Review: Bound by Blood by Tracy Jane Jackson

**My general disclaimer before all reviews: Take a look at my 

REVIEW PAGE

to understand how my reviews work, and the general rubric I use. I give very honest reviews, and while I'm not New York Times critic harsh, I do try to keep it real.**  

Bound by Blood by Tracy Jane Jackson

 

 Dr. Samantha Moore is one of the youngest and most acclaimed researchers in the world. Her specialty is blood and she has been recruited by the largest pharmaceutical company in Scotland. For what purpose she cannot begin to imagine, but in an attempt to break out of her painfully shy shell, she throws caution to the wind and leaves her family and best friend behind in Savannah.

Dr. Kade Gunnach is taking a chance hiring an outsider, but he’s desperate to find out how to help his sister. He believes the key lies in her blood, but so far, no one has found the answers. When the new researcher walks into his office, he’s unprepared for his reaction to her and the life-changing ramifications her arrival brings.

They’re drawn together by a force neither is prepared for, but Kade is holding something back. Something that could scare her away.

When Samantha learns his secret, will she run?

Will Kade be able to live with the answers he’s been desperately searching for?

 

 My Review

 

 

My Rating: 7/10

Cleanliness Rating: 4.5

 

 I wrote a shorter review for this on Amazon, but that was when I was stuck in bed after surgery with only my Kindle to keep me company. Sad days. Fortunately, things have brightened, and with an awkward back brace thing, I can once again sit on my couch with a laptop.

 

Moving on. I enjoyed this book. I was asked by the author to read it for review, and I was pleasantly surprised. I always round up, so on Amazon it was a 4/5 stars. So! First, of all, I thought the paranormal aspect of this story is spot on. They're like hot vampires without the blood drinking. Brilliant! Because why the heck not, right? If someone hadn't thought of this before, it's good they have now. Get that messy, gross habit out of the way, eh? They're called the Caulde Ane, and while I don't entirely understand what they are, I don't really care. They're hot. And Scottish. *fans face*

 

I do have a couple complaints about this book, so here it goes. It started off great. I laughed out loud and shared a line with my husband on the first few pages, which is a huge leap from some of the Indie Books I've read recently. Thank you, Tracey! Much appreciated. But then I began to notice something strange about the heroine. She's supposed to be the "youngest scientist in the world" (those words put me off a bit. Quite a claim there.) but she doesn't act like one. She fiddles around with a microscope for a little bit, but there was some serious authenticity lacking there. She was ah...well maybe a little ditzy sometimes? Innocent maybe? I don't know, it's hard to put my finger on it, but she just didn't act like the kind of strong woman it takes to go through school faster than her peers to become an accomplished hemotologist.

 

And on that note, we go to the overarching plot. Where did it go??? She focused on the romance (more on that later), but the "danger" and the intrigue of the driving plot just fizzled out at the end there. Jealous, scorned employee makes lame attempt at offing the girlfriend. Plot over. Ptthhhthhtt. Lame.

 

That's okay, because I'm hoping she hits her stride with the plot thing in the second book. And YES I will be reading the rest of the series. Despite my complaints in my review here, it was a genuinely enjoyable read. Especially confined to my bed as I was. So things she did right: Like I said, the paranormal thing was awesome. I like that it's a family of super dudes and dudettes. Spicy sequels! My fav! She is a good writer, and I do mean that genuinely. She's got some finesse that I find lacks in a lot of starting writers (ahem, myself included. It's easier to judge from the outside!), and she kept the pace really going. No boring moments in this book! You'll be hooked, I promise.

 

The only reason it's 7 instead of 8 stars is the propensity toward corniness in this novel. I had to gag a few times. As I mentioned earlier, the main character is a little...dithering maybe. The romance went way too fast. I understand that it was supernatural, but there's something to be said for flow, and it simply did not flow. I let it go because I wanted them to be in love anyway, but quite frankly, it was kind of tripped over. One moment this guy is fawning all over her (which, hey, what woman doesn't dream of it?) and she's rightfully wary, and one concussion later she's calling him "honey" (way too many honeys in the dialogue!) and acting like his wife. A little odd.

 

But Kade is sexy. Yes, yes he is. Don't worry, my husband doesn't read these reviews. 

 

So there you go. It was a good book. I'm interested to see what the rest of the series brings, and I encourage you to check it out! The cover picture will take you to the Amazon page so you can download it. It's free right now, so you don't have anything to lose!