Nothing New Under the Sun?
Two women’s stories of love and loss are separated by decades, yet an abandoned building in Heart’s Bend unites them both. Cora Scott is a business owner, an unusual position to have in a small southern town in the 1930’s. Haley Morgan, living in today’s time period, has been an over-achiever all her life. That has given her the drive to finish college, join the military, and become an officer before retiring to her hometown.
Smart in business and passionately in love with a sea captain, Cora doesn’t understand why his promises of marriage never materialize. As the years pass, a local farmer, Birch Good, continues to try to win her heart despite her discouragement. When The Great Depression hits, Cora loses more than money. She is betrayed by both love and family as well.
Haley has reached all the life-goals she has gone after, except one–romance. She has had love, but it came at a cost she never thought she would have to pay. What she did for that love changed her into someone she couldn’t stand. The death of her best friend, Tammy, was the catalyst that brought her home. Now she hopes to redeem herself by keeping the childhood promise she made to Tammy.
Haley plans to re-open the wedding shop that once made Heart’s Bend famous throughout the South. That is when her trouble really begins. From locking horns with a corporation that wants the property for a parking lot, to an unethical city employee who holds her permits “hostage,” to dealing with her mother’s animosity towards the project, Haley has her work cut out for her. Additionally, the building is falling apart around her.
Will Haley be able to be successful despite all of the people fighting against her? Will Cora ever give Birch a chance, or will he tire of waiting, and find someone else? Will either woman be able to put past hurts aside, and move on to a better life?
Both women’s stories in this book will pull you in, and tug at your heart. I especially liked Cora’s tale because it was set in a by-gone period, and the author really brought that era to life. It had lots of twists and turns and didn’t end the way I thought–and I liked that! Both Cora and Haley face some of the same disappointments in life, and it was interesting to see how they handled that in their separate time periods. I always appreciate when a story, like this one, is written from a Christian perspective. The Wedding Shop is the second installment in The Heart’s Bend Series, but this story stands on its own. This 5 plus star book is highly recommended to anyone who enjoys romances, historical stories or well-written fiction.
Zondervan Publishing has provided bookreadingtic with a complimentary copy of The Wedding Shop, for the purpose of review. I have not been compensated in any other manner. All opinions expressed are my own, and I was not required, or influenced, to give anything but an honest appraisal. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
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