Review of An Errand For Emma by Chad Daybell

An Errand For Emma

The First Book of the Emma Trilogy

 

Clumsy, awkward Emma just finished high school and is getting ready to start the fall semester at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah.  She is excited to have a fun, memorable summer with her best girl friends but finds they are growing apart in many ways.  To find ways to keep her busy and to fight the loneliness  she soon gets a summer job and spends time learning more about her family history. There was a noticeable gap in their genealogy due to the disappearance of a relative and her Mom let her know that it may be impossible to get these answers to complete it. Emma has a pressing desire to uncover the truth about these mysteries.

A tragedy in the neighborhood soon has Emma at the cemetery for the funeral of her dear, old neighbor Leah.  As she wanders through the cemetery trying to clear her head after the services she soon finds herself tumbling face first into a headstone. As she stands up and feels the large bump on her forehead she is startled to find that she is not sure where she is. The scenery is familiar but vastly vacant of the usual landscape of cars, roads, and homes. 

In An Errand For Emma the Lord has abruptly sent Emma to a place she has never imagined she could possibly end up – 1860’s Utah.  She happens to come into the path of Brigham Young (literally) and he helps to put her on the right path for the purpose she has come to this time. Through his guidance she locates her ancestors but must survive the brutalities of the untamed West.  In order to fulfill her purpose she must travel to Denver through lawless territory on horseback, escaping evil men seeking to destroy her mission. She finds her purpose and also love along the way. How will she travel back to her own time to the family she misses so much and leave David behind?

This was a much better story than I thought it could be. Author Chad Daybell is easy to read and puts just enough twists in to make this good and believable.  He made my cry in empathy a few times for the hardships and triumphs of the early Saints. That will always be something close to my heart and tugs at those tender heart strings every time.  I give this book 4 stars. It is a very quick read and would recommend to anyone who enjoys a fast, clean book with a great love story.

~Melissa