We Have This Moment

Tales from Grace Chapel Inn #11

by Diann Hunt

Autumn is a beautiful time in Acorn Hill-and a busy time at Grace Chapel Inn. Love begins to blossom when one of Alice's patients reunites with a long-lost love who just happens to be one of the inn's guests. Will these high school sweethearts get a second chance at love? Jane is occupied with a secret project and her suspicious packages and frequent trips to neighboring Potterson keep her sisters guessing. Meanwhile, Louise, with the help of a very special little girl, helps a worn-out teacher discover her true calling in life and Lloyd goes to great lengths to get a special gift for aunt Ethel. Preparations for a harvest party, complete with pumpkins, cider, and a hayride, make the season festive and remind the Howard sisters to appreciate every moment they have together.

Genres: Christian, Christian Fiction, Fiction, Chick Lit, Romance, Audiobook

325 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Diann Hunt wrote romantic comedy and humorous women's fiction targeted to Christian women of the Baby Boomer generation. She'd lived in Indiana forever, had been happily married forever, loved her family, chocolate, her friends, her dog, and, well, chocolate. Her book "For Better or For Worse" is being made into a Hallmark movie, with production beginning in November, 2013.

After a four-year battle with ovarian cancer, Diann went home to be with her Lord and Saviour just after Thanksgiving, 2013. She leaves behind a legacy of words of blessing, love for her Lord, her family, her close friends, and fans the world over who have come to know and love her and call her their friend.

Reviews

[Loraine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick, easy read in this series of books published by Guideposts. You can always count on any book from Guideposts to be clean, enjoyable, and Christian based. This one takes the reader back to the Grace Chapel Inn in Acorn Hill Pennsylvania during the fall. One of the guests at the Grace Valley Inn is staying there because her sister is in the hospital recovering from a stroke. While at the hospital, Margaret discovers another patient is her old high school boyfriend. Now they are both widowed. The three sisters who run the Grace Chapel Inn play matchmaker amidst the fall happenings in Acorn Hill while one of the sisters is busy preparing a mystery surprise for her other sisters. It was nice to see a focus on senior romance.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alice is working at the hospital when a woman, who is with her mother sees another patient and knows he is the person she was in love with in high school. Alice plans to bring them together. Jane is working on a surprise and has her sisters wondering what all her trips to another town are. Aunt Ethel has started using the internet and taking in chat rooms. A nice story with a happy ending.

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

These Grace Chapel Inn stories are so cozy and comforting. I’m really enjoying listening to them when I want a homey read.

[Chelsea · Rating 4 out of 5]

"...friends are more important than restful times alone."

Page 230

And I truly felt that quote Alice, it is one I have basically said all too often. And I regret nothing.

Many of these books have a time of the year or holiday they surround, and I always try and read them during that time to really immerse myself in the setting as much as possible and I have found that it makes my reading experience so much better! This takes place in October and November which is when I read it and I'm in the Midwest so the chill in the air and leaves changing colors is here for me too as in the book. It was such a delightful read. Part of the story is leading up to a fall harvest get together at a family's farm home in town and it inspired me to want to host Thanksgiving for my family the way the family in the book did. Next year I hope to do so!

Anyway, on with the book review. I really liked this one. The love story of the two old flames rekindling warmed my heart like a bonfire on a November night. When Michael first saw Margaret and remembered who she was, I started tearing up. He took her hand and never let go. And I have to say about Margaret's sister I'm glad how her story turned out with getting better after her hospital stay, because I legit thought until the very end that they were going to throw us a curve ball with her dying. I mean the book is called We Have This Moment, so I thought it was going to be a lesson about no time like the present to appreciate what you have. Happy that didn't happen though. And the characters of Annie and her mother and how they touched people and interpreted music, so beautiful that it also brought tears to my eyes.

Great addition to the series and one of my favorites in it for sure. And one last quote that also brought a tear to my eye, Louise quoting her late husband, Eliot upon looking at herself in the mirror and not liking her wrinkles,

"My dear, the lines tell us where we have been, whether to valleys of deep sorrow or to rivers of joy. You've been to places of joy. Be glad for them."

Page 145

Found: Bought off of Amazon

[Ruth Ann · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the themes of this book: live today, making memories for tomorrow; finding love can happen at any age; jealousy corrupts friendships; adapting to modern technology is challenging but rewarding for the older generation brave enough to wade in; having a disability challenges families but can lead to deep bonds; teaching is a challenging profession which requires the professional to learn to give generously while nourishing oneself so that longevity is possible without burnout.

As for the plot, there were many story lines. Jane is secretly making a family history scrapbook; Aunt Ethel learns about cyberspace and specifically about chat rooms; Alice's Angels learn about character from a hearing impaired young inn guest; a young teacher struggles with the challenges of the teaching profession, and two people who meet at Alice's hospital are reunited after 46 years and rekindle a relationship even though their children are not supportive.

I did not like this book as well as many others in the series because I think there were too many different things going on. As a result, most of the story lines were not well-developed so they failed to pull me in. This author just tried to include too much and needed a good editor to remind her that "less is more".

