Following rumors that Fadi was radicalized and died fighting for ISIS in Syria, Yasmine returns to Stockholm to discover what really happened to her brother. I didn't seem realistic to believe that these two characters fell in love since they couldn't even talk to each other or anything - the whole 'love at first sight' conundrum. With her last living parent gone, two siblings to care for, and no where to live, she turns to the last hope that remains. In The Believer, I tell the story of Elizabeth and Ethan and how they end up in the Shaker village. I picked this up because I'm kind of a fan of all those Amish Christian romances (even if reading Thrill of the Chaste did make me scrutinize them a little more) so I thought this could be interesting. You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition. I hope to see a glimpse of these characters in future stories! My least favorite part was the awkward and implausible way the story lines merged. The Shaker village was a good place for orphans and other needy people to take refuge. Call it mother's intuition or maybe it was the knowledge of being a nurse that led her on a frustrating search to find the answers to what she feared the most. Her nightmare turned into reality, and Zachary was diagnosed with neurofibromatosis. Her father often told her stories of the Shaker community in the neighboring county. So it's no surprise that there are literally only a handful of Shaker believers left today. He has just recently turned 21 and taken the vow to commit himself as a Believer for the rest of his life which means shunning the ways of the world, including matrimony. Instead, she received an alarming e-mail that Fadi was radicalized by the Islamic State, went to Syria and died in a skirmish. A good mix of plot and character driven story, Reviewed in the United States on February 28, 2018. This is the story of a 20 year old who, upon the unexpected death of their beloved father, must now provide for her a younger brother and sister. She is living with David, who abuses her and leaves her without money. When private eyes Jake & Annie Lincoln race to discover why young killers are murdering without remorse, they become targets of a merciless assassin. I had a hard time putting this book down. Rather than marry the odious landlord, Elizabeth and her siblings travel to Harmony Hill seeking shelter and safety through the winter. Refresh and try again. With The Believer, Joakim Zander delivers another "page-turning" (Entertainment Weekly) novel of suspense that is as sophisticated and timely as it is compelling. I have never read Ann Gabhart's novels but will definitely look forward to reading her other books. I thoroughly enjoy the other characters with their unwavering faith and the ability to guide others gently in the right direction. The Outsider was a Christian Fiction Book Award Finalist in 2009. Top subscription boxes – right to your door, © 1996-2020, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. Despite the hard work and strange new beliefs around her, Elizabeth is relieved to have a roof overhead and food to eat. "When Zac was fighting his courageous battle with cancer, his family quickly learned that laughter was indeed the best medicine for Zac….. Discover Book Depository's huge selection of the Believer books online. It was really good, and really well written. He gave her the chills whenever she saw him, she was very afraid of him. I was lucky enough to win this book in a Goodreads Firstreads contest. Remembering the Shaker village in the next county that her father told them stories about, she packs up her brother and sister and presents herself and siblings at Harmony Hill. Colton confronts Elizabeth the morning after her Father dies, jumping in the grave as she is digging and tells her that her Father owed him money and she has to marry him to repay that debt. Colton. Overall, it was a cute story, but I got more out of it when I started thinking more philosophically about the issues presented. I have never read Ann Gabhart's novels but will definitely look forward to reading her other books. This photo shows a staged screenplay reading with 32 live professional actors at the Lakeshore Players Theatre in White Bear Lake, Minnesota. The story is okay I guess, I just couldn't get past the religious practices. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. We’d love your help. Please try your request again later. You never really know how much you can love someone until you have a child of your own. This story has suspense, laughter and tears, woven together in a tapestry of faith and the love that only sisters can share. Mad because my religious beliefs are way different from the Shakers and I couldn't handle the differences. That leaves Elizabeth to care for her younger brother and sister. Despite both of their attempts, circumstances continue to force them together making it more and more difficult to disguise the growing feelings inside that run contrary to everything the Shakers believe in. In charge of her younger brother and sister after their parents die, her options are limited. Wilderness Thriller. The Believer book. I've never read a book about the Shakers, so I was curious, what it would be like. I never planned to write more than one book about the Shakers, but readers were so interested in my Harmony Hill village that I changed my mind. Ethan struggles with his forbidden feelings and is afraid to commit the sin of matrimony. When 20 year old Elizabeth's father dies suddenly and she is left with a younger brother and sister to take care of, she flees to the Shaker community for refuge. But fifteen years later, another orphan arrives and sends his well-ordered life into a tailspin. I thought this book was a really interesting character study about Shakers. Previous page of related Sponsored Products. Justice for Hire: A Private Investigator Crime Novel (A Jake & Annie Lincoln Thrill... Death In The High Lonesome (Mac Crow Thrillers Book 2). I appreciate strong female characters that are complex. Her Shaker books, set in her fictional Shaker village of Harmony Hill in the 1800's, are popular with readers. Ann H. Gabhart grew up on a farm in Kentucky. I had a hard time putting this book down. Some of the thoughts and beliefs that the Shakers live by were interesting to read about, and some sounded downright strange. Reviewed in the United States on November 23, 2017. There was an error retrieving your Wish Lists. She can never quite adapt to the Shaker beliefs and instead is attracted to one of the young brethren in the community. I really enjoyed this Christian Fiction novel. It forced me to think about my own beliefs and aspects of religion that I take for granted and assume they make sense to everyone - this book challenged my perception in a way I wasn't expecting from it. Despite the hard work and strange new beliefs around her, Elizabeth is relieved to have a roof overhead and fo. The story felt like it dragged on and on. 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. Colton gives her two days to grieve her Father, then he will claim her as his wife. Elizabeth was one those desperate ones and takes her younger siblings to Harmony Hill. Yasmine Ajam has fled her past in the rough Stockholm borough of Bergort, reinventing herself as a trendspotter in New York City. The Swimmer was more of a spy novel, and that is what I hoped for in this book. Angel Sister, a Rosey Corner book set during the Great Depression, will be followed by Small Town Girl. Elizabeth's Mother has been dead a few years, her Father was very healthy, but after going to town feeling fine he comes home later that day and dies before daybreak. That leaves Elizabeth to care for her younger brother and sister. I never planned to write more than one book about the Shakers, but readers were so interested in my Harmony Hill village that I changed my mind. But when she feels a strong attachment to a handsome young Believer named Ethan, life gets complicated. Each member of the Litvinoff family must confront the hypocrisies underlying their patriarch's political profile, and make difficult choices about their own values and ideological commitments.