The Wedding Dress

The Wedding Dress
Rachel Hauck
(Thomas Nelson)
ISBN: 978-1595549631
April 2012/352 pages/$15.99
Four brides. One Dress.

A tale of faith, redemption, and timeless love.

Charlotte owns a chic Birmingham bridal boutique. Dressing brides for their big day is her gift . . . and her passion. But with her own wedding day approaching, why can’t she find the perfect dress…or feel certain she should marry Tim?

Then Charlotte discovers a vintage dress in a battered trunk at an estate sale. It looks brand-new—shimmering with pearls and satin, hand-stitched and timeless in its design. But where did it come from? Who wore it? Who welded the lock shut and tucked the dog tags in that little sachet? Who left it in the basement for a ten-year-old girl? And what about the mysterious man in the purple vest who insists the dress had been “redeemed.”

Charlotte’s search for the gown’s history—and its new bride—begins as a distraction from her sputtering love life. But it takes on a life of its own as she comes to know the women who have worn the dress. Emily from 1912. Mary Grace from 1939. Hillary from 1968. Each with her own story of promise, pain, and destiny. And each with something unique to share. For woven within the threads of the beautiful hundred-year-old gown is the truth about Charlotte’s heritage, the power of courage and faith, and the timeless beauty of finding true love.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Rachel Hauck is the bestselling author of Carol Award winner Sweet Caroline, and RITA Finalist Love Starts With Elle, and of the critically acclaimed fiction collaboration with multi-platinum country artist Sara Evans, The Songbird Novels.

She lives in sunny, though sometimes hurricane-plagued, central Florida with her husband and their ornery pets.

Rachel earned a degree in Journalism form Ohio State University and is a huge Buckeyes football fan.

She is the past President of American Christian Fiction Writers and now sits on the board as an Advisor. Visit her website to read her blog, and to follow her on Facebook and Twitter.

MY THOUGHTS:
It's that time of year: wedding invitations and "Save the Date" cards are beginning to arrive in the mail from summer brides, so this is the perfect season to curl up with The Wedding Dress. This book is as charming and beautiful as the dress itself. Every bride longs to find the perfect dress. This dress found the perfect bride. . . three times throughout a century. Who will be next? For Charlotte, who never knew her dad and whose mother died when she was young, the idea of lasting love, "'til death do us part" is hard to comprehend, and I loved Charlotte's personal journey as she searches for the story behind the gown and as she searches her own heart and discovers what love and home really mean.



Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson as part of their Blogger Review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”