Five years have passed. The sequel to the award-winning Chapel of Eternal Love, this book revisits the same couples in the first book, and where the lives have taken them since they left the altar at The Chapel of Eternal Love
Five years have passed since we spent a day with Rosemary, manager of the Chapel of Eternal Love in the heart of Las Vegas. Is the wedding chapel still the love of her life? Does Buster, her faithful dachshund, still have his nose for matrimony? And, in the interim, what has happened to all the couples who ventured into the chapel that day? On which path did Mattie and Garth’s Harley-Davidsons take them after they rode off that morning? Did the anti-war activist bride find peace with her Iraqi veteran husband? Was the spouse in the May-December marriage able to put his gigolo past behind him? Could the mixed-faith couple convince their families of their true love for each other? Did the two lost souls find real happiness at last? Discover the journeys of these and all the other couples, and learn the compelling reason beckoning them all to Return to the Chapel of Eternal Love.
Excerpt
Taylor was trimming the artificial Christmas tree, as he listened to one of his all time favorite movies, “Holiday Inn,” on the television. His two little pug dogs were running around his feet, but he loved them too much to shoo them away, just as long as they didn’t break one of his ornaments or, more importantly, one of the treasures belonging to Sherri. He always made sure there was an equal amount of ornaments from both their lives before they married.
“I am counting my blessings, Bing,” he said aloud as Bing Crosby was crooning the famous song on the television. “My number one blessing is Sherri, and my number two and three blessings are my two little pooches, Lady and Tramp.”
He broke from decorating and ventured round the wet bar into the open-plan kitchen to see how his lasagna dinner was coming along. Sherri would be home soon, and he thought he would surprise her with the tree trimmed and a nice, home-cooked meal. The table was all set. So what if the candle is half-used? Better than to let it go to waste.
As he finished placing the tinsel on the tree, he heard the sound of his old Ford pull up in front of the apartment building. I’d recognize the sound of those screeching brakes a mile away. Really must take the car in and get it fixed. Wish we could get a newer second-hand car. Oh well, maybe next year. It had always been his nature to live for the moment.
The dogs started yapping excitedly, sniffing at the front door, their stubby, little tails wagging back and forth. Taylor switched out the lights in the small living room to show off his lit Christmas tree to maximum effect. As he heard the sound of the front door knob turning, he hastily opened it.
“Oh my goodness,” said Sherri, her voice full of excitement. “It’s beautiful! It’s magical!” She was ignoring the dogs jumping up and down, dying to be acknowledged by their mistress. Taylor gave her a big kiss on the cheek.
“Good to have you home, honey.”
“And what’s that delicious aroma? Have you made dinner? What’s the occasion?”
Professional Reviews From Readers Favorite - 5 star rating
Return to the Chapel of Eternal Love: Marriage Stories from Las Vegas by Stephen Murray is the sequel to The Chapel of Eternal Love. This book picks up five years later when Rosemary is about to retire as the wedding planner for the Chapel of Eternal Love. Couples from five years before are invited to celebrate with them and this gives us a chance to see what has happened in the lives of those couples we met in the first book. This book will stand alone, but if you want the full impact, I recommend reading the first book before this one. Return to the Chapel of Eternal Love is full of emotion and joy as well as some heartache. Did all of the marriages last? Are any of them still happy with the choice that they made five years earlier? How many will return to celebrate a virtual stranger that they met on their wedding day? There are some surprises as we revisit these couples and see where their lives have taken them. As the new pastor seeks a replacement for Rosemary and plans this unorthodox reunion of almost strangers, God seems to have a hand in what is going on.
Stephen Murray has provided us with another tender and moving tale that will require tissues before it is over. This well written and well conceived story is moving, tender, and heartbreaking while being a pleasure to read. Stephen Murray has a way of holding your attention while taking you into his story and making you glad you came. I thoroughly enjoyed finding out what happened to the couples we met in the first book, and witnessing the end of an era and the beginning of a new one for the wedding chapel. Stephen Murray's sequel brings everything full circle and has a lot of impact. After reading Stephen Murray's first book, The Chapel of Eternal Love: Marriage Stories from Las Vegas, I was anxious to read this sequel and I was not disappointed for one second.
Authors Talk About It Book Contest - 5 star rating
Stephen Murray has written another heart-warmingly, gentle romance that is like nothing else out there. Return to the Chapel of Eternal Love is the sequel to Murray’s 5 star rated, The Chapel of Eternal Love. Having read the first book of unique fictional wedding stories, I was very excited to read the sequel. There are numerous couples and individuals whose stories range from a former owner of an escort service to a family in witness protection to a congresswoman and her husband. Of course, Buster, the intuitive little dachshund from the first book, is back and his story continues as well. Just as in The Chapel of Eternal Love, there are joys and sorrows, laughter and tears. Murray elegantly takes readers on a journey of discovery right along side the characters. In Return to the Chapel of Eternal Love, the characters take a quick, yet powerful, trip down memory lane when the current pastor, Father Mark Roads, contacts them out of the blue. There’s a compelling reason that calls them to return to the chapel.
Return to the Chapel of Eternal Love is so unique and beautiful that I couldn’t put it down. Before I knew it, I’d stayed up and read the entire book. Stephen Murray is very talented when it comes to getting readers to truly feel the characters in the space of individual chapters. Even with so many characters involved throughout The Chapel of Eternal Love and Return to the Chapel of Eternal Love, they are all well developed. That in of itself is almost impossible to do in such a short time span, but Murray just has a knack for expressing them so clearly. Can you pick up Return to the Chapel of Eternal Love and read it as a stand alone? Sure, but I highly recommend you read the first as well because they are both so truly enjoyable. Stephen Murray has hit a home run with these two. The Chapel of Eternal Love and Return to the Chapel of Eternal Love are sweet, romantic, charming and downright classy. Well done!
Writers Digest 24th Annual Self-Published Book Awards
Judge’s Commentary*:
Return to the Chapel of Eternal Love: Marriage Stories from Las Vegas presents with a cute, genre-appropriate cover image. It does a great job of setting the tone for the story. Nice job.
I have to say that I loved the premise for this book from the first second I read it. What a cute idea! I don’t know if anyone has thought of this before, but if they have, I haven’t read it. Unique. Smart. Clever. Pure fun. Those are just some of the words I’d use to describe this plot.
Great story appeal and a nice little escape for any reader who needs just this very thing to entertain and brighten their day. I really enjoyed this book from cover to cover. A sweet little journey down memory lane.
The length is very short and I rarely tell an author to lengthen their book, but I wanted more. This is a good thing—the fact that I wanted more. Please keep up this series and consider making the books a little more fleshed out.
No major issues here. Just a solid entry from cover to cover. I hope to read more from this author. Best of luck with this project!
Imogene, a country-bred girl, longs to make a life for herself in New York City. She joins forces with her former college roommate to start a movie production company in the big city.
