About the book:
She longs for peace--for her land and her heart--but can it truly be found at Harmony Hill?
Carlyn Kearney has spent two lonely years not knowing whether to mourn or to hope after she receives word from the Union Army that her husband is missing. When the war ends without further word, Carlyn finds herself penniless, in debt, and forced from her home. With nowhere else to go, she seeks refuge at the Shaker village of Harmony Hill.
The Shakers profess peace through simple living, but to Carlyn, the Shaker life seems anything but simple. When mysterious deaths disturb the peace of the village, Carlyn falls under intense scrutiny. Can a kind sheriff help her expose the true culprit?
Bestselling author Ann H. Gabhart invites fans back to Harmony Hill for a story laced with intrigue, romance, and heart.
My review:
I actually had a hard time getting through this story. It felt like it took a while to get to the action. I liked Carlyn and the sheriff and a couple of secondary characters, but I had a hard time liking the Shaker people, especially Edna. They took the Bible and added to it or twisted it. They were so focused on Mother Ann, the founder of the Shakers and what she taught, which apparently was more about works and being perfect. They also didn't believe in marriage and any couples or families that came to them were split up, even the children cared for by others. It was interesting to learn more about them. It felt like their rules and Edna's chastisements of Carlyn got very repetitive. She also thought about what her mother had taught her quite a bit, including "pray anyway," which I agree is good advice, but it was mentioned a lot. There's a little bit of suspense as you're not sure who's behind the bad things happening and I thought it was interesting who it turned out to be. There's also a bit of romance as the sheriff can't stop thinking about Carlyn. I liked Carlyn's focus on trying to find the good about her life even when it seemed like everything was going wrong. Carlyn and the sheriff both had to think about what they truly believed and whether they were going to turn back to God or not. I've liked other books of Ann Gabhart's a lot, so I think it was mainly the subject matter I couldn't get into. If you like books about the Shakers, you would probably like this.
I received this book free from Revell in exchange for an honest review.
The Author
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© Memories by Chris Ann H. Gabhart
Ann H. Gabhart is the bestselling author of Angel Sister, Small Town Girl, and Words Spoken True, as well as several Shaker novels--The Outsider, The Believer, The Seeker, The Blessed, and The Gifted--and...
Continue reading about Ann H. Gabhart
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