ARC REVIEW Past This Point by Nicole Mabry

A pervasive outbreak of a new virus from the viewpoint of a civilian. Nicole Mabry captured the intensity, the paranoia, and the heartbreak perfectly. The main character Karis I felt really connected to, I don't know if it was just the similar heritage, or the fact we are the same age, or the fact that she kind of reminded me of my sister but I really felt like I was experiencing this with her from the initial stages of the outbreak and through the quarantine.

Karis' self imposed isolation from her friends after a bad break up and slight germaphobic ways is probably what saved her life. Karis uses life skills she learned as a child to stay alive, knowing how to cook from scratch and how to cook acorns so they are edible to the self defense classes her father made her take, she was even wary enough to stockpile her dogs food when the virus kept most of her coworkers home. Karis tried getting a flight out of NY after the CDC cleared her but she wouldn't, couldn't leave her dog behind. She made friends with two little girls across the courtyard and fought off the madness of the isolation and quiet the was once NYC and then she met Ollie. Oliver "Ollie" is a British citizen who arrived two weeks before the quarantine got stuck in NYC. Karis who saved his life but still unsure if she could trust him, it seemed like this virus and quarantine brought out the worst in people.

Overall, this book was outstanding. Karis is intelligent, strong, and intuitive and a great main character. Julia and Emma the little girls across the courtyard were adorable and Julia was wise beyond her years. Zeke, the dog, a great companion and a sympathetic ear. Ollie is exactly what Karis needed, at first you're unsure of him but he does earn Karis' trust and her love he kept her sane and hopeful. I loved this book it was emotional and heart-poundingly thrilling. This is in my top three for apocalyptic genre along with Z for Zachariah and The Wolf Road.     

ARC REVIEW Winter Igniting by Rebecca Zanetti

Scorpius Syndrome #5, Waiting for Damon's book has been like waiting for that one piece of chocolate you reward yourself with after waiting for what seems like forever and when you finally get it and it's so good. mmmmmmmm. You can read this without reading the first four but if you are like me all the previous characters with obvious stories and I don't know them bug me, but it is an easy read. It's easy to get absorbed into the dystopian post pandemic world where people struggle for water, and all the amenities we take for granted. Rebecca paints a pretty scary picture for what the world could be like if something like that actually happened. I'm torn on the characters, I absolutely love Damon he's the cool and calm one to counterbalance Grey's hot tempered nature, Damon is loyal and as a former cop has a good sense of right and wrong. April on the other hand has been very timid and sweet but she started to come back to her true self and damned if she didn't get annoying. She bordered on TSTL and I hate that term so for me to actually use it shows how much she pissed me off. I can understand her wanting to assert her independence and prove her worth in the community but there is being smart about it and being stupid and she was doing some pretty stupid things. Thankfully by the end she learned her lesson and actually showed common sense for a change.

April and Damon are more alike than it seems, both are loyal and steadfast, they both had families and lost everyone they loved, and they both are still Scorpius free. Which make them prime candidates for infiltrating the "Pure". The Pure are the people who have yet to be infected by Scorpius, their leader who founded the Pure and gave that stupid name, yes even the people who are part of that think it's a stupid name too, is dead and the new leader a young cocky guy Zach is in charge now and even though it makes sense that the unifected would want to stay that way it still feels like something funny is going on and they need to get to the bottom of it. But that's not their only worry the gang Twenty joined forces with the evil President of the United States, Bret Atherton, and have been systematically attacking Vanguard territory, trying to merge Vanguard and the Mercenaries, and they have to plan a raid on the Reno Bunker for more information. Between all that Damon is stretched thin and falling for April wasn' t in the cards. 

April lost everything to Scorpius, raised in the foster system her husband and daughter were her whole life. Then suddenly this PTA president baseball mom extraordinaire had nothing she was at a loss of what to do, until Jax gave her a mission. April's determination to do a good job starts to bring back her confidence. Her attraction to Damon scares her because of who he is, he was L.A.P.D. SWAT he's always going to be the first one in the door, she so afraid of losing another loved one she doesn't want to get close to him and with as many times as he gets injured in this one book alone I don't blame her. Damon is determined to win April over and show her he's worth living for.    

Overall, I loved Damon, April not so much but she was better by the end of the book, everything else about this book I loved. I can't wait to find out what happens next.   

ARC REVIEW Justice Ascending by Rebecca Zanetti

 Justice Ascending is probably my favorite of the series so far. Aside from me finding the name Tace really annoying, I really did enjoy this one both characters have been established in the past two book, we know them well, or at least we think we do, Sami with her secrets and Tace with his mind slowly going psycho, or so he thinks, after being infected with the Scorpius Syndrome. Tace and Sami have been attracted to each other since before Tace got infected, it just taken Tace getting infected and slowly becoming more dominant rather than the laid back cowboy for him to act on his attraction. Sami is just all around badass, she' one of the elite soldiers of Vanguard and one of Jax's top lieutenants, (Thankfully Jax wasn't much of an a-hole in this book). But Sami's secret to one she is ready to take to the grave, until...

