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In Tune with Wedding Bells
An ambitious executive finds his life turned upside down by a lovely runaway and her younger brother. But will he be able to do what it takes to save the two people who have so effectively brought upheaval into his well-ordered life?
263 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1941
89 people are currently reading
180 people want to read
About the author
Grace Livingston Hill
574 books565 followersalso wrote under the pseudonym Marcia MacDonald
also published under the name Grace Livingston Hill Lutz
A popular author of her day, she wrote over 100 novels and numerous short stories of religious and Christian fiction. Her characters were most often young female ingénues, frequently strong Christian women or those who become so within the confines of the story.
niece to Isabella MacDonald Alden
also published under the name Grace Livingston Hill Lutz
A popular author of her day, she wrote over 100 novels and numerous short stories of religious and Christian fiction. Her characters were most often young female ingénues, frequently strong Christian women or those who become so within the confines of the story.
niece to Isabella MacDonald Alden
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
June 10, 2013
This is a horrible, terrible, no good, very bad book. My issues with it are threefold: first, the main female character, Gillian Guthrie, is an enfeebled idiot. Her backstory is that she's an orphan whose dead father was well off. When her mother dies and her evil uncle tells her that her father's money was lost in an investment, she immediately believes him despite having been warned that he's untrustworthy, takes her five-year-old brother and runs off to the city. She works herself broke in order to pay off her mother's hospital bills - to the point where she often goes hungry. Eventually, she passes out at her office from exhaustion and bad nutrition and thereafter spends a week in the hospital and is still all tuckered out for plot reasons. Throughout the book, she's incredibly meek and doesn't do a whole lot of anything except cry a lot: in happiness, in excitement, due to worrying, just because. She's incredibly weepy and helpless for someone who is often lauded by the other characters for being strong and awesome.
Secondly, the hero of this story, Reuben Remington, has an incredibly sketchy name and is a total weirdo. Despite being a fairly lapsed Christian, he reacts in shock - shock! - at being invited to a house party and asked to take part in a play. Because plays are evil? Or something. He has the same dislike of makeup and nail polish (crimson nails are the sign of a woman of loose morals) despite them being fairly mainstream by the time these novels were written. Reuben Remington, moreover, is constantly judging women for being too forward or 'bold' and comparing them to Gillian, who is, as previously mentioned, basically a barnacle who needs to be carried all over the place lest she tire herself walking a few feet.
The third, and most memorable reason for this book's badness, is Gillian's little brother, a five-year-old named Noel. Noel is kind of like a little robot; a plot-sensitive robot. Noel goes from speaking in broken, little-kid speech (mistaking is for was, for example) to basically spouting spoken-word poetry with perfect grammar(including the word 'cunning' used correctly) depending on whether it's better for a plot point that he look cute and innocent or wise beyond his years. His sister has him indoctrinated so that almost every other word from his mouth has to do with God, and he basically never misbehaves or acts out, despite being under significant stress and having to suddenly adapt to new environments/living situations.
In short, this book is chock full of preachiness, flaw-free characters, and unlikely situations. It's really not one of Grace Livingston Hill's better outings.
Secondly, the hero of this story, Reuben Remington, has an incredibly sketchy name and is a total weirdo. Despite being a fairly lapsed Christian, he reacts in shock - shock! - at being invited to a house party and asked to take part in a play. Because plays are evil? Or something. He has the same dislike of makeup and nail polish (crimson nails are the sign of a woman of loose morals) despite them being fairly mainstream by the time these novels were written. Reuben Remington, moreover, is constantly judging women for being too forward or 'bold' and comparing them to Gillian, who is, as previously mentioned, basically a barnacle who needs to be carried all over the place lest she tire herself walking a few feet.
The third, and most memorable reason for this book's badness, is Gillian's little brother, a five-year-old named Noel. Noel is kind of like a little robot; a plot-sensitive robot. Noel goes from speaking in broken, little-kid speech (mistaking is for was, for example) to basically spouting spoken-word poetry with perfect grammar(including the word 'cunning' used correctly) depending on whether it's better for a plot point that he look cute and innocent or wise beyond his years. His sister has him indoctrinated so that almost every other word from his mouth has to do with God, and he basically never misbehaves or acts out, despite being under significant stress and having to suddenly adapt to new environments/living situations.
In short, this book is chock full of preachiness, flaw-free characters, and unlikely situations. It's really not one of Grace Livingston Hill's better outings.
