Rachel Holley has always dreamed of a wedding—the white dress, the fairy tale, and of course, the happily-ever-after. But when her fiancé breaks it off the night before, claiming she doesn’t love him, Rachel’s fairy tale ends in ashes. Homeless, hopeless, and feeling like her life has been completely derailed, Rachel must start over in all sorts of ways—and hold her head up high in the fishbowl … the fishbowl of her tiny village. The last person she expects to become a friend is Sam West, the taciturn owner of The Bell, Thornthwaite’s rougher pub, and a little rough around the edges of himself.
But as Rachel gets to know Sam, and sees him caring for his orphaned nephew, she finds herself drawn to this enigmatic man. Nothing about Sam is what Rachel expected in a life partner, and yet she can’t deny their increasing closeness. But can love flourish on the rebound? And will there be a vicarage wedding after all?
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Love the vicarage stories and their characters especially.
This book takes on so many topics it’s hard to describe it with just a few words. It’s a family drama, a coming-of-age story, a primer on the complexity of sisterhood, a lesson for overcome hardship and a friendship that leads to a romance between a grade school teacher, a slightly hostile landlord and a young boy who desperately needs a stable home and family. The main character is Rachel whose fiancé cancels their wedding leaving her mourning the perfect life she dreamed of. As Rachel struggles with humiliation and pity all of the members of her family are undergoing huge changes in their lives that throw them all for a loop in one way or another. This author is a great storyteller and each of her characters grow in wisdom and maturity as they face new challenges in their lives, but Rachel’s transformation is truly heartfelt and inspirational. I’m really looking forward to reading more of the books in this lovely series. I read an early copy of this book provided by Tule Publishing Group through NetGalley and all opinions expressed in my voluntary review are completely my own.
Kate Hewitt’s newest doesn’t disappoint. I love the way she writes and her characters who are real people who have had their share of problems. Rachel is no exception, and it is heart-warming watching her journey to find what she wants in real life, not the fairy tale she was convinced she wanted.
Though it is third in the series, you won’t be lost if you pick this one up first. This is a wonderful series and I can’t wait to see what happens with the last Holley sister.
#AVicarageWedding
I loved Vicarage Wedding by Kate Hewitt, book three in her Holley Sisters of Thornthwaite series. The night before her wedding, her fiancé calls off the wedding as he believes Rachel is in love with the idea of love and marriage, not in love with him. Rachel is gobsmacked as she never saw this coming and she thought she loved him. As she adjusts to these changes in her life, she finds a place to rent above the rougher bar in the village, owned by Sam West. Sam helps Rachel move into the recently renovated flat, apartment, and this is the push these two needed to form a friendship. Sam might look a little rough at the edges but is really a nice person with a warm heart. After a rough childhood and hanging with the wrong crowd, Sam has learned his lesson and wants a better life for himself and his nephew who under his care. The placement of Sam’s troubled nephew in Rachel’s classroom gives them another opportunity to spend time together, whether a good or bad thing. Rachel is juggling a number of issues which are frustrating her; the pregnancy of her baby sister, the engagement and wedding planning of her other younger sister, training her new puppy, her parents’ move to China, and dealing with Sam’s challenging nephew as a student in her classroom. Rachel is determined to prove to Sam that he is worthy of her attention and affection, but Sam is not quite sold on it.
Rachel truly learned the lesson that love, marriage and family is not based on material things but from the hard work a couple does to create the love, family and a future together. Just being together will not necessarily bring love, but an inner attraction along with the right chemistry. There is no perfect love, husband, or family but hard work can help create one. Now, can she convince Sam?
This was a wonderful love story showing that love can truly exist with the right partner. Ms. Hewitt did a fantastic job creating realistic characters, keeping the story line interesting, making me forget the world around me and not letting me go until I turned the last page, wanting more. I highly recommend this book to other readers.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
Ah yes! This is the third book in the Holley Sisters series and boy do I ever need tissues when I read these books. Rachel’s wedding is called off right after the practice the night before the wedding by the groom. But some of the sisters aren’t surprised ( or this reader). I love reading this book it ‘s so well written and thought out. Rachel is a teacher and she has a big heart that doesn’t stop when the school bell rings. Wonderful catching up with favorite characters from last books in this series and looking forward to the last sister’s book as well. I really enjoyed this taste of the uk