With nothing but rumors to lead her, Lynn Harmony has trekked across a nightmare landscape to find one man—a mysterious, damaged legend who protects the weak and leads the strong. He’s more than muscle and firepower—and in post-plague L.A., he’s her only hope. As the one woman who could cure the disease, Lynn is the single most volatile—and vulnerable—creature in this new and ruthless world. But face to face with Jax Mercury…

Danger has never looked quite so delicious…  

So far this book goes to the top of my favourites list on the shelf of best books of 2016.

5 ‘If I could give it more then I bloody would stars’

It’s been a long time since I can say that I can give a book 5 stars or more.  A big thank you and smackeroo to Kensington Press for this book.

From this sentence alone I was hooked.

She forced strength into her voice. “You don’t want to kill me without taking me to Mercury first.” Jax Mercury, to be exact. If he still lived. If not, she was screwed anyway.

Time is running out for Lynne Harmony (how I love this name) The Scorpius bacterium has turned half of the world crazy and the other half wants to see Lynne dead as she is apparently the reason for the bacteria to have broken out. Which is actually due to a meteorite. Very cool Ms. Zanetti, I loved the idea.

Lynne is public enemy no. 1 because she was the first to be infected and with enough vitamin B her heart turned blue. Lynne previously worked for the CDC and were trying to find a cure but Lynne had to leave. It becomes clear later on in the book.  Vitamin B is the key which is in high demand.

After three months she makes it to LA.  She finally comes face to face with Jax Mercury a fine specimen of a man. Brutally cold but does what needs to be done. A former member of a gang in LA, turned military, turned leader for the Vanguard. He protects those that can’t protect themselves. An Anti-Hero in my book. Lynne seeks sanctuary, offers the possibility of a cure and he has to kill someone for her. Jax has a specific connection with death.

“What is it about you and death? You just love dancing with it.” Jax drew himself up short. “Excuse, me?” “Come on, dude. You were in a street gang and then joined the most dangerous unit in the army. Now you lead a vigilante group trying to survive a murderous contagion, and the first time you get with a woman she’s the deadliest of them all. You dare death”

He shows remorse although he thinks he shouldn’t

Lynne comes clean about everything how there is a lab that can be found called Myriad where there is the possibility that no more inoculations will be necessary. I was fascinated by this plot and the human behavior that some wanted to save humanity and others were willing to let it run its natural course.

“Tell me you’re not the one that I’m supposed to kill,” he said his body on alert. Silence ticked around the dented car for a moment. “Not yet, no.” Great. All he needed was a depressed biological weapon in the form of a sexy brunette to mess with his already fucking fantastic daily schedule.

They have some fucked up chemistry at the beginning but most likely because they don’t want to act on it and he is a broody SOB.

<i>”If you were mine then you’d know how to fight.” Where that thought came from, he’d never know. She squirmed on his lap, fully contained. “Good thing I’m not yours, now isn’t it?

“That’s where you are wrong, Lynne Harmony. The second you crossed into Vanguard Territory, the very moment you asked for my help, that’s exactly what you became.” “What?” she asked, sounding breathless now. “Mine”

Lynne is on the run from her ex Bret Atherton who is a Ripper, and the President of the United States not all of them are stupid. They develop certain skills. He is a sociopath and an organized killer. People who become infected turn to rippers if they survive and have sociopathic tendencies. Not all of them some skills are enhanced which happens to Tace. Well at least he lived.

There are great secondary characters. I was also upset that two of the secondary characters I liked died.

This book is original, face paced full of action with sweet moments and one of my favourite genres dystopian/post-apocalyptic and it is not YA which is a bonus for me. Don’t get me wrong the dystopian YA books out there are good but I need one with adults. There are a lot of twists and turns that added to excitement to the book.

There were some things that bothered others and that he spanked her with a belt harder than he wanted and he didn’t apologize up to you if you don’t like that, it didn’t bother me that much to be honest.

They have natural chemistry as I already mentioned above but in the times that they are they agree on sex just sex. They are scorchin and good together.

<i>“Any chance you could get lost in the moment?”
He grinned against her mouth and leaned back, brown gaze warm. “Green Eyes, if I got lost in the moment, you’d be bent over the bed, face in the pillows, begging to come with every fiber of your being.”<i>

But he has a softer side to him.

<b>For a badass, dangerous killer of a soldier who had no problem wielding a belt, Jax Mercury sure liked to cuddle. And he had his moments.

<i>He placed his hand over her heart and waited until her gaze lifted “I like the blue” swoon

As did Lynne.

I’ll protect you, Jax” sigh

Can’t wait for the next book! Bring it on Ms. Zanetti