When the author emailed me and asked if I wanted to read/review Glory Unbound, I jumped at the chance. I had loved Glory Bishop, and I was hoping that Glory Unbound would answer any questions from the previous book. Not only did it answer all of my questions, but I loved it just as much as I loved Glory Bishop.
Glory Unbound is the 2nd book in the Glory Bishop series. Readers cannot read it as a stand-alone. There is so much that happened in book one that is carried over to book two, and you will be lost. The author does touch upon the major events but doesn’t go in-depth. So, I highly recommend reading Glory Bishop first.
As with Glory Bishop, Glory Unbound does start slowly, and it stays slow until halfway through the book. I was actually alright with how the book was paced. With everything happening in the first half of the book, I got why the author paced it the way she did. The book did pick up halfway through the book, and it was fast-paced from that point on.
I thought that Glory was a fantastic character. I had gone into this book thinking that she would be relatively flat. That wasn’t the case. The author added more layers to Glory, which were unpeeled as the book went on. She was an amazingly 3d character that I wished was the real deal.
I was not too fond of Malcolm, but I did feel bad for him at the same time. He was pressured to do what his father wanted instead of what he wanted at the church. And in turn, he took it out on Glory. There was a little point in the book, towards the beginning, where I thought he had changed. That was dashed the night of the coalition and the very public beating that Glory got in the car.
Glory Unbound has some graphic scenes of child abuse and spousal abuse. There are also some scenes (not graphic) of marital rape. My heart broke of Glory, and it shattered when she realized why the women in her church wore pancake makeup. She realized that as she was doing the same thing. I just wanted to reach through the book and hug her.
The author did something that I haven’t seen many authors do and succeed. She highlighted Glory’s life from the age of 6 to the beginning of Glory Bishop in Interludes. It showed her relationship with JT, Herschel, and her mother. It also added depth to Glory’s backstory.
I will not go much into the book past the halfway point. If I do, it could lead to spoilers. All I have to say is that Glory did something that I could never have seen her doing. Also, Malcolm got what was coming to him.
I hope that there is a book 3 in this series. I want to know what happens to Glory and if she will ever live her best life!!
I would recommend Glory Unbound to anyone over the age of 21. There is violence, language, and sex (consensual and non-consensual).