Elizabeth Duncan has nowhere to turn. In charge of her younger brother and sister after their parents die, her options are limited. When she hears that the Shaker community in the next county takes in orphans, she presents herself and her siblings at Harmony Hill. Despite the hard work and strange new beliefs around her, Elizabeth is relieved to have a roof overhead and food to eat. But when she feels a strong attachment to a handsome young Believer named Ethan, life gets complicated. Ethan has never looked on the opposite sex as anything but sisters, but he can't shake the new feelings that Elizabeth has awakened in him. Will Elizabeth be forced to leave the village to keep Ethan from stumbling? Or will Ethan's love for her change their lives forever?

Elizabeth Duncan has nowhere to turn. In charge of her younger brother and sister after their parents die, her options are limited. When she hears that the Shaker community in the next county takes in orphans, she presents herself and her siblings at Harmony Hill. Despite the hard work and strange new beliefs around her, Elizabeth is relieved to have a roof overhead and food to eat. But when she feels a strong attachment to a handsome young Believer named Ethan, life gets complicated. Ethan has never looked on the opposite sex as anything but sisters, but he can't shake the new feelings that Elizabeth has awakened in him. Will Elizabeth be forced to leave the village to keep Ethan from stumbling? Or will Ethan's love for her change their lives forever? Following on the heels of the successful book The Outsider, The Believer is Ann H. Gabhart's newest exploration of love and devotion in this quiet Shaker community.

Living just thirty miles from a restored Shaker village in Kentucky, Ann H. Gabhart has walked the same paths that her characters might have walked in generations past. Her thorough research provides a convincing and colorful backdrop for her Shaker novels. Gabhart is also the author of Orchard of Hope and Summer of Joy.

A Shaker romance sounds like a nonstarter idea for a novel, since the Shakers, a socially revolutionary religious sect, practiced celibacy. But therein lies the tension in this historical romance, Gabhart's second Shaker outing (after The Outsider). Raised by Shakers since the age of six, when he ran away from his river rat father, Ethan Boyd is a Believer—someone who has signed a covenant to join the Shakers. But he's thrown into emotional turmoil when Elizabeth Duncan and her two younger siblings, following the sudden death of their father, seek refuge in 1833 at Harmony Hill, the Shaker community in Kentucky where Ethan lives. Elizabeth is also escaping from a predatory landlord with designs on her. A number of supporting characters are well drawn, including Elizabeth's siblings Payton and Hannah and the kind Shaker, Issachar, Ethan's benefactor. Other characters are more like caricatures—Elizabeth's landlord is an Oilcan Harry, mustache-twirling kind of villain. On balance, the book rings with researched authenticity and will appeal to Amish romance fans. (Aug.) Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.

http://www.christianbook.com/the-believer-shaker-ann-gabhart/9780800733629/pd/733629

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Author: Ann H. Gabhart
Submitted: August 13, 2009

    Tell us a little about yourself.  I started on my writing journey when I was ten years old and started scribbling my first story in a notebook. I've been writing ever since. Along the way I married, had three kids and helped out on the farm. Kids are all grown now and have blessed my husband and me with nine grandbabies.

    What was your motivation behind this project?  The Outsider, my first Shaker book, was well received by readers, so at the urging of my publisher, I went back to Harmony Hill to tell a new story. I like my characters, Elizabeth and Ethan, and think their story shows the Shaker life even better than my first Shaker book.

    What do you hope folks will gain from this project?  I hope people will gain some perspective into how the Shakers lived and what they believed. But mostly I hope readers will enjoy sharing the lives of my characters.

    How were you personally impacted by working on this project?  Anytime I take my characters back into some historical time, I gain a new understanding of the challenges facing the people in the past.

    Who are your influences, sources of inspiration or favorite authors / artists?  My mom is a great source of inspiration. She has always faced life with courage and joy. That's what I want to do too.

    Anything else you'd like readers / listeners to know:  I appreciate each of you who reads or listens to my stories. A book is not complete without a reader to bring the writer's words to life in his or her imagination. I enjoy getting to know my readers so come on over to my website and visit.

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