Tuesday, September 6, 2016

My Bookshelf: The Wedding Shop by Rachel Hauck

Two women separated by decades. Both set out to help others find their dreams when their own have crumbled.
It’s the early 1930s, but Cora Scott is walking in stride as a career woman after having inherited her great aunt’s wedding shop in Heart’s Bend, Tennessee, where brides come from as far away as Birmingham to experience her famed bridal treatment. Meanwhile, Cora is counting down the days until her own true love returns from the river to make her his bride. But days turn into months and months to years. All the while, Birch Good continues to woo Cora and try to show her that while he is solid and dependable, he can sweep her off her feet.
More than eighty years later, former Air Force Captain Haley Morgan has returned home to Heart’s Bend after finishing her commitment to military service. After the devastating death of her best friend, Tammy, and discovering the truth about the man she loved, Haley is searching for her place in life.
When Haley decides to reopen the romantic but abandoned wedding shop where she and Tammy played and dreamed as children, she begins a journey of courage, mystery, and love.
As Cora’s and Haley’s stories intertwine through time in the shadow of the beloved wedding shop, they both discover the power of their own dreams and the magic of everyday love.



The Wedding Shop is Rachel Hauck’s most recent novel set in Heart’s Bend, Tennessee, and since I’ve read both of the others—The Wedding Dress and The Wedding Chapel—and absolutely loved each of them, I’ve been super excited for this book. Besides, I just knew that this sounded like an absolutely FANTASTIC story, so I preordered this just as soon as I had the chance. Just like I knew she would, Rachel wove together a wonderfully sweet story full of characters I absolutely fell in love with from the moment I met them. Rachel wrote a novel that was not only an adorable love story, but was also full of the sweet love of Jesus and the miracles He works in our lives each and every day, and that was what made this book all that much better.
I connected with Haley Morgan almost immediately. As soon as I got to know her story better and I realized just how hard it was for her to forgive herself for her past, I couldn’t help but love her all the more, on top of feeling such an intense level of sympathy and compassion for her. I was taken with the idea of her opening the wedding shop from day one, and as I became aware of the parallels between her and Cora, I was even more positive that was exactly what Haley was supposed to do. The other thing I was positive about in regards to what was “meant-to-be” when it comes to Haley is Cole. Cole is absolutely one hundred percent fantastic, and I think he is absolutely perfect for Haley. Or he’s just perfect. Either way is fine with me.
Cora Scott is also a fantastic character. Although I couldn’t understand her one bit with the whole Rufus business (I never would have hung on the way she did), I absolutely love all the work she does with her shop and for the brides who couldn’t afford all of the things they would like to have. And then there’s Birch. Oh my goodness, I loved him from the very start. I couldn’t imagine how she managed to put him off for so long, and for quite a while I wasn’t even sure everything was going to work out (keep in mind I’m not saying that it did either). Anyway, I absolutely loved Birch, because if Cole isn’t perfect, Birch most definitely was.
All in all, I really, really, really loved this book and I already cannot wait to read it again. I’m planning on lending it to my best friend as soon as possible, and I know The Wedding Shop is a name that will be on my all-time favorites list from now on. I can’t imagine giving this book anything other than all five bookshelves, and I cannot wait to read more from Rachel because she is a wonderfully talented author.
Happy reading!



To see where I’m linking up, check out my Where I Party page.

All credit for the italicized synopsis goes to Rachel Hauck and Zondervan Publishing.

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