BOOK REVIEW: The Guardian: To Run with the Swift by Gerald N. Lund

THE GUARDIAN:

To Run With the Swift (Book 2)

by Gerald N. Lund

Deseret Book, 2013

ISBN: 978-1-60907-796-9

Review copy provided by publisher in return for honest review.

All opinions expressed are solely my own.

ABOUT THE BOOK

After Danni McAllister and her family escaped from El Cobra and his kidnapping ring, they thought life would basically return to normal. Little did they know that their peril had just begun.

As secrets from the past begin to unfold, it becomes evident that the motives driving the attacks on the McAllister family go much deeper than money—and they're not going to stop anytime soon. Now, as Danni faces evils even more sinister than before, she has to wonder if even the Guardian will be equal to the dangers ahead.

The whole family will love this page-turning conclusion to the story of Le Gardien, the enchanted pouch that guides, protects, and teaches those who have it in their keeping.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Elder Gerald N. Lund received his B.A. and M.S. degrees in sociology from Brigham Young University. He also did extensive graduate work in New Testament studies at Pepperdine University in Los Angeles, California, and studies Hebrew at the University of Judaism in Hollywood, California.

During his thirty-five years in the Church Educational System, the author served as a seminary teacher, an institute teacher and director, a curriculum writer, director of college curriculum, and zone administrator. His Church callings have included serving as stake president, bishop, and teacher. Elder Lund served as a member of the Second Quorum of the Seventy from 2002 to 2008.

Elder Lund is a prolific author; his novels include the Work and the Glory series, the Kingdom and the Crown trilogy, Fire of the Covenant, and The Undaunted. He has also written several books on gospel topics, including Hearing the Voice of the Lord and Divine Signatures.

He and his wife, Lynn, are the parents of seven children. For more information, please visit Gerald Lund’s website (Click Here)

REVIEW

Gerald Lund is one of my favorite authors.  His books always catch and hold my attention with well thought out characters and great stories to go with them. His Guardian series is no different. This series focuses on an enchanted pouch that carries with it great power and also great responsibility.  When Danni first receives the pouch when she turns thirteen she isn't thrilled, after all it just looks like an old worthless scrap of fabric, but when her families lives become endangered it soon becomes clear that the pouch may be all that stands between her family and death. 

Book two continues the excitement as Danni struggles to reconcile what she has learned with the troubles that continue to plague her family. And when it becomes clear that things are going to get worse before they get better, she has to decide what she can do about it.  A wonderful new two-part series from a fabulous author that I can heartily recommend.

BOOK ONE:

When Carruthers "Danni" McAllister receives an antique pouch as a birthday gift from her grandfather, her first reaction is disappointment. "Don't assume that something is empty just because there's nothing there," her grandfather warns. Danni learns that for nearly two hundred years, the mysterious pouch—with its astonishing hidden secrets—has been handed down from generation to generation, and each new owner has had to discover how to access the power it holds, or suffer the penalty of using the pouch unwisely.

While Danni struggles to understand the power of the pouch, her father's discovery of a rhodium mine makes her family the target of a deadly extortionist plot, and the strange pouch is Danni's only hope of saving her family.

In the spirit of The Alliance, The Freedom Factor, and Leverage Point, author Gerald N. Lund blends gripping, fast-paced suspense with a timeless message for readers of all ages.