I loved this book! I have read all of the books in this series and each one was a delight! ( )

Great story!!!

This book took me a while to read due to my crazy schedule, but I am pleased to say that I enjoyed it. The author did a fine job of intertwining the stories of Cora, Charlotte, Haley, and Cole. I may read more books by this author if they are this good. ( )

The Wedding Shop by [Hauck, Rachel]I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
This book fascinated me from the beginning. I love the way Rachel Hauck made the wedding dress shop the central character of this book. The story tells the story of Cora Scott in the 1930s. She inherited the shop from her great aunt. Brides would come from far and near to purchase their dress and receive the bridal treatment form this shop in Heart's Bend, Tennessee. Cora, however, was waiting for her love, a river captain, to return to her. She has another in the town, Birch Good who would like to be her special one.
Eighty plus years later, Haley Morgan, an Air Force Captain, decides to fulfill the promise she and Tammy, now deceased, made years ago to own and run the Wedding Shop.
The dreams and love each of these ladies found through this shop is engaging. Rachel Hauck is able to entwine these two stories effortlessly. The Christian message underlies everything without being overbearing. This is a story of forgiveness and living the life God has chosen for you.
This story of journey is highly recommended by me. ( )

I tried an audio version of this book. It had it's pros and cons. The person reading was great, her different accents and voice inflection's kept me interested the entire time. The story also was very interesting and exciting as all of Rachel Hauck books are. The problem I had, I was trying to multi-task by quilting too and I kept getting confused as to who was talking and when. If I had an actual book or Kindle I could have re-read or found the place to clarify which character was speaking. After saying all of that, I will definitely try another audio-book. I also will continue to read Rachel Hauck, she is one of very favorite writers. ( )

A tale of God's perfect timing that spans the ages.

***

She's done it again. I don't know what kind of magical mojo Rachel Hauck weaves into her stories but they get me right in the feels every time. Every. Time. Yes, I spent a good portion of this book crying...In a reflective, happy, sad, mixed-emotions and feelings kind of way. I'm pretty sure not everyone will be affected in this way, but somehow this book hit me right in a soft spot and pressed in. Deeper and deeper.

This book--and the characters journey--reminded me that God is powerful, influential, and working in this world (yes, even though it is a fictional book). It's one of the many things I admire about Rachel's writing - her ability to gently remind us of the fact that God is a BIG God and capable of doing amazing things. He's a God of miracles. I remember one line hit me especially where Haley says, "...but I'm not going to let a little thing like money stand in my way." What truth! And what a great theme--considering the fact that God's will is bigger than money or our ability to plan things out (but I digress).

This story, like The Wedding Dress and The Wedding Chapel, is "dual time" encompassing a story from history with the present. I'm not a huge fan of this in general, but the stories have really grown on me. If I were to choose which story I liked best between Cora Scott and Haley Morgan I'm not sure that I could pick. Both were well thought out, developed, and enticing in their own right.

Haley reminded me a lot of myself - not exactly in personality, but at the core of who she is and what she focused on in this book. Her devotion to opening The Wedding Shop and her appreciation for its history is also something that resonates deep in me. I love history and want to see it cherished and preserved. I loved Cora's character and storyline, though I was frustrated with her at times for being "blind". Then again, aren't we all blind to things we don't want to see sometimes?

And the ending. *sigh* I won't share much here other than the fact that I was at around 50% one night and finished the rest of the book (staying up until 2 am) just to see what happened. And I loved it!

If you like present day romance, historical romance, or (like this book) a combination, you are going to love this book! It gives you the best of both worlds and a woven story that will pull you through until the end and have you rooting for The Wedding Shop.

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I received this book for free but was under no obligation to post a review. I do so under my own motivation and the opinions I have expressed in this review are honest and entirely my own. ( )