February 21, 2018
Although there are some parts of this book that stretch credulity (I have a hard time seeing how strain, and going without sufficient nutrition would cause an illness that would land a person in a hospital for the better part of a week) I still greatly enjoyed this. I am sure this is, in part, because I am a sucker for cute kids. Noel is sweet, clever, and almost unnaturally well behaved, but I think that may be a reflection of the trauma he has endured over the last two years of his life. I love that Reuben falls in love with the little boy before he even looks at the sister as more than as someone who needs his help. I like the enormous courage and faith of Gillian who is willing to flee a dangerous situation and move across the country where she has few friends and no support to save herself and her brother from a potentially disastrous guardianship, and ready to do so again when the danger follows her. I like her determination to be self sufficient until reminded that Perhaps God's plan involves her accepting help. And in the end I like that Reuben takes his time falling in love and compares his feelings for Gillian with those he has had for other women in his life.
March 8, 2015
Okay, I read this book in a single day. It held my attention throughout, but it is not my favorite Grace Livingston Hill book. Nope, not really. The hero of the story is at least thinking about who he wants as a life partner, but the heroine, Gillian is very bland. The only thing she ever thinks about him, is that she can't ever think of him as someone special, not to assume he really cares for her that way. There was really no romance in the whole book until the very, very end. They were just friends up until that point. I also didn't like that she seemed kind of dense when it came to her horrible uncle. Compared to other villains in her stories, this one was lame and predictable. There are better books of hers to read.
June 23, 2018
An altogether enjoyable read. One of Grace’s rare books written more from the perspective of the hero rather than the heroine. You will fall in love with the little boy Noel as he endears himself to Reuben while in his care. Unassuming Gillian, Noel’s big sister, is reticent to accept any assistance as she convalesces, especially in light of her feared uncle attempting to locate her. His goal being to have her sign over her inheritance. Noel’s sweet faith in God returns Reuben to the roots of his childhood, while Reuben’s old nurse, Aunt Ettie, another lovable character, is called upon to help nurse Gillian back to health. Much soul-searching and adventure awaits.
February 27, 2015
Conventional wisdom states: "You can't beat the classics."
In this case, that's absolutely right.
This novel may be about a century old, but, it has a timeless appeal, and is more enlightening and inspiring than many "modern" romances, even those with a Christian label.
Seriously, if you haven't read anything by Grace Livingston Hill...you are missing out, big time.
In this case, that's absolutely right.
This novel may be about a century old, but, it has a timeless appeal, and is more enlightening and inspiring than many "modern" romances, even those with a Christian label.
Seriously, if you haven't read anything by Grace Livingston Hill...you are missing out, big time.
March 4, 2013
Don't remember this one much, except that I liked it at the time.
January 19, 2019
Not bad and I enjoyed but Gillian and Reuben's relationship was underdeveloped. I am giving this series away.
August 23, 2021
Rating: 4.1 / 5
This charming story centres around Reuben Remmington, a man who does not understand the meaning of the word "vacation". He's set to start on his, but then the sudden fainting spell of Gillian Guthrie holds him up as he's instructed by their boss to see that she's taken care of at the hospital. To add to this complication, it turns out that Gillian has no friends or family who might help her, and is in fact caring on her own for her younger brother, Noel. Because Reuben is responsible for Gillian, it thus stands to reason that he's responsible for Noel as well, and more or less the entire story focuses on how he does just that throughout the course of his vacation, and finds himself again in faith and love.
As a story, it was really peaceful and lovely to read through this, especially the interacts with Noel. He's an absolute sweetheart and, yes, about the closest that Hill's come to including a cherub child as part of her stories in such a large capacity. In fact, we even see more of Noel's interactions with Reuben in detail than we do Gillian and Reuben's interactions, but the romance isn't rushed as Hill does offhandedly describe that they would've had quite a bit of time to get to know one another.
I'm taking a star off just for the ending, which to me felt both a little rushed and forced. It was perhaps the most "exciting" part of the novel in terms of danger in the events, but at the same time it was also a sudden shift from what had been going on in the story in their mundane day-to-day interactions until then. I myself would have ended it a bit differently, in other words, but it still is a pretty good ending and I did appreciate it.
All in all, yet another delightful read to add to my ever-growing Hill collection. (Pretty sure I have more than half of her works by now.)
This charming story centres around Reuben Remmington, a man who does not understand the meaning of the word "vacation". He's set to start on his, but then the sudden fainting spell of Gillian Guthrie holds him up as he's instructed by their boss to see that she's taken care of at the hospital. To add to this complication, it turns out that Gillian has no friends or family who might help her, and is in fact caring on her own for her younger brother, Noel. Because Reuben is responsible for Gillian, it thus stands to reason that he's responsible for Noel as well, and more or less the entire story focuses on how he does just that throughout the course of his vacation, and finds himself again in faith and love.
