According to the Las Vegas Advisor, more than 400 weddings take place every day at one of the sixty or so dedicated wedding chapels that are found in and around Las Vegas, about half of which are independently operated and half are located at the major hotels. Wedding chapels have been part of the scene in Las Vegas since its earliest days as a destination, and the large number of marriages that take place identify Vegas as not only a gambling Mecca but also as a major locale for weddings.

The Chapel of Eternal Love won't be found in any guidebooks as it is a fictional place where author Stephen Murray has created a day in the life of a Las Vegas wedding chapel. He shares stories of the whole variety of couples that ironically are apt to gravitate to what is almost universally known as "Sin City" to tie the knot. Some of the stories will make you smile, some will cause the vision to fog momentarily, but all reflect on the common instincts that cause people to want to be married. These are simple stories, mostly about simple folk, and they provide a quite different view of what goes on in Las Vegas.

This is not my usual reading fare, but I happened to meet the author at a recent gathering of local authors sponsored by a neighborhood library and was intrigued enough to buy and read his book.

No words can describe the heartwarming stories in Stephen Murray's book. While each of the wedding stories took place on one particular day, the care given to the development of each character is usually reserved for a full length novel about one particular couple. Murray has a wonderful talent of drawing his reader into the lives of each character and each separate story, and I found myself really caring about these people. Rosemary is the glue that holds this book together. With the help of her little dog Buster, each couple who visits the chapel is struck by Rosemary's caring nature. The two of them made that little wedding chapel unforgettable. Kiddos to Murray for writing a book that will withstand the test of time and will become one many readers will go to again and again whenever they need a feel-good read.
~ Linda Thompson, Host of The Authors Show ( )