Creatures lurking at your door step, but are those what you should be afraid of, or is there a greater monster to fear? Jared Benson is a survivor, but that's all he's done is survive. He's about to meet a girl that's going to make him want more than the ability to breathe, but it comes with a price: follow your head, or your heart?
Jared Benson is your average twenty-three year old male, he has a foul mouth, he likes sex, he despises attachments, and he doesn't take shit from anyone; he just happens to be living in a post-apocalyptic world. Almost two years ago, the world as he knew it ended, and he had to learn how to adapt to his new surroundings. As the appointed leader of a ragtag group of strangers, Jared's focus is on survival.
Gathering supplies, fighting infected, and ending daily disagreements or skirmishes amongst his ranks are his new daily routine; but that's all about to change. A chance meeting with a stranger tips Jared's world off it's axis, and he's going to question what's really important. Come join Jared, his sister, best friend, and those he meets along the way, as he learns to choose if surviving is enough, or if there is really more to life.
MALE/FEMALE romance; violence; language, abuse; male pov
I'm twenty-three years old, currently in college, and an avid book reader. I'm an animal lover, as can be seen with my profile picture. (That's my first baby, a four year old Silky Terrier named Elvis.) My second baby would have to be my books. I love sports, but have to support my home teams, the Sox, Pats, Bruins and the Celtics.
I recently picked up the hobby of writing, and Surge is my first attempt at a novel. It's the beginning of a series, so there's more to come in the future. If you liked the book, please leave a review. Thanks.
This is a different book for me, I read romance and as far as I can remember I've never read, or wanted to read a book about the undead but there was just something about this book that called to me in fact it became something of a crusade since I found it purely by chance free on smashwords the night it came out but for some reason I couldn't access the site from my kindle so for the first time in over 2 years I used something other than my kindle or iPad to transfer a book, shows just how much I wanted this book. I loved it and became totally absorbed, the characters were well written and believable, I must admit a few bits worried me early on as they seemed a little childish and immature, particularly Jared's obsession with Diney but stick with it this shows how he grows up and matures as the book moves on. This story held my full attention I was engrossed walking round with my kindle in front of my face, I couldn't get enough now I'm left waiting for the next book since I can't wait to continue this story with these characters. Talking of characters Olivia is fantastic, what an excellent strong yet flawed female and the rest, it's a long book and I could go on and on about the characters and the plot but I won't since I don't want to spoil it for you, just let me say it has violence, abuse, betrayal, loyalty and of course romance and don't forget the zombies. Katelin write quickly please.
4.5 stars for this completely outta the blue fantastic read, it's been a while since I've been blown away by a book, let alone a debut! ....this was SO fucking amazing, I don't even know how to explain why it was just so good.... So instead I'll just mention the few things that kept this from being a 5 star read:
1) the atrocious editing. Holy hell, there were a lot of of errors. A lot, a lot of errors....it almost made me want to cry.... But IMO the overall story was just so so freaking good, i could almost disregard them...
2) the heroine, whose pov we only get in the prologue, was a bit of a Mary Sue....she had a tortuous past, so you can't help but feel for her....but seriously, each and every member of the opposite sex who came into contact with her absolutely adored her, almost to the point of obsession....it was a very long book ( which I freaking loved, thank you ms LaMontagne!) so by the end of the book, their absolute and unquestioning devotion got a bit old.
3) a few long winded and unnecessary conversations and internal monologues....they kept popping up at the worst times....like they'd be going after big bads, and 2 characters would stop to have a convo, and I'd be yelling at them to get a fucking move on! Just grrrrr....
And lastly, 4) the ending is sorta outta left field...I was just readng along, and then bam! The end!
But despite those few issues, it's like I said this was a freaking fantastic read....it sorta kinda, but only marginally reminds me of Joss Ware's Envy books, only instead of 50 years after the zombies come out, it's only a couple years....so everything's more chaotic and crazy, and terrifying....oh and no super powers, which I also liked :)
But, damn it I want more! And also like I said before, Surge is a pretty long book, you know, the kind where you get emotionally attached to the characters, and don't want to let go, but then the book ends, and you're forced to let go, and there's not even another book out , so you cant assuage your thirst, so instead your screwed.....all the while you pretend to be patient but really your cursing up a storm, waiting on tenterhooks for the author to release another book...( hint, hint Ms LaMontagne)
Dammit, I really,really, really, want more of Jared, our hero's point of view, but at this point I'll take anybody's! Just gimme more, dammit!
