Acquired

by E.S. TREMAYNE

In a world where nine out of every ten females have been taken by a virus, the surviving females scramble to maintain their autonomy—to evade the collectors who have been commissioned by the government to bring in survivors for internment in shelters, and to hide from those who are actively hunting them.ZinniaZen is determined to keep her children alive in the aftermath of the breakdown of civilization. She was one of the lucky—or unlucky—ones to be immune to the virus, as was her only daughter. When they are captured and separated after years spent in hiding, Zen’s sole purpose is to escape the forced confinement and locate both her daughter and her son. When she commits a desperate act, she is turned out of the shelter, only to come face-to-face with her past. It has been two decades and still he remains at the forefront of her mind. The betrayal. The heartbreak. The hard lessons of her youth. The father of her children.CyanAfter being discharged from Army Special Forces, Cy is now a private operator. The pandemic that wrecked life as everyone knew it only made business better for Cy and his teams. When her name bled across the screen in his hand, he didn’t hesitate to take the contract. Of all the women in the world, she had survived—and she would soon learn that no amount of time would lessen his claim on her.

254 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 30, 2024

About the author

A self-professed lifelong dabbler, E.S. Tremayne is a rabid reader of all things romance, from the lightest and fluffiest to the darkest and most depraved. Her own writing swings toward the darker side with frequent pockets of humor sprinkled throughout. She loves to write stories that make her readers snort-laugh one moment and reach for the tissue box the next.

E.S. lives with her radically protective husband and somewhat less protective Labrador Retriever – unless you plot to steal his tennis balls.

Reviews

[Sheila Samuelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating: 5 Stars!!
Review:
Thank you to Books Forward for sending me this FREE E-Arc to promote and review for ES as part of their Book Tour this week.

This was my first time reading a Book let alone in a series by ES so I wasnt sure what to expect but I have to say I throughly enjoyed this one which I wasnt sure if I would considering it was written during COVID19.

The Characters were fun and enjoyable to read about. Cyn was definitely my favorite. The determination they had to find out why this was happening was so good to see.

The Setting was wonderfully described which made me feel like I was in 2020 again.

Overall a Good Book 1 in this Apocalyptic Distopian Series about Covid19 Pandemic. Can't wait to read more by ES in the future.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A mysterious pandemic has swept the world only affecting genetic females and has wiped out most of the female population.  Zinnia Browning and her daughter seem to be immune and go into hiding along with her son to escape the roving bands of men trafficking women and experimenting on them.  When they finally do find Zinnia and her family, one of the men is none other than Cy, Zinnia's first love and the father of her children.  Cy is discharged from the Army Special Forces and now working as a private operator. When he saw Zinnia's name among the list of women, Cy knew he had to claim her once again.  Zinnia and her daughter are removed and placed into a barbaric shelter.  When Zinnia and a few other women stage a coup in the shelter, she is once again removed by Cy to a different facility.  Within their time at the facility, Cy learns more of Zinnia's strength and will to survive and Zinnia learns of Cy's unyielding need for her.  

Acquired is a dystopian romance with a good dash of erotica.  The story dives right in with Zinnia and Cy meeting and forming an irregular sexual relationship, meant to be a one night experience.  These scenes are especially spicy and possibly traumatic with Cy in an experienced, dominant position and Zinnia in an inexperienced, submissive position.  I actually thought I started the wrong book since there was nothing about a pandemic; however, these scenes set up the dynamic for Cy and Zinnia in the future. The story then jumps into the future with Zinnia working as a nurse when the pandemic breaks out.  I was very interested in the unique target of the pandemic with just women falling victim.  I do wish there was a little more information about the pandemic, how it spread and how civilization disintegrated without women. The writing focused on Zinnia's character and her experience as one of the few remaining women in society, constantly on the lookout for her safety, learning to live off the land and defend herself. Zinnia's strength was the focus as she was transferred to the first facility and onto a second with the aid of Cy. I was confused about Cy's intention during all of these moves as well as the power dynamic between him and Zinnia.  I feel like any potential romance would have been broken with the abuse incurred. Zinnia was able to persevere through horrific treatment as well as deal with a confusing romance.  I was happy with the ending and definitely want to continue the series. 

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. 

[Lizz Hanson · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I saw this blurb, I wasn't sure what to expect . I loved the dystopian side of the story, the world and the risk to the woman left on it, I found it to be such a good read and got me invested in the book. The spice, while I love spice, was very dark and perhaps didn't need to be quite so dark, I needed a little romance, this felt more dark romance to me, but the dystopian side of the story made up for it. In a weird way it worked, when I felt like it perhaps shouldn't have.
I loved the characters, cy while he had some nice qualities, I'm not sure I liked him, I feel he could have been a little nicer, he just felt like a constant bully, I get that this is a spicy book and his character isn't meant to be a nice guy, but I just wanted to see a little more romance between him and zinnia to make him feel a little more human.

