The Battle For Houston

     Lucas Shaw now commands an army of over 5,000 after the death of his good friend Art aka The General from lung cancer. Sierra chased after him with the children and are part of the ever-growing group headed to Houston. The Cartel has successfully rid most of Texas of The Crew with the help of the Illuminati. It is Lucas’ intent on driving The Cartel and the Illuminati out of Texas and restoring some semblance of order. The price he will pay will be very, very deadly.

Blake’s tenth novel in The Day After Never series, Rubicon Follows the Freedom Army as they encounter resistance in their quest. Though Lucas is a natural-born leader, he has never wanted to be in that position. Discord is rife within The Cartel and the Illuminati Which could work in Lucas’ favor.

The conclusion of this novel reads as though it is the conclusion to the series. It will be interesting to see if Blake decides to go further is the story.

Five out of five stars.

Too Many Promises

     Lucas Shaw is settling down with Sierra and the children in Provo, Utah. A deathbed promise puts his loyalties to the test and threatens to tear his family apart. Meanwhile, the Illuminati continues to take power throughout Texas with whoever will lie in bed with them. The Crew, though it has been decimated by the Cartel, is trying to make a comeback.

Blake’s 9th novel in The Day After Never series, Nemesis finds Lucas making strange bedfellows with the same goal of defeating the Illuminati and liberating Texas. As always, the story is action-packed and fast-paced.

I’m not exactly sure where the story is going to go but it’s obvious that there are several lore novels left in this series.

Five out of five stars.

Does Safe Refuge Exist?

     Marcus Battle has secluded himself in the backwoods of Virginia. He wants to stay as far away from trouble as he can. But Lou needs him. She is the one person that can pull him back into society. He will do what he must to help get her and her family safely to the Harbor.

Abrahams eight and final book in The Traveler series, Harbor brought out a lot of emotions from me. I laughed out loud as he helped Andrea. I cheered when Lou ran into Rickshaw. And, I cried first when Norma saw Battle and then again when he said his last words. These are the scenes that stand out the most to me.

This novel is probably the best of the series. It’s a bit philosophical in nature. I loved how Battle has aged. The back and forth between him and Lou always bring a smile to my face. And, the other story arcs are interwoven in such a way that they help move the story along.

The book could have been better edited. One whole chapter has the sun beaming down in the wrong direction. I hope that by the time you read this that all the errors will have been corrected.

4 out of 5 stars.

No Rest For The Weary

Marcus Battle may have disappeared, but he is neither gone or forgotten. Nearly a decade after leaving the town of Baird, Texas and going north of the wall friends from his past seek his help. Battle isn’t young anymore and had hoped his days of vigilante justice were behind him. But, the only people that he loves are in trouble, and he will step back into the world to do whatever it takes to keep them safe.

Abrahams seventh book in The Traveler series, Hero: A Post Apocalyptic/Dystopian Adventure brings back an even harder and more grizzled Marcus Battle. We see a mixture of familiar characters with some interesting new ones. The new ones foretell of a future story arc.

This has to be one of my favorite series. It’s a shame the author rushed through this book and made it so short. It wasn’t one of his best edited either. It seems really weird that ALL of the women waited until they were about to give birth to try and leave. Why not flee when you find out you are pregnant? Or, at least not so late term. And, ALL of the women brought their other child. Why couldn’t other relatives have taken them or possibly the daddy?

In Chapter 13 Lou has labor pains. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” she said. “Now?” And, again in Chapter 19. “Now?” she growled. “Are you kidding me?” Lou has more depth than that. The dialogue is almost the same.

From Chapter 24: He counted a half dozen women.
Nope. There were only 6 to begin with. One was shot after giving birth. Another was shot while behind the horse with Lou and Andrea. Andrea is behind the horse with Lou. So, the most he could see would be 3.

Otherwise, it is a good story, and I love Marcus Battle.

3 out of 5 stars.

Who Is Saving Whom?

Malcom Barnett has lost everything he held dear to a virus that has decimated mankind. Without his family, he feels that he has nothing to live for. That is until he meets up with Tessa and her children while they’re trying to escape Cincinnati for Texas.

Powers’ novel, Convergence: The Far Side of Hell, is book four in the Five Roads to Texas series. It introduces us to characters not in the original story. It is a gripping tale with good character development. There is almost nonstop action with a few twists along the way. Emotions run high for both the characters and the reader.

At first, I was upset that this book did not follow some of the characters from the first book. But, once I got into the story I was hooked and forgot all about that. Hopefully, their story will continue in future novels.

5 out of 5 stars.

Can You Survive The Infected?

After a previously unknown virus breaks out in major population centers throughout the US those uninfected seek refuge. Once the virus shows up in areas thought to be safe zones there seem to be few places left to escape. Texas offers the last hope. Or, does it?

Five authors with Phalanx Press have collaborated to bring you Five Roads To Texas. Each author contributes a group of folks trying to survive the outbreak as they travel to Texas. Each group comes from different parts of the US and are very diverse in their makeup.

Regardless of how it’s billed this is a zombie-type book. Though I do not care for zombie stories this was well written and one of the better edited. The only downside was that they often stayed with one set of characters too long. I often had to refresh my memory as they switched to a different set.

This is a very frank novel. It does not hold back in its language or graphic descriptions. It is not for the faint of heart. The pace is varied and moves along quite well. All the characters are well developed. The story has some lightheartedness as well as plenty of heartache.

I am looking forward to the breakout novels that will follow each of the groups separately.

4 out of 5 stars.

Will the Republic of Texas fall?

**This novel is expected to be released May 1, 2018**

Ernesto “El Flaco” Guzman is bored six months after taking Dallas and effective control of the Republic of Texas. That all ends when representatives from the United States of America show up at his front door with no challenges. They bring unexpected news of the Reverend Zachariah Wright having taken over the western part of the Republic.

Young’s third novel in the Dark Republic series, El Flaco continues the story of the fight for control of the desolated Republic of Texas after over seventy-eight years of secession. All the characters from the first two books in the series are brought together in what could be the final life or death struggle for the Republic.

The question becomes will the Americans help Don Flaco to rid the world of the Reverend once and for all? And, how did the Reverend get all the supplies he needed to conquer west Texas? Can positive relations be established between whomever rules the Republic and the USA?

In another nail-biting, Mad Max-like, post-apocalyptic adventure Young has created an explosive finale to this series.

5 out of 5 stars.

 

Love Finds A Way

Nico Bell is an undercover border patrol officer trying to infiltrate a drug cartel. Kate Chandler is Chris Chandler’s younger sister hiding from her past behind the bar where she works. Nico is determined to peel back the layers Kate has constructed to insulate and protect her from her own feelings. Reload is her service dog and senses that Nico is a good man. San Antonio is rich in history. Will that history be destroyed when an EMP turns the city upside down?

Pike’s fourth novel in The EMP Survivor Series, Unwanted World: A Post Apocalyptic/Dystopian Survival Fiction Series, branches off from the previous books and takes us back to before the EMP struck San Antonio. We meet Chandler’s sister, Kate, and discover why she has not returned home. Once the EMP strikes Kate finds herself separated from Nico. Can he fulfill his promise to return?

Of all the books so far in this series, this one starts off the slowest. But, once it gets going BOOM! Watching Kate’s character grow was very satisfying. Grit gets tossed around a lot when describing characters in these type of books, but Kate truly puts new meaning to the word. I’m anxious to see where the series goes from here.

4 out of 5 stars.

The Past Can Be Deadly

Chris Chandler and Amanda Hardy leave Dillon and Holly to take Amanda home to Austin. With everything seemingly running as well as can be expected post EMP at the ranch now is as good a time as any. Their journey will be anything but smooth even though it has been made easier by having the horses that Holly loaned them. All along the way danger is waiting to challenge their wit and their resolve. It is also a time for Chandler and Amanda to learn more about one another. What they learn may be more dangerous to them over time than anything else.

Pike’s third novel in The EMP Survivor Series, Unknown World: A Post Apocalyptic/Dystopian Survival Fiction Series, explores a new set of characters while expanding on the ones we already know. She does a good job of bringing in history without it distracting from the storyline. The pace is fast and makes for a quick read. Be ready for a thrill ride and gut-wrenching action.

Surprisingly to me was the breakdown in editing/proofreading in this book. Books one and two were very well done. This book had two continuity errors between book two and three. There were at least three times the wrong name was used. It was suggested to me that I had an older version. If so, this is the latest version on Amazon. Maybe, it hadn’t been updated yet?

Overall, it is a good addition to the series.

4 out of 5 stars.

When Worlds Collide

Based on hearsay Dillon Stockdale believes that his daughter died in the plane crash. Reluctantly, he and Holly Hudson along with his dog, Buster leave Louisiana and head back to Holly’s ranch in Hemphill, Texas. It has been over a week and the chances of even finding Cassie’s body are slim. The swamp claims everything that does not escape. Their trek back will be fraught with death and uncertainty. New friends and alliances will be made along the way. Once back on Holly’s ranch more trouble rears its head. Can Dillon and his group bring peace to the area or will they die trying?

Pike’s second novel in The EMP Survivor Series, Uncertain World: A Post Apocalyptic/Dystopian Survival Fiction Series, picks up within a few days of the first book. Holly’s character has been full of surprises. There’s more to her than the lovely lady attorney who’s a force to be reckoned with in a courtroom. Her ability to read witnesses provides her with a good judge of character.

Again, Pike has done her due diligence and the book is well edited and proofread. I can’t praise her enough for that. She tells a compelling story and her writing is maturing with each book. I still don’t like Buster having an inner voice, but that is a personal issue for me, nothing against Pike’s ability at all. The only complaint that I have about the storyline is that I think that Dillon would have noticed Amy’s necklace when he and Holly became intimate.

Good series. Read it!

5 out of 5 stars.