The Sole Survivor

by E.S. Luck

A love stronger than tyranny. A truth darker than the apocalypse.

Ripped away from her husband on their honeymoon, Claire finds herself lost, alone, and inside another compound. Face to face with the Delta’s shadowy leadership, she learns that they intend to use her for their war propaganda, in a desperate bid to bolster confidence in a regime infiltrated by the Order of Odessa.

On the other side of the walls, John struggles with his grief as he tries to find a way into a fortress built to keep people out. Determined to rescue Claire at any cost, he and Kimmy enter into an uneasy bargain with a ragtag crew of resistance fighters intent on toppling the Delta’s leadership. They promise John entry into the impenetrable compound…for a deadly price.

Trapped and threatened at every turn, John and Claire grapple with the dark secrets and espionage that lurk around every corner, revealing haunting answers to the questions that have plagued them from the beginning. Battling forces greater than themselves, they fight to preserve the one thing that still matters in a world forever altered by the fierce, unyielding love between them.

The Sole Survivor is the third, penultimate book in The Wastelander Series. Like previous books in the series, it's a steamy post-apocalyptic romance that follows John Madigan and Claire Ainsley. A fourth and final book, The Wasteland Prince, will be coming before the end of 2026 to close out the series.

320 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication November 10, 2026

About the author

E.S. Luck is a copywriter by day and an author when no one is watching. She enjoys reading, writing genre-bending fiction, and extolling the virtues of grammar, much to the collective dismay of all who meet her. She owns too much makeup and lives in Ontario with her husband and their adorable dog, Rosie. The Wastelander is her debut novel.

If you'd like to receive occasional updates on my writing, including the sequel(s) to The Wastelander and free bonus material, feel free to subscribe to my newsletter (linked on my official website). You may also follow E.S. Luck on Facebook, or @e.s.luck_author on Instagram, where I share excerpts and videos, and occasionally host free book giveaways.

Reviews

[E.S. Luck]

It's finally here: The Sole Survivor, the third book in my Wastelander Series is coming on June 5th! This is the penultimate (second-to-last) book in the series. It was originally supposed to be the final book, but it got so big that I split it in two. :) The last book, The Wasteland Prince will be coming before the end of the year to close out the series.

I'm so excited for everyone to read this one, as SO MUCH is covered in this volume---answers to many of the questions you've had since the beginning, and a huge reveal that I'm both nervous and excited for you to discover. There's secrets, lies, espionage, conspiracies, cults, and naturally, all the swoony romance and hot spice you can handle!

Preorder the ebook here!

[Tehmeena · Rating 5 out of 5]

CONTENT WARNINGS; Check your triggers.

Thank you to E.S. Luck for an advanced copy of this book. I'm leaving a voluntary review.

Tropes;
⊰🖤𝑫𝒖𝒂𝒍 𝑷𝑶𝑽
⊰☠️𝑷𝒐𝒔𝒕-𝑨𝒑𝒐𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒚𝒑𝒕𝒊𝒄 𝑹𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆
⊰🖤𝑫𝒚𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒑𝒊𝒂𝒏 𝑾𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅
⊰☠️𝑬𝒔𝒑𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒈𝒆/𝑷𝒓𝒐𝒑𝒂𝒈𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒂/𝑾𝒂𝒓
⊰🖤𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒐𝒔 & 𝑨𝒅𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆
⊰☠️𝑫𝒆𝒗𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒅/𝑷𝒓𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝑴𝑴𝑪
⊰🖤𝑹𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒕/𝑻𝒆𝒏𝒂𝒄𝒊𝒐𝒖𝒔 𝑭𝑴𝑪
⊰☠️𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒑𝒊𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒊𝒆𝒔 & 𝑪𝒖𝒍𝒕𝒔
⊰🖤𝑬𝒎𝒐𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝑹𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒓𝒄𝒐𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓
⊰☠️𝑹𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 & 𝑺𝒑𝒊𝒄𝒆
⊰🖤𝑺𝒘𝒐𝒐𝒏-𝑾𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒉𝒚 𝑯𝒆𝒓𝒐
⊰☠️"𝑴𝒚 𝑾𝒊𝒇𝒆" 𝑽𝒊𝒃𝒆𝒔
⊰🖤𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 & 𝑷𝒍𝒐𝒕-𝑻𝒘𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒔
⊰☠️𝑮𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒇 & 𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔
⊰🖤𝑽𝒊𝒐𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆 & 𝑺𝒖𝒓𝒗𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒍
⊰☠️𝑳𝒊𝒆𝒔, 𝑫𝒓𝒂𝒎𝒂 & 𝑺𝒆𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒔
⊰🖤𝑨𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝑷𝒂𝒄𝒌𝒆𝒅/𝑷𝒍𝒐𝒕 𝑻𝒘𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒔
⊰☠️𝑨𝒏𝒈𝒔𝒕 & 𝒀𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈
⊰🖤𝑵𝒐 𝑪𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒇𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓
⊰☠️𝑯𝑭𝑵

