"In the Shadow of the River" by Ann H. Gabhart

About the Book

If all the world's a stage, Jacci will play her part.

She only hopes her story does not turn out to be a tragedy.

In 1881, Jacci Reed is only five years old when a man attempts to kidnap her from the steamboat her mother, Irena, works on. Badly wounded during the confrontation, Irena takes Jacci aboard the Kingston Floating Palace, a showboat tied up beside them. There, Jacci's actor grandfather tends to her mother and Jacci gets a first taste of the life she will come to lead.

Fifteen years later, Jacci is an actress aboard the Kingston Floating Palace, and largely contented with her adopted family of actors, singers, and dancers. Especially Gabe, who has always supported her, and the gruff grandfather she has come to know and love. Jacci's mother has been gone for years, but the memory of the altercation that ultimately took her life--and the cryptic things Jacci has overheard about her past--is always there, lurking in the back of her mind.

When someone on the showboat tries to kill Jacci, it's clear her questions demand answers. But secrets have a way of staying in the shadows, and the answers she craves will not come easily. Gabe only hopes they come in time for him and Jacci to have a future together.

My Thoughts

I enjoyed reading this book and found it to be well written. I found the setting on the showboat to be interesting and wished I could go aboard and watch one of their shows. I liked the characters and thought that they were realistic and believable. There was a biblical faith thread woven through the story. There were some twists that kept me guessing and I had some ideas of who could be behind the danger to Jacci. I didn't know the motivation, but I turned out to be right about who was behind it. I look forward to reading more books by Ann H. Gabhart.

About the Author

Ann H. Gabhart caught the writing bug at the age of ten and has been writing ever since. An award winning author, she's published many books for both adults and young adults. Her books cover several genres from historical to small town family stories to cozy mysteries (mysteries published with author name A.H. Gabhart). Her ideas are sparked by events in Kentucky history and by experiences in her own family. Her first Shaker novel, The Outsider, was a finalist for the ECPA Christian Fiction Book of the Year. Love Comes Home won the Selah Book of the Year award, and These Healing Hills was the Faith, Hope & Love Readers' Choice Women's Fiction Book of the Year.

Ann lives on a Kentucky farm not far from where she was born. She and her husband have three children and nine grandchildren. Ann enjoys hiking on her farm with her grandkids and her dogs, Frankie and Marley. See more about her books at www.annhgabhart.com or join the conversation on her Facebook page,

"In the Shadow of the River" is available in paperback:

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Revell (May 9, 2023)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 352 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0800741722
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0800741723
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.53 pounds
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.88 x 8.5 inches

and in Kindle edition:

• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0BLW6BY5P
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Revell (May 9, 2023)
• Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 9, 2023
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• File size ‏ : ‎ 7779 KB
• Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled

I got a free copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own and given voluntarily. No compensation was received for my review.