Shadow Falling (The Scorpius Syndrome, #2)

by Rebecca Zanetti

[kimbacaffeinate]

I simply love this series. The Scorpius Syndrome series features a post-apocalyptic world where a bacteria killed 99% of the US populations, those who survived and receive B-12 shots are carriers, require less sleep, suffer from headaches are unable to reproduce (not confirmed) and can affect others. Some who survive become what is known as Rippers. Much like zombies, or worse become mentally unhinged serial killers. Sweet right? These stories should be read in order and I strongly recommend the prequel The Scorpius Syndrome #0.5 found in the anthology The Hunt.

Most of our story takes place in the crumbling remains of Los Angeles and picks up right where Mercury Striking lets off. The story has an overall story ARC revolving around the Ripper president, finding a cure and surviving to live another day. Each of the books features movement in the overall ARC, a romance and side threads containing danger and action scenes that will delight action moviegoers and gamers.

Raze Shadow is or was a part of the military. Raze is highly skilled and is a known associate of the Mercenaries a ruthless gang. In Mercury Striking, he aided in an attack on the President’s compound where he rescued Vivienne Kennedy a former FBI Profiler. Vivienne was tortured and experimented using drugs that have affected her in unsettling ways. If Alpha men make you swoon, Raze will knock your socks off. He is possessive of loved ones, loyal until the end but also willing to compromise.

Vivienne Kennedy has a career I find completely fascinating. If you follow Caffeinated, you know I have a thing for serial killers. I love shows, books, and documentaries about them. Twisted right? The Vivienne we first meet is unhinged. Not surprising considering what she went through. We slowly see her regain her confidence and witness the emergence of her snarky and a feisty personality.

We see advancement regarding the overall story arc, but I still have questions and my only complaint was my thirst for more details regarding the virus. We meet other groups, get perspectives from the President's camp and gain insight into the general direction book three will take us. We learn about those within the compound, and I love this motley crew of survivors. Tace and Sami have a little spark igniting and I cannot wait for their story. Zanetti did a great job of sharing this apocalyptic world along with the fears, needs and daily bullshit necessary to survive.

Aside from the overall ARC, we had two intense threads. The reason Raze joined the group and a group of unaffected humans within the compound who refer to themselves as the “Pure”. Both threads were developed. I particularly liked seeing Raze open up and trust. His secret led us to other discoveries and new characters. The leader of the “Pure” was freaky, and this is exactly the kind of stuff I could see happening in this type of world.

Zanetti delivered a fully developed romance with snarky, humor, bite and delicious heat. Balanced moments of tenderness, playfulness and explosive passion had me rooting for this couple. Even when Raze went into Alpha mode, you had to love his reasoning. These two traded barbs and had fantastic chemistry. One of the things I like about this series is the romantic thread tucked within the post-apocalyptic world where every day you struggle to live another day. It nicely balances out the intense action scenes and climatic battles.

Copy Provided by publisher. This review was originally posted on Caffeinated Book Reviewer