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Apocalypse Joy #2
Devastating Joy
Zombies. Survival. Love?
Just when Joy thinks she can reconstruct her life, Ledbetter dumps her, destroying the foundation. Badden throws her a lifeline, but Peter cuts the rope, sending Badden away to gather supplies. With all the soldiers except Doc off base, it's up to Joy to find answers to the questions attacking her peace.
If the base hadn’t been overrun by zombies, why are there so few survivors?
Why haven’t the few soldiers left seen a commanding officer in over a week?
Most worrisome, why is everyone answering to Peter?
Fixing her complicated relationships with Ledbetter and Badden is the least of her concerns as she infiltrates the restricted areas, searching for truths more frightening than zombies.
Just when Joy thinks she can reconstruct her life, Ledbetter dumps her, destroying the foundation. Badden throws her a lifeline, but Peter cuts the rope, sending Badden away to gather supplies. With all the soldiers except Doc off base, it's up to Joy to find answers to the questions attacking her peace.
If the base hadn’t been overrun by zombies, why are there so few survivors?
Why haven’t the few soldiers left seen a commanding officer in over a week?
Most worrisome, why is everyone answering to Peter?
Fixing her complicated relationships with Ledbetter and Badden is the least of her concerns as she infiltrates the restricted areas, searching for truths more frightening than zombies.
237 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 1, 2022
39 people are currently reading
17 people want to read
About the author
Jackie Oliver
10 books7 followersJackie Oliver lives in a small town with her husband and hoard of little angels. She loves to dream up stories with high drama and a tasty triangle or two. Growing up on a diet of romance and horror gave her a unique desire to write about love amid chaos. Her debut, Capturing Joy - A Zombie Apocalypse Romance, blends all of the elements she loves most.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
June 25, 2024
Tags: age-gaaap, brothers-love-same-girl, damaged-broken_hero, dystopian-post-apocalyptic, hero-hurts-heroine, love-triangle, older-hero-younger-heroine, om_drama, read, scarred-hero, strong-fmc-heroine, teen-heroine-barely-legal, zombie-scifi-survival
May 16, 2022
what a rollercoaster ride?
I am surprised in Joy I would have thought she learned from her mistakes. I was disappointed with the brother. I thought they had a better relationship than what we saw. He barely did anything for her. The relationship with him and the other survivor surprised me especially since they were supposed to be friends. It seems everyone is treating her like a kid. They make decisions for her and she is okay with it. Why does she have to choose it is the apocalypse and there is no rules. What will happen with Dominic? I think he should know. There is still more to come.
I am surprised in Joy I would have thought she learned from her mistakes. I was disappointed with the brother. I thought they had a better relationship than what we saw. He barely did anything for her. The relationship with him and the other survivor surprised me especially since they were supposed to be friends. It seems everyone is treating her like a kid. They make decisions for her and she is okay with it. Why does she have to choose it is the apocalypse and there is no rules. What will happen with Dominic? I think he should know. There is still more to come.
September 22, 2020
Let me start by saying that I really enjoyed the first book in this series. But Devastating Joy is not that book. Sadly this one had so much potential but it just fell flat.
We begin our story in the compound shortly after Joy is reunited with her brother Peter. Ledbetter is hurt, Badden is looking for answers, Joy is endlessly confused, and everyone else is just wandering around a mostly empty building. Unfortunately the entire book revolves around their life inside the compound. So um yeah, it gets kinda boring.
Spoilerish stuff? Maybe but I doubt it.
One of the issues I found to be irritating was certain character changes without a lot of explanation as to why. For instance, Holly went from major mean girl in book one to misunderstood saint by book two. The poor little helpless Holly that Joy has taken upon herself to lock in a bathroom and protect with her life? Why? Here's a thought, toss her a weapon and tell her to get with the program. Are you really gonna survive in a zombie world by waiting for someone else to save you? And Ellis? After the first book I thought he had a thing for Joy. But nope, apparently not, because he's rushing off to save the walled up Holly from what I don't know. Bad bathroom decor? Then it's all, "Wow your so pretty, we should hook up". -insert eyeroll here-
But overall, I think the whiplash POVs and the lack of romance is really what sealed the deal. All those POVs to dredge through and not one of them was from Ledbetter or Badden. I went into this series wondering if maybe it was going in an RH direction. But now, who knows? Is it even a romance? Joy's connection to anyone in a relationship sense seems superficial at best. There was actually very little dialogue between Joy, Ledbetter, and Badden. Although there was still plenty going on in Joy's head. In Capturing Joy, I was kinda hoping for a little more than the fade to black scene with Ledbetter. But in Devastating Joy those expectations were instantly downgraded to passionate kiss which were quickly demoted to meaningful hug. The first book seemed like an adult read where as this one was definitely a YA and not really my jam.
It's a shame because I liked the 1st in the series right from the very start. But I still think the author has the potential to churn out something really good. So I can't say that I won't at least check out the third installment. But I will definitely hold off on jumping in to read it until I've looked over some of the reviews.
We begin our story in the compound shortly after Joy is reunited with her brother Peter. Ledbetter is hurt, Badden is looking for answers, Joy is endlessly confused, and everyone else is just wandering around a mostly empty building. Unfortunately the entire book revolves around their life inside the compound. So um yeah, it gets kinda boring.
Spoilerish stuff? Maybe but I doubt it.
