Only the Brave by Gerald N. Lund Review & Giveaway

Today, I wanted to share a remarkable book called,

Only the Brave

by Gerald N. Lund.

{Plus, Sweetly Made (Just for you) is giving away one signed copy to a lucky reader.}

About:

As this standalone sequel to The Undaunted begins, four years have passed since the first Mormon pioneers made the harrowing journey to carve the Hole-in-the-Rock trail to the region of the San Juan River in southeastern Utah. In that time, the settlers have dug in deep to try to establish roots in this untamed and unforgiving desert, but life is still far from easy. Biting winds, devastating floods, scorching heat, barren terrain, and tensions with everyone from Indians to outlaws to competing ranchers have threatened the pioneers' ability to thrive—or even survive.

But the call from Church leaders to establish peaceful, stable settlements in the volatile region still stands, so young Mitch Westland and his family must find a way to make a home amid the harshest of circumstances. They soon learn that their only chance of success lies in uniting together with the other faithful Saints—including the Zimmers and their charming daughter, Edie. Can the families withstand the blows that seem to come every step of the way as they struggle against man, nature, and their own fears to heed a prophetic call? Many settle will try to conquer that rugged territory, but only the brave will prevail.

About the author:

Elder Gerald N. Lund received his B.A. and M.S. degrees in sociology from Brigham Young University. He served for thirty-five years in the Church Educational System, and he served as a member of the Second Quorum of the Seventy from 2002 to 2008. He is a prolific and bestselling author of both fiction and nonfiction and is best known for his historical novels, including The Work and the Glory series, Fire of the Covenant, The Kingdom and the Crown series, and The Undaunted. He and his late wife, Lynn, are the parents of seven children.

In my opinion:

I am reviewing “Only The Brave” by Gerald N. Lund. He is one of my favorite authors, so I was excited to read the continuing saga of the San Juan Pioneers. I enjoyed his previous novel, “The Undaunted: The Miracle of the Hole-in-the-Rock Pioneers.” Gerald N. Lund is great at helping you feel what these people must have felt, particularly how he weaves fictional families into history in a realistic manner. I have to admit that I had never heard about the Suan Juan Pioneers. This was completely new to me and interesting to learn about the sacrifices they made.

To recap the book; “Only The Brave” is a historical novel of some Mormon pioneers that were called to join the San Juan Mission in southern Utah several years after the first pioneer company first arrived. The story starts in September 1881 and continues to the spring of 1888. Life there is far from easy. They suffered through biting winds, devastating floods, scorching hear, barren terrain, and tensions between Indians, outlaws and competing ranchers.  They were sent by their leaders to fulfill these three missions:

*They were to become a buffer between the white man and the Indians.

*They were to be like a shock absorbers on a wagon, which soften the blows for those riding in the wagon, or in this case, those in the other settlements.

*They were to be like a lightning rod, which draws down the fires of heaven upon itself so they do not consume others.

It's amazing what the early pioneers went through in order to settle different parts of Utah and Arizona. I also love that Gerald N. Lund shows you his research at the end of each chapter so you know exactly what happened and what he made up. The love story between Mitch and Edie is sweet and realistic. I highly recommend this book to any and everyone, especially those history lovers. Don’t miss out on this one! This is a must read!!

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Disclaimer: I received one or more of the products or services for free in the hope that I would mention them on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.