Definable Moments by Don Stephens

I knew, more or less, what I would be reading from the book description. When I reached the end of the book, I reread the book description and sat back to think about it for a bit. The title of the book couldn't be more accurate. I found myself looking for those "definable moments" as I was reading.

The book opens with Isaac taking part in a robbery gone wrong. The security guard that wasn't supposed to be there shows up surprising Isaac and Sean, a fellow gang member. Sean attacks the security guard and takes off on the motorcycle they were there to steal, leaving Isaac to get away on his own. After Isaac makes it back to the house where they are to meet up with everyone else, he learns the security guard is in critical condition and may not live. The situation gets worse; there was an eye witness in the alley when Isaac fled the scene. An artist's sketch of him is all over the news. Once his parole officer learns of it, he's looking at going back to prison.

With help from the gang leader and his girlfriend, Isaac makes arrangements to leave East LA and relocate to Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Taking his brother's truck and the stolen motorcycle, Isaac drives across the country to his new home, a new job and, he vows, a new life. Like all of us, Isaac has several events in his life that shape who he will be from that moment on. Some of these moments are given to us as the story unfolds. We learn more when he tells Clarice bits and pieces about himself as the two share stories getting to know each other.

Isaac isn't as free of the gang life as he'd hoped his new start would be when he sees the Thirteenth Street tattoo on his boss's neck. Clarice is the girl of his dreams, the one he never thought he'd be lucky enough to find. What happens after is the stuff of nightmares.

The beginning of the book was difficult for me to get through. I have never been interested in reading about gang violence, not in stories, not in books. However, once I got through that, the book took off and I was able to enjoy the story. I was crying near the end of the book, which rather surprised me. Stephens pulls out a few surprises that I hadn't anticipated. I was grateful for them as they brought additional interest to the book.

I was pleasantly surprised by how very accurate the book description was. Isaac is the stereotypical good looking "bad boy." Clarice is the typical small-town "good girl." The romance was sweet; the problems were enough to create tension for the reader. There were a few grammatical errors that created some minor hiccups in my reading, but not enough to reduce the rating. 3 stars

I was gifted a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This book is available at Amazon.