The Refuge by Ann H. Gabhart

The Refuge

by 

Ann H. Gabhart

About:

When Darcie and Walter Goodwin hear of a new cholera epidemic sweeping the area, they join the Shakers whose villages seem immune to the disease. It's meant to be a temporary stay, but Walter is killed in a riverboat accident. With no family and no money, Darcie has little choice but to stay with the Shakers. To complicate matters, she is expecting a baby conceived before she and her husband came to the Shaker village. Marital relationships are considered sinful in this celibate community, putting Darcie in a unique--and lonely--position. Can the arrival of widower Flynn Keller and his headstrong daughter offer Darcie the hope of happiness . . . and family?

Ann H. Gabhart returns to the enigmatic world of the Shakers in this emotional exploration of the power of love and the bond of family.

My Thoughts:

Ann Gabhart is a fantastic writer, so I very intrigued and taken with her latest book The Refuge. This book is done well with the research the Shakers, which is a something I was unfamiliar with until I had read this book. Losing her husband, Darcie had to stay with them, especially since she was going to have a baby, but would they allow her to stay? 

Flynn and Leatrice run around of food. How will Flynn provide for his daughter? Will the Shaker community be able to assist or will the rules be to too strict? 

This story is one of great community, good characters and how people are willing to help each other. This story has elements of faith, trust and grace. It also has an element of standing up for truth and what you believe in. I enjoyed this book. 

About the Author:

Ann H. Gabhart grew up on a farm in Kentucky. By the time she was ten she knew she wanted to be a writer. She's published over twenty novels. She and her husband have three children and nine grandchildren. She still lives on a farm not far from where she grew up. She loves playing with her grandkids, walking with her dog, reading and, of course, writing. Her Shaker books, set in her fictional Shaker village of Harmony Hill in the 1800's, are popular with readers. The Outsider was a Christian Fiction Book Award Finalist in 2009. Her Heart of Hollyhill books are Small Town, America books set in the 1960's. Angel Sister, a Rosey Corner book set during the Great Depression, will be followed by Small Town Girl.