Book three in the "The Wastelander Series" and I am so excited right now😭♥️. One of my favourite fictional universes! It feels like liquid m🫦rphine running through my veins. AHEM. Anyways, I appreciate the recap at the beginning because as you all know, I have the memory of a ripe ✨potato✨. So it's definitely a need for moi.

John, our hero and MMC, is on a revenge and rescue mission to find his beloved wife, Claire. A good man who can be equally if not more violent to save those whom he loves. He's absolutely devoted and super protective husband to her and never gives up finding her. There's yearning to have her by his side again, angst, and frustration. He just wants his wifey back!

Claire, our fierce, sassy and brilliant FMC, is one of my favourite heroines. EVER. Although, she does endure a lot terrifying situations alone in this book, shows vulnerability because in the end, she is human after all, ad gets scared, she doesn't give up on John to find her. She's committed to him throughout the suffering and pain she endures. I love how well her character continues to grow/develop, taking control of her life.

This book is an emotional rollercoaster for me, I mean, there's so much happening! The world building is brilliant as always: intense, immersive. Written so well that I'm getting withdrawal symptoms for more. It's not as fast-paced as the previous ones - rather steadier, slower paced for me. Albeit, full of tension and anguish, revelations and plot-twists, danger and violence, rebel military forces and old and new characters. Speaking of new: Julius is messed up. And of course, Jim J takes the cake for being the Devil himself. Previously known characters make an appearance, too. We also get to experience life in the compounds and how people from the Sole Survivors navigate life now. There's some sizzling spicy scenes that will give you butterflies. So many questions I had are answered and secrets revealed, which get me hooked even more!

Rocking back and forth in my little corner for book four🥴.
ﾒ૦ﾒ૦💋

Out of Fives;
⊰🖤𝑪𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓:✨✨✨✨✨
⊰☠️𝑺𝒑𝒊𝒄𝒆:🔥🔥🔥🔥
⊰🖤𝑹𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆:🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀
⊰☠️𝑨𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏:💥💥💥💥💥
⊰🖤𝑫𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅:💀💀💀💀💀
⊰☠️𝒀𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈:💘💘💘💘💘
⊰🖤𝑩𝒖𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒇𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒔:🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋
⊰☠️𝑫𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓:⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️
⊰🖤𝑬𝒎𝒐𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍:💧💧💧💧💧
⊰☠️𝑨𝒏𝒈𝒔𝒕:💔💔💔💔💔
⊰🖤𝑪𝒉𝒆𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒚:⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡
⊰☠️𝑫𝒓𝒂𝒎𝒂:☕☕☕☕☕
⊰🖤𝑴𝒚𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒚:🗝️🗝️🗝️🗝️
⊰☠️𝑻𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏:🎯🎯🎯🎯🎯
⊰🖤𝑰𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒊𝒗𝒆:🪞🪞🪞🪞🪞
⊰☠️𝑼𝒏𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒅:🚩🚩🚩🚩
⊰🖤𝑪𝒍𝒂𝒊𝒓𝒆 𝑭𝑴𝑪:🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍
⊰☠️𝑱𝒐𝒉𝒏 𝑴𝑴𝑪:🩶🩶🩶🩶🩶
⊰🖤𝑷𝒍𝒐𝒕𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒆:🖊️🖊️🖊️🖊️🖊️
⊰☠️𝑷𝒂𝒄𝒊𝒏𝒈:⏳⌛⏳⌛
⊰🖤𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝑫𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒑𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕:🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
⊰☠️𝑾𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 𝑩𝒖𝒊𝒍𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈:🌏🌎🌍🌏🌎
⊰🖤𝑩𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝑹𝒆𝒄𝒆𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒅: 𝒆𝑨𝑹𝑪/𝒆𝒑𝒖𝒃.
⊰☠️𝑺𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔: 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑾𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓 - 𝑩𝒐𝒐𝒌 3.
⊰🖤𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔: 39.
⊰☠️𝑷𝒂𝒈𝒆𝒔: 413.
⊰🖤𝑮𝒆𝒏𝒓𝒆: 𝑮𝒆𝒏𝒓𝒆: 𝑷𝒐𝒔𝒕-𝑨𝒑𝒐𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒚𝒑𝒕𝒊𝒄, 𝑹𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆.
⊰☠️𝑬𝒙𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝑷𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏: 10𝒕𝒉 𝑵𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓, 2026.
⊰🖤𝑾𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝑰 𝑹𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒅: 𝒀𝒆𝒔.
⊰☠️𝑶𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝑺𝒕𝒂𝒓 𝑹𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[Laure · Rating 5 out of 5]

