- ASIN: B0DDW5YTM3
- Publisher: Grace Under Pressure Publishing
- Publication date: 20 Aug. 2024
- Edition: 1st
- Language: English
- Print length: 341 pages
- ISBN-13: 978-0970381798
- Genre: Christian Romantic Fiction
The BookViral Review:
In Once Upon an Altar, Rhonda Hanson crafts a poignant and deeply human story about faith, forgiveness, and the scars of betrayal. At its centre is Pastor Grant Sellars, a young minister who embodies the paradox of preaching grace from the pulpit while privately nursing a wound so deep it colours every aspect of his ministry. Hanson does not shy away from the messy realities of human hurt, and her novel becomes a compelling exploration of what happens when the one tasked with dispensing forgiveness cannot extend it himself.
Grant’s struggle is immediately relatable. Years earlier, his fiancée abandoned him on their wedding day, a trauma that left him humiliated and hollow. While he has outwardly rebuilt his life as a respected pastor, inwardly he has fed his bitterness, telling himself that he has earned the right to his anger. Hanson’s writing shines in these passages, capturing the quiet contradictions of a man who counsels others toward reconciliation while recoiling from his own wounds. The gym workouts, long runs, and casual banter with his loyal friend Fred serve as coping mechanisms, but they do little to heal the ache of betrayal.
The novel takes a dramatic turn when Grant is asked to officiate at the funeral of a young man from a wealthy, arrogant family. What should be a routine pastoral duty becomes the moment his carefully controlled bitterness boils over. When he comes face to face with Hazel Cullen—his former fiancée and now the widow of the deceased—his composure shatters. Hanson’s pacing here is masterful; the recognition scene is charged with emotion, and the fallout from this encounter propels the novel into its deeper themes of repentance and reconciliation.
Hazel is not drawn as a mere foil to Grant’s pain but as a fully realized character in her own right. Once a young woman with dreams of becoming an actress, she fled small-town expectations and the looming role of “preacher’s wife.” Now, she returns carrying regrets, secrets, and a desperate need for forgiveness. Hanson resists easy resolutions, allowing Hazel’s remorse and Grant’s rage to circle each other with raw authenticity. Their interactions are laced with past intimacy and present estrangement, creating a tension that is as much spiritual as romantic.
Beyond its central relationship, Once Upon an Altar also serves as a subtle critique of appearances in both church and society. Hanson populates her novel with sharply drawn secondary characters—the meddling townsfolk, the shallow but formidable Cullen family, and the wise, aging Pastor Morgan—each of whom reflects different facets of faith and human frailty. The dialogue is often witty, even humorous, providing levity against the backdrop of grief and bitterness.
What makes Hanson’s novel so compelling is its refusal to sanitize the realities of ministry. Weddings, funerals, baby dedications—Grant views them as the “big three” duties of his profession, yet Hanson shows how each becomes entangled with his unresolved anger. The novel asks hard questions: What does forgiveness look like when it costs everything? How can a pastor reconcile his public message with his private failures? And perhaps most importantly, is grace possible when both parties feel undeserving?
In the end, Once Upon an Altar is a heartfelt and emotionally resonant novel that blends romance, faith, and realism. Hanson does not offer simple answers but instead delivers a story that acknowledges both the pain of betrayal and the transformative power of forgiveness. Readers who enjoy faith-driven fiction with emotional depth will find themselves moved by Grant and Hazel’s journey—a journey that reminds us that forgiveness is not weakness but the hardest, and holiest, act of all.
Our Verdict: A moving and authentic exploration of faith, hurt, and redemption, Once Upon an Altar will resonate with readers who appreciate stories where grace collides with real human brokenness.
It is highly recommended!
