I liked this better than the previous one, maybe because of more "real world" juxtaposition. Great characters, too. ( )

The Tufa novels by Alex Bledsoe are always one of my must reads. I don't necessarily go seeking them out, but I always read them when I find them. The books are considered Fantasy, but that is just background - these are very human stories about a secretive people living in the Appalachian Mountains, dealing with poverty, the outside world and who is family and who is not. Usually told from an outsiders point of view, the veil is lifted just for a moment and the a glimmer of understanding is found. This novel is no different.

Matt Johansson is the outsider, a Gay man in New York who is cast in a musical by Ray Parrish, a musician who is originally from the Tufa community in Cloud County, Tennessee, now living in New York, and working as a much valued Gig Musician by the New York music community. When Ray passes away unexpectedly, Matt volunteers to take his ashes to Ray's Family in Appalachia. However, the plays director gives Matt an mission - find out whats underneath the Chapel of Ease, the focus of Ray's musical.

There is a plot and ties the story together, but I find that where the heart of the story lies is how the story meanders, from the strangeness to the Tufa people, to how close this community is. Music is integrated throughout the story - it seems to be the lifeline of the whole community. The author has a way of being respectful of his characters, while making sure his characters are fully human. ( )

Chapel of Ease is book four in the Tufa series and I listened to the audio version of this book as part of my personal challenge to finish all the book before the 6th and last would be published 10 April 2018. I made it by the way.

Chapel of Ease is the one book in the series that felt less like "part" of the series as the story isn't really about the Tufa's future. The previous books have all felt a lot more like each story is bringing the Tufa story to some future conclusion. This one feels like an interlude. A really great interlude of course. But, it is more about the true story the musical is based on as well as Matts experiences in Needsville.

The Tufa legend plays a major part in the story since the musical that Ray Parrish has written and composed is about a story that happened years ago. Ray himself is Tufa and there are those that don't want him to put up a musical. However, Ray dies before revealing what is buried at the Chapel of Ease (the ending of the musical doesn't reveal it) and Matt the lead star of the musical travels down to Needsville with Ray's ashes and also to get the answer to what is buried at the Chapel of Ease.

So what is buried in the ruins of the Chapel of Ease? Well, you have to find out the truth by reading the book. All I can say that the book ended so perfectly that I mentally laughed and thought: "Bravo Alex Bledsoe, I should have seen that ending coming." I love it when an author manages to surprise me (in a good way)!

This is a book that felt like I breezed through quite quickly, it's a great joy finding a book series as good as this one and work through them all as I'm working at the same time! ( )

Gay singer/actor meets amazing songwriter who is producing a play about the Chapel of Ease, which is a "folk tale" among the Tufa. When the songwriter dies unexpectedly, the actor agrees to take his remains back to his people. While there, he tries to uncover the mystery of what is buried at the Chapel of Ease. He gets into trouble, but falls in love with a Tufa boy, (the brother of the songwriter.)

87 points/100 (4 ½ stars/5)
Alert: LGBT themes

Matt Johansson is a performer in a musical by Ray Parrish. Ray wrote the story based off true events that happened in his hometown of Needsville, Tennessee. The musical has one mystery that refuses to be answered: what is buried in the ruins of the chapel of ease? When Ray unexpectedly dies after opening night, Matt decides to take him home, and figure out the mystery once and for all.

Chapel of Ease is very different than all of the Tufa books to date. It doesn't exactly feel like the series until part of the way through the book. In fact I had to double check I had opened the right book because it starts out so different. Overall, I'm a bit confused on this one.

It was an odd shift. The rest of the series has been third person following various citizens and guests of Cloud County. This wasn't. It was first person, and it starts in New York City. The whole book is first person, but eventually we end up in Cloud County. Typically, I prefer first person perspectives, and I've been told I'm weird because of this. Yet, in this series I actually preferred the third.

The musical based on events that took place in Needsville fascinated me. I had to know the whole story, the true story. And, I had to know what was buried. Obviously because it is a musical, there was a lot of music. For once, I actually understood a large part of it. I was very proud of myself over this fact (probably shouldn't have been, though).

Other than to get the main character to Tennessee, I'm not really certain why Matt had to bring the ashes to Ray's family. I'm especially not certain why he stuck around so long. Maybe this is a cultural difference I have just never had to run into before. I'm not certain.

The best thing about this series has been the Tufa. Since the main character is an outsider, we get to learn about them all again. Reading these back to back, and it can get a bit repetitive. I've noticed something, though. They reveal their secrets to outsiders really, really easily. How they've kept all of this so under wraps for so long if they tell everyone as easily as they tell Matt. He wasn't married to one of the Tufa, or even going out with one when they told him. Maybe they can read the signs better than me.

Frankly, I'm not surprised at the end of this book. If you've read it, you know what I'm talking about. If you haven't you'll figure it out.

To read more reviews in this series and others, check out keiki eats books! ( )