Guest Review: Mixed Signals by Alyssa Cole

Posted November 11, 2015 by Tracy in Reviews | 0 Comments

Guest Review: Mixed Signals by Alyssa ColeReviewer: Tracy
Mixed SignalsSeries: Off the Grid #3
Also in this series: Radio Silence, Signal Boost

Publication Date: October 19, 2015
Add It: Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books
four-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

 

Four years after the Flare, the world is finally starting to rebuild

For Maggie Seong, that means leaving the safety of her family’s cabin for college. She won’t be alone, though—hunky former military cadet Edwin Hernandez, family friend and self-appointed Protector of Maggie’s Virtue, will be there. Maggie would much prefer that Edwin himself dispose of her “innocence,” but he’s already rejected her advances once, and a girl has her pride.

Things look pretty bleak romance-wise until Maggie discovers that Devon, the pre-Flare internet boyfriend she’d assumed was dead, is not only alive but on campus. Despite the passage of time, their bond is strong, and they quickly pick up where they left off. Even as Devon aims for a chance at love IRL—everything Maggie thought she’d wanted—Edwin’s desire to protect her makes her question her heart.

Maggie’s torn between the future she didn’t dare to hope for and the past she can’t let go of. And when a group of neo-Luddite terrorists threaten the campus, everyone’s loyalties will be tested. To ensure that the world doesn’t go back to the dark days following the Flare, Maggie might have to sacrifice it all.

Maggie isn’t ready to leave her family. She was with them through what was called the Flare which knocked out technology, electricity and everything else modern society depended on. She was just 16 when it all started and at 20 is now seeing how life is slowly trying to get back to normal. They have cell phones at times and electricity but there are factions out there who want it to go back to the life of no electricity. Maggie’s off to the first college class at Oswego University since the Flare but she’s not sure she wants to leave the comfort of home.

Once she gets to college she realizes that her parents decision to send her to college was the right one. She reconnects with her online boyfriend who she spent every night with (virtually) before the flare. He lived in Florida so she never had any hope of connecting with Devon ever again as she thought he was dead. When she finds out that he’s in her freshman class at college and then finds out that he not only lied to her about where he lived but many other things as well, she’s not sure she can trust him about anything.

On top of all that she still has feelings for Edwin who was the man she once offered her virginity to who then turned her down flat. She starts becoming better friends with Edwin and then slowly they become more. Devon, who she has decided to trust, pulls a fast one and soon not only Devon but her one female friend at college are soon fighting for their lives.

Book three in the Off the Grid series was just as good as the first two books. Maggie’s story with Edwin was a lovely blend of romance, friendship and the frightening reality of post-Flare life.

The romance between Maggie and Edwin was very sweet. What Maggie had wanted for so long finally came true and she was in heaven. Edwin was kind, giving and protective to not only Maggie but all those he cared about. He was just the kind of guy you wanted as a friend and as a lover he was generous and giving as well. His feelings for Maggie grew over time and became strong and unbreakable.

Maggie was a little wishy-washy at first when she first got to college. She met up with Devon again and since she believed Edwin didn’t care about her other than a friend she wanted to believe that Devon was the guy he told her he was before the Flare. She finds out that that’s not the case but she still acts undecided for a while. I wanted her to be more decisive but then remembered that she was only 20 and had been pretty sheltered her whole life so I guess I could understand her immaturity.

Overall the story was a good one that I found entertaining as well as sweet, romantic and intense. I hope this series continues as I really like the world that Cole has built and want to read more stories set in it.

Rating: 4 out of 5

four-stars


Tagged: , , , , , , ,

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.