Salsa and Speed Bumps by Susan M. Baganz

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What do you get when you add fears of a single mother-to-be, a bad decision to date a shrewd man, an attraction towards a handsome man, who is struggling to lead a normal life due to his addiction to drugs, and immense faith in God? Well, you get Salsa and Speed Bumps by Susan M. Baganz. I am glad that I came across this book. This is a romantic fiction with, as many twists and turns as, one may think of.

Stephanie makes a bad choice of dating Luis, who does not respect a lady like she deserves to be. She becomes a victim of a date rape by him. As a result, she becomes pregnant with his child. This baby turns her life upside down. She likes to be in control of her life, but being pregnant with this child complicates her lifestyle. Struggling with the decision to either keep this baby or give up the baby for adoption, she is confused and frustrated. To add to the drama in her life, Luis begins threatening her to take him back in her life. As a ray of sunshine, a man named Roberto Rodriguez enters her life. They are instantly attracted towards each other. However, this man is struggling with problems of his own. He was addicted to drugs, but soon realized that he was better than this, he quits this addiction. However, keeping oneself off the drugs and committing to a new relationship take a toll on every addict, and Roberto is no exception. With both of them juggling with their own problems, will they be able to commit to each other?

This book is full of many unpredictable twists. All the characters that the author introduces have a purpose to fulfill. No character is introduced just to fill the pages. Apart from the main characters, I really admired Stephanie’s friend, Tony. He remains by her side, even when she finds another shoulder to lean on. Reading this book, I found myself captivated by the plot of the book. Susan has a clear idea of her story and she knows just the right set of events to keep her readers on the edge of their seats. Her narration of the story is very practical. The emotional journey of a single mother, a drug addict, and their friends is written in the most convincing manner.

The author is not too descriptive with the physical description of the characters. She describes only what is necessary. One thing that I found most interesting in Salsa and Speed Bumps is how Susan has started each chapter of the book. A Mexican Proverb is written at the beginning of each chapter, which gives readers a hint of what to expect from the chapter.

I found the story of this book very entertaining. It is full of drama and unpredictable events. The reaction and dialogues of the characters are very practical. The best part is that the author has kept the events of the book practical and believable. The problems that Roberto faces due to his history of drug addiction are realistic. I believe every single mom would be able to connect with Stephanie’s doubts and fears in raising the baby as a single parent.

Only one thing overwhelmed me in the book. The characters kept praying for each other a number of times in each chapter. Although I admired the trust of the characters in God, I found myself fast forwarding those particular sentences, as those were used a lot.

I would recommend this book to the readers, who enjoy reading a romantic fiction with plenty of unpredictable twists and turns. If I liked this book while being down with fever, I am sure every other romantic soul will enjoy it, too.

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