Discovery of terrifying and horrifying truths.

Claire and John were on their honeymoon when she is captured by military soldiers and taken to the Delta compound. The man responsible for creating the compounds is losing control and he wants Claire to participate in his propaganda campaign to control the residents. John is outside the walls, desperate to find a way in, and will have to ream up with a group of soldiers living outside the compound walls after realizing that the orders they have been following are questionable at best. Worse, they will both discover that the reason for Claire’s abduction, and the propaganda being spread is that the Order of Odessa has a foothold in the Delta compound, and its leader wants Claire, too.
I absolutely love Claire and John. These two have been through hell, but instead of accepting their circumstances the fight for what they want, what they believe in, and for a way back to each other, each in their own way. All of the characters are well written and utterly fascinating, even those with twisted motives that I found myself wanting to strangle. This is an action packed, character driven dystopian romance with some steam, murder, torture, violence, . . . and some twists and turns in the plot that left me reeling and made it impossible to put this down. I highly recommend this must-read book and series to other readers.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary ARC provided by the author.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

absolutely loved The Sole Survivor by E.S. Luck. From the very first chapter, I found myself completely invested in the story and emotionally connected to the characters. This is one of those books that stays on your mind long after you've put it down.
What I appreciated most was the protagonist's journey. The struggles, resilience, and determination felt genuine, and I found myself rooting for them every step of the way. There were moments that made my heart race, moments that made me emotional, and plenty of surprises that kept me turning the pages.
E.S. Luck has a wonderful way of bringing scenes to life and creating an atmosphere that draws you in. The pacing was just right, and I never felt tempted to skim ahead because I didn't want to miss a single detail. The story is both engaging and meaningful, with themes of survival, strength, and hope that really resonated with me.
By the time I reached the end, I wasn't ready to say goodbye to these characters. This book gave me everything I look for in a great read—strong storytelling, emotional depth, and a satisfying journey. As a fan of this series, I’m already counting down the days until Book 4 is released because I need to know what happens next. The anticipation is real!
I highly recommend The Sole Survivor to anyone looking for a book that will keep them hooked and leave a lasting impression. E.S. Luck has created a series that I can’t get enough of, and I can't wait for the next installment.

[Hannah Bass · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had the pleasure of beta reading this book and I just love this whole series. The world E.S. Luck has created, the developed characters, and the twists every time really have me roped in.
My first thought after finishing this book was how deeply emotional it is. John and Claire have a connection that is unmatched, which we already knew, but I think in this book we really FELT it along with them. The yearning and commitment to each other is truly…chef’s kiss. It was a little slower paced than some of the other books, in my opinion, but we do get questions from books 1 + 2 answered which I loved! There is also a recap at the beginning of the book. Why are all authors not doing this?!? Genius.
For the majority of The Sole Survivor they are back in a compound, an enjoyable change and stark contrast from the farm. A new bad guy and new good guys, a rebel military force, really shook up this storyline. Julius (new bad guy) was kind of quietly horrific, but Jim J still wins for creepiest and we see more of his planning and efforts in this one. All of that is topped off with some jaw dropping revelations that take your mind on a wild ride. There’s action, and twists, and some surprise visits from old characters…overall, a really enjoyable installment in the Wastelander series! But I will say, I know the next one is going to be completely EPIC!!

[Shannon Heck · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Sole Survivor is the third book in The Wastelander series. Book 3 hooked me right away because it jumped right in after the cliffhanger in book 2. We get to see what life is like in the compounds in this one, and a lot of secrets about their origins and the nefarious things they have been up to are revealed. Claire's character continues to develop as she takes charge of her own life, and she is determined not to be a victim anymore. However, no worries, John is also there to save her, and there are multiple spicy romance scenes. Asha's story also continues to weave in and out of Claire's life, so Asha and Cade fans will get another glimpse of them when they make an appearance towards the end of the book. There is an HEA for now, but more story to tell in book 4!

