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spotswimmy's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
wine_country_booklover's review against another edition
I can’t rate this because I only read about a third of it. I’ve been a big lover of Linda Howard but this one just wasn’t engaging. It was too heavy on the “how it survive an apocalypse” topic and low on the romance. I got lost when the details of how to store food and what tools to use during an indefinite blackout just got to be too much and didn’t interest me.
jonetta's review against another edition
4.0
Sela Gordon lives in a remote mountain town in Tennessee. She’s divorced, runs a general store and gas station, and lives modestly near her aunt and cousin. Ben Jernigan is former Special Forces who also lives in this resort community but chooses to exist in isolation off the grid, never interacting with any of the people in the town. However, he’s admired Sela and she him but neither have ever spoken to one another. When one of his friends from another state warns him (of course, by ham radio) that they are hours away from a catastrophic solar event (coronal mass ejection or CME), Ben visits Sela’s store for last minute supplies and suddenly decides to warn her. She has a choice whether to believe him and prepare or chalk it up to his weirdness. She makes the fortuitous decision to hedge her bets and behave as if his information is correct, which in the coming months served her well after the CME destroyed the power grids around the world.
Well, it’s not a virus but this event is a global one that destroyed the life everyone was accustomed to living. It was fascinating to contrast the behaviors of those who understood preparedness with others who were quite clueless. Many of the people living in this town were used to living off the grid from time to time because of harsh weather events where they’d lose power or access to stores to get provisions. What I loved about the story was how the unlikeliest stepped up to the challenge and provided leadership. In times of crisis, you’ll see the best and worst of behaviors and that was strongly presented here, rather authentically. Sela emerges as the one with the steady hand and head, quietly steering the community in the right direction, figuring out how to manage chaos into some semblance of a new normal.
I enjoyed the story as it was timely in the midst of what we’re currently experiencing. Though a different event, the reactions and feelings are relevant to the times. I’ve read a couple of other stories involving “preppers” recently and they’re not seeming so strange these days. Ben is one of them and while his past demons drove him to separate from the rest of the world, I respected his decision and liked that it was a struggle for him to reengage at Sela’s request. Their relationship was definitely a slow burn but I liked that aspect, too. The narrator was new to me and I thought she did a wonderful job distinguishing a host of characters and not over dramatizing a dramatic story.
There are suspense elements but they present later in the story with sort of a predictable outcome. However, the heart of this story is the strong theme of community that resonated mightily within me. I needed to see and feel this at this moment. It’s a good story with lots of interesting characters who will inspire you to do better.
Posted on Blue Mood Café
(Thanks to HarperAudio for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.)
Well, it’s not a virus but this event is a global one that destroyed the life everyone was accustomed to living. It was fascinating to contrast the behaviors of those who understood preparedness with others who were quite clueless. Many of the people living in this town were used to living off the grid from time to time because of harsh weather events where they’d lose power or access to stores to get provisions. What I loved about the story was how the unlikeliest stepped up to the challenge and provided leadership. In times of crisis, you’ll see the best and worst of behaviors and that was strongly presented here, rather authentically. Sela emerges as the one with the steady hand and head, quietly steering the community in the right direction, figuring out how to manage chaos into some semblance of a new normal.
I enjoyed the story as it was timely in the midst of what we’re currently experiencing. Though a different event, the reactions and feelings are relevant to the times. I’ve read a couple of other stories involving “preppers” recently and they’re not seeming so strange these days. Ben is one of them and while his past demons drove him to separate from the rest of the world, I respected his decision and liked that it was a struggle for him to reengage at Sela’s request. Their relationship was definitely a slow burn but I liked that aspect, too. The narrator was new to me and I thought she did a wonderful job distinguishing a host of characters and not over dramatizing a dramatic story.
There are suspense elements but they present later in the story with sort of a predictable outcome. However, the heart of this story is the strong theme of community that resonated mightily within me. I needed to see and feel this at this moment. It’s a good story with lots of interesting characters who will inspire you to do better.
Posted on Blue Mood Café
(Thanks to HarperAudio for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.)
oliviasbookishworld's review against another edition
1.0
Gave me anxiety, especially since I read it during the beginning of the pandemic when living through toilet paper shortages, possible food shortages etc. I didnt really like the main characters or believe there sudden "love" story. Did a lot of skipping and finally read the end.
itsziabytheway_'s review
adventurous
dark
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
ela_35's review against another edition
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
This book was fine but a lot of it was just saying that time was passing and the electricity still wasn’t working.
Up to around 50% nothing really happened. It said that their town was getting organised and that a lot of time was passing but it was all vague. I wanted to see them actually doing things and interacting with other characters.
Ben and Sela’s relationship is really quick and I wanted to see more of them actually interacting.
This book was fine and the idea seemed interesting but I was bored for the first half of it and then the rest was a bit quick.
bookrambler's review against another edition
3.0
In a world where the sun came down and brought down the electrical grid of Earth along with it After Sundown tackles with the aftermath of a sun apocalypse.
I've read a book with a similar scenario before but it was sci-fi; I don't want to call this a 'suspense' because it didn't feel one. The story starts with our hero Ben, an ex-marine receiving news about incoming solar flares. Then, we are introduced to our heroine Sela, who's a shy general store owner and is she's warned by Ben that she should stock up on essentials before it is too late.
The majority of the story deals with the aftermath of the situation where it is much worse than our current situation. Electricity is out, satellites aren't working which leads to zero communication with the world. Zillions of problems arise, and of course among them are people who are keen on taking advantage of the situation. Among all of this, romance blooms between loner Ben and shy Sela.
I would've liked it if we knew at least one anecdote related to Ben's life. I don't know if I missed it but I just couldn't connect with Ben. All I know about Ben is that he has 'buns of steel', and that he's an ex-marine, loner, almost definitely has PTSD, hasn't had sex for a long time, likes to brood and doesn't want to become emotionally invested(at first). I desperately wanted to know more about his childhood, teen or his time in the Marines but i got nothing. The romance also felt too rushed bordering on clinical; I wanted just a bit more emotional interaction between them.
Overall, it's a good story if I take into account the plot and the stakes. I usually love Linda Howard's books and I devoured this in a day with the occasional jabs at the book for the quality of romance. Thanks to Harper Collins/William Morrow for gifting me a copy in exchange for my honest review.
I've read a book with a similar scenario before but it was sci-fi; I don't want to call this a 'suspense' because it didn't feel one. The story starts with our hero Ben, an ex-marine receiving news about incoming solar flares. Then, we are introduced to our heroine Sela, who's a shy general store owner and is she's warned by Ben that she should stock up on essentials before it is too late.
The majority of the story deals with the aftermath of the situation where it is much worse than our current situation. Electricity is out, satellites aren't working which leads to zero communication with the world. Zillions of problems arise, and of course among them are people who are keen on taking advantage of the situation. Among all of this, romance blooms between loner Ben and shy Sela.
I would've liked it if we knew at least one anecdote related to Ben's life. I don't know if I missed it but I just couldn't connect with Ben. All I know about Ben is that he has 'buns of steel', and that he's an ex-marine, loner, almost definitely has PTSD, hasn't had sex for a long time, likes to brood and doesn't want to become emotionally invested(at first). I desperately wanted to know more about his childhood, teen or his time in the Marines but i got nothing. The romance also felt too rushed bordering on clinical; I wanted just a bit more emotional interaction between them.
Overall, it's a good story if I take into account the plot and the stakes. I usually love Linda Howard's books and I devoured this in a day with the occasional jabs at the book for the quality of romance. Thanks to Harper Collins/William Morrow for gifting me a copy in exchange for my honest review.