The Guardian

From Goodreads:
Plunge into the world of seen and unseen forces in The Guardian. Anna Riley has just come into possession of a two-thousand-year old scroll that God gave to John the Disciple. Her mission—to guard the scroll and unlock its secret. Jason Lang, her protector, has his work cut out for him as they begin their journey around the world, facing corruption and dodging bullets—all the while trying to keep his attraction to Anna at bay. Will he succeed in defending the woman he’s vowed to protect? Will Anna, forced to trust other people to stay alive, fulfill the challenge that she’s accepted?

What I thought:
I received this ARC from the publisher through NetGalley.  The first thing I was reminded of when I sat down to read this was that the book was remniscent of The Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons with a little more reflection on faith and God.  I loved how it incorporated all of the historical and biblical factors with a little bit of suspense and chase! I was able to learn something new about the bible and get completely engrossed in the story.  It was fast paced and very easy to read.  I thought it was beautifully written.  The balance between description and action was key.  I didn't feel like I wanted to skip ahead because of a lot of boring details.  I read every word and couldn't put it down because I had to see what was going to happen next.

Overall, it was a great story that had me smiling (with goosebumps) at the end.  I was able to fall in love with Anna and Jason as well as the security team. (Without major spoilers, I was a little sad at some of the events-because I was so invested in the characters, I didn't want to see anything bad happen to them)  The character development was top notch as well as the story.  In reading it, I began questioning my own faith.  What would I have done in Anna's situation?  Would I have been too afraid to trust? 
I also liked how the author didn't really talk about what happened to the "Pope"...he left it to interpretation.  Usually, that sort of thing would annoy me, but in this case, I think it was beautifully done and everyone kind of figures out what happens.  This would definitely be a novel I would recommend to my friends and family.

Rating: 5