BOOK REVIEW: By Blood by Tracy E. Banghart

Goodreads description:

For 17-year-old Emma Wong, spending a summer in England should be a dream come true. Gorgeous scenery? Check. Lots of hot guys with accents? Yes, please. 

Throw in an estranged mom, annoying new stepdad, and drooling baby half-brother, and it’s a disaster even her favorite cherry red leather jacket can’t fix. Even worse, there’s (hot) live-in research assistant Josh to contend with. The only thing more embarrassing than drunk-kissing him hours after they meet? Knowing he’ll be witness to her family’s dysfunction all. summer. long.

But when Emma meets a mysterious girl who happens to be a Druid, her vacation suddenly promises to be far more intriguing than she anticipated. Powerful rituals, new friends, an intoxicating sense of freedom...and Simon, the sexy foreign stranger she was hoping for. It’s all a perfect distraction from dirty diapers and awkward family dinners.

Trouble is, intriguing doesn’t often mean simple. And Emma is about to discover just how not simple her life really is.

By Blood is a novel about the ways that blood can bind us to others – or tear us apart.

Mary's Review:

I was given this book from the author for a review.

Best part of book:  I liked this book.  1) it was a different story 2) it was in England 3) it had hot guys and 4) I thought Emma was a great character.

I really enjoyed this book.  Emma is staying with her mom, step-dad, her new half-brother and Josh (her step-dad's assistant) in England.  The problem is Emma does not want to go.  She would rather stay with her dad and friends in the states.

Nonetheless, she goes.  While there she and Josh become friends and hang out.  While she was out one day she needed meeting more people, including Simon.  Now, I did not like Simon from the start.  There was something that was "off" about him.  I think Tracy did an amazing job writing him!  I loved how Simon worked his way into Emma's life. 

Emma is a great character.  She is strong but rebellious toward her mother.  Tracy wrote a GREAT TWIST into the story...LOVE IT!  

I also really enjoyed the history and twist of being a Druid. Tracy does a great job weaving it through the book.

LOVE IT!

Not so great about the book:  There was nothing that I did not enjoy about this book.  It was a good book and a fast read.  

I will definitely be looking for more of Tracy's work in the future.

If you want to purchase this book, I recommend it to you, and you can get it here: