Beyond the Night (Envy Chronicles, #1)

Aug 23, 2011 Mollie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010, dystopian, may, own, post-apocalyptic, romance, paranormal-romance

So thankful to Kristie(J) and Nath for bringing this series to my attention. I've been getting into the post-apocalyptic/dystopian genre for awhile now. However, most of what I've read has been of the YA variety, aside from a few adult titles, like The Road by Cormac McCarthy. So I was uberexcited to hear that this series combined both post-apocalyptic AND romance.

Part Resident Evil, part I Am Legend, throw in a little Atlantis conspiracy theory and add romance and you've got yourself the beginn...more So thankful to Kristie(J) and Nath for bringing this series to my attention. I've been getting into the post-apocalyptic/dystopian genre for awhile now. However, most of what I've read has been of the YA variety, aside from a few adult titles, like The Road by Cormac McCarthy. So I was uberexcited to hear that this series combined both post-apocalyptic AND romance.

Part Resident Evil, part I Am Legend, throw in a little Atlantis conspiracy theory and add romance and you've got yourself the beginning of a fabulous new series! I really enjoyed this book, not necessarily for the romance but mostly for Ware's world building. As readers we're being introduced to this new version of our world after a catastrophic geological phenomena that remains a mystery. I'm really anxious to learn more about what, or who, caused this catastrophe that basically wiped out the planet. This bit of mystery and intrigue extends to both the Rip Van Winkle clan ( Why were they zonked out for 50 years? Why do they have new-found powers?) and to the Strangers (Who are they? Are they responsible for the apocalypse? What do they have planned next?) So many questions! I can't wait to find out the answers in the following books!

I rarely find the first book in a series to be my favorite (the exception being Outlander by Diana Gabaldon), especially in sci-fi/fantsay/UF mostly because the first book is usually setting up the entire world for the reader. I usually find the romance to be a little lacking in the first of a series. This was the case with Beyond the Night. Don't get me wrong I enjoyed the romance between Jade and Elliot but one of the reasons I love reading a series is because authors often give characters a story arc that span several books. Some readers don't like this. I love it. I feel like I'm invested in these characters and usually enjoy their stories the most. Unfortunately, I lacked this connection with Elliot and Jade. The sexy bits are hot but I'm more interested in find the answers to the above mentioned questions and learning more about Elliot's companions.

All in all this book lived up to my expectations. I'm so glad there's a post-apocalyptic romance series! I can't wait to pick up the next book!

The Envy Chronicles in order:

1. Beyond the Night
2. Embrace the Night Eternal
3. Abandon the Night(less)

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Feb 18, 2010 Darcy rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010

I thought this book was really slow to start, and was basically forcing myself to read hoping it would get better. When I reached the 125 page point things had started to pick up, but I realized that I didn't care what was going on. The zombie like creatures could have gotten all of the characters and it wouldn't matter to me as this book just couldn't hold my interest.

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Jul 28, 2011 Angie rated it 1 of 5 stars

Particulièrement mauvais!

Il passe 50 ans dans une sorte de stase, mais à son réveil, il n'a qu'une seule pensée: "zut, 50 ans que je n'ai pas utilisé mon spaghetti, ça fait long je n'en peux plus!". Donc forcément, la 1ère femme qui passe et montre un peu de peau l'excite comme un fou. Malheureusement, cela tombe sur Jade (bien qu'il la prenne pour la putain de Babylon, oui il est un romantique), et entre eux il y a une tension sexuelle omniprésente et lourde au possible. Cela n'en finit pas jus...more

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Jan 28, 2010 The Holy Terror rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: everyone

Shelves: bought-01-10, owned, post-apocalyptic, sexy-science-fiction, horror, zombies, 2010

4.5 Stars!

I'm a big fan of Colleen Gleason and when I found out she was writing a new series under a new name, a post-apocalyptic zombie romance no less, I knew I had to read it as soon as it came out. I loved this book and I can't wait for the sequel, but there were a few things that bothered me and kept me from giving it the full five stars.

A small group of men went hiking in Arizona and entered a cave, only to be caught in some sort of earthquake. When they emerged, the whole world had change...more 4.5 Stars!

I'm a big fan of Colleen Gleason and when I found out she was writing a new series under a new name, a post-apocalyptic zombie romance no less, I knew I had to read it as soon as it came out. I loved this book and I can't wait for the sequel, but there were a few things that bothered me and kept me from giving it the full five stars.

A small group of men went hiking in Arizona and entered a cave, only to be caught in some sort of earthquake. When they emerged, the whole world had changed. Civilization as they knew it was gone and the world had become overgrown by nature. They come to find out that they had been asleep for 50 years, not aging, and everyone they knew was dead and gone. And at night, strange zombie-like creatures come out at night, moaning for Ruuutthh...

This story revolves around the relationship of Dr. Elliot Drake, one of the men from the past, and Jade, a girl from the current world. The story is about them at its core, but there's so much more going on. They way the plot reveals itself bit by bit is fascinating and I was eating it up. Right off the bat you want to know why the world is the way it is, who Jade really is, why did the group of men survive and how did they not age? It's all pretty crazy at first but not to the point where it's overwhelming.

The zombie-like creatures, the gangas, are scary and menacing and I was reminded of the video game Resident Evil while I was reading the fight scenes with them. I think this book would make a great video game, actually! There's romance, action, horror, science fiction, and suspense all rolled into this one book. I loved just about every minute of it.

There were a few things that bothered me though. Having sex while a body is sitting in a bath tub in the next room over is not sexy. That really turned me off. Also, I'm kind of worried about who and what the villains are, I'm afraid it might end up being a little cheesy. When I first read about where their origins were from I cringed. But, that mystery wasn't wrapped up in this book so I'll have to wait for the next to see if I get some more answers.

That aside, I enjoyed it a lot. I think it's crazy how Ware managed to meld so many different genres into one book, but I love her for it!(less)

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Sep 09, 2010 Theresa rated it 3 of 5 stars

Recommended to Theresa by: http://www.likesbooks.com/cgi-bin/bookReview.pl?BookReviewId=764

Shelves: dystopian-or-post-apocalyptic, fantasy-pnr, 2010

The world-building was incredible, but the romance felt like a sidenote, as did the characterization. I didn't really care for any of the characters except maybe Quent and Zoe because their ONE scene was hotter than any of Jade and Elliot's were... which is kind of sad. The last 30 or so pages took me two days to finish - I was very bored at that point. I also could have done without the vivid description of abuse at the end - that turned my stomach and made me not want to finish the book. Proba...more

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Apr 12, 2013 Miraphora rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy

Tutto sommato non è stata una lettura spiacevole, anche se non avevo letto tanti commenti positivi. Pensavo che fosse veramente brutto oppure particolarmente deludente, invece mi ha coinvolta al punto giusto. Ammetto che speravo in qualcosa di più, considerando che l'ambientazione e la trama mi avevano incuriosita, però - per essere un primo tentativo della Gleason a qualcosa di completamente diverso dal suo solito storico vampirico - direi che è andata bene.
Parliamo degli elementi positivi: pe...more Tutto sommato non è stata una lettura spiacevole, anche se non avevo letto tanti commenti positivi. Pensavo che fosse veramente brutto oppure particolarmente deludente, invece mi ha coinvolta al punto giusto. Ammetto che speravo in qualcosa di più, considerando che l'ambientazione e la trama mi avevano incuriosita, però - per essere un primo tentativo della Gleason a qualcosa di completamente diverso dal suo solito storico vampirico - direi che è andata bene.
Parliamo degli elementi positivi: per prima cosa mi viene da dire l'idea di base. Il cataclisma mondiale, l'Apocalisse, insomma...la fine del mondo come lo conosciamo è un buon punto di partenza sulla quale inventare qualcosa di completamente nuovo. Un nuovo mondo, con nuove creature e nuove società dove far muovere i propri personaggi, sdoganandoli dalle regole della società contemporanea. E' come se tutto fosse possibile perché, tanto, come si può stabilire cos'è normale e cosa no in un futuro post apocalittico? Allo stesso modo la selezione naturale che ha decimato praticamente tutta la popolazione mondiale, lasciando in vita solo poche migliaia di persone, rende tutto più stuzzicante: chi è sopravvissuto e perché?
Da qui, però, si collegano i primi punti dolenti della trama. L'autrice non dà una spiegazione ad alcuni elementi, lasciando che persistano nella storia e dando per scontata la loro presenza. Tanto per cominciare cosa sono questi Ganga? Ok, sono mostri che si nutrono di carne umana...ma da dove arrivano? Perché nessuno fa congetture sulla loro origine, mentre si tirano un sacco di storie sulle questioni umane e di questi Stranieri? Mistero. Scarsina, purtroppo, la resa totale del mondo post apocalittico. Si sa poco o nulla sulla situazione materiale delle persone. Per esempio mi sarebbe piaciuto leggere come ci si arrangia per le questioni di poco conto, come lavarsi. Il mondo va a remengo e le tubature sono ancora funzionanti? Anche la storia dell'energia elettrica, ripristinata dai due nerd, regge veramente poco. Figuriamoci se solo due persone riescono a fare tutta sta roba...con il mondo raso al suolo. Ma per cortesia. Quindi la trama regge, ma sul filo del rasoio perché l'autrice si è fissata sui personaggi nel poco riuscito tentativo di creare una storia futuristic/romance/non so che cosa.
I personaggi: in teoria c'è una love story tra il bel dottore Elliott e la wild woman Jade. Dico in teoria perché non c'è approfondimento e i due sembrano usciti dritti dritti da un Harmony che, sapete bene, non snobbo assolutamente ma che cerco solo se voglio leggerli. Qui mi aspettavo altro, sono sincera, una storia che si legasse bene con l'atmosfera di disperazione. Si, va bene, il doc è meglio reso di Jade però la sensazione finale è di una storia d'amore superficiale e poco coinvolgente. Ciò non toglie che, tutto sommato, si lascia leggere con interesse perché i due si muovono nella storia, tra inseguimenti, cacce all'uomo e combattimenti, però è sempre tutto all'acqua di rose. Non si capisce perché Elliott e i suoi amici si sono 'autoibernati' e non sono invecchiati, non si capisce e nemmeno si fa riferimento all'origine dei loro poteri. Insomma, approssimato, anche se fatto in modo tale da pesare solo alla fine. Non ho molto da dire sui protagonisti, perché sono due cliché fatti e finiti: lui è un dottore bello e dalla morale di ferro, uno di quelli che piuttosto di fare del male schiatta lui, molto 'anima buona' e tutte quelle boiate mentre lei è la classica Sheena, regina post apocalittica, che mi lascia fredda come un cubetto di ghiaccio.
Non ho capito se mi è piaciuto abbastanza da tentare con il secondo. Credo che dovrò prima aspettare di vedere se la Newton lo pubblica e poi meditare sulla trama. A freddo posso dire che è una storia piacevole, poco impegnativa e carina. Ma a caldo ho storto un pò il nasino.
Ultima nota, riguardo alla copertina. Ma se il romanzo è ambientato nel futuro post apocalittico, cosa cavolo ci azzecca la lady pseudo vittoriana? Alla Newton si sono fumati l'origano.(less)

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Sep 07, 2012 P.A. Lupton rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to P.A. by: t'irla ~The BookSlayer~

I liked this book WAY more than I was expecting. Don’t get me wrong, it was recommended by someone I trust so I knew I’d like it, I just didn’t expect to love it as much as I did. Why? First, because I have never read any Dystopian novels (well, not since the Chrysalids in High School) and the description just didn’t appeal to me. That sounds terrible, but I’m being honest. I would have never read this book based on the blurb. I only read it because it was a good friend I trust who recommended i...more

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Aug 24, 2011 Christi Snow rated it 5 of 5 stars

My Review:
OMG, I am so excited about this series. This was a phenomenal first book to get it all going. This is a post-apocalyptic world created by Joss Ware and it is brilliant!

Elliott and 5 others were hiking in a cave near Sedona when the apocalypse happened. Something about where they were hiking caused them to sleep through the next 50 years. When they woke up, it was 50 years after the world fell to ruin, but they hadn't aged a day and even had new powers that they are still discovering. T...more My Review:
OMG, I am so excited about this series. This was a phenomenal first book to get it all going. This is a post-apocalyptic world created by Joss Ware and it is brilliant!

Elliott and 5 others were hiking in a cave near Sedona when the apocalypse happened. Something about where they were hiking caused them to sleep through the next 50 years. When they woke up, it was 50 years after the world fell to ruin, but they hadn't aged a day and even had new powers that they are still discovering. They awoke to a world in ruin where very few people have survived. Civilization has fallen and gangas (zombie-like creatures) rule the night.

The book starts 6 months after this group has awakened and they are trying to find their way to Envy...the largest known civilization left in the Western half of the country. Envy turns out to be what's left of Las Vegas, now called New Vegas, or N.V. = Envy. A day out from arriving at Envy, they run into a group of teenagers being attacked by gangas and Jade, who is on horseback trying to save them. Elliott is immediately in lust with Jade (it's been 50+ years since the guy got laid.) He also quickly discovers that there is a nasty little twist to his new-found power of healing.

I LOVED Elliott. He was a doctor before the change and he still has that heart of caring...for everyone. He is devastated and still trying to absorb all that has happened within the last 50 years. PTSD, sleep deprivation, fury, nightmares, and overwhelming sadness are just some of the daily problems that he is dealing within his psyche. It's a strange new world and he has no idea how he and his friends fit into it anymore when everything that they knew and loved is suddenly gone. He feels an incredible pull to Jade, but doesn't want to give into that as he misunderstands how she fits into this world and the men around her.

Jade is a survivor. She survived 3 years as a prisoner and slave to the Strangers before she escaped. Rape, beatings, torture were just the tip of the horrors that she had to survive and she is still on the run from them. But that does not keep her from playing in her part in an uprising that is brewing against the Survivors being led by Lou and his brother Theo, two computer geniuses that were alive when the apocalypse happened and doing all in their power to take back their world.

This is a powerful book with a fantastic group of characters. I think that this is definitely going to be a keeper series for my closet if this first book is anything to judge it by. I am so excited to move onto book #2!!!
(less)

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Apr 20, 2011 Michele Powers rated it 4 of 5 stars

Yet again the AAR site has turned me on to a good book... It was like watching a movie on the Scifi Channel, except more romance, which is always good. I love post apocalyptic stuff. Its so interesting to me thinking of what humans would do if our world disintegrated and we had to start all over. I watch every show on tv, or see every movie that has this theme. Now its also a romance series. I'm thrilled!
The hero, Elliot, was a little bit over the top good guy for me. That's just because I have...more

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Feb 13, 2011 Jen (Red Hot Books) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: envy-chronicles, futuristic, pararnormal-romance

It's 50 years in the future. And Earth has undergone a near-apocalypse. Humanity's numbers have dwindled --and there are killer zombies. OK, maybe not exactly zombies, but close enough; they're called gangas. And there are also sort-of immortal people called Strangers. Thrust into this strange new world are five men from the past. They were exploring an Arizona cave when the "Change" happened. And they went into some kind of stasis for five decades, waking only about 6 months before our story be...more It's 50 years in the future. And Earth has undergone a near-apocalypse. Humanity's numbers have dwindled --and there are killer zombies. OK, maybe not exactly zombies, but close enough; they're called gangas. And there are also sort-of immortal people called Strangers. Thrust into this strange new world are five men from the past. They were exploring an Arizona cave when the "Change" happened. And they went into some kind of stasis for five decades, waking only about 6 months before our story begins. Now, they're trying to find some kind of civilization and answers about what happened to the world.

One of the five men is Elliot. He is a doctor. And ever since the cave-thing, now he has some medical superpowers, where he can scan people like an MRI or something and heal them with his touch. Only problem is that he takes the illness onto himself or passes it on to the next person he touches. Anyway, on their travels, the men run into a group of teens at the mercy of some gangas and they attempt to rescue them. But a mysterious woman also comes to their aid. That woman is Jade. She has a tortured history that includes years of imprisonment and brutality at the hands of the Strangers. Now she is part of the Resistance, fighting the mysterious immortals, that may or may not be to blame for Earth's near destruction.

Of course, Elliot and Jade are our star-crossed lovers. It takes awhile for them to get over their skittishness and seal the deal. Their romance was ok. I'm not sure why, but it didn't hit the mark entirely for me. Frankly, I was more interested in what was happening with side-character Quent and a mysterious archer woman. I'm sure they'll get their own book down the line.

The premise of the story is interesting and unique. But I felt like we spent a lot of time with pop culture references back to "our time" and angst from our cave-guys that didn't completely resonate for me. I liked it enough that I'll check out the next installment. Maybe once we're past the set-up, I'll be able to make a deeper connection to the characters. 3 1/2 stars.
(less)

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Jan 05, 2011 Delilah Stephans rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is book 1 of a, well new to me, series so naturally it has a lot of world building. It takes place 50 years post-apocalypse.

The world is sans technology, buildings crumbled during the event and the Pacific ocean is now located just outside of what was Las Vegas. There are nasty monsters that are kind of zombieish but not. They attack anything human but not blondes - those they carry off.

Dr. Elliot Drake AKA Dr. E. D./ Dread, is a very interesting character - after waking up he has a unique...more

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Oct 02, 2010 is mee... kissa rated it 3 of 5 stars

Recommended to is mee... kissa by: Anja

yaaaay! finished!!!!
okay... gotta admit... the setting in this book is really unique... i think... well for me it is so i found it wow! definitely a post-apocalyptic world i'm not used to, so it took a little while for me to adjust to the World and what was going on... but at least I understood eventually...
...and the zombies... hmm... this is my first book with zombies as a significant part of the plot... Ruuuuuuuuuuuth Ruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuth haha... love it... in this book however, these zombies...more

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Sep 28, 2010 Jane Stewart rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy-sci-fi-romance

Good for action and events in a post-apocalyptic world. Not as good for emotional connection, but ok.

STORY BRIEF:
In June, 2010, “The Change” happened to earth. Earthquakes caused parts of continents to sink into the oceans. Severe weather caused buildings to collapse. For unknown reasons, most humans collapsed and died. A small percentage of people survived including Lou and his brother Theo. They live in a community of survivors in Envy, Nevada. At the time of the change, six guys were in a cav...more Good for action and events in a post-apocalyptic world. Not as good for emotional connection, but ok.

STORY BRIEF:
In June, 2010, “The Change” happened to earth. Earthquakes caused parts of continents to sink into the oceans. Severe weather caused buildings to collapse. For unknown reasons, most humans collapsed and died. A small percentage of people survived including Lou and his brother Theo. They live in a community of survivors in Envy, Nevada. At the time of the change, six guys were in a cave in Arizona and knocked unconscious. They wake up fifty years later, without aging. Two of them have abilities that they didn’t have before. Elliott’s new ability is to sense illness within a body similar to an MRI. He can also take illness from another through touch. Then when he touches a different person, the illness passes to them.

Every night zombie-like creatures called gangas come out looking for humans and tearing them apart. Strangers appear to be humans and control the gangas. A Stranger has a crystal under his skin on his chest. Strangers appear to be immortal since they don’t age, and humans can’t figure out how to kill them. Preston is a Stranger who kept Jade prisoner for three years. He beat and raped her. Somehow she escaped and has been in hiding from Preston and helping Lou and Theo with their resistance movements. Jade was born after “The Change” and is now in her late twenties. Elliott’s group meets Jade during a ganga fight. She takes them back to Envy with her. Elliott is drawn to Jade from the moment he sees her. He sees her flirting with other men, which bothers him. Elliott accompanies Jade on some resistance missions.

REVIEWER’S OPINION:
This was pretty good, but I would have liked more emotional development among the characters. This book is mostly action and events, and it’s good for that reason alone. I kept thinking about “The Host” by Stephenie Meyer, printed in 2008. I loved “The Host” because of the warm and amazing emotional connection and development among the characters, which wasn’t as strong in this book. Both books are about humans in the minority trying to stay alive while aliens rule the earth. Both books also have something implanted in humans, making them different. Crystals are implanted in this book, worm-like creatures are implanted in “The Host.” This book was ok, but nothing made it stand out enough to make it a must read. There are at least two sequels coming which tell the stories of Simon and Quent.

CAUTION SPOILERS:
I had some unanswered questions. How did Ian know about Elliott’s healing gift? It didn’t make sense unless he or someone could read Elliott’s mind. But then he apparently didn’t know that Elliott could transfer the illness to another. Was this a partial mind read? Other questions: Why did they put the crystal into Allie, and why didn’t it work? Who was Allie to Ian? How did Ian know which door Elliott and Jade would be coming out of at the mall? Some things will probably be answered in future books, but it would have been nice to know a little more about the crystals, the Strangers, and why the gangas kill all humans except blonds. They kidnap blonds but we don’t know where they take them or why. Apparently teens are kidnapped by Strangers to use as slaves. I wanted to know more, but not enough to buy sequels to get the answers.

I was bothered that Elliott decided to commit suicide to save the life of the local mayor. I couldn’t buy it – Lou or Theo maybe, but not losing a “healer” to save the live of a person who didn’t seem to be doing anything special. In “The Host,” the alien decides to die so her human host could live. That was a wonderful self sacrifice I could believe. But Elliott doing it in this book didn’t work for me. I didn’t intend to write so much about “The Host,” but too many comparisons kept coming to mind as I read this book.

DATA:
Story length: 357 pages. Swearing language: strong, including religious swear words. Sexual language: moderate. Number of sex scenes: 3. Total number of sex scene pages: 12. Setting: 2060 Arizona and Nevada. Copyright: 2010. Genre: fantasy science fiction romance.(less)

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Jan 30, 2010 Judith rated it 5 of 5 stars

Styled as a post-apocalyptic novel, it is set in a world that most of us could not even imagine. The world has been destroyed by massive earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, and the government/country of the United States no longer exists. Imagine a world without very many cars, cell phones, computers, etc, and you have the world that Joss Ware has created. There are people in tiny settlements in what we would now experience as Northern Arizona and Nevada, very few larger towns and only an occasi...more

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Jan 23, 2010 Ellen Christian rated it 5 of 5 stars

Ok you caught me. There's no better way to relax at the end of the day than with a good romance book. If you combine romance with science fiction, it's even better! Beyond the Night is a paranormal romance that takes place in Earth's future. A group of men are spelunking in a cave in Arizona when they feel an earthquake hit. When they wake up, the world has changed. Cities are in ruin. It's clear to them that something catastrophic has happened. There are dangerous monsters that resemble zombies...more

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Aug 12, 2011 Melliane rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Si je pouvais je mettrais 2,5/5 je pense

Je connaissais Colleen Gleason par son autre série Gardella, et j'étais assez curieuse de voir ce qu'allait donner ce premier tome.

Elliot et quelques uns de ses amis se retrouvent 50 ans après l'apocalypse, sans savoir ce qu'il s'est passé. Ils sont donc quelque peu perturbés, et essaient de s'adapter dans un nouveau monde qu'ils ne connaissent pas. Bien sûr, comme dans tous romans de ce genre, on retrouve des créatures assoiffées de sangs qui se nourrisse...more

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Jun 14, 2011 Cassiel Knight rated it 4 of 5 stars

I loved the idea of this story and enjoyed Jade and Elliott as characters - but more separate than together at times. It seems there times when heroes/heroines are so strong apart that when they get together, they lose some of that. This is the first in a series and I will definitely pick up the second book. I'm intrigued by the world-building and the characters introduced in this book who have their own book coming up. This felt like a take on Resident Evil with the zombies and all but there is...more

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Feb 24, 2011 Ashley rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-romance, all-that-is-awesome, apocalyptic-romance, contemporary, girl-power, time-travel

Post Apocalyptic Romance. You don't often hear that kind of description when talking about romance novels. I mean sure you get the Vampires, Urban, and Victorian era, and don't get me wrong I love all of those too, but this one was different and made all of the better for it.

It's 50 years in the future, the world as we know it is gone. There are still remnants of course, things like humvees, and shopping malls, and even DVD's like the Pirates of the Caribbean, but it is all broken and destroyed...more Post Apocalyptic Romance. You don't often hear that kind of description when talking about romance novels. I mean sure you get the Vampires, Urban, and Victorian era, and don't get me wrong I love all of those too, but this one was different and made all of the better for it.

It's 50 years in the future, the world as we know it is gone. There are still remnants of course, things like humvees, and shopping malls, and even DVD's like the Pirates of the Caribbean, but it is all broken and destroyed. Fives men have come out of the caves they were in the world Changed to find that some were gifted with power and that none of them had aged a day in 50 years. The first novel in the series being about Elliott, one of those five men who was a doctor in his previous life and has now been graced with power to heal. He meets a young woman named Jade who confident, charismatic, and fearless with her own story to tell. Once they meet it becomes a story of romance, intrigue, and adventure. Learning about fighting off the "Strangers", "Gangas", and the bounty hunters, and saving a group of young teens who have unknowingly gotten themselves into a whole lot of trouble.

I loved this book. It was our world made more terrifying and primitive. I loved the fact that Jade was a strong female character on her own. She knew how to take care of herself, and often the other people around her. At the same time she was flawed, namely her fear of snakes (Elliott points out that in this way she is very much like Indiana Jones). You can relate to her in many of her quirks. And Elliott, is complex on his own. He wants to help people, but finds that sometimes he can hurt them instead. Plus, you feel for him when he remembers his family and the people that he knew before the Change, and the heartbreak he feels for what happened to them. And he and Jade are a good match. The world she created on the other hand was pretty ingenious, and the town of Envy will be a surprise to anyone who reads it.

It's worth your read. I can't wait to read the next one!(less)

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Feb 02, 2010 Mahyar rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010, hottest-covers, paranormal-romance

Definitely 4.5 stars, I'd have said 5 if some of the "love scenes" weren't kinda boring...but an amazing book nevertheless. I really loved it and I can't wait for the next book from the series.

P.S. I finished it at work and couldn't really get into it while I was reading the last few chapters. I think I would've loved it x1000 times more if I finished it at home instead of an office with tons of people talking(loudly and annoyingly). LOL

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Nov 27, 2011 Jenny Delandro rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: futuristic-dystopia

5 men wake with powers that claim a price
Not all the powers are known at first

Somehow the world they knew is gone and they struggle to identify friend from foe.
(view spoiler)...more

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Jan 23, 2010 Auntee rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Fans of paranormal/ horror/ romance; fans of post apocalyptic stories like "The Stand".

Shelves: paranormal-romance, 2010_reads

This is going to be a really hard one to review, because it's going to be hard not to give away any spoilers, and because there's so much going on. As it often is with first books in a series, there's a lot the author has to do to set up the story, but Joss Ware does a pretty fine job laying the groundwork for the Awakening Heroes series. And BTW, that is an excellent and appropriate name for the series, because the hero of this book turned out to be a real HERO in every sense of the word.

Basica...more

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Jan 13, 2010 Edna Lyn rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010, sci-fi-romance

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Mar 01, 2013 Nexa rated it 2 of 5 stars

Speravo in un libro singolo, poi guardo meglio e scopro 'primo nuovo capitolo di una nuova appassionante serie...' e le mie speranze di leggere una storia che non si dipani in 1000 volumi vanno infrante in un istante.
Mi faccio forza, magari il libro è bello, è il mio primo approccio con la scrittura della Gleason. Invece no.
La storia è banale, benchè l'autrice cerchi con ogni mezzo di tenere viva l'attenzione la storia è prevedibile, non c'è tensione, non c'è pathos, sai già cosa sta per succe...more

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Feb 10, 2013 Rosario (http://rosario.blogspot.com/) added it

Shelves: dnf

I've been eyeing this post-apocalyptic romance series for a while now, and I finally tried the first one this month. It showed great promise at first, but then didn't fully deliver on that promise.