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another enjoyable cozy book taking place at Grace Chapel Inn.
The Howard sisters are always getting involved in the lives of their guests... including now trying to encourage Michael, a patient of Alice's in her hospital, and Margaret, a guest at the Inn AND his high school girlfriend, to meet again after 46 years and see if they still have interest in each other... after the loss of their spouses. Will their children be excited for them or try to break them up?
Aunt Ethel will be celebrating another birthday soon, but her beau Lloyd can't decide what kind of gift will make her happy, so he is asking for the sister's advice. And Jane is working on a special project that will thrill Alice and Louise BUT they want to know what all the secrecy is about???

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

11th book in series. This story has one of the Inns guests staying at the Inn while her sister is healing from a partial stroke. While she's at the hospital she runs into her old boyfriend of 46 years ago. Alice happens to be nurse to both them. Margaret and Michael met again with Alice's help. Through the story the Inn has different guests that check in and help solve some of problems that the sisters want to help out with.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got sucker in from the start. Love the three sisters and their beautiful Inn. And being set in the beautiful state of Pennsylvania, I imagined the town they shopped in as Lititz, PA - even though that's not what it was called.

[Alice Teets · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know if it was me or the book, but I didn't enjoy this one as much as previous books in the series that I had read.

[Barbara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lame story with no action and too- good- to-be-believed.

[JoAnn McGowan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another sweet story in this series! Just love the Howard sisters ! You never know who will show at the Grace Chapel Inn

[Darla Horst Brubacher · Rating 4 out of 5]

A comfort read.

[Kathie D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hoopla audio

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed it very much!

[Jackalyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pleasant read.

[Theresa Lange · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very nice

[Janie R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! It had really some very interesting parts in the book where the title in this book- We Have This Moment, rang true! I enjoyed the thoughts and quotes by some of the characters as they realized how something they had done in their lives for themselves or others, had made a difference. Here is one quoted by Louise, one of the sisters who owned the Grace Chapel Inn, "Louise thought it interesting how little things could means so much.A hug at the right time. A phone call."
Another one- Well, I mean we have this moment here, right now to make a difference. Whether we have lots of time or a little, it is up to us to make the most of time we are given.
This story provokes thought about the here and now, there is no time like the present, times slips by quickly, making a memory is saving a treasure for tomorrow, we don't know when we'll have the chance again-We have this moment!
I highly recommend this book, a beautiful story!

[Kirby · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've honestly enjoyed every title I've read so far in the Tales from Grace Chapel Inn series, and We Have This Moment was no exception. It was wonderful to get to return to the beautiful town of Acorn Hill, and catch back up with the Howard sisters and their wonderful, homey inn.

I enjoyed how this title was told from all three sister's points of view, and how it focused on guests rekindling relationships, and learning to make the best of every situation that you find yourself in.

Perhaps my favorite part of all was the lovely young girl who has been a guest at the inn who has recently lost her hearing, and how it has such a profound impact on every one she comes into contact with while in Acorn Hill.

Another wonderful addition to the series, and I love how effortlessly the authors' voices are able to blend with one another throughout each individual title.

I'm definitely looking forward to reading more titles from this series in the very near future.

Final Rating: 4/5.

[Stacy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read several of these books from Guideposts - Tales from the Grace Chapel Inn. I read the first four last year (2007) and I actually thought this was the 5th one (and The Price of Fame is no. 6). These are very charming, quaint books. Not heavy reading, but sweet, simple books. They remind me of my grandmother, who loved Guideposts. The writing is very old-fashioned and the stories simple, but they all have a good lesson in faith and a nice little story to them. I really enjoy them, but I know they are not for everyone.

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another book in the delightful Grace Chapel Inn series about 3 sisters who turn their old Victorian home into a Bed & Breakfast. Some of the books tend to focus on one of the three sisters more than the others but this one treated them more equally. This book also showed how God was using the sisters and the inn to touch other people's lives. It is very uplifting and encouraging to read about these three real but wonderful women. Happy love stories & lessons on how to & not to treat other people.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

It had it's moments. It just did not catch my interest as much as others I have read. I am not sure why, maybe the characters were not developed well enough, or maybe it was the day.

The Bed-and-Breakfast in this story is portrayed as a ministry of sorts so every story in the plot has a Christian message or way in which God has answered prayers.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good story about 2 older people who were lovers years ago, Each went there own way,married different partners, had families. After many years They meet by accident in a Hospital and they are now both alone. They try to rekindle what they once had many years before.

[Jodi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alice meets a lady and a man at the hospital. The female thinks he is her old flame from 46 years ago. The sisters get the couple together and they end up engaged. Ethel experiments with chat rooms and the internet and all is well in town.

[Cws]

YA GCI

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another tale from Grace Chapel Inn. In this "episode" Jane has a secret, a highschool romance is renewed after 46 years, and a burning out teacher is re-ignighted.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good book. Especially for those who wants to live in a quiet little town. Made me feel like I was at Grace Chapel Inn.

[Margaret Boehm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good light novel. Keeps your interest.

[Donna]

Grace Chapel Inn books are very good by various authors, Enjoyed all of them.

[Terri · Rating 3 out of 5]

a bit of a slow start but got better as it went along

[Penny Pennella]

This one deals with Micheal and Margaret finding one another after 46 years!! AlsoJane makes a scrapbook for Alice and Louise. It's another good one.