From New York Times bestselling author of The Wedding Dress comes The Wedding Chapel.A lonely wedding chapel built as a tribute to lost love just might hold the long-awaited secret to hope and reconciliation.For sixty years, the wedding chapel has stood silent and empty. Retired football hall-of-famer Jimmy “Coach” Westbrook built the chapel by hand, stone by stone, for his beautiful and beloved … Jimmy “Coach” Westbrook built the chapel by hand, stone by stone, for his beautiful and beloved Collette Greer, whom he lost so many years ago. The chapel is a sanctuary for his memories, a monument to true love, and a testament to his survival of the deepest pain and loss.
Photographer Taylor Branson left her hometown of Heart’s Bend, Tennessee, to make a new life for herself in New York. She had lots to run away from, not least of all a family history of broken promises and broken dreams. Love catches Taylor off guard when she falls for Jack Forester, a successful advertising executive, and their whirlwind romance leads to an elopement—then to second guesses. Jack, in spite of his very real love for Taylor, is battling his own demons and struggles to show her his true self and the depths of his love for her.
Taking a photography assignment in Heart’s Bend, Taylor is thrown back into a past of family secrets buried deep beneath the sands of time. When Taylor and Coach’s journeys collide, they each rediscover the heartbeat of their own dreams as they learn that the love they long to hold is well worth the wait.
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Second in a Wedding trilogy, this story focuses on several people in a small town near Nashville. Jimmy builds a wedding chapel for his high school girlfriend but the Korean War intervenes, along with one night of indiscretion, and the chapel never gets used. When he decides to sell it, old secrets come out – his and many others. It’s all the many characters that made this book a bit difficult in the beginning but the satisfying ending of forgiveness and love made this a great read.
This story has a bit of everything that I like—connection to the past, a second chance at love, family drama, romance, healing, reconciliation, hope—plus a LOT of heart. It made me picture some of my favorite old movies and the actors that brought them to life re-creating this story. Loved it!
This was a delightful read. I listened on audio and became immersed in the story. Admittedly, I thought it might be fluffy at first, but I should have known it wouldn’t be fluffy at all. Not that fluffy’s a bad thing; sometimes it’s just what a soul needs. Rachel Hauck infuses her writing with wonderful, thought-provoking depth, though. In this creative story, she conveys how our past experiences can either teach us healthy communication styles and life choices, or unhealthy. We see how lack of communication opens the mind’s door to embrace false beliefs. The unhealthy choice then uses distance and grudges to build brick walls and fences. But, we also see how truth and forgiveness shine peace and joy into life. The characters are relatable and I wanted to step inside the chapel depicted in the story.
You will fall in love with Jimmy. And Collette. And Taylor. And Jack.
I never forgave Peg though. 😉
Amazing story of complicated family issues, betrayal, forgiveness, love, and the only One Who can turn it all around for good.
Rachel Hauck can do no wrong, but this is definitely one of my favorites!
Like a soap opera
A delightful story that stays in your heart long after you finish. Once again, a fabulous read from the very talented Rachel Hauck.
What a lovely story to have love lost and found again because of a chapel that was built to marry only one person and it never happening and when the older gentleman is asked if he would like to sell it he has to make a lot of decision on that fact. The story begins with 2 young women losing both of their parents during WWII in England, their mother first and then their father and they are brought to the US to live with extended family and one sister is determined to have everything and the other gets the man and between his father and himself start to build a beautiful chapel for him to purpose and marry the girl of his dreams. The older sister wants the young man, but the young man wants the other sister and they fall in love. He started building the chapel and gets called to the military to serve in Korea, he proposes at the chapel even though it is not finished and they shared secret vows between them in case he doesn’t come back. Now in the future a young couple meet and fall in love in NYC both are from the same home town as the chapel. They decide to get married but things are hard, the young lady is the granddaughter of one of the sisters and the young man is from a bad family background. The twist in this story and the love that has lasted through the years is wonderful. You laugh, you get upset with the situations, but you understand some of the decisions once you understand. Love can endure time and difficulty. There are a few surprises in this story but they are wonderful. Thank you Rachel for writing such a wonderful story that shows love is wonderful.
This book is so very special. I loved the different time periods. Jack and Taylor loved each other but didn’t know how to communicate that. Jimmy and Colette loved each other but believed each had let go of that love for reasons I cannot share without spoiling the story.
With the whoosh, thump heartbeat of God connecting them, each couple found truth, grace, and love.