The Refuge 

Paperback – hardcover, ebook, audio

April 30, 2019

by Ann H. Gabhart  (Author)

Paperback: 400 pages

Publisher: Revell 

ISBN-13: 978-0800729271

Can the power of love and the bond of family triumph in a community that cannot accept either?

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.

Marilyn's thoughts:  The Refuge is a vivid read set in 1849 at the Quaker village of Harmony Hill. Darcie Goodwin’s world was shattered with the untimely death of her husband Walter after they had went to the Shaker’s village. The beliefs of the Shaker brought condemnation to Darcie when she realized she was with child since the Shakers did not believe in marriage. The birth of her child did bring moments of the elderly sisters to show more mercy and kindness to her, but she longed for more. 

Flynn Keller knew how to train and care for horses, thus it was a hidden blessing when the Quaker brethren asked for his assistance with Walter’s horse. An unexpected encounter between Flynn and Darcie stirred feelings. With Flynn’s daughter, Leatrice, being placed in the Quaker children’s home brought an opportunity for her to assist Darcie with her infant, Anna Grace. Gabhart definitely penned another true picture of the Shaker’s beliefs in this historical fiction tale that encompassed grief, hardship, faith, pray, and a chance of romance with new beginnings for her characters. 

I was not required to write a review but have expressed my own opinion. I have enjoyed reading books written by Ann Gabhart and look forward to more in the future. She has done her research well and demonstrates it with the ins and outs of the Shaker beliefs in the 1800’s.