I finished reading this story about a week ago, but I’ve put off the review for many reasons. The main being, I don’t think I’ll do this book justice. I know this is something book bloggers everywhere say at least once a week, but I truly don’t think I can describe my feelings for this book. It was such a complex story, emotionally and story-wise. It was attention grabbing, but it was definitely not an easy read. There is so much emotion – anger, despair, pain, humor, horror, love, frustration – that made me feel as if I boarded the train to Crazy Town(which we all know I did a long time ago). With a lot of books, it can take a while for me to become attached to the characters. No matter what I eventually rate a book, it can take a few chapters to become involved, but not with this one. I fell in love almost instantly, which is unfortunate, because one of the characters I wanted to see more of died! :(
Surge follows the lives of a hodgepodge group of survivors that include an elderly person, a doctor, a couple of love smitten teenagers, and a few too many cliché “fashionistas” that complain about everything and rarely keep their legs closed. This group is led by a 23-year-old snarky young man named Jared, and his slutty best friend John, both of whom initially banded together to protect Jared’s younger sister when the world fell apart around them. They slowly met with other survivors who joined them in living in Jared’s apartment. This all happened before the beginning of the book – the book actually begins when Jared and John are scouting for weapons, make an unwise decision (as usual), and become overrun by a horde of hungry wheezers. They are saying their goodbyes when a short, motorcycle helmet disguised woman in all leather decimates the entire group of wheezers and saves their asses (for the first time of many). Her name is Olivia, and she takes them back to one of her houses, where they quickly fall in lust with her survivor skills and her cooking… and maybe a little more (no this book does not a love triangle. . . at least not a traditional one).
Jared was an interesting main character. I haven’t read many books in the male POV, and I think this one was by far my favorite, even though he was kind of the typical teenage-male asshole at the beginning of the story. I don’t look down on the author for this, as I think it gave him dimension, because I saw tremendous growth from him all the way through the novel. He changes from an immature boy who’s only interests are sex from whoever spreads their legs and survival to a man intent on revenge and safety for his group and especially the love of his life. He’s a real main character – one who has the normal thoughts and actions of a boy his age, but eventually grows up.
I also really loved Olivia, aka Jared’s damaged lover, even though her story is a terrible one. I won’t spoil the story for you guys, but just know that if you have triggers or can’t stomach abuse or rape in stories, this is not the zombie story for you. Don’t be alarmed there is a happy-for-now ending, but this book has some themes that can be disturbing… How can it not be when
I did have on problem with this story: so. much. slut shaming. It’s ridiculous how much of the dialogue was shaming three of the girls in the group for having sex with John and having a love of shoes. It seems we’re shamed when we “act like girls” or not. I especially hate when an author (like this one) creates characters specifically so the main characters can look down on them. Grrr. Pet-peeve!
Despite my hatred of slut shaming, it didn’t take my attention away from the story as much as it usually would. I loved the plot, and I loved the characters, even if I did have problems with a few of their characteristics. That makes them realistic characters, right?
I completely enjoyed this story and can’t wait to read more. It might not be as horror packed as most zombie stories are, because most of the horror evolved around humans and not the wheezers (sadly, humans can be worse than hungry zombies), but I did have to sleep with a lamp on for a few nights. As soon as I finish this review, I’m off to beg the author to let me review the second book in the series!
Wow! This was great! At first I was wrong. While I was reading the first 1/4 of this book, I thought it wasn't the book for me. I thought it was silly, immature, very childish. I was sooooo wrong! As the book progressed, the main character became a man. So, all the silly childish things left the story. Then the story cam together like none other. There was violence, gangs, romance, love, sex, revenge all wrapped perfectly together to make this a wonderful read. This is not your "usual walking zombie with arms stretched out" thing. Oh no, theses were humans that had received a trial run of a vaccine gone wrong-turning these people into zombie like creatures. What a new and refreshing idea! The main characters were strong and lovable (most of them). There is also a lot of great humor in this. At 5AM I woke my husband up from a deep sleep with my laughter. On MY Kindle it was location 9450-hysterical. I am running for the next book. Great new author with refreshing ideas that will keep you wanting more. Definite 5 star read.
I suppose it's possible that I did not give this book much of a chance - but I just could not on any level make myself care about the female lead in this story. Suddenly I understand wholeheartedly what it is that bothers so many readers about a Mary Sue character. Maybe I have a higher tolerance than others, or maybe this particular Mary Sue out-Mary's all the other Sues in Suesville. I absolutely could not stand her, not one bit. She was a better fighter than everyone else. She was smarter than everyone else. She was more beautiful than everyone else. She figured out survival techniques that no one else had even considered. Most all the other women hated her and were depicted as villainous because of it. The group she was in actually asked her to show them all self-defensive techniques even though the group she was in also included the person who showed her most of those moves in the first place and had been there for quite some time before M-Sue even showed up. Anytime the male lead said or did anything however small to leave Miss Perfect feeling in any way incensed, the entire rest of the group practically strung him up for it. It's like he had to go through pretty much every other member of the group before being allowed so much as a conversation with her, all the while putting up with "We've got our eye on you" type vibes from half of them at least. To make things worse, this group was one he himself actually started.