Overall though, the book was good and I became invested in the characters and I was really rooting for zinnia. And the whole concept of the virus affecting women and what that meant for the surviving ones was fantastic and that's what saved this book for me. I thought the ending was good and it has made me want to read book 2!

[Sonja Charters · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an XX Pandemic Series book. The first in the series and a first read for me by this author.

What can I say! I am not a huge reader of dystopian fiction, but this was a great mix of genres and had me hooked from the start.

In a world where the population of women has been drastically diminished by a virus, we see the remaining women being hunted.
We follow the story of Zinnia who is determined to escape the system and find her children.

This was such a crazy world and felt all the more believable after seeing our own pandemic recently.
Also, following the popularity of The Handmaid's Tale, which although different, this really did have some similar elements which were pretty dark in places.

This kicks off with a bang (no pun intended) showing the early relationship dynamics between Zinnia and Cy and sets us up for what's to come later.
These scenes are extremely spicy and graphic so do check the content warnings beforehand.

Typically (for me!) I was pleasantly surprised by this as the cover and premise hadn't indicated such an inclusion.

The story follows Zinnia over around 20 years so does cover the before, breakout and after the virus which I loved as often dystopian novels focus more on the after.
Although I could have taken a little more around the actual breakout too.

I loved the writing style which kept me gripped from start to finish and I'm already looking forward to following the story on and seeing how things turn out beyond.

[Bianca Duthie · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are trigger warnings galore with this, and trust me, they are all very real and very warranted. Do not read this if you are in any doubt because it's dark, dangerous, and delinquent.
That being said, I don't happen to mind that, usually, there were definitely pieces here that went a bit further than I'd usually be comfortable to read, but overall I knew I'd be able to handle it.
The idea of this pandemic is absolutely terrifying. The dystopia world that evolves is something out of a nightmare.
The tale unfolds over 20 years, but it isn't dragged out. The story is sharp and snappy, so I finished this very quickly, unable to tear away from it.
The main characters are Zen and Cy, and each has very different stories to tell.
I really liked the ending, but there's definitely still so much to be explored, and I'm hoping a sequel gives us the answers we don't even know we need.

[Amanda Felton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm really not sure where to start with this review what a book this was. This was an intense read and I definitely suggest if you have any triggers check before reading because this book has a lot. I am not bothered by anything but this book really makes you think and your brain goes to the what ifs and I mean the idea of this type of pandemic is just scary I mean I get this takes place over 20 years but for me I think it's the after effects that are more scary than the pandemic itself. This is a book that sticks with you and it's a book I feel will stay with I mean the writing style was really good and I couldn't put it down because I had to know what was going to happen both Zen and Cy have different stories and the ending for me was left opened for more and I definitely need more I need to know what's happening.

[Georgina Prince · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dystopian romance with spice 🔥 This was an interesting read and take on the pandemic, with only women being affected making those that were left a commodity.

The romance / spice is quite dark and the relationship dynamic too. It was written well with good pacing and I liked that it followed the characters pre and post pandemic but I would have loved to know more about the time when it was Happening.

The ending was good and I look forward to seeing where the series goes.

[Rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not my cup of tea

I received a copy on Kindle as part of a giveaway, I was hoping for a post-apocalyptic story with some romance. It was definitely the other way around, and the "romance" was harsh, as noted in the Trigger Warning. I think for the right audience, this could be a 3-4 star read! I did enjoy the ending.

[annasbook nookk · Rating 5 out of 5]

A new author to me, E. S. Treymayne wrote a great book.

A post-apocalyptic read that hooked me from the start. Cy made me feel all kinds of emotions, including hot and bothered.

It broke my heart to read what Zen went through in the past and present.

Im eager to read more of this series.

[Angie Waller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book. The ending was amazing. Looking forward to the next book in the series. I won an early copy on Goodreads giveaways.

[Misty · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 rounded up

[Chapter Chirp (Jessica)]

In “Acquired: The XX Pandemic Book One” we’re introduced to Zinnia “Zen” and Cyan “Cy” who meet under peculiar circumstances and wind up forming a dark and ravenous romance of sorts leading up to a deadly mystery illness only affecting women. There were pieces of the story that I liked but this story really felt to me like two stories mashed into one and didn’t feel entirely cohesive, and something felt like it was missing. I quite preferred the dystopian side of the story better compared to the dark romance portion but to each their own.
#GoodreadsGiveaway

I received this book as an ARC, all opinions expressed in this review are my own.