As a story, it was really peaceful and lovely to read through this, especially the interacts with Noel. He's an absolute sweetheart and, yes, about the closest that Hill's come to including a cherub child as part of her stories in such a large capacity. In fact, we even see more of Noel's interactions with Reuben in detail than we do Gillian and Reuben's interactions, but the romance isn't rushed as Hill does offhandedly describe that they would've had quite a bit of time to get to know one another.
I'm taking a star off just for the ending, which to me felt both a little rushed and forced. It was perhaps the most "exciting" part of the novel in terms of danger in the events, but at the same time it was also a sudden shift from what had been going on in the story in their mundane day-to-day interactions until then. I myself would have ended it a bit differently, in other words, but it still is a pretty good ending and I did appreciate it.
All in all, yet another delightful read to add to my ever-growing Hill collection. (Pretty sure I have more than half of her works by now.)
December 21, 2021
Ok, I may have liked this book more than is strictly justified. Why did I like this book so much? One word: Noel. Yes, I apparently have a thing for overly intelligent, slightly melancholic 5 year olds...
(case in point - my obsession with mini Hades in Lore Olympus)
But I mean, just look at that adorable thinking face! This may have been the exact thing that I imagined the entire time I was reading Noel's character in this book. Do any real children actually look or talk like this? Probably not. Do I care? Not at all. (Is my unrealistic standard of cuteness in children the reason my husband and I don't want kids? I'll let someone else psychoanalyze me for that one.)
But seriously, I absolutely loved Noel and the way that Reuben interacted with him. Was the entire book predictable? Of course. Did I still eat up the Noel/Reuben interactions the entire time? Yes.
In all fair objectiveness, the plot was pretty predictable, and the characters weren't really well developed. I also thought that villain subplot was weak and lazy. However, I just loved Noel so incredibly much that I am completely willing to overlook many many "too convenient" plot points and glaring writing flaws for his sake.
But the big question (at least in my mind and for all my GLH reviews) - what is the re-readability quotient for this book? This is definitely a re-read contender for me!! In fact, it might become my new guilty pleasure fluff re-read option. I can't rate this a 5 star because it frankly doesn't warrant it - but gosh darn it, I might actually feel like it should be a 5 star in my heart!
(case in point - my obsession with mini Hades in Lore Olympus)
But I mean, just look at that adorable thinking face! This may have been the exact thing that I imagined the entire time I was reading Noel's character in this book. Do any real children actually look or talk like this? Probably not. Do I care? Not at all. (Is my unrealistic standard of cuteness in children the reason my husband and I don't want kids? I'll let someone else psychoanalyze me for that one.)
But seriously, I absolutely loved Noel and the way that Reuben interacted with him. Was the entire book predictable? Of course. Did I still eat up the Noel/Reuben interactions the entire time? Yes.
In all fair objectiveness, the plot was pretty predictable, and the characters weren't really well developed. I also thought that villain subplot was weak and lazy. However, I just loved Noel so incredibly much that I am completely willing to overlook many many "too convenient" plot points and glaring writing flaws for his sake.
But the big question (at least in my mind and for all my GLH reviews) - what is the re-readability quotient for this book? This is definitely a re-read contender for me!! In fact, it might become my new guilty pleasure fluff re-read option. I can't rate this a 5 star because it frankly doesn't warrant it - but gosh darn it, I might actually feel like it should be a 5 star in my heart!
April 23, 2011
Still another Hill book ... this one an old-time story of a young man coming to the rescue of a woman and her small brother in a hard time. Scenes are sweet ... characters endearing. Loved the undercurrents of intrigue and an unexpected ending.
January 21, 2016
I confess I'm a sucker for the old-fashioned, Christian romances of Grace Livingston Hill. I've read all of them, including this one multiple times.
June 25, 2016
Like all of her books they have a wonderful clean story! And all of the characters come together with God in their hearts and love for each other! Great read :)
February 17, 2020
Great story
I enjoy enjoyed the book very much. Grace Livingston Hill has a wonderful way of sharing faith and God's love in her books.
I enjoy enjoyed the book very much. Grace Livingston Hill has a wonderful way of sharing faith and God's love in her books.
July 9, 2017
Not one of my favorites, but it's GLH, so it followed the formula. That's why I read her books.