I do feel a little bit bad for disliking this character so much, because of all the terrible things that had happened to her at the start of the book. But to me bad things should just be considered bad things and not something that has to be used to make a specific character less contemptuous to the reader.
Anyway - I just got to a point where I spent more time perusing Goodreads for my next book than I was actually reading this one and didn't pick it up again. Not only was the female lead insufferable to me, I also got kind of bored.
I won't say that picking this up and finishing it at some point is impossible - but it really isn't very likely.
Five stars for this original novel. Found this on Smashwords, and could not put it down. It may be a "zombie" novel, but there's so much more to it. Action, romance, abuse, etc, so it appeals to several of my favorite genres.
The characters were well developed, and realistic. Loved the male pov, its a nice change from being stuck in a female's head like most of the new adult romance novels currently on the market. Jared is a breath of fresh air, there are several scenes where I found myself laughing out loud, which made those around me give me weird looks, but oh well, it was worth it. Still can't believe it was free. Now I'm left eagerly anticipating the release of the next installment of the series, hopefully SOON.
SURGE by Katelin LaMontagne was provided to me free of charge in eBook format by the author in exchange for an honest review.
This review contains spoilers.
This book is set in a post apocalyptic version of our world. Researchers have discovered a cure for cancer known as Gene K. It showed great promise in chimpanzees and human testing soon followed. The vaccine was used to treat 1100 terminally ill patients before the FDA had a chance to test and approve it. Within a month the patients seemed to be cancer free. However, a month later side effects began to be seen - the most significant of which appeared to be a build up of blood in the lungs causing the person to make a constant wheezing sound with every breath they took. Fearing an outbreak the initial 100 people were forcibly confined and soon began to show violent tendencies. The other 1000 test subjects soon showed the same symptoms and began scratching and biting anyone they came in contact with. The infection spread like wildfire and "Wheezers" became a genuine threat.
Now, more than a year later, Jared, his sister Sarah and Jared's best friend, John have collected quite a few survivors and brought them back to the relative safety of their condominium.
The problem is, supplies are running low and the stores and residences surrounding theirs have been picked clean. More and more "Wheezers" are amassing and the trio decide the safest thing to do is to relocate.
However, before this can happen Jared is saved from Wheezers during a supply run by Olivia, who is one kick ass chick.
Bringing Olivia back to their home base is one of the best decisions of Jared's life.
Shortly after her arrival the group is attacked in the night by ruthless human raiders that Olivia has encountered before.
What follows is an epic struggle of good vs. evil and proves that Wheezers are not the only threat to the group.
The characters are well portrayed and Jared is an interesting mix of good and bad. His heart is in the right place, but he is definitely a typical young adult male who often lets his libido get the best of his common sense. Since this is true of most "men" his age, it comes across as believable (if a little crude at times.)
Jared's younger, teen age sister is a great character. Strong in ways and so young and naive in other ways, she inspires loyalty and protectiveness in all who meet her. Growing up in this nightmare world would be difficult for anyone, but Sarah seems to be growing up right. Thanks in no small way to Jared and John's devotion to keeping her safe and as sheltered as possible from the darkest realities of their situation.
John is Jared's best friend. The story of how they met in Kindergarten will make you laugh. He has a weakness for women and women seem to fall at his feet. He is definitely a ladies man, although he is a bit of a "dog" with them and he finds it impossible to be a one-woman man.
After the attack, the group learn from Olivia that knows of a place where they can go to be safe. Fearing retaliation from the raiders, they set off to find it.
During their exodus they discover that Olivia has been through a traumatic ordeal and is both physically and emotionally scarred. But, despite her issues, John finds himself drawn to her and he begins to develop feelings for her.
This is not just a "zombie" story. It details both the bright and darker sides of human nature. It is a story of survival, not only of the body, but of the mind.
This is well written and brilliantly structured and I very much enjoyed the fact that the author has written a book of substantial length. Too many recently published novels are excessively short which is a good way to sell more books (in theory), but, in reality it just frustrates the reader and makes him/her feel cheated.
There are a few minor editing issues with this book, such as: "...since she's wasn't blind or deaf..." Which should read "... since she wasn't blind or deaf..." Or "... so she seen the news reports..." which should read "... So she had seen the news..." Or even "... so she had seen the news..." There are also a few instances of the wrong word being used (probably caused by typos fixed by computer generated spell checking). For example: Olivia is telling a story and it says, "Me especially, because I want to see what else she recants." I believe the author meant to use the word "recite" rather then "recant." Also, when describing the two versions of the infected they are referred to as "strands" when "strains" would be more descriptively accurate. Strand can work if referring to DNA, so I might be wrong in thinking that "strain" is what the author meant.
However, despite these glitches, which are easily fixed by an attentive editor. I am still compelled to give SURGE a very strong endorsement and rate this book as 5 out of 5.
I can't wait to get my hands on the next book in the series by Katelin LaMontagne.
I was given this book by the author for an honest review.
This story was not what I expected at all. I'm not even sure what I expected, some sort of zombie story that involved mutant human people eating humans; that is what I thought this was going to be. I don't even like zombie movies/stories because it's always the same thing; there is apocalyptic terror everywhere and everyone is on their own.
This story is much more than that and I was happily surprised. The whole story is told in first and second person from Jared. I was very surprised to see some parts of the story with Jared speaking to us in second person. He was funny, witty and at times could be charming. Ms. LaMontague did fantastically at developing the characters in the story. I think what made the characters stand out to me was all the dialogue she filled in the story. There was a lot of banter, sarcasm, laughs and words of caring and love. That was what intrigued me about the whole story, all the characters were very much involved.
Ms LaMontagne did a phenomenal job at processing Jared's thoughts and emotions in various situations. I felt like I knew him and I maybe felt like I understood the male brain a little better. The other main character, Olivia was a fantastic woman in the story. Ms. Lamontagne did a great job at developing Olivia. Olivia has a very trouble past with nightmares that would bring anyone down a dark road but she's a strong vigilante woman. She brought true trauma and terrors to the story but she also was a happiness that was forgotten in this world. It was interesting to read about Olivia because she had symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder and other psychological issues that she was fighting the whole time. This story was not just about zombies and trying to survive in the world; it was a dramatic coming of age tale of a boy trying to find out what type of man he wants to be and a woman fighting her nightmares so she can function "normally".
Overall, I would highly recommend this book to anyone that is a young adult or older who wants to read a thrilling, action adventure coming of age story with very colorful characters. I would like to thank Ms. LaMontagne for sharing her work with me, it was a pleasure.
I was giving this book thru the author for my honest review. This is a Zombie/Love/Violence kind of story. For this being Katelin's first book I have to say you did awesome! I couldn't put it down I just had to know what happened next. If you enjoy post-apocalyptic movies/books check this book out you will love it. “You were supposed to be my wingman, not my freaking kamikaze pilot.” “You do know you’re a woman, right?” I ask.“Are you sure?” Olivia asks with an astonished face. “I thought I had a penis.” lol
LOVED THIS BOOK! I haven't read a book that has caught me in and make me read it all in a day. I can't wait for the next book! Your a amazing writer in my opinion.
Overall, I really enjoyed the book. I loved the characters. They are well developed and I found myself being emotionally attached to them. The world building was well done, and the story line exciting. I plowed through this book.
With that being said, I ran into a few issues, but they are minor. The biggest of these being the grammar. It was pretty bad and definitely could have used a few more edits before going to print. There were not just missing words, but words placed within words. I would think a spell check would catch this. Unfortunately, this seems to be a growing trend. Of the 5 books a recently read, 4 had very bad (and many) grammar mistakes.
Beyond the grammar, the story was too long and drawn out, particularly with unnecessary conversations, monologues and descriptions. For example, in one chapter the author describes every single one of the survivor's outfits and the weapons they carried. I don't really see how someone wearing cargo pants adds to the story at all, making it over descriptive and unnecessary. Additionally, I found some casual conversations placed in awkward moments. For example, characters are in an intense scene and they begin to talk casually about how they got a nick name. It's inappropriate timing and unrealistic. Also unrealistic, the obsessiveness the males have towards the female lead. Yet no one makes a move on her except for one? I just don't believe it. I also don't believe that someone who is 7, 17 or 27 years older than her would have some morals to not hit on her. No way. My final negative comment, I found the ending slightly confusing. It happened so quickly, I had to reread it a couple of times to be clear about what happened. It made the conclusion feel abrupt and unexpected.
Regardless of these issues, I would recommend this book. I look forward to the other installments in this series. I would have given 5 stars, but deducted one because of the poor grammar.
This is the least- known book I ve ever read but it worth every minute of my time (and it was a long book). I just couldn't put it down. Its such a shame that I just noticed that it has been 3 years since this book came out and the second one doesn't even have a release date, and now im really disappointed because I really want to continue reading this series.
