Showing posts with label Apocalypse. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Apocalypse. Show all posts

Review // Edin by Lily Mayne

May 06, 2023

Edin by Lily Mayne

"You're just... good, Edin. Kind. And generous, and selfless. And you..." I flushed, feeling exposed. "You make me calm. You soothe me."

────── ♔ ──────


Edin by Lily Mayne

Edin by Lily Mayne


Standalone - Monstrous #2
Release - May 19, 2021
Genre - M/M Fantasy Romance / forced proximity
POV - Single 1st person
Heat - 5 out of 5
Format - ebook borrowed from Kindle Unlimited
Length - 410 pages

I was just a boy when the monsters rose on earth, forcing humans to flee to the coastlines and live in cramped, dirty, military-controlled cities. I enlisted as soon as I could to escape.

Now, I’ve been in the military for twelve years and have the scars—and missing body parts—to prove it. As a hardened soldier who’s spent his fair share of time out in the Wastes—the dangerous place where monsters roam free—I didn’t think anything could surprise me anymore.

But then circumstance forced me together with a big, annoying purple monster who’s arrogant and bossy and pushes all my buttons in the worst—and best—ways. I need his help, and I hate needing anyone’s help. But the more time I spend with him, the more I realise that maybe there’s more from him that I need. And that he might need things from me too.

But I’m still a soldier. I still have responsibilities. It doesn’t matter how I feel about Edin, because we can’t be together. It’s too dangerous.

That doesn’t stop me wanting him, though.

Find it here: Goodreads * Amazon


Edin by Lily Mayne

My Two Cents

4 "I love Edin so much!!" stars

I didn’t like this one as much as I did the first book (Soul Eater). I loved Edin. I loved him from the first time he was introduced through Wyn. I knew I’d love him more in his own book and I did. He was such a happy go-lucky male, but he also had so much depth to him. A tragic past weighed heavily upon him, however, he was still able to find and inspire hope, feel deeply, and, in many ways, honor his people.

Hunter was hard to like. It took most of the book for me to change my mind about him. He was selfish and self-serving. I get that he was desperate to save his friend, but even he recognized that he wasn’t being a good person. I believe Edin deserved so much more from him, right from the start. Here’s this overgrown alien who stops to help you, puts himself in danger for you, cares for you, etc. He gave far more than what he got.

I was so happy to see Wyn and Danny again and for some more justice to be served. Bye bye Mallory lol.

Edin and his purple c*ck ruled the show and I enjoyed how Hunter found a new part of himself. He loved submitting sexually for Edin. In the end, they were well-matched and I'm actually looking forward to seeing both of them again in the books to come.

Have I mentioned how in love I am with the fan art for this series???

Edin by Lily Mayne

Edin by Lily Mayne

The Author

Lily Mayne writes what she loves to read: achingly sweet yet gritty romances against unusual backdrops—dark, futuristic, dystopian and more.

She enjoys reading and writing (duh), cooking and baking, watching terrible horror movies and many other hobbies that would have potentially made her an ideal Victorian maid. Just a really lazy one.

She currently lives in the UK with her husband and several fluffballs, who like to make a lot of noise while she’s writing.

Find out more here: https://lily-mayne.com

Review // Soul Eater by Lily Mayne

March 30, 2023

Soul Eater by Lily Mayne

"You were the first human to treat me with something other than contempt or disgust... I decided to give you a chance at survival." ~ Wyn

────── ♔ ──────


Soul Eater by Lily Mayne

Soul Eater by Lily Mayne


Standalone - Monstrous #1
Genre - Fantasy Romance / apocalypse / MM romance
POV - Single 1st person
Heat - 5 out of 5
Format - ebook from Kindle Unlimited
Length - 329 pages

Twenty years ago, monsters rose on earth and began a new age of civilization.

One where humans live in military-controlled, cramped and dirty cities along the coasts, and the majority of the United States is known as the Wastes. A lawless, desolate and dangerous place, teeming with monsters that have claimed the land for their own.

Including Wyn the Soul Eater.

He appears every three years, making his way across the country and slaughtering humans randomly, sucking them dry until they’re nothing but husks.

I’ve only been in the military for six months, but now I’m part of a unit tasked with trying to stop and capture him. And when I’m the only soldier out of hundreds that the Soul Eater leaves alive, I realise that… something about me has intrigued him.