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC REVIEW -

Let’s start off with the recap at beginning - ufff top tier. This series is so amazing. The world building, the plot, the twists, and the characters are just so well layered you just keep turning pages. You get alot of questions answered from books 1&2 and I gasped out loud so many times. Some characters you’ve seen before pop up and some characters that tie in from other character’s lore from the other books do too. There’s action, violence, love, real emotions and spicy scenes. Everything you can expect from this series. Claire and John keep showing us why they’re the it couple and John just absolutely adores her. Amazing story and I can’t wait for more secrets to be revealed. Vibes: Far Cry 5, The Lost of Us, Mad Max, Book of Eli, Dune.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been waiting for book 3 in this series to come out from the moment I finished book 2 (The Outsider). Waiting for another installment of a story can really build some anticipation that can be hard to live up to… and I can say this was worth the wait and met all my hopes for the continuation of this story! I am just as in love with the main characters as I was from the beginning of the series (The Wastelander) and the fire and connection between John and Claire is as strong as ever. There was a lot of story/action and the steamy scenes again left me feeling absolutely continually enamored with the relationship between John and Claire. The author really did a great job continuing this story.

[Paige · Rating 5 out of 5]

*ARC*

This book right here kept me up at night. Nonstop action, romance, fear and a crossover/meetup all rolled into one. Questions were answered, but some also with new questions. Anxieties for all are at an all time high. There were moments I was furious at John, at Asha, at new characters, but I also understood. My heart has been shattered but gently glued back together waiting for a piece to fall out of place. So much has happened to our girl Claire and there's no end in sight. I have a fear for Summerhurst, John, Kimmy and now Ashburn.

[Jackie Kilby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love, yearning, mystery, intrigue, and the fight for survival. Continuing John and Claire's story, you think you might know how it will unfold. But you really don't.

The Wastelander series has been building with questions, and while most are answered, they come in unexpected ways. The spice is just right, the characters run the spectrum from good to morally grey, and just plain evil. I can't wait for the last book, and also the continuation of the spin off.

If you love dystopian romance, mysterious characters, and great banter, the Wastelander series has it all.

[Andie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Advanced Reader Copy

It was a true honor to beta read this book. It’s just so so good.

Wow. This was an action packed book with so many twists and turns. Book 3 did NOT disappoint? Are the evil guys evil as fuck? YES! Is John still the baddest thing from the wasteland? YES! Am I dying for book 4? HELL YES!

This one might be my favorite of the series. It’s emotional, intense, anxiety inducing (in the best way). I cried, I said “oh fuck” about 30 times, and I loved it.

[Angelica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh man! What a whirlwind! Back in the saddle with John and Claire and Kimmy! What chaos and adventure!
E. S. Luck does not disappoint, the characters, further world building, tensions, twists and turns and uncertainty in post apocalyptic Ontario...hell yes!
I thought this was gonna be the end ...but I'm soooo excited. Really glad they didn't just wrap it up because then I'd have been disappointed.
I'm waiting eagerly now for the next book!

[Bethsbooksau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved diving back into the wastelander world that E.S Luck has so expertly written 👌

Ive loved these characters and world right from the get go and have gobbled up everything thats been written so far.
Theyre fast paced, action packed but full of emotion and feeling with really relatable characters that are portrayed SO WELL (even the bad guys)

This book was no exception 🙌 and I found myself right back there with Claire and really rooting for a positive outcome!

[Sabelle C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loooooved this installment of the series!
John and Claire are in serious need of an HEA
Kimmy is beyond deserving of finding love
I loved Asha’s reappearance and introduction to the team from Darkness I Become
There are so many reveals in this installment! If you’ve been following along in this series you’ll immediately pick up what I mean.

[Mackenzee Leonard · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book truly brought me tears and I adored every piece of the romance in this book. It makes you smile laugh cry and be happy all at the same time lol.

[EJ Rexroad · Rating 5 out of 5]

*** Arc Read ***

This book really saved the series for me. The STORY, the DRAMA, the SACRIFICE. Loved it, can't wait for the finale.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alpha read - RTC, but omg this was so good

Beta read - Still love it!! RTC