One of the issues I found to be irritating was certain character changes without a lot of explanation as to why. For instance, Holly went from major mean girl in book one to misunderstood saint by book two. The poor little helpless Holly that Joy has taken upon herself to lock in a bathroom and protect with her life? Why? Here's a thought, toss her a weapon and tell her to get with the program. Are you really gonna survive in a zombie world by waiting for someone else to save you? And Ellis? After the first book I thought he had a thing for Joy. But nope, apparently not, because he's rushing off to save the walled up Holly from what I don't know. Bad bathroom decor? Then it's all, "Wow your so pretty, we should hook up". -insert eyeroll here-
But overall, I think the whiplash POVs and the lack of romance is really what sealed the deal. All those POVs to dredge through and not one of them was from Ledbetter or Badden. I went into this series wondering if maybe it was going in an RH direction. But now, who knows? Is it even a romance? Joy's connection to anyone in a relationship sense seems superficial at best. There was actually very little dialogue between Joy, Ledbetter, and Badden. Although there was still plenty going on in Joy's head. In Capturing Joy, I was kinda hoping for a little more than the fade to black scene with Ledbetter. But in Devastating Joy those expectations were instantly downgraded to passionate kiss which were quickly demoted to meaningful hug. The first book seemed like an adult read where as this one was definitely a YA and not really my jam.
It's a shame because I liked the 1st in the series right from the very start. But I still think the author has the potential to churn out something really good. So I can't say that I won't at least check out the third installment. But I will definitely hold off on jumping in to read it until I've looked over some of the reviews.
September 11, 2020
More action-packed zombie romance adventure awaits you in book two of the series. You'll be tense as you read through the pages, wondering if your favorite characters are going to survive. I liked that Joy has matured. She still is tormented by loving two ruthless men, but she's willing to wait to see where her life will lead her. Her love life is the least of her worries while zombies lurk, bad men are out to kill them, and danger lurks within their own compound. Plenty of surprises in store as well.
April 11, 2021
This is a great follow-on to Capturing Joy. Questions are answered in dramatic ways. There are a few shock twists and turns. These two books aren’t really about the Zombie Apocalypse. That is just the background. They are really about the way the different characters react to it and what extremes people will go to in order to survive. It highlights the selfishness of some and the selflessness of others. The author does a great job with the characters, making them diverse and their reactions different and believable.
March 28, 2021
Gripping read
They’ve made it to the safety of the government research centre, her brother Peter is there, waiting with open arms. There’s food, comfy beds and safety.... too good to be true?
It was great to pick up with the gang again and I was excited to find the next instalment of this fab zombie romp.
The eternal love triangle continues to be complicated between Joy and the two brothers, but one of them has captured her heart in a way she can’t deny. Fab apocalyptic story.
They’ve made it to the safety of the government research centre, her brother Peter is there, waiting with open arms. There’s food, comfy beds and safety.... too good to be true?
It was great to pick up with the gang again and I was excited to find the next instalment of this fab zombie romp.
The eternal love triangle continues to be complicated between Joy and the two brothers, but one of them has captured her heart in a way she can’t deny. Fab apocalyptic story.
January 26, 2022
Great
Multi layered story with characters you want to know more about. I hope there is a book 3 to answer some questions.
Multi layered story with characters you want to know more about. I hope there is a book 3 to answer some questions.
November 17, 2020
One long list of never-ending rabbit trails and shallow characters.
Just saying a book is a romance doesn't make it so. Sorry but a little fake teenage angst and some wishy-washy "I love you's" doesn't really cut it. How do they know? It's not like they spend any meaningful time together. And there's barely any dialogue between the "love" interests, just some fluff with an I love you sticker slapped on it.
The endless inner monologue was brutal. I think Joy lived in her head for at least 70% of the book, like her own personal panic room.
But I sucked it up, donated a little blood, and finished the book. Only to realize that I could've just taken the ending of the first book, swapped the dude, and called it a day. Well slap me silly and call me sucker cause I've been licked. But hey, I know when to cut my losses and move on to something else.
February 19, 2024
3.5 rounded up
Same complaints as the first book but this time with multiple POVs
Also pretty much the first book just switch the MMC.
One good thing though is Joy is starting to find her backbone and fight for what she wants.
Also zombies again are not really part of the story just the universe they happen to be in.
It says it's a romance but it feels more like desperation in a dwindling population.
Same complaints as the first book but this time with multiple POVs
Also pretty much the first book just switch the MMC.
One good thing though is Joy is starting to find her backbone and fight for what she wants.
Also zombies again are not really part of the story just the universe they happen to be in.
It says it's a romance but it feels more like desperation in a dwindling population.
February 19, 2025
I enjoyed book two in the trilogy I have, where Joy faces battles on many fronts.
There's romance but not the sickly kind but rather it's tangled with an array of emotions and fighting for survival.
There was plenty of action, tension and suspense. I liked the writing style and varied points of view.
Engaging throughout...a recommended read.
There's romance but not the sickly kind but rather it's tangled with an array of emotions and fighting for survival.
There was plenty of action, tension and suspense. I liked the writing style and varied points of view.
Engaging throughout...a recommended read.
January 30, 2021
Good plot
I enjoyed the overall story, i didn’t like how the woman are choosing partners to survive found it strange and moving on from one to the next didn’t like that at all.
Good read apart from that.
I enjoyed the overall story, i didn’t like how the woman are choosing partners to survive found it strange and moving on from one to the next didn’t like that at all.
Good read apart from that.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews