Radio Silence (Off the Grid, #1)

by Alyssa Cole

“Rich in atmospheric details and rife with unexpected dangers…[a] refreshingly diverse cast of characters possess strong, sympathetic and magnetic personalities, ensuring that readers will be engaged with each step of their journey.” — RT Book Reviews

Cole adds a strong contender to the postapocalyptic romance genre with a smart, confident-African American heroine and a smart, sexy Korean hero in this first book in a trilogy. —Library Journal

No one expects the apocalypse.

Arden Highmore was living your average postgrad life in Rochester, New York, when someone flipped the “off” switch on the world. No cell phones, no power, no running water—and no one knows why. All she and her roommate, John, know for sure is that they have to get out, stat. His family’s cabin near the Canadian border seemed like the safest choice.

It turns out isolation doesn’t necessarily equal safety.

When scavengers attack, it’s John’s ridiculously handsome brother, Gabriel, who comes to the rescue. He saves Arden’s life, so he can’t be all bad…but he’s also a controlling jerk who treats her like an idiot. Now their parents are missing and it seems John, Gabriel, their kid sister, Maggie, and Arden are the only people left alive who aren’t bloodthirsty maniacs.

No one knows when—or if—the lights will come back on and, in the midst of all that, Arden and Gabriel are finding that there’s a fine line indeed between love and hate. How long can they expect to last in this terrifying new world, be it together or apart?

• ISBN10: 153966466X
• ISBN13: 9781539664666
• Publish Date: 2 February 2015 (first published 1 January 2015)
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 306
• Language: English

Reviews

[Angie]

Radio Silence is jam packed with things that I love! It's got an interracial romance! It's got friendship! It's got enemies to lovers! And it's got my favorite Romance trope: stranded together! Although, Arden and Gabriel aren't just stranded together. They're trying to survive whatever the heck is happening outside which forced them together. Arden and her best friend, John, left their apartment to head to the safety of his family's cabin. Of course, they hit trouble, John's brother thankfully rescues them, but that's not the end of their problems.

I really enjoyed Radio Silence. Arden is so feisty! I was annoyed with her at one point, but so was Gabriel. She made a really stupid decision, which is why when the book opens, she and John are on death's door. But she quickly grew on me, as did all of the other characters. I loved watching this little family unit knit together. It had been just Arden and John for weeks, but now they're with his older brother and younger sister, and everyone just comes together and does whatever it takes to make sure they all make it through this.

At first I was a little bummed that we get no details about what's happening in Radio Silence, but then I started to really like that we don't. It's much more realistic that way. How would Arden know anything when the power is out so there's no internet access, news, or radio? She wouldn't! This makes the tension that much higher, because everyone is just so high strung worrying about what the heck happened!

The romance was also really good. Gabriel is understandably annoyed and upset with Arden for putting his brother in that precarious situation. However, he is a doctor and sees that she's hurt and tends to her. That scene! We don't know what he's thinking, since this is all from Arden's POV, but let's just say she's having less than patiently feelings toward her caregiver. And they argue like crazy! Which of course leads to kissing and more as they're forced into each other's presence for weeks on end.

There is a slight mystery plot, which I wasn't quite that into. John and Gabriel's parents went missing while John and Arden were on their way. Obviously, Gabriel didn't know they were coming, so he never went to look for their parents because he couldn't leave their sister home alone in this chaos. Having someone there, means he can finally go look for them. It's not a bad plot, but it did leave me with unanswered questions at the end.

Radio Silence was a great read! All of the elements that I love worked really well together. The ending is a bit rushed and felt a little incomplete, but it did leave me eager to read the next book!

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.