Speaking from my personal experiences playing Pathfinder I really like this archetype. I tend to stick to classes that would primarily be the party physicaler and have only recently began to play spell caster classes as I have found the sheer amount of spell choices quite daunting.
A class like this appears to be a good bridge between the two extremes. While clerics are already both spell casters and physical, I think that the extra push towards the physical side of things is just what the game needs as a medium for people who, like myself, would like to be eased into the jungle that is spell casting.
