Reckless Association — D.C. Shaftoe

Ayden "Reck" Breckinridge is a street-level enforcer, known on the inner-city streets of Cincinnati as The Wrecker. His occupation is written on his skin with ink and scars and in his eyes with a look of steel. When a community leader assaults his sister, the only person who shares space in his shriveled heart, he seeks vengeance in the only way he knows. However, just as violence breeds violence, so too does aggravated violence lead to time in a federal prison. Upon his release, Reck finds a second chance at the foot of the Cross. Weary of pain and death, Reck grabs onto salvation with both hands, taking his first steps on the road to recovery. But can the power of God transform a life so filled with violence? Seeking to reinvent himself, Reck leaves his criminal history behind in the gang-ravaged streets of Over-the-Rhine, Cincinnati and moves to Ancora, a small town in Ohio. But what he cannot leave behind are the consequences of a lifetime of aggression. Day by day, hour upon hour, he progresses away from his past, stumbling, falling but rising up again to try anew. His life, he learns, is a work in progress. But the people of Ancora do not want the ex-con among them. They judge him harshly, seeing only the way his apparel, his status, and behavior patterns make him differ from those in their community. Except for Sophie Paetan, who sees beyond Reck's scruffy clothes and tattoos to the man beneath. Can Reck overcome his tumultuous history to find love with Sophie? And when the selfish choices from his old life intrude abruptly on their relationship, can Sophie and Reck unite in love to overcome the consequences of Reck's past and build a future together?