Elliott and his friends were just regular guys when they decided to explore some caves in Sedona. While they were inside, there was a massive earthquake, and they all lost consciousness. And then they woke up, and soon realised they'd been asleep for 50 years. Turns out those earthquakes were part of e...more I've been eyeing this post-apocalyptic romance series for a while now, and I finally tried the first one this month. It showed great promise at first, but then didn't fully deliver on that promise.

Elliott and his friends were just regular guys when they decided to explore some caves in Sedona. While they were inside, there was a massive earthquake, and they all lost consciousness. And then they woke up, and soon realised they'd been asleep for 50 years. Turns out those earthquakes were part of events that triggered world-wide devastation, and very few people survived.

When we meet Elliott and his friends, it's been 6 months and they have began to accept that the world they lived in is gone and get to grips with this new one (which comes complete with zombie-like creatures which hunt humans at night). They've managed to piece together some of what happened all those years ago, but there are still many questions left. They've been looking for a place called Envy, apparently the largest new city around, where they hope they can find someone who was alive back then and might have more information.

Their chance comes when they rescue a group of kids from the zombies. They're helped in the rescue by Jade, a mysterious woman who rides in on a mustang and helps save the day. Both Jade and the kids are from Envy, and the kids agree to let the men escort them back. There, they finally find someone who survived the disasters, and before they can blink, they have joined him and Jade in the resistance against a shadowy group called the Strangers. According to their new friends, the Strangers prey on humans, and might even have caused the events that ended the world.

So, a lot going on, and I haven't even mentioned the special powers the men have developed after their 50-year sleep (Elliott, who's a doctor, is now able to scan people like a living MRI, and then heal their injuries, although with the minor glitch that he takes on those injuries himself). On the whole, it started out really well on the world-building front. It's interesting and vivid, and I really liked the sort of Wild West feel. Also, having the book start 6 months after the men wake up was a good choice, as that way Ware avoids too many infodumps when they're being told new things (there's a lot of info they need to learn, as it is, especially all the stuff about the Strangers), and doesn't have to deal with their shock and confusion on top of all the worldbuilding.

I was completely engaged in this world right about the moment when all the revelations start coming in about the Strangers, and who may have caused the apocalypse. That's where Ware lost me. It all became too silly and nonsensical. The focus moved from humanity organising itself and creating a new world after a massive disaster, to monstruously evil people plotting their evil plots. I liked Ware's take on the former, but had not a whit of interest in the latter.

And then there's the romance. From the beginning, it felt forced, and the chemistry just wasn't there. There was lots of lusting (often at really weird, inappropriate points), but I never believed in it. Elliott was a good character, but Jade never really gelled.

MY GRADE: I read about 2/3 of the book, which is much further than I usually get into a DNF, but I just wasn't interested enough in these people and their world to continue. (less)

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Jul 31, 2012 Chelsea rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Okay, I did like this book over all, but I really don't enjoy Zombie books. I know weird I love all other types of paranormal books, but not Zombies. This world has what they call Gangas (zombies) and they also have Strangers who are immortals hell bent on destroying humans. The gangas need human flesh to survive, which is why they are hell bent on attacking humans. The main characters are a group of super strong super hot men who are enlisted to help kill the strangers, so that in turn they can...more

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Jun 30, 2010 Angela (Reading Angels) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Elliot and his friends go on a cave expedition. There is a crazy earthquake, and then, suddenly they all wake up to a whole different world then the one they left. Everything is destroyed. It's a post-apocalyptic world and they have to learn how to survive and thrive in this new terrain. There are gangas (zombie-like creatures that only move around at night) that they have to avoid, wild animals everywhere, and small settlements.

They run into a girl named Jade who takes them to Envy, a large set...more

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Feb 27, 2010 Ami rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy-paranormal-futuristic

Thank you, Lyn!!!

This is probably the first post-apocalyptic romance I ever read. I have to say that while the romance in here is not up front and center, that I struggle to believe the attraction between Elliott and Jade since I can't feel it even after past 100 pages, BUT, the world that Joss Ware creates is just SO, SO fascinating.

It's vivid and detailed and intriguing ... it's like watching a science fiction movie, like seeing the world shown in that movie "The Day After Tomorrow" or "Blind...more

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Feb 06, 2010 Holly rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010, para-romance, romantic-suspense, futuristic, urban-fantasy

I was so excited to find a book combining so many unique elements that I love; post-apocalyptic mayhem, adventure, paranormal romance and zombies. How could it disappoint, right? Unfortunately, after a promising start, this book completely fell apart.

