Bound by Guilt by C.J. Darlington - a Review and Blog Tour

TitleTrakk.com Blog Tours Presents:

Bound by Guilt
by C.J. Darlington
Published by Tyndale House

Shuttled between foster homes, Roxi Gold will do anything to fit in. Soon she’s traveling the country stealing rare books from unsuspecting bookstores. Police officer Abby Dawson has seen the worst of society—and not just at work. One fateful night, both their lives are changed forever. One searches for justice, the other finds herself on the run. Will the power of forgiveness set them free?

The MiscMayzee Book Review

I actually began reading Bound by Guilt right on the heels of Thicker Than Blood! I had won a copy of Thicker Than Blood from C.J. Darlington last year and had always managed to be distracted from reading it by another book to review. However, I wanted to come into Bound by Guilt appropriately even though it is more than capable of being a stand alone novel.

I have really appreciated the journey of both of C.J. Darlington's books. Both of her novels are set in present times, and they feature characters with highly relatable problems. I, personally, think Bound By Guilt did this even better than her first book (which was meaty enough to win the 2008 Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild Operation First Novel contest). 

Roxi is an easy character to fall in love with because of her youth and relative innocence despite the bad situation she found herself in (I won't go deeper -- that would be a spoiler!) 

The bad situation that Roxi is in brings Abby Dawson (sister of Hunter in Thicker Than Blood) to the forefront as well, and Abby is an equally interesting person despite not triggering maternal instincts within the reader. Abby has a great deal of issues of her own to work through while trying to find the people guilty of committing a crime that affected her and her family.

Abby is much more sympathetic than the adult character of Christy was in Thicker Than Blood as her hard edges are more subtle and her thought processes more clear. I would say this is largely because this book is a bit longer than the former. 

There are also a few more characters fleshed out to a lesser degree - namely Abby's dad, Irene and Diego. Irene and Diego were Roxi's temporary family at the beginning of the book. Diego isn't featured a huge amount within the book, but he manages to create a lasting impression.

I have mostly read through Bound by Guilt a few chapters at a time a couple of times a day because the storyline lends itself to this. Read. Process. Read. Process. I keep coming back to the story, but it is not the type of book that I would feel happy reading straight through - I would worry I missed something - overlooked a nugget of truth.

Overall, I'm very impressed with C.J. Darlington's writing in this book, and I look forward to her next release as I'm sure she will only become a better author. 

Disclosure: I received a review copy of this book.

Great job! You kept me turning the pages.
--Francine Rivers, Internationally best selling author

C.J. is a wonderful, talented writer . . . extraordinary . . .
--Bodie Thoene, best-selling author of the A.D. Chronicles

This one engages your senses and reaches your heart.
--Jerry B. Jenkins, NY Times best-selling author & owner of The Christian Writers Guild

Watch the book trailer:

About the Author:
C. J. Darlington won the 2008 Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild Operation First Novel contest with her first novel, Thicker Than Blood. She has been in the antiquarian bookselling business for over twelve years, scouting for stores similar to the ones described in her novels before cofounding her own online bookstore. In 2006 C. J. started the Christian entertainment Web site www.TitleTrakk.com with her sister, Tracy, and has been actively promoting Christian fiction through book reviews and author interviews. A homeschool graduate, she makes her home in Pennsylvania with her family and their menagerie of dogs and cats. Visit her website www.cjdarlington.com

QUICK LINKS:

• The 1st chapter of Bound by Guilt
• Buy at Christianbook.com
• Buy at Amazon.com
• Buy at Barnes & Noble