Since getting Raze's sister back from the Mercenaries they have had an uneasy truce.  Greyson, the leader of the Mercenaries, has greenhouses and he needs Maureen, Raze's sister, to help rebuild them. Greyson and Jax need to come to some common ground so they can work together. Meanwhile Tace and Sammi get sent up to Merc territory to help with the wounded and scope out what supplies they have. Jax is ready to raid the Merc territory when They get back but the secret Tace has been keeping has got the better of him and the only way to save him is if Sami reveals her deep dark secret. The only way to save him is if Jax and Greyson join forces against the President. They do hesitantly agree however that they need some kind of understanding they both want to find the legendary Bunker.

Overall, the book was very exciting and emotional and hot! OMG Tace and Sami together are wow. Tace knows, he is aware, that Sami can take care of herself but he has this protective streak that's telling him she shouldn't have to, that it is his job to protect her. I am guessing it has something to do with the Scorpius Syndrome that makes the men who have been affected by it more possessive. I mean look at what it did to the stupid President and his obsession over both Lynne and Vinnie. I do recommend that this series be read in order, it can be a stand-alone but to really understand it they need to be read in order.        

ARC REVIEW Shadow Falling by Rebecca Zanetti

This is the second book of Rebecca Zanetti's Scorpius Syndrome and while I enjoyed it I felt like something was missing. I loved the prequel novella and I was so excited for the series, but the first one was a little disappointing and I really didn't like Jax (I thought he was a bit of an ass). This one I enjoyed the story, the romance and conflict between Raze and Vivienne; I also liked Raze so much more than Jax. I guess I wish it was all a little bit more science fiction than just dystopian/post apocalyptic action, that's just my preference the prequel was more sci-fi and I really enjoyed that one. One thing and really I'm nitpicking but it is a pet peeve, "bazooka", nope sorry I cringed it pulled me out of the story and just, nope. I really don't like that stupid name. Unless it's an M1, M9, M18, or M20 rocket launcher, or another variance of those, it wouldn't be called a bazooka. (sorry, it's just me) There were some, I think, unnecessary parts in the story that just made me question why was this happening? How is this important to the overall story? I hope it all comes together in the later books.

What I did like, Raze and Vivienne, Vivienne especially. She was previously infected early in the outbreak, and as the FBI's best profiler she was used to track down the survivors who turned into sociopaths. Her instinct and determination is what lead the crazy president to think she was psychic, so he kidnapped her and tortured her injecting her will all manner of drugs. This lead to her current state of semi-crazy, she sees her dead step mother who tries to convince her that she can read minds. The drugs also disintegrated the filter between her brain and her mouth and she says some of the most embarrassing things and she can make fun of herself for it; she has become more open, more relatable to the people around her. She never gave up. Raze has a secret and as much as he trusts Jax and the other Vanguards he feels like he has to do this himself. He's very independant and alpha but a big softy when it comes to Vivienne. He's protective but knows when to give in he knows her strengths and lets her do her thing. Raze is very loyal and what he is being forced to do is torturing him inside. The relationship between Raze and Vivienne is strained at first, the sexual tension is there and they would both act on it but Raze is uninfected. After Jax gets done being an asshole it all changes and then there is no separating the two. Until Vivienne discovers the reason Raze is secretive, but even then it doesn't last long.

Overall, aside from the few things that I didn't like, this had some great action and suspense a very caring alpha male, Raze. It gave some clues as to what happened with the prequel couple Nora, Deacon and their psycho, but not near enough! I am desperate to find out what happened with them.      

ARC REVIEW The Wolf Road by Beth Lewis

OMG! Okay so this is my non-romance read. This is a post apocalyptic Yukon survival novel. I don't know what to think when I picked this novel except that the synopsis intrigued me. It was like subliminal message telling me I must read. The first chapter pulls you in, it continues at a much slower pace but once you get into it... it was addictive. I was up all night reading it. What happened to make the bombs drop and what changed the world is vague, when Elka first mentions it she states she never really cared about how it happened, it happened it's in the past and she lives in the now not the past. It does eventually give more details but it's an interesting take on what happens after. The Yukon Gold Rush basically gets a reset button, the bombs open up some veins of gold and that sparks a new rush of fools looking to become rich. Mother nature also got mean, everything became much worse winter, tornadoes everything. This thriller has a great story and a nice twist.

Elka doesn't remember her real name, when she was seven a massive storm tore her house up and spirited her away. She landed miles away she picked a direction and started walking the first person she came across she called Trapper. He raised her to be just like him a tracker and hunter to know how to live off the land for ten years she has cared for him like a father but one day in town she sees a poster with a charcoal picture of her Trapper wanted for murder. Elka doesn't want to believe it but things from her past start to connect and she realizes just what kind of a person he really is. The magistrate is after Kreager Hallet for the abduction and murder of several woman and one child. Once Magistrate Lyon suspects Elka of being part of it she's searching for her too. Elka runs and starts a roller coaster ride of a journey through the wilderness and making the least likely friends. Elka deals with things that she never had to deal with before murderous zealots, white slavers and trusting people who ask for nothing in return and escaping Magistrate Lyons alive.

Overall, my only problem with this book is the narrative. Elka is not educated and as it is told in first person so getting over my biggest pet peeve of double negatives and my brain autocorrecting stuff as soon as I trained my brain not to implode over the narrative I became immersed in the story and I stopped noticing it. I loved the story and the characters were great, Kreager I can believe was an evil sonofabitch.