view. The hardest part is to give each character a unique voice that is their own and different from everyone else. Being able to maintain that for FOUR characters (and in different time periods) is a testament to Hauck's craft because she does this really well with Jimmy, Taylor, Jack, and Colette in this book. You're never confused about who is telling the story. Plus, figuring out how these characters' lives are woven into each other was so enjoyable, especially once the two major story lines start to overlap. 

Each of the four characters are flawed in their own ways and they battle their own demons and insecurities. Even though you might think that it is predictable what will happen to each of them, I found myself riveted throughout the whole story because of all the unexpected twists and turns. This book also has themes of love, acceptance, family dynamics, and redemption. Hauck's masterful storytelling always takes you along a journey in her books. What a fun and charming journey this book was! 

Rating:

5 out of 5 stars

About the author:

Rachel Hauck is an award-winning, best selling author of critically acclaimed novels such as The Wedding Dress, Love Starts with Elle, and Once Upon A Prince. She also penned the Songbird Novels with multi-platinum recording artist, Sara Evans. Booklist named their novel, Softly and Tenderly, one of 2011 Top Ten Inspirationals. She serves on the Executive Board for American Christian Fiction Writers and is a mentor and book therapist at My Book Therapy, and conference speaker. Rachel lives in central Florida with her husband and pets. Connect with Rachel: website, Twitter, Facebook