But what is it? What could a twenty-three year old guy from the south, with no one and nothing in the world, have possibly done to capture the attention of a death monster with horns, blackened fingertips and a face hidden in the dark depths of his hood?

Soul Eater is the debut novel of Lily Mayne. It is the first in a planned post-apocalyptic fantasy series featuring monsters and human men falling in love. Warning: This m/m love story contains explicit content and is not suitable for young readers. There are also graphic depictions of torture and violence.

Find it here: Goodreads * Amazon

Soul Eater by Lily Mayne

My Two Cents

4.25 "When a monster is the most human of us all" stars

I don't know how I found this book, but I'm so freaking glad I did!

For a debut book, this author could teach other authors a few things. While it took me a bit to become invested, once I was, there was absolutely no letting go of the characters I met.

Danny was a heartbreaker. As a human, he didn't have many options for a life—live in a cramped city with little chance for employment, live in the wastes scrounging for food, or join the military. As a soldier, he realized that his life didn't mean much to the higher ups and when he and his unit are used as cannon fodder, he decides that maybe the military life isn't for him. Hunting and capturing monsters isn't what he signed up for and he can't help but sympathize with the beings who are being imprisoned and tortured.

When they bring in Wyn the Soul Eater, Danny can't help but be drawn to this incredibly strong and mysterious being that no one can understand. He can't be killed and seems to just be biding his time. And for some reason, while he killed every other member of Danny's unit, Danny survived. Not only that, but Wyn seems to be as drawn to Danny as he is to him.

And I was just here... loving every moment between them.

I loved that they both had this vulnerability to them that fed into the compassion and yearning they felt. I found their every interaction endearing and touching, even the filthy bits!

Don't even get me started on Edin, Wyn's purple demon friend. I think he gets a book of his own and I'm eager to read it.

If you enjoy stories about people finding love in the most unlikely place, with the most unlikely person, then this book is most definitely for you!

The Author

Lily Mayne writes what she loves to read: achingly sweet yet gritty romances against unusual backdrops—dark, futuristic, dystopian and more.

She enjoys reading and writing (duh), cooking and baking, watching terrible horror movies and many other hobbies that would have potentially made her an ideal Victorian maid. Just a really lazy one.

She currently lives in the UK with her husband and several fluffballs, who like to make a lot of noise while she’s writing.

Find out more here: https://lily-mayne.com

Review // Marcus by Anna Hackett

January 10, 2023

Marcus by Anna Hackett

She was why he fought through the muck every day. So she could live and the goodness in her would survive. She deserved more than blood and death and killing. And she sure as hell deserved more than a battled-scarred, bloodstained soldier.

────── ♔ ──────


Marcus by Anna Hackett

Hell Squad: Marcus by Anna Hackett


Standalone - Hell Squad #1
Release - April 19, 2015
Genre - Scifi Romance / apocalypse
POV - Dual 3rd person
Heat - 3.5 out of 5
Format - ebook purchase from Amazon
Length - 217 pages
Publisher - Indie

In a world gone to hell, Elle Milton—once the darling of the Sydney social scene—has carved a role for herself as the communications officer for the toughest commando team fighting for humanity’s survival—Hell Squad. It’s her chance to make a difference and make up for horrible past mistakes…despite the fact that its battle-hardened commander never wanted her on his team.

When Hell Squad is tasked with destroying a strategic alien facility, Elle knows they need her skills in the field. But first she must go head to head with Marcus Steele and convince him she won’t be a liability.

Marcus Steele is a warrior through and through. He fights to protect the innocent and give the human race a chance to survive. And that includes the beautiful, gutsy Elle who twists him up inside with a single look. The last thing he wants is to take her into a warzone, but soon they are thrown together battling both the alien invaders and their overwhelming attraction. And Marcus will learn just how much he’ll sacrifice to keep her safe.

My Two Cents

4 "Fighting to Survive" stars

I haven’t read much in the way of apocalyptic romance, but this author set this one up so well that I feel like adding this trope to my must-read list.

The world has been overtaken by an alien invasion and the few human survivors left are waging a war to get the planet back. The Earth has been ravaged and aside from a few bases around the world, nowhere is safe.

The elite force of Hell Squad has been kicking ass and taking names. As the team leader, Marcus seems to have the entire world on his shoulders. I really liked this character. He knows loss and he knows pain. He also knows want and need. Battle-scarred and battle-weary, he doesn’t think he’s good enough for Elle. But when he learns that he’s the only man she sees, he has to start seeing things her way.