October 18, 2018
A favorite
This is one of my favorite Grace Livingston Hill novels. I enjoy these light reading and to get a break from my studies.
This is one of my favorite Grace Livingston Hill novels. I enjoy these light reading and to get a break from my studies.
February 21, 2019
I liked this book do much that I wanted a follow up book
September 18, 2021
Very enjoyable story. Loved it. I want to buy it asap.
June 9, 2021
Sigh.
Okay, well it's not one of the best books by Grace. There are elements to this book which are just too...well, let me make a list.
Gillian. Our heroine enters the picture by fainting and being so weak she has to be hospitalized for malnutrition because she was giving all her food to her brother. She's working full-time and is so conscientious about previous debts she's decided to pay them off rather than feed herself. Not bright. But my main problem here is she's so flat as a character. I see her as a frightened child, weak and needing to be taken care of.
Enter the hero. Reuben is lovely in how he decides to help take care of this stranger, but isn't he a bit high-handed to rearrange her entire life for her and just sort of tell her what he's going to do and why? (of course she goes along with it). It's sweet but kind of knight-in-shining-armor. Of course it's a different time, so I went along with it, but his constant needing to seek reassurance or something by chasing other women to see if their worldly ways attract or detract from their personalities makes him seem kind of...I hate saying it...but stupid for not knowing his own mind, when he's clearly an intellectual. But he's sweet and he likes the kid...which is another problem.
Noel is five but never sounds like it. The kid is really sweet and has a simplistic faith which can be inspiring, but Noel sounds more like a seasoned minister in some cases than a child. One kind of wishes the kid could be a kid. Sadly, I've seen this personally where kids who grow up in abusive situation (and being around that uncle, dying mother, and all that running away) have left their mark. Kids like that become wise beyond their years. If this is the case here, it's just sad.
All the same, I still enjoyed the book. It is a GLH novel after all, and the wicked are punished, the right people wind up together and there are some lovely times at the beach to make this a perfect summertime read. I just wish our heroine could have been stronger at least in some areas and the hero not quite so high-handed.
Ah, well, it was fun anyway. I'll give it an extra star, bringing it to four just because it still feels nice to read it.
Okay, well it's not one of the best books by Grace. There are elements to this book which are just too...well, let me make a list.
Gillian. Our heroine enters the picture by fainting and being so weak she has to be hospitalized for malnutrition because she was giving all her food to her brother. She's working full-time and is so conscientious about previous debts she's decided to pay them off rather than feed herself. Not bright. But my main problem here is she's so flat as a character. I see her as a frightened child, weak and needing to be taken care of.
Enter the hero. Reuben is lovely in how he decides to help take care of this stranger, but isn't he a bit high-handed to rearrange her entire life for her and just sort of tell her what he's going to do and why? (of course she goes along with it). It's sweet but kind of knight-in-shining-armor. Of course it's a different time, so I went along with it, but his constant needing to seek reassurance or something by chasing other women to see if their worldly ways attract or detract from their personalities makes him seem kind of...I hate saying it...but stupid for not knowing his own mind, when he's clearly an intellectual. But he's sweet and he likes the kid...which is another problem.
Noel is five but never sounds like it. The kid is really sweet and has a simplistic faith which can be inspiring, but Noel sounds more like a seasoned minister in some cases than a child. One kind of wishes the kid could be a kid. Sadly, I've seen this personally where kids who grow up in abusive situation (and being around that uncle, dying mother, and all that running away) have left their mark. Kids like that become wise beyond their years. If this is the case here, it's just sad.
All the same, I still enjoyed the book. It is a GLH novel after all, and the wicked are punished, the right people wind up together and there are some lovely times at the beach to make this a perfect summertime read. I just wish our heroine could have been stronger at least in some areas and the hero not quite so high-handed.
Ah, well, it was fun anyway. I'll give it an extra star, bringing it to four just because it still feels nice to read it.
November 3, 2022
If you generally like Grace Livingston Hill's books you'll probably like this one. As with many of her stories, the romance is somewhat secondary, however in this one so is the heroine -- the book follows the hero, and there are probably more scenes of him with the heroine's six-year-old brother than there are scenes of the two of them together. A lot of GLH's books aren't what current-day readers consider romances so that didn't bother me.
The heroine has suffered from months of semi-starvation and is in poor condition through most of the book, meaning she appears to be much more passive than the average GLH heroine -- we're told she's of the usual temperament but don't really see it. I enjoyed the feisty little old lady and the little boy in this one and thought it a nice summer read, but I doubt it'll ever make my top ten of GLH books.
