The Refuge by storyteller extraordinaire, author Ann Garbart, is a delicious serving of Christian historical romance. Set in the Shaker Village at Harmony Hill, Kentucky in 1850’s, this 391 page paperback is wonderful! I found it to be a page turning delight.
If you are not familiar with the Shaker religion, this book will give you a quick lesson. I love fiction books that teach me new things. However, this time I was well acquainted with the strange sect that believed in celibacy and did not believe in marriage. I still shook my head in disbelief and was frustrated with them even though I knew what to expect.
Author Gabhart has a magical way with telling a tale. Actually, it is a God given talent. Her words are woven together and I am spellbound. Within the first few paragraphs I am walking inside the book and captivated. She teaches me things that I don’t know and always has a healthy dose of faith and inspiration included in the story. These are two of my favorite things, actually must haves, in historical Christian fiction.
This book has been well researched. The author knows a lot about the Shakers, and it is evident she has visited their historic village. Characters are very well defined and easy to imagine. I loved feisty Leatrice, daughter of widower Flynn. Darcie caught my heart and my emotions. At times I felt trapped like she did with the Shakers. The variety of personalities in the Shaker sisters was delightful and true to life, I’m certain.
This is a book about romance, faith, trusting God, and friendship. There are some twists and turns to keep readers on their toes. Book Clubs will need to come up with their own discussion questions as it does not include any.
I highly recommend this well written novel. Learning about the Shakers is worth reading it, but there is so much more to glean. I rated it 5 out of 5 stars.
I received a copy from the publisher, but was under no obligation to write a review. These are my own, honest thoughts.
About the Book:
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.
About the Author:
Ann H. Gabhart is the bestselling author of several Shaker novels–The Outsider, The Believer, The Seeker, The Blessed, and The Gifted–as well as other historical novels, including Angel Sister, These Healing Hills, and River to Redemption. She and her husband live on a farm a mile from where she was born in rural Kentucky. Ann enjoys discovering the everyday wonders of nature while hiking in her farm’s fields and woods with her grandchildren and her dog, Frankie. Learn more at http://www.annhgabhart.com.
Recipe Time by Nyla Kay:
My paternal grandparents lived near Shaker Town so I have many memories of going there to eat with them. Among the recipes I accumulated is this one for Shaker Lemon Pie. It is so tasty and very different. The key is to slice your lemons extremely thin.
Shaker Lemon Pie
- 2 lemons (about 9 oz. each), sliced paper thin (rind and all)
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 double pie crust
Directions
Combine lemon slices and sugar in a shallow bowl; let stand until lemon slices are juicy, 4 hours or overnight. Remove any seeds that float to the surface.
Preheat oven to 450°F. Stir eggs into lemon mixture thoroughly.
Line a 9-inch pie plate with 1 pie crust. Pour lemon mixture into shell. Cover with top crust, and crimp edges. Cut decorative steam vents in top crust.
Bake at 450°F for 15 minutes. Without removing pie from oven, reduce temperature to 350°F. Bake until a knife inserted in center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cover pie crust edges with aluminum foil, if becoming too brown.
An uplifting and thought provoking look at life from a poet’s perspective. The Famine of the Human Dream will challenge you to live with greater passion, to throw off those trifling ambitions that ever grope for our attention, and learn fight for things worth fighting for. The great theologian, CS Lewis, once said:
Benjamin Mester is an author and poet, with a passion for seeing people break away from small and shallow living and to step into the full measure of what the Lord has prepared for them. The destiny prepared for each one of us is to live a life of love and deep gladness. Benjamin Mester was born and raised in sunny San Diego, but can often be found wandering the woods of northern Minnesota, pen and paper in hand. His lifetime goal is to one day build a house in the woods, expanding it over time into a retreat center for authors, artists and others bursting with creativity. God is the most creative being in the entire universe, and as children made in His image, Mester hopes to inspire His people to explore the wonderful gift of creativity placed in each one of us.
The perfect family awaits…if only he’ll risk his heart.
Inspirational author 
A
Sometimes love hurts—and sometimes it can heal in the most unexpected way.
Suzanne Woods Fisher is an award-winning, bestselling author of more than thirty books, including Mending Fences, as well as the Nantucket Legacy, Amish Beginnings, The Bishop’s Family, and The Inn at Eagle Hill series, among other novels. She is also the author of several nonfiction books about the Amish, including Amish Peace and The Heart of the Amish. She lives in California. Learn more at 
Batter:
Crumb Topping:
Bake 45-50 minutes.
James L. Rubart is a professional marketer and speaker. He is the author of the best-selling novel Rooms as well as Book of Days, The Chair, Soul’s Gate, Memory’s Door, and Spirit Bridge. He lives with his wife and sons in the Pacific Northwest. Website: 
Red poppies are a symbol of remembrance for those who died in war. People, men and women, wear them to honor those who died in war. Especially on Memorial Day you will see a lot of red poppies.
Scouts can be seen placing flags on the graves in the National Cemetery. What a great honor for a young scout to do this. I have a grandson that does this. His Dad is a former Marine so he is very respectful of our military.
We live in a great country with strong roots. Many people have lived and died for this land of ours. Let us always remember you brave soldiers. Those that stood and stand between us and the enemy. Pray for them, our leaders, and our country. May God continue to bless America.
It isn’t within man to guide his own steps—or a woman. Caught between a wagon train and the deep blue sea, Agnes Remington Dalrumple, Remi for short, chooses the overland journey west over crossing the Atlantic with her mother and step-father. She decides to go to California and try to fine the father she’s never known though she’s never been on her own. Thwarted at every turn, almost every effort is dashed until a widower’s thirteen-year-old daughter intervenes on her behalf. How can the headstrong woman place herself under the responsibility of the young girl’s father, a perfect stranger? But if she doesn’t, her journey ends right there in Saint Joseph, Missouri. On the Oregon/California trail, will her pride and independence deter her from the destiny God has prepared for her?
For research in December, Caryl McAdoo hit the trail—literally, the Oregon / California Trail—beginning in St. Jo, Missouri with the Napa Valley being her destiny. No wonder readers enjoy her novels so well! She prays her story brings God glory, and He blesses the award-winning, best-selling novels with a lion’s share of 5-Star ratings! With forty-three titles (thirty-three in the last four-and-a-half years), it’s obvious she loves writing almost as much as singing the new songs the Lord gives her. (Listen to a few at YouTube.) Celebrating fifty years being married to Ron, her high school sweetheart, she counts their four children and eighteen grandsugars life’s best blessings. The McAdoos live in the woods south of Clarksville, seat of Red River County in far Northeast Texas, waiting expectantly for God to open the next door.
Abba's Prayer Warrior Princess 