I liked Elle. She was a selfish and superficial party girl before the invasion. Now she is the best communications officer on the base. She provides reliable intel and is one of the few people who can translate the alien language for recon. She’s also consumed by her want and need of Marcus, but feels he’s out of her league. When he lets her in, she’s all in.

However, I did have one major issue with this book and it was one scene...

Her face turned mutinous. “Enough with the orders. You can order them around–” she jerked a thumb at the team “--but not me.” Marcus was speechless. He heard one of the others snicker.

What???

This is how you talk to your squad leader in front of his squad? Why, because you’re sleeping together? In a relationship? It was so weird and what was even weirder… he was okay with it.

The Author


Anna Hackett is a USA Today bestselling romance author who’s passionate about fast-paced, emotion-filled romantic suspense and science-fiction romance. She loves writing about people overcoming unbeatable odds and achieving seemingly impossible goals. Some of her bestselling series include Norcross Security, Team 52, Galactic Gladiators, and Eon Warriors.

Anna lives in Australia with her real-life hero and their two little boys. For more information on Anna and her books visit: www.annahackett.com

Review // Deal with the Devil by Kit Rocha

November 19, 2021

Deal with the Devil by Kit Rocha

She was good.
Fast, tough, smart.
A fearless warrior.
But her strength was also a weakness.
Nina was willing to throw herself at the world because she was so damn competent, she'd never lost.
She had overcome every obstacle and out-thought every opponent.
Until him.

────── ♔ ──────


Deal with the Devil by Kit Rocha

Deal with the Devil by Kit Rocha


Standalone? - Mercenary Librarians #1
Release - July 28, 2020
Genre - SciFi Romance / apocalypse
Multiple POV - 3rd person
Heat Level - 3.5 / a few scenes
Format/Source - ebook purchase from Amazon / hardcover purchase from Book Outlet
Length - 336 pages
Publisher - Tor Books

Nina is an information broker with a mission--she and her team of mercenary librarians use their knowledge to save the hopeless in a crumbling America.

Knox is the bitter, battle-weary captain of the Silver Devils. His squad of supersoldiers went AWOL to avoid slaughtering innocents, and now he's fighting to survive.

They're on a deadly collision course, and the passion that flares between them only makes it more dangerous. They could burn down the world, destroying each other in the process...

Or they could do the impossible: team up.

Find it here: Goodreads * Amazon


My Two Cents

4 "Who's the bigger badass" stars

After plenty of recommendations to read this author duo, I finally took the plunge. Mind you, I waited until this book was available for a decent price because HOLY COW IS IT EXPENSIVE?! Like seriously... on Amazon Canada... it's $11.99 just for the kindle copy.

I bought the hardcover a while back from Book Outlet (thanks Book Outlet for always saving me money) and when the digital copy went on sale for 99 cents (was that a glitch that I was lucky enough to catch?), I grabbed my copy and promised myself that one day... ONE DAY... I would read it. And finally I did!

And I really liked it!

Seriously, what was there not to like?
📚 lethal librarians - Nina's a deadly clone, Maya is a human computer, and Dani... well, she's just crazy!
📚 mercenaries - they're the Silver Devils and when someone they care about is taken and threatened, they prove they're willing to do almost anything to get her back
📚 chaos - who doesn't love chaos?
📚 destruction - again, who doesn't love it?
📚 enough plot to carry over into another book and characters I want to get to know better
📚 there was even the apocalypse version of romance

So why didn't it get all the stars? Well, here's the deal: I was told that these authors write some seriously filthy sex scenes. So when I realized that there was something building between Nina and Knox, I expected a lot of bow chicka wow wow and instead got some whomp whomp. Aside from calling his penis a cock like it should be, the sex scenes were pretty tame. And I felt let down. I know, I'm terrible for docking a star for lukewarm sex scenes. I'm such a fictional hoebag. And I'm sure there were more valid reasons to dock a star, but this is the one that keeps sticking out for me.

Will I read from these authors again? Yup. I'm planning to continue this series. And yes, I do know that the authors have a truly filthy menage series out there, but I'm not interested in books like that. I'll stick to the traditional relationships I've found here and muddle through the young adultish intimacy.

Favorite Quotes

Evil wasn’t afraid of good. Because good people always expected evil to play by the rules, and by the time they realized the game had changed, evil had won.


She was going to hate him. But she’d still help him. Maybe not for him, but for his men. For Conall. For Luna. She’d help him pull off this impossible job, she’d help him save the people counting on him. And her heart was so damn big. She might not hate him forever. Someday, she might even save him.


Knox touched her as if he needed her more than the oxygen swimming in his blood, as if— As if it was the last time.


Excerpt

Find chapter one of Deal with the Devil here: https://www.torforgeblog.com/2020/05/27/excerpt-deal-with-the-devil-by-kit-rocha/


About Kit Rocha

Kit Rocha is the pseudonym for co-writing team Donna Herren and Bree Bridges. After penning dozens of paranormal novels, novellas and stories as Moira Rogers, they branched out into gritty, sexy dystopian romance.

The Beyond series has appeared on the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists, has been nominated for best erotic romance in the RT Reviewer’s Choice award five times, and won in 2013 and 2015. Their most recent adventure is partnering with Tor to launch their critically acclaimed Mercenary Librarians series.

Visit https://www.kitrocha.com/ for more information

Review // Mercury Striking by Rebecca Zanetti

July 15, 2021


He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster.

And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.


- Friedrich Nietzsche

Mercury Striking by Rebecca Zanetti


Standalone - Scorpius Syndrome #1
Release - January 26, 2016
Genre - Romantic Suspense / post-apocalyptic
Multiple POV - 3rd person
Heat Level - 4
Format/Source - Kindle purchase
Length - 384 pages
Publisher - Zebra Books

Buy it here: https://amzn.to/3ialOqW


After a killer outbreak, a doctor searches for the one man who can help her find a cure.

The deadly Scorpius Syndrome has decimated North America. Now the few remaining survivors struggle to avoid infection and rebuild society. Dr. Lynne Harmony believes she can find a cure—but she knows she can’t do it alone. With nothing but rumors to lead her, Dr. Lynne Harmony has trekked across a nightmare landscape to find one man—a mysterious, damaged legend who protects the weak and leads the strong.

Former military man Jax Mercury is more than muscle and firepower—and in post-plague L.A., he’s Lynne’s only hope. But with powerful forces searching for Lynne, and some in Jax’s camp desperate enough to betray him, they’ll have to keep close if they want to survive.

I wondered how a story about post-apocalyptic horrors and zombies could be wrapped around a love story. However, I wasn't worried. Rebecca Zanetti is one of my favorite authors for a reason and with this introduction to The Scorpius Syndrome, she's shown a whole new side to what she can create and I'm impressed!

Jax Mercury was a military man. Once a gangbanger, he was now the protector of so many survivors. He was just trying to keep everyone alive, defending against other territories and gangs who wanted to take the meager supplies they had. He became a hero without intention. Oh... and he was delicious!
She'd seen good-looking men before. This one took handsomeness to deadly in a way that stirred her blood too much.

...tall and powerful, strength among ruin. Sexy and masculine, and just as damaged as she.
Then there's Lynne. Once the head of her department at the CDC, she was seen as the reason why the human race was becoming extinct. With a distinctive blue heart due to the Scorpius bacteria, she was viewed as either the harbinger of death... or the cure. Hunted, she believed that her only hope was finding Jax and taking advantage of his legendary heroics.
Lynne Harmony was stunning as well as desperately wounded. Delicate and fierce.
There was plenty of action and intrigue to be found here. One particular death scene left me stunned. I hate when a character I adore ends up dead 😭😭😭

There was no love lost between Lynn and I for most of this story. She kept secrets, tried to manipulate Jax, and turned me off in too many ways. It took me a while to warm up to her, however, I did by the end. I absolutely loved Jax! He was in denial about so many things, including the hero he had become. He was sexy, protective, dominant, brave, and determined. There's just something about an alpha ex-military hero done right that really does it for me. And Zanetti did it right here.