Its really different from other paranormal and dystopian books, this one its from the hero's point of view and its about zombies with an actual reasonable explanation for them! Also there is another life-threatening situation going on that happens to be the main one in this book, not the wheezers (zombies). Its got action, suspense, violence but at the same time its a romance story and has a LOT of funny moments that made me laugh out loud. The autor was definitely not afraid to get real and kill a few characters and at the same time manage to make you laugh on a few occasions.
The reason im not giving it a 5 stars rating its because of the grammar and some other errors (even with the spanish dialogue, which is my first language), but they wont get in the way of actually enjoying the book, its just obvious that the autor needs to find a new editor and release the second one ASAP. Nevertheless, i am officially impressed with this book.
I'm not sure where to start. I really enjoyed reading this. It was more of a survival - romance story than a zombie one. I chose it for the zombie aspect but since I also like romance, I was totally fine with the romance. People who are just looking for action and blood and guts should probably not read it though. Honestly, this could truly benefit from a good editor. I think it has the makings of a book that could do really well with more readers if it was tightened up. There's definitely a lot of grammar issues going on as well as simple mistakes like words missing, most likely because the author was writing quickly caught up in the moment. But there's a LOT of inner dialogue that could be cut out. It's not necessarily bad but it just makes the book needlessly long. What Olivia went through ... that was hard to read and kind of messed me up. I didn't love the way things went down with the raiders at the end just because it would have been nice if she didn't have to go through MORE trauma. I see that the next books are from Olivia's POV with a prequel. I don't think I can read either of those. I'm hoping a sequel comes out with Jared and Olivia because that's what I want more of. There wasn't enough of them being happy. I need the happy! Overall, a very engaging book for me and I will check out this author's other books.
I was given this book to write a honest review. I really enjoyed this book but got frustrated with the length of it as I wanted to know what happens lol. I haven't read many books of this nature but this is one of the best. The story was gripping and entertaining with goodies , baddies and Zombies. A great action packed Zombie book. The author created a mixture of emotions throughout the book: laughter, tears, sympathy, strength, joy etc she did a great job. I feel the author gave a great insight into the vast majority of characters lives both prior and post outbreak. The main characters were very likable. They had great attributes including strength, vulnerability alongside your everyday flaws as a human being. A great book!
Recieved from author for honest review. Let me start out by saying I never read books like this. I stay away from post apocolyptic/zombie stories as a rule. I've never even seen one episode of Walking Dead. Gasp! I know...But I decided to check this one out, and I am so glad I did!! It was an amazing ride. A little too long, which is the only reason I didn't give it 5 stars. But the author gives such life to her characters, and the plot was so thought out, there was no way I was putting this book down. And I would definitly sign up for future books from her. It's definitly worth checking out.
This book definitely put a unique spin on the apocalypse. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and never even realized that it was longer than most. It was kind of nice not to burn through it in 48 hours.
The characters in this story were fully developed all of them. I laughed out loud many times. The banter between John and Jared was hysterical. I know this seems morbid considering the circumstances but it was told so well that I never felt guilty for laughing. It was refreshing to have this type of story and not feel completely hopeless like I have in many other apocalypse books. I am excited to read the next book or books from this series.
I liked the book a lot. it's different from most zombie books it wasn't zomb killing or trying to find a magical cure I'll be disappointed in the series if a cure does come in to play. the only things I didn't really like we're at times Olivia her past was to much to be believe able.I understand it's a ruthless lawless world. and how everyone became such a bitch. especially Jared he matured yes but as a leader he sucked it stopped being about group survival and his sole focus was her. but overall good read look forward to the series.
Ignorant, small minded, scam of earth frat boys, play apocalypse but even after the world ends their only concern is to get laid and compare notes on the matter, disgusting piece of garbage! Oh and if that's not enough the virus what turned people into zombies, now mutated and turns them into monkeys sorry apes because that makes so much sense. Life is too short to waste it on thrash like this!
I don’t even know what to say about this book. Yeah it was long but it was GREAT! Loved every second of it. And was extremely funny too! That’s what made the length bearable.
I was disappointed in this book. It started out so good but fell to pieces at around 60%. It's like the author lost their flow. It became a rambling mess. I was very disappointed in the author's attempt at humor at the expense of an unattractive female and the use of a derogatory name for a gay male. It was not funny at all. I felt it was offensive and it did nothing to endear to me to the character. Such a let down.
Good story The writing was done well in this book, It started off rather slowly, but as it progressed the main character became more relatable and easy to like.