The second book in the "electrifying" (Library Journal) new series by Colleen Gleason, writing as Joss Ware.

Everything they knew is gone.From the raging fires, five men emerge with extraordinary new powers. They must learn how to survive this dark, ravaged world . . . but they cannot do it alone.

Simon Japp will never forget his violent past. But when civilization is all but destroyed, he sees his chance for redemption. Blessed with a strange "gift," he's determined to help the resistance against the Strangers, the mysterious force that stalks them at every turn. He can't afford to get distracted, even by the stunning, soft-spoken woman fighting by his side . . .

Sage Corrigan has learned to be careful where she places her trust. But she sees something good in Simon, even if he can't see it in himself. Posing as lovers to infiltrate a group key to their fight, they find that their staged affection soon develops into a desire that will leave them fighting for their lives in the night eternal . . .

This is book two in Joss Ware’s AMAZING Awakening Heroes series. If this series isn’t on your radar, you are missing out. Read my review of Beyond the Night Eternal here. The second book is the story of Simon (one of the men that were in the Sedona cave in 2010) and Sage (Computer tech extraordinaire).

Sage was born after The Change. She is also part of the Resistance, a small group of people that are building a movement against the Strangers—the immortals that caused The Change. Her contribution to the group is setting up a secret computer network at different settlements that are near Envy. The first settlement to get the secret network is the one that Sage is from—Falling Creek.

Falling Creek started when a group of people left Envy soon after The Change. Falling Creek was made up of people that believed that it was their responsibility to start procreating. Repopulating the world to the best of their ability, if you will. Now the original founds of Falling Creek are from a time that polygamy is not practiced (openly) nor condoned. I really enjoyed following the journal of Sage’s grandmother (who was alive before The Change). It shows her obvious struggle to become accustomed to this new living situation. Even harder to adapt to the idea of men having multiple wives. Especially when it’s HER husband that is taking more than one.

Sage’s family isn’t looked upon kindly by people from other settlements. It’s widely believed that Corrigan women are nothing more than sluts that will give it up for anyone. Sage left Falling Creek when she came closer to the date she would be able to contribute (i.e. procreate). Sage loves her home in Envy and never thought she would go back to Falling Creek. The resistance wants Sage to go in (under the guise of finding her way) to install a network hub. She chooses Simon to go with her.

Simon was nothing more than a glorified assassin in 2010. Of all them men in the Sedona cave, he alone is the one that is actually happy it happened. It has given him a fresh start. That doesn’t mean that he’ll unload his past baggage on a woman. Most especially Sage. The only really annoying thing about this book was Simon’s CONSTANT implications that Sage and Theo are meant for each other. Dude, shut your cakehole. We got it the first fifty times. Sage isn’t a woman to take it and she tells him what’s up and that’s that.

This is all going on after they get into Falling Creek. Holy Mother. The couples are told when to have sex and when to refrain from it. It’s announced at the dinner table who’s ovulating and when. Hilarious.

Then a Stranger shows up. Not just any Stranger, but someone that Simon knew from 2010. She is not someone he wants to cross. All he wants is to get Sage out safely. Like that’s going to happen.

Outside of the romance between Simon and Sage, this is what I took from the book: Men are men no matter where (or when) they come from. They like being waited on, they like p0rn and they are just generally lazy. But they’re doing their duty by donating their sperm.

4.25 out of 5.

P.S. The person you should feel really bad for is the one that has to keep all the birth records to be sure there is no inbreeding.

The Heroes of New Vegas