The Chapel Wars by Lindsey Leavitt

Sixteen-year-old Holly wants to remember her Grandpa forever, but she’d rather forget what he left her in his will: his wedding chapel on the Las Vegas strip. Whatever happened to gold watches, savings bonds, or some normal inheritance?

And then there's Grandpa's letter. Not only is Holly running the business with her recently divorced parents, but she needs to make some serious money—fast. Grandpa also insists Holly reach out to Dax, the grandson of her family's mortal enemy and owner of the cheesy chapel next door. No matter how cute Dax is, Holly needs to stay focused: on her group of guy friends, her disjointed family, work, school and... Dax. No wait, not Dax.

Holly’s chapel represents everything she’s ever loved in her past. Dax might be everything she could ever love in the future. But as for right now, there's a wedding chapel to save.

I've read other books by Lindsey Leavitt and really enjoyed them.  When I saw this book up on NetGalley, I decided to give it a try.  My thanks to the publisher, Bloomsbury, for allowing me to read and review this title for them.

So, first thing that caught me was the cover.  How cute is that cover?!  I love it.  Then, the setting in Las Vegas.  In a wedding chapel.  Yeah, that is a good hook right there.  Oh, the possibilities for some great stories.

Holly is an interesting character.  You have to admire her dedication to the wedding chapel and her Grandfather.  I love that the wedding chapel was a part of her, who she is and what she represents.  Holly has a desperate need to hold on to that part of her, to the memories and the familiarity of it all, especially since her parents recent divorce which has left her reeling a bit.   It's all a big journey for Holly and I like the lessons she learns along the way.

I enjoyed the light romance between Holly and Dax, the beginnings of it and how it came to be.  I didn't enjoy the drunken binges that Dax indulged in or how little it seemed to bother Holly.  There is no glamour in teenage underage drinking.  Several characters in this book drink and I thought it was unnecessary.  There is also references to sexual activity between young teenagers although nothing explicit.  Again, not my favorite.

This was a light, fun read though.  It made me smile quite a few times and I enjoyed the story.  The dialogue and characters felt real and natural.  There were just those few content-ish issues I had with the book.  

Content:  Underaged drinking, sexual references, mild swearing, some crude language.

The Chapel Wars will be released on May 6th, 2014.  You can pre-order at Amazon.

About the Author:

LINDSEY LEAVITT is a former elementary school teacher and present-day writer/mom to three (mostly) adorable little girls. She is married to her high-school lab partner and lives in Las Vegas, Nevada. She is also the author of Sean Griswold's Head, Going Vintage, and the Princess for Hire series.

• www.lindseyleavitt.com