Bound by Blood by Scott Springer

Synopsis:

Julia has accepted the Lord and is busy returning her life to order. She is not ready for love, especially when the new site foreman at work stirs up forgotten feelings. She knows a playboy when she sees one, but to Rick Mercado the attraction between them is surprisingly real. Other girls no longer interest him, and if she wants to play hard to get that's fine with him. Let the games begin!

What he doesn't realize is that her dangerous secret is not a game.

Julia's brother has returned from the street, strung out and in trouble with rival gangs. Loyalty to her brother draws Julia deeper into a world of drug deals and thugs. Rick doesn't understand why Julia won't simply go to the cops, especially once the bullets start flying. As Julia slips further into a world of violence, Rick realizes how easily his heart can be broken. His brain says to run, but his heart isn't listening. It may already be too late.

My review:

The plot is an interesting one. Julia must decide a course of action to take among three choices. She can follow the higher moral path of her new found faith in Christ. She can align herself with the new fellow who has eyes for her and wants to protect her. But the path she chooses to follow is that of loyalty to her brother, drug addict and thief. She agrees to help him in his nefarious deed, causing her to lie repeatedly and putting herself in extreme danger.

I found reading this novel to be somewhat difficult. I am always interested when an author chooses to have as a main character one of the opposite sex. In this case, a male author with a female lead. I just could not identify with Julia. There seemed to be erratic changes in her character from moment to moment, romantic one moment and argumentative the next. The only aspect that made me tolerate her as a character was that she was a new Christian. Perhaps she just hadn't yet read the Bible passage about forsaking immediate family members for the kingdom of God.

I also found the plot to be rather repetitive. The same type of scene, Julia refusing to help her brother then giving in to do so, happening over and over. The relationship between Julia and Rick is a troubled one, a romance burdened with poor choices.

The book does contain the Christian message of forgiveness and reconciliation.

This is the author's first book, I think, and it is a decent freshman effort. There are some good scenes of suspense as well as a rewarding ultimate romance.

You can find out more about the book and read a sample here.
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Scott Springer spent his youth playing pretend and dreaming of being a writer. As an adult he worked as a carpenter before becoming a software developer. Having produced much, his two children remain his proudest accomplishment. His wife led him to the Lord, and he’s glad that she did. Website: www.scottspringer.com You can follow Springer on Twitter.

Anaiah Press, about 183 pages. Find out more about Anaiah Press here.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this book from the publisher for the purpose of an independent and honest review.