Survive

by Amber R. Polk

Veronica Williams and her brother, Jacob, are struggling to survive on their family’s orchard after a mysterious plague wiped out two-thirds of the world’s population. She thinks her chances are slim to none of ever finding love in this new, perilous world.

When Luke Grislon stumbles upon their haven, she takes one look into his silver eyes and knows nothing will ever be the same again. Is it possible to believe that there is still humanity in an inhumane world? Can she trust the way this stranger makes her feel when she knows he has his own secrets?

There will come a time when he will leave, but will he be taking her heart with him? Or will his secrets destroy them all?

319 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 14, 15

About the author

Amber R. Polk was born and raised in a small town in Eastern Oklahoma. Since then, she moved to Colorado, back to Oklahoma, and now resides in Western Arkansas. Although her husband disagrees, she will always consider herself an Okie and proud of it. She is a great cook (don’t fact check with her children) and loves spending her time getting kicked off go-cart tracks for aggressive driving. If you have any questions or comments you can find her on Facebook (she’s always there).

Reviews

[Paula LaFevers · Rating 5 out of 5]

After a plague wiped out most of the population, Roni and her brother, Jacob, have been struggling to survive on their family's apple orchard in rural Arkansas. Assuming she will never find love, Roni has accepted the fact that she will finish the course of her life alone.

Enter Luke: a mysterious, beautiful stranger who seems to have the ability to capture her heart, and Jacob's trust. But will Luke's secrets and mysterious past spell the end to the small, peaceful life Roni and Jacob have been able to achieve in this new, tumultuous world?


I absolutely loved this book! The writer's ability to create such three dimensional characters astounds me. I fell in love with each of them; not only as individuals, but as part of each interesting relationship. They were incredibly relatable characters for me; even in this somewhat post-apocalyptic setting.

I never once found myself becoming bored or waiting for something to happen in this book. The story flowed so evenly and smoothly throughout. And the ending left me reeling! So many emotions to work through, and so little time.

I cannot wait for the next installment of this three-part series, or for more of this writer's work!

[Liz Hallford · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so wonderful. The characters are very like able and you find yourself on the edge on your seat when you think something bad is about to happen to one of them. Sad to say; my kids make it hard for me to get a chance to read much these days so it took me a while to get to read it all; although once I reached a certain point, I was not putting it down. The ending was like a ending to a tv series in the way that it left you shaking your head and think omg what is going to happen next?!?! Surprise!!! You have to wait until the next book to find out the answer. I can totally see this turning into a great movie series and I would be at the box office the first day waiting to watch it. A must read!!! So; get to it...

[Katie Walton Jetton · Rating 5 out of 5]

An unimaginable occurrence happened and life changed for Veronica and her brother Jake. The plague wiped out their parents and everyone else they know. Surviving became their life....hour by hour marked their steps on the family's apple orchard.
Unexpected things and people happen.......

Unexpected WTF just happened ending!!!!! You will gasp and cry and maybe even scream! A. Must. Read.

[Kristie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Survive offers a good mixture of new adult romance, drama, mystery and humor. It moves along at a steady pace for the most part; however, there are a few pulse-pounding scenes. One of the more intense scenes happens during the last chapter, which ends with quite a cliffhanger.

The three main characters are well-developed and believable. I enjoyed the brother/sister dynamic between Jacob and Veronica, which is where most of the humor creeps in. It also warmed my heart to read about the blossoming romance between Veronica and Luke. I appreciate the way Polk slowly builds their attraction toward one another. Bottom line: No instalove! I really liked all three of these characters, up until the end, that is. Remember that cliffhanger I mentioned? Yeah, that has something to do with it…

The only issue I have with Survive is I wish it had more information about the plague and the state of the world. So I hope part two sheds more light on what things are like for other survivors.

Overall, a solid read that showcases elements of various genres.

[Laura · Rating 1 out of 5]

A plague has wiped out most of the population and Veronica and her brother Jacob are sticking to their family's farm for as long as they can. A mysterious stranger shows up and they allow him to stay and help out but don't trust him entirely.

I stopped reading pretty early on. Veronica and Luke go to hunt down some antibiotics for Jacob. While out, they are attacked by some skeevy a-hole with a bat. Veronica stops Luke from killing the guy, which is fine, except the guy is obviously someone with very low morals and knows where she lives. And her excuse is that the guy is just trying to survive. Which is also fine, but how she can put her farm and her brother in danger like that is just beyond me. I already didn't enjoy that all Veronica thought about was sex so after that tstl moment I decided I didn't care to see where this story went.

[Fiestymomof5kids · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it

This book is amazing I thought it was very intriguing. I couldn't wait to find out what happens next with each chapter I read

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Veronica (Roni) and her brother Jacob are left alone on their parents’ orchard after a plague sweeps through the country and eliminates millions of people, including their parents. They’ve lived two years by themselves, running the farm and staying away from others who will do anything to steal the supplies they have managed to stock pile. When a young man wanders onto their farm, looking for a safe place to stay the night, both Roni and her brother are somewhat hesitant to allow the handsome Luke to stay. But after he shows just how helpful to them they can be, they invite them into their home. Roni falls hard for the mysterious man who manages to save her brother from a nearly fatal trip for supplies, and the more he makes the orchard his home, the more she lets him into her heart. But Luke has some secrets and Roni knows he can’t stay forever, and although he promises that he’ll never let anything happen to her or her brother, can she really trust his intentions?

So first off…If you don’t like cliffhangers, then I highly recommend you WAIT to read, but you should definitely read!! Although the plot does kind of start off slow, Amber does a great job of depicting what life without all the conveniences we have today would really look like. She did a fantastic job of creating strong characters (although there is a part that I wished Roni would have been a little stronger and taken better), who you can’t help but fall in love with. I love how she really makes us think about the little things we have today that we take for granted. I’m giving this book 5 stars because I don’t think the change in Roni’s isn’t entirely unwarranted, and the timing in the plot is kind of necessary to really show how challenging life post-plague is. The storyline definitely leaves me wanting more…I want to know more about this plague, what the heck is up with Luke, is Jacob going to be okay, and is this General Wells guy for real or what?? Can’t wait for Endure!!

***Due to language and some adult content, I do not recommend for readers 18 and under.***

[Sylvia · Rating 5 out of 5]

First I applaud Amber R. Polk for coming up with a totally different story line...this one is unique to say the least, and I really enjoyed it.
This is the story of a brother ( Jacob) and sister ( Veronica/Roni) who were one of the few who survived the plague. Most of the world population had been wiped out and they no longer had the creature comforts they were used to in life. Living on the family farm after their parents passed, they worked to survive day to day. One Night they found a man ( Luke) in the barn who came from Colorado... he was passing through and just looking for a place to spend the night... or was he? This story has a nice little plot twist, and a cliff hanger ending... I feel this will roll into a great series!

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Veronica and Jacob are all alone. Most of the population has been wiped out from a plague. They've stayed in their little corner of the world, surviving. Then Luke comes along and shakes it all up. I love all these characters and want them to overcome all the odds to protect family and love. I literally could not put this book down. This is not my usual genre, but I was surprised at how quickly I was gripped with the story. It has the Walking Dead feel to it, where people do what they need to do, just to survive.