Desert Guardian

Reviewed by Michelle Puffer © 2007

Wild Child Publishing.com © 2007

Title: Desert Guardian
Author: Karen Duvall
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
ISBN: 1-60154-014-0
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Length: Novel
Release Date: October 2006

Kelly Bancroft has found the location of the crazy cult her brother has joined, determined to bring him home. Easy, right? Not really, since she has absolutely no idea what she’s in for and the time she’s already spent there has been a bit of a blur. Everything is not what it seems and what she hoped would be a simple matter of talking her brother out of his depression turns in to a desperate attempt to save both his life and her own.

Sam Reed is a cult intervention specialist hired to rescue both Kelly and her brother. He’s played rescuer/kidnapper before and is known as The Arrow. Unfortunately, this time he’s dealing with a cult leader that both wants something from him and has kept something from him. This time the cult he needs to infiltrate brings memories that are a little too personal. Sam’s not sure he can keep the focus he needs to get the job done.

Star Mother has all of her people believing they are going to a wonderful new world. She has strict rules and they must be followed but very soon a new life will await all of them. Unfortunately, it’s a little too Jonestown and the special elixir she’s been giving them isn’t letting any of her members get any perspective. Can Sam and Kelly join forces and help each other or will a fanatic take down a large group of people with her crazy visions?

Desert Guardian is a fast-paced well-written romantic suspense. Other than watching the Jonestown massacre movie on tv, and perhaps seeing some other news clips, I am not familiar with cults other than wanting to stay away from them. Ms. Duvall has painted a very clear picture of what life can be like for those who join particular groups and how easy it might be for someone to become acclimated within a cult without even realizing it. She shows how it affects families and loved ones and the very real danger in trying to extricate people from that world.

In a gripping tale the author makes us believe that the hero and heroine must work together to achieve their outcome and that the close contact they have makes their growing attraction for each other very real and intense. As Sam and Kelly walk the fine line between lust and trust they find that in order to achieve their final goal they must depend on each other. Even In the scene where there is a small misunderstanding that leads Kelly away from Sam it is believable because her background has been depicted as such that the reader knows she would have those insecurities. Often I find those scenes in a book and think “but if they just talked to each other” but here between the timing and the heroine’s history it works.

Desert Guardian was a highly enjoyable book that I read straight through. If you are looking for a good suspense with a romantic theme and a new twist on danger, then I recommend this book.

Rating: 5 Cats

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To find out more about how to purchase Desert Guardian, visit Karen Duvall at The Wild Rose Press .