Despair hungered in the darkness, not lingering, not languishing . . . but waiting to bite. No longer the little brother of rage, despair had taken over the night, ever present, an actor instead of an afterthought.
Lynne picked her way along the deserted twelve-lane interstate, allowing the weak light from the moon to guide her. An unnatural silence hung heavy over the barren land. Rusting carcasses of vehicles lined the sides; otherwise, the once-vibrant 405 was dead.
Her months of hiding had taught her stealth. Prey needed stealth, as did the hunter.
She was both.
The tennis shoes she’d stolen from an abandoned thrift store protected her feet from the cracked asphalt, while a breeze scented with death and decomposing vegetation lifted her hair. The smell had saturated the wind as she’d trekked across the country.
The world was littered with dead bodies and devoid of souls.
A click echoed in the darkness. About time. Predators, both human and animal, crouched in every shadow, but she’d made it closer to what used to be Los Angeles than she’d hoped.
A strobe light hit her full on, rendering sight impossible. The miracle of functioning batteries brought pain. She closed her eyes. They’d either kill her or not. Either way, no need to go blind. “I want to see Mercury.” Since she’d aimed for the center of Mercury’s known territory, hopefully she’d find him and not some rogue gang.
Silence. Then several more clicks. Guns of some type. They’d closed in silently, just as well trained as she’d heard. As she’d hoped.
She forced strength into her voice. “You don’t want to kill me without taking me to Mercury first.” Jax Mercury, to be exact. If he still lived. If not, she was screwed anyway.
“Why would we do that?” A voice from the darkness, angry and near.
She squinted, blinking until her pupils narrowed. The bright light exposed her and concealed them, weakening her knees, but she gently set her small backpack on the ground. She had to clear her throat to force out sound. “I’m Lynne Harmony.”
Gasps, low and male, filled the abyss around her. “Bullshit,” a voice hissed from her left.
She tilted her head toward the voice, and then slowly, so slowly they wouldn’t be spooked, she unbuttoned her shirt. No catcalls, no suggestive responses followed. Shrugging her shoulders, she dropped the cotton to the ground, facing the light.
She hadn’t worn a bra, but she doubted the echoing exhales of shock were from her size Bs. More likely the shimmering blue outline of her heart caught their attention. Yeah, she was a freak. Typhoid Mary in the body of a woman who’d failed. Big time. But she might be able to save the men surrounding her. “So. Jax Mercury. Now.”
One man stepped closer. Gang tattoos lined his face, inked tears showing his kills. He might have been thirty, he might have been sixty. Regardless, he was dangerous, and he smelled like dust combined with body odor. A common smell in the plague-riddled world. Eyeing her chest, he quickly crossed himself. “Holy Mary, Mother of God.”
“Not even close.” A silent overpass loomed a few yards to the north, and her voice echoed off the concrete. The piercing light assaulted her, spinning the background thick and dark. Her temples pounded, and her hollow stomach ached. Wearily, she reached down and grabbed her shirt, shrugging it back on. She figured the “take me to your leader” line would get her shot. “Do you want to live or not?”
He met her gaze, his scarred upper lip twisting. “Yes.”

Rebecca Zanetti is the author of over forty romantic suspense, dark paranormals, and contemporary romances, and her books have appeared multiple times on the New York Times, USA Today, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and iBooks bestseller lists. She lives in the wilds of the Pacific Northwest with her own Alpha hero, two kids, a couple of dogs, a crazy cat…and a huge extended family. She believes strongly in luck, karma, and working her butt off…and she thinks one of the best things about being an author, unlike the lawyer she used to be, is that she can let the crazy out. Upcoming series are: The Blood Brothers, The Realm Enforcers and The Scorpius Syndrome.

Visit https://rebeccazanetti.com/ for more information!

God of Monsters by Keri Lake

November 03, 2020

God of Monsters by Keri Lake
"The love I feel for you is endless.
Infinite.
Unbreakable."
God of Monsters by Keri Lake

God of Monsters by Keri Lake


Juniper Unraveling #4
Release: September 22, 2020
Genre: Apocalyptic Dystopian Romance
Dual POV: 1st person
Heat: 4
Format/Source: ebook borrowed through KU
Length: 477 pages

I've heard stories about the Alphas. Violent soldiers, bred to kill both humans and mutations, whose sole purpose was to balance our survival against the infected.

Until they turned on their masters.

Held as subjects of the Calico research facility, they were forced to endure the gruesome experiments that transformed them into callous savages with hearts as impenetrable as their defenses. More terrifying than the monsters that decimated our world with disease and famine.

In the aftermath of Calico's collapse, many of the Alphas fled, only to be hunted by our own Legion army. And in their absence, the balance has shifted.