The heroine has suffered from months of semi-starvation and is in poor condition through most of the book, meaning she appears to be much more passive than the average GLH heroine -- we're told she's of the usual temperament but don't really see it. I enjoyed the feisty little old lady and the little boy in this one and thought it a nice summer read, but I doubt it'll ever make my top ten of GLH books.
August 26, 2019
A nice little old-fashioned story about a young gentleman named Reuban who finds himself having to oversee the care of a young woman at his workplace after she was found slumped over her desk. He was about to embark on his well-earned vacation, when this and few other responsibilities come upon him, teaching him many things he hadn't expected to learn right then as well as shaping his future.
April 25, 2025
A nice story. I did like the characters and the events, maybe I just wasn’t in the mood for this book because I felt it dragged and I was told things instead of being shown things. I also felt like I’d had these characters in another book with a slightly different background and setting. It just felt like it could have been done a lot better, but again, it might have been my mood.
July 26, 2022
I have been slowly reading through GLH’s books ever since my mom gifted me a collection in high school. Many of them are slow and silly. I’m always happy when I read one at just the right time to help lift my spirits. This was a good light summer read.
March 2, 2024
in Tune with Wedding Bells
Such a good story. A series of coincidences bring a couple together through peril to a satisfying end. I have read it before and enjoyed it as much reading it again.
Such a good story. A series of coincidences bring a couple together through peril to a satisfying end. I have read it before and enjoyed it as much reading it again.
January 3, 2020
A true classic Grace Livingston Hill story about making the right choices. Loved Noel and how his character impacted so many.
March 1, 2021
3.5 stars
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April 2, 2022Cute little fluff romance. Fun read with a Christian message.
July 7, 2022
I loved this book. How can you not love a man who loves children? A charming 5 yr old who walks with Jesus.
Sickness, mystery, and true love find their way through trial and error.
Sickness, mystery, and true love find their way through trial and error.
October 20, 2023
Classic Christian fiction. I would highly recommend all of Grace Livingston Hill's books!
April 30, 2024
Really a 2.5. Started off good then ventured off and got boring. The ending also felt rushed and the plot was all over the place.
August 12, 2024
3.5
This is a cute story set in the 1940s. I found it at a thrift store, and the pretty cover and quick summary caught my eye, so I bought it for 25 cents. I like the idea of a pretty runaway girl who struggles to care for her younger brother, involving a cruel step-uncle and an unexpectedly handsome hero. Still, the story could have been written better.
Gillian was flat and had no real emotion or energy about her, and the book was mainly told from the guy’s point of view. The book was interesting, nevertheless. It was a nice change of pace to hear a story from someone in the 1940s and hear the different language and tones used back then. In Tune With Wedding Bells was also very clean, except for a few things mentioned below.
This is also a Christian book, and the way they talked about God and the faith was almost cheesy if that’s a good way to put it. It felt like it was almost forced in and not lifelike. Also, I have a 4-year-old brother who is extremely smart, so I know how little boys talk, and the way 5-year-old Noel talks is not it. Most of the time, he talked like a mature adult and said things no other 5-year-old would say.
Overall, the book was light, clean, and not too long, with a pretty cover, but it is not one of my favorites.
Things to Mention: Noel stayed at a cruel day care while Gillan was at work. There is a brief kiss with no details.
More Clean Book Reviews at: acatholicgirlreads.com
This is a cute story set in the 1940s. I found it at a thrift store, and the pretty cover and quick summary caught my eye, so I bought it for 25 cents. I like the idea of a pretty runaway girl who struggles to care for her younger brother, involving a cruel step-uncle and an unexpectedly handsome hero. Still, the story could have been written better.
Gillian was flat and had no real emotion or energy about her, and the book was mainly told from the guy’s point of view. The book was interesting, nevertheless. It was a nice change of pace to hear a story from someone in the 1940s and hear the different language and tones used back then. In Tune With Wedding Bells was also very clean, except for a few things mentioned below.
This is also a Christian book, and the way they talked about God and the faith was almost cheesy if that’s a good way to put it. It felt like it was almost forced in and not lifelike. Also, I have a 4-year-old brother who is extremely smart, so I know how little boys talk, and the way 5-year-old Noel talks is not it. Most of the time, he talked like a mature adult and said things no other 5-year-old would say.
Overall, the book was light, clean, and not too long, with a pretty cover, but it is not one of my favorites.
Things to Mention: Noel stayed at a cruel day care while Gillan was at work. There is a brief kiss with no details.
More Clean Book Reviews at: acatholicgirlreads.com
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews