Series: Off the Grid

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
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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


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Guest Review: Signal Boost by Alyssa Cole

Posted May 27, 2015 by Tracy in Reviews | 0 Comments

Guest Review: Signal Boost by Alyssa ColeSignal Boost by Alyssa Cole
Series: Off the Grid #2
Also in this series: Radio Silence, Mixed Signals
Publisher: Carina Press
Publication Date: May 4th 2015
Genres: M/M, New Adult, Science Fiction
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four-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

When technology stopped working, the world as they knew it ended. In a secluded cabin, John and his loved ones have survived. He should feel grateful. But his family is in his face 24/7, he has to watch his best friend, Arden, and brother, Gabriel, flaunt their love, and as a techie in a Luddite world he's pretty much useless. The cabin is brimming with people, but he feels utterly alone. Until he catches Mr. Tall, Blond and Gorgeous raiding their garden. Mykhail is an astrophysics student, he makes John's gaydar ping like crazy and he thinks he knows what caused the devastation. He's on a journey to his university to find answers, and John invites himself along. Partly to get out of the house, and partly because he can't let Mykhail go without acting on the mutual attraction that's so obvious even John's mom is playing matchmaker. The closer they get to campus, the more Mykhail lets down his walls. But with answers come secrets both devastating and deadly, and before they can save the world, they'll have to save themselves.

Tracy’s review of Signal Boost (Off the Grid #2) by Alyssa Cole

In book one of the Off the Grid series we met John Seong. He’s a computer nerd who comes from a loud and loving Korean family. John and his best friend Arden had made their way to his parents house from New York after the what they considered the apocalypse and definitely hit some problems both along the way and once they arrived. Now life has pretty much fallen into a routine but John is feeling pretty useless. He feels like he should be doing more to figure out what happened to the electricity and how the world could get it back.

Mykhail is from the Ukraine and is an “almost” astrophysicist. He is caught by John when he attempts to steal some veggies from the Seong family garden. John is immediately attracted to Mykhail but Mykhail doesn’t always seem receptive. Mykhail states that he’s on his way to Burnell University to see his old mentor because if anyone has figured out how to get the electricity up and running again it’s his old mentor. John decides to travel with Mykhail as the man obviously gets lost a lot. Once on the road they start learning more about each other and John starts to fall in love. Mykhail, however much emotion he feels for John, keeps pushing him away but not for the reason that John thinks. When they eventually get to the University all is not what it seems and soon Mykhail and John are working even harder to get life back to normal.

The second book in the Off the Grid series was just as good as book one. I loved both Mykhail and John for completely different reasons and with them being so different it made a great case for opposites attract.

John was the type of person who knew what he wanted and went after it. He hadn’t always been like that but he’d learned that in the new world they lived in that the couldn’t afford to let opportunities pass him by. I really loved his sense of humor and most definitely his sense of honor. He was a wonderful person and I loved reading about him.

Mykhail was a strong character as well but he didn’t believe himself to be so. After the world had pretty much come to a standstill he had become a caregiver for those he loved but it hadn’t been enough to save everyone. He was hurt tremendously by his past actions and believed himself to be a dark and horrible person. He was perfect for John but couldn’t see that until John forced him to open his eyes about himself as well as accepting Mykhail for all of his past.

The story was very good and I really enjoyed reading about the men’s relationship as well as all of the details about the apocalypse. I’m not sure if there will be more in this series but I certainly hope so. Cole does a great job of world building and she makes me want to read more about the world she created.

Rating: 4 out of 5

This title is available from Carina Press. You can buy it here or here in e-format. This book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

four-stars


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Guest Review: Radio Silence by Alyssa Cole

Posted February 6, 2015 by Tracy in Reviews | 2 Comments

Guest Review: Radio Silence by Alyssa ColeReviewer: Tracy
Radio Silence by Alyssa Cole
Series: Off the Grid #1
Also in this series: Signal Boost, Mixed Signals
Publisher: Carina Press
Publication Date: February 2nd 2015
Genres: New Adult
Add It: Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books
four-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

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 blood-thirsty 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?

Tracy’s review of Radio Silence (Off the Grid #1) by Alyssa Cole

Arden and her best friend John make the trek from Rochester, New York to his parents home/cabin 100 miles away near the Canadian border. They do this on foot as modern society has fallen by the wayside. There are no phones, no running water, no electricity and it’s a nightmare. They’re almost to the house when they get lost (Arden’s fault) and end up getting attacked. They are saved by John’s brother, Gabriel, who is none too nice to Arden after his brother is hurt.

They are all now at the parents home but the parents went missing a week before they got there. The story focuses on the relationships between John, Gabriel and their high school age sister, Maggie and how they all deal with the situation in their own way. John’s parents had owned a grocery store so they had plenty of food and happened to have a generator so they were set…for a while.

The story also follows the budding romance between Arden and Gabriel. While they didn’t get along at first they soon find they can’t stay away from each other and this is great for them – but ends up causing trouble in the household.

While this definitely isn’t a traditional romance it had a lot to recommend it. The writing was engaging and the author made the situations feel realistic (of course, as I’ve never been in an apocalypse I can’t speak from experience). I really enjoyed this New Adult story as a whole and I’m looking forward to the next in the series. It looks like it will be m/m as the excerpt in the back of RS was from John’s point of view and he’s gay so… yay! 🙂

Rating: 4 out of 5

This title is available from Carina Press. You can buy it here or here in e-format. This book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

four-stars


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