For the first 75 pages, I was riveted to this story. It was only after the band of survivors made their way to the city of Envy (a barren version of Las Vegas) that things went south for me. The story became less a zombie ass-kicking adventure, and...more

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Jan 30, 2011 Dorri rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: sexuality, apocolyptic

Previously Colleen Gleason has entertained me with her vampire slayers tales, so when I learned she had an post-apocolypse series available under the name Joss Ware, I jumped at the chance to read them.

The premise behind the story is that three freinds, Elliot, Quent and Wyatt, and two guides are spelunking in a cave in Sedona, AZ, when an earth shattering event happens (literally from what we know). Six men (the group plus one who was hiding in the cave) are knocked unconscious when a catastro...more Previously Colleen Gleason has entertained me with her vampire slayers tales, so when I learned she had an post-apocolypse series available under the name Joss Ware, I jumped at the chance to read them.

The premise behind the story is that three freinds, Elliot, Quent and Wyatt, and two guides are spelunking in a cave in Sedona, AZ, when an earth shattering event happens (literally from what we know). Six men (the group plus one who was hiding in the cave) are knocked unconscious when a catastrophic earthquake hits, when they wake up the learn that it is 50 years into the future and the world has changed, drastically, while they haven't aged a single day.

Earthquakes have caused parts of continents to sink into the oceans and raised mountains in the plain lands, severe weather and black-out storms caused buildings to collapse, and for unknown reasons, most humans who survived the intial earthly demise collapsed and died. Only a small percentage of the population has survived. There are also monsters that resemble zombies called gangas and a new race of people, referred to as Strangers inhabiting the new world.

The story really begins when the remaining five (one dies before we even meet them) of the six trapt in the cave meet up with some wayward teens from the town of Envy (formerly known as Las Vegas, NV). The five managed to stop a group of gangas from killing the kids, but when they seem to be outnumbered a woman rides in on a mustang (the horse kind, not the car) to save them in turn. After there is mutual saving, we learn that the womans name is Jade. We also learn that at least two of the six trapt in the cave have developed abilities. Quent can read the history of any object he touches and Elliot has become a healer in truth. He can use an ability similar to an MRI to scan a patient and he learns, by healing Jade, that he can take an injury from a person. Elliots gift is complicated by the fact that the injury he takes manifests in his own body, until he touches someone else and passes it on.

This book is heavy on the world building and less on the story telling. I found myself with a lot of unanswered questions and even more frustration with the flatness of the main characters. Although this wasn't my favorite book, I will be giving the series a chance. Like I said, it's a world building book, so sometimes we just have to look past it to get to the good stuff.(less)

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Feb 07, 2011 Kelly rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ebooks, paranormal-romance, read-in-2011

I read the 4th book in this series a while back and liked the world that was created enough to pick up the first 2 books when the price dropped. I have to admit that starting a series from book 1 really makes things make so much more sense. You might think that's a no-brainer but I like to live life dangerously and read books out of order.

Seriously, though, starting with book one and watching this world come into being, watching the four men who survived in a sort of suspended animation and are...more I read the 4th book in this series a while back and liked the world that was created enough to pick up the first 2 books when the price dropped. I have to admit that starting a series from book 1 really makes things make so much more sense. You might think that's a no-brainer but I like to live life dangerously and read books out of order.

Seriously, though, starting with book one and watching this world come into being, watching the four men who survived in a sort of suspended animation and are trying to find their footing is this new world, made everything much more bittersweet than jumping into book 4 straight away. For Elliot and the others only months have passed since the world wasn't broken. On top of struggling to survive, they're trying to make sense of how the way of life they knew has collapsed and had to be reinvented. The cities are broken shells, the people are doing the best they can with the scavenged bits they can find.

When they finally find their way to Envy, the only large settlement left on the West coast, they're drawn into an even bigger set of problems: it looks like the catastrophe that ravaged the planet was caused by a group of people who are practically immortal and who will do whatever they need to do to maintain their position of power. On top of that, the odd powers several of the men have developed all come with some serious side effects.

While the overriding arc is about finding a way to topple the regime of the Strangers and protect the last remnants of humanity from being wiped out by the voracious zombie-like creatures who roam the land, there's also a blossoming romance or two. After being held against her will for years by the Strangers, Jade doesn't want to lose her independence. She doesn't want to trust Elliot with her heart. She doesn't want to fall in love. She just wants to stay as safe and sane as she can while helping build an underground resistance against the Strangers. Elliot's dealing with a manifestation of his new power that could turn out to be deadly for anyone who gets close to him.

What can I say, a lot happens in this book. You'll get broken cities, zombie chases, steamy kisses, deadly touches, giant snakes and a couple of throwback computer geeks. Hey, I had myself at 'broken cities'.

-Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal (less)

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Beyond the Night (Envy Chronicles #1)

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