Mercury Striking (Scorpius Syndrome, #1) in SOS: Serious Overload of Series

Feb 05, 2022 Steph rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: year-read-2022, author-웃, series-ongoing, author-favorite, series-book1, sos-games-bsb-r21

Mercury Striking is set in a post-apocalyptic world that's been ravaged by the Scorpius Syndrome, a bacterium which killed 99% of the people who became infected. All survivors of the fever become carriers. Some of the survivors will become one of two types of Ripper, “... The first is organized and intelligent like a serial killer. If one of these attacks you, it’s planned, and they have bad things in mind for you. The second is disorganized and just plain crazy, and they’re more likely to rip y ...more

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Jan 08, 2016 Shelleyrae at Book'd Out rated it really liked it

Shelves: arc-are, netgalley-reviews

A fast paced, action packed dystopian romance, Mercury Striking is the first in a series from Rebecca Zanetti.

After the world is devastated by a mutated alien virus that usually either kills it's victims or turns them into psychotic killers, Lynn Harmony, a former director at the CDC, is probably the only person left alive who can find a cure. She desperately needs information from a lab in Los Angeles but to get there she has to safely traverse the dangers of the lawless country while eluding t
A fast paced, action packed dystopian romance, Mercury Striking is the first in a series from Rebecca Zanetti.

After the world is devastated by a mutated alien virus that usually either kills it's victims or turns them into psychotic killers, Lynn Harmony, a former director at the CDC, is probably the only person left alive who can find a cure. She desperately needs information from a lab in Los Angeles but to get there she has to safely traverse the dangers of the lawless country while eluding the President's men and then beg favour from Jax Mercury - nicknamed the King of L.A.

Zanetti has created a rich and intriguing world, the population of America all but decimated by the Scorpius Syndrome. Of the few that survive the virus most become 'Rippers', uncontrollable serial killers, but a handful recover most of whom develop varying degrees of sociopathic behaviour.

Small enclaves of survivors fight to endure the destruction of society and its infrastructure across the US including the stronghold 'Vanguard' in L.A. led by ex special ops soldier and former gang member, Jax Mercury who protects a group of around 500 men, women and children.

Jax is the only one placed to help Lynn find 'Myriad' and complete an important task but with the stain of her glowing blue heart and a presidential bounty on her head she is taking a huge risk when she seeks his help. Jax grants her request for asylum under strict conditions as eager as she to find a cure, but neither is prepared for the relationship that develops between them or the consequences of their relationship.

This is story with plenty of grit, involving plenty of action including deadly firefights and chases, and with some brutal scenes of violence and death, but at its heart Mercury Striking is a romance. . It's all very 'alpha male' meets 'feisty damsel in distress' but I enjoyed the development of their relationship and the physical intimacy between Lynn and Jax sizzles (though I really could have done without the spanking scene).

The secondary characters, both allies and enemies, add interest and breadth to the story. I'm guessing that Raze and Vivienne will be the couple to feature in the next book to continue the series.

A quick, exciting, escapist read with an interesting premise and appealing characters, I enjoyed Mercury Striking and I'll be looking for the next in The Scorpius Syndrome series.

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Dec 28, 2015 ☘KathyD☘ rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: genre-romance, genre-romance-series, book-kindle, audio-audible, genre-suspense, pages-300-399, genre-erotica, au-zanetti-r, genre-sci-fi, zz-2016

WOW…just, WOW! I’m not a big fan of the dystopia genre…however I am a HUGE Rebecca Zanetti fan so I was more than happy to try this book out. I actually read the prequel, Scorpius Rising (On the Hunt), when I was about a quarter of the way through the book. It was a great precursor, although it was a little to technical in parts. It’s not necessary to read it to understand this book—it just gives you, the reader, a better foundation to begin this story.

This book on the other hand, picks up not l ...more

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