Innocent Lives

For readers of Butterfly Garden by Dot Hutchinson, Reminders of Him by Colleen Hoover and The Locked Door by Frieda McFadden. Assertive Cienna should have been able to fight off an abduction. However, even she is unable to fight two able-bodied men and the drugs that they use to get her in the back of the van. Her journey begins as she awakes, and is sold to a friendly man in a baseball hat named Mike, who promises to take her back to her family but instead ties her to a pole in his barn. Mike becomes her friend, saving her from the man who abducted her and violently took her innocence. When Jasmine awakes, she is in a brothel, locked up in the Trouble Room. She remains convinced for the rest of her journey that she has been very bad and sentenced to this place of horror. She deals with her plight by enjoying the drugs that her owners provide and developing a second personality. This suspenseful, domestic thriller will also satisfy a hankering for a good mystery, full of twists and turns. WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING.Julie tackles a difficult subject. Hard but necessary to face. She draws you in fully to the lives of two different victims, crosscut stories, but also manages to show you where angels show up. She gives hope in the midst of the trials, and the encouragement to press through. - Cheryl McKay (Screenwriter The Ultimate Gift and Co-Author, Never the Bride) In Innocent Lives, Julie Bonn Blank has artfully captured the heartbreaking story of child-human trafficking. These precious children endure more than we can imagine, and their hearts and lives are shattered.sometimes forever. I recommend this book to anyone who cares that such atrocities are being visited upon our youngest and most vulnerable. I implore everyone to get involved any way possible - Kathi Macias, award-winning author of more than 50 books, including Deliver Me from Evil Bravo A powerful book on the heartbreaking issue of trafficking. I highly recommend this to everyone, especially those who have a heart for the wounded. Truly an excellent read. - Carla Ashton, Counselor, Co-Founder and Director of Soul Restoration Ministries This is a riveting story, which open eyes to the abuse that is so prevalent in our countries today. Expertly and discreetly told, Bonn Blank pulls the reader into the harsh lives of these girls while portraying a message of hope and faith.-Julie B Cosgrove, author of the award-winning Hush in the Storm, Legitimate Lies and Freed to Forgive trilogy I thought it would be a little difficult because I review it as a father, a would-be writer and a Christian that is sensitive to some of the sexual passages.I believe you have struck a healthy balance between reality, sensitivity, and modesty in your description of some of the necessary scenes. You have done a marvelous job of showing the psychological conditioning by abductors towards their abductee. The step-by-step conditioning displayed in the abductor's behavior and actions, without ever having to explain it to the reader their action, is fantastic. I love the way you introduce and display your characters. In the case of the girls, you make the reader identify and care for them, to the point of tears. It is a deeply moving book.The climatic events are well placed and catch the reader off guard, which I really liked. You anticipate something coming but the timing is so perfect that it catches you and makes you shake your head and say why didn't I catch that?Also loved the ending after the ending. -Richard B.…