Kings of Carrion by Keri Lake

November 02, 2020

Kings of Carrion by Keri Lake
He's still the scarred boy who touched my heart. And I'm the wounded little bird,whose wings he made fly again. - Wren, about Six
Kings of Carrion by Keri Lake

Kings of Carrion by Keri Lake


Juniper Unraveling #3
Release: December 3, 2019
Genre: Apocalyptic Dystopian Romance
Multiple POV: primarily 1st person
Heat: 4
Format/Source: ebook borrowed through KU
Length: 317 pages

Decades have passed since our world was decimated by the Dredge. Some say it was an act of God. Others believe the devil himself breached the gates of hell and turned the masses into the mindless infected with an appetite for carnage.

Those of us who’ve survived the Calico experiments know the only thing more terrifying than the monsters that seek to ravage what’s left of us, are the men who created them. Ones too capable of hiding their true form, and burying their darkest secrets.

Somewhere beneath the facility lies the answers, a cure for our suffering. To reach it, we’ll have to open the haunting tomb, where man’s deadliest mistakes, the most violent mutations, lie trapped within its tunnels, waiting to be set free.

Our only hope in surviving them are the very Alphas who were designed to hunt us down. The titans forged by cruelty and pain.

Calico Descending by Keri Lake

October 30, 2020

Calico Descending by Keri Lake
Time and love are criminals who spare no one -- not even the most desiring. Time is the thief who comes in the night, silently chipping away at the present.
And love is the killer of hearts.

Calico Descending by Keri Lake

Calico Descending by Keri Lake


Juniper Unraveling #2
Release: October 29, 2019
Genre: Apocalyptic Dystopian Romance
Single POV: Heroine - 1st person
Heat: 4
Format/Source: ebook borrowed through KU
Length: 300 pages

I was fourteen when I was sold to the men in black uniforms. Too young to understand I served a purpose beyond that of the other girls they’d taken.

For the greater good.

Now, after four years in Calico, I’ve seen more death and suffering than during my days of surviving out in the Deadlands against the threat of Ragers and famine. I didn’t think this world could get any bleaker. Didn’t think it could take any more from me than it already had.

Not until I finally learned my purpose.

Juniper Unraveling by Keri Lake

October 21, 2020

Juniper Unraveling by Keri Lake
There is no monster more terrifying than the human being who lacks compassion.
Juniper Unraveling by Keri Lake

Juniper Unraveling by Keri Lake


Juniper Unraveling #1
Release: October 31, 2017
Genre: Apocalyptic Dystopian Romance
Heroine POV: 1st person
Heat: 3
Format/Source: ebook borrowed through KU

Papa says everyone has a story that deserves to be told.

Most begin years ago, after the second bomb hit, unearthing a deadly contagion that divided the population into the pure, the infected, and the Ragers.

Many recount the moment we rose up from the ashes and started anew.

Others tell of the day we built a wall to keep them out.

For some, they’re nothing more than the vestiges left behind—a simple name carved into the knotty bark of a Juniper tree.

My story begins with a boy. A mute, from the other side of the wall, known only as Six, who touched my heart in ways that words never could, and gave me the courage to face my darkest truth.

Warning: This book contains explicit sexual content, and violent scenes that some readers may find disturbing.

Dying for Rain by BB Easton

January 25, 2020

Dying for Rain by BB Easton

All I wanted to do was stay numb and die.
All Wes wanted was someone to help him survive.
But somehow, together, we figured out how to live.

Fighting For Rain by BB Easton

January 16, 2020

Fighting For Rain by BB Easton

"I thought Praying for Rain was one of the most amazing books I'd ever read... and the second one is even better!!!!!"
- T.M. Frazier, USA Today Bestselling Author

Review of Praying for Rain by BB Easton

April 03, 2019

“None of this matters, and we’re all going to die.”

With only three days left until the predicted apocalypse, the small town of Franklin Springs, Georgia, has become a wasteland of abandoned cars, abandoned homes, abandoned businesses, and abandoned people. People like Rainbow Williams.

Rain isn’t afraid of dying. In fact, she’s looking forward to it. If she can just outrun her pain until April 23, she’ll never have to feel it at all.

Wes Parker has survived every horrible thing this life has thrown at him with nothing more than his resourcefulness and disarming good looks. Why should the end of the world be any different? All he needs are some basic supplies, shelter, and a sucker willing to help him out, which is exactly what he finds when he returns to his hometown of Franklin Springs.

As society crumbles, dangers mount, and secrets refuse to stay buried, two lost souls are thrust together in a twist of fate—one who will do anything to survive and one who can’t wait to die.

Perhaps, together, they can learn how to live.

Before their time runs out.