So, picking up where the last book left off, Delta Orionus is stranded with a broken fusion plant in an unknown, uncharted system. The effort of bringing along several other vessels in its wake as left the Hunter needing repairs. Romanov rushes through various parts of his ship assessing damage and figuring out how and get them moving again.
Meanwhile, the rescued ships includes one which was his previous command, now damaged beyond salvage, and several pirate ships. The naval captain refuses to acknowledge Romanov as anything other than a criminal, he works with the pirate captains and plans a mutiny against Romanov.
The mutiny is thwarted but several marines and navy personnel die in the process. The survivors swear a blood oath on the coffins of the slain that they will stay united, and that is the “Bond of Blood” of the title.
In the review of the first book, I said:
Poor writing, cliched characters, predictable plot, and abysmal dialogues cannot come together and make an interesting read. There is absolutely zero depth to the story, and the narration is a tedious sequence of events with contrived efforts at creating drama.
This time around, all of the above hold true, and the dialogues are even worse. I thought the first book was painful, but this book was punishment. But I do know I will likely read one more before I lose interest enough to give up on this series.