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Ghost Between Us: High-Heat Post-Apocalypse Romance
I crossed a thousand miles of dead land for the only family I had left.
What I found was a man barely holding himself together.
Lennon used to be gentle.
Kind.
Safe.
Now he’s something else entirely— a ghost in a mountain cabin, hollowed out by the end of the world… and by losing my sister.
When he looks at me, his eyes don’t see me.
They see his dead wife.
My sister.
For one reckless, heated night, I let myself pretend.
I thought maybe… just maybe… he finally saw me.
I was wrong.
So I did what I should have done from the start.
I left.
And I paid the price when raiders dragged me straight into hell.
But this time…
Lennon doesn’t come for a memory.
He comes for me.
Ruthless. Relentless. Feral with the need to protect what’s his… and the heat between us is hotter, rougher, and far too dangerous to ignore.
Now we’re trapped deep in the mountains, hunted by the dead and the desperate alike.
And for the first time since the world ended…
The way he looks at me is different.
Hungry.
Focused.
Possessive.
Because in a broken world, the most dangerous thing of all isn’t the monsters outside.
It’s falling for my sister’s husband…
…and the dark, primal man who finally sees me — and refuses to let me go.
🔥 A dark, high-heat zombie apocalypse romance featuring a broken, possessive mountain man, forced proximity, mistaken identity angst, found family tension, survival romance stakes, and a hard-won happily ever after. Perfect for readers who love gritty post-apocalyptic romance, protective alpha heroes, and emotionally intense end-of-the-world love stories.
What I found was a man barely holding himself together.
Lennon used to be gentle.
Kind.
Safe.
Now he’s something else entirely— a ghost in a mountain cabin, hollowed out by the end of the world… and by losing my sister.
When he looks at me, his eyes don’t see me.
They see his dead wife.
My sister.
For one reckless, heated night, I let myself pretend.
I thought maybe… just maybe… he finally saw me.
I was wrong.
So I did what I should have done from the start.
I left.
And I paid the price when raiders dragged me straight into hell.
But this time…
Lennon doesn’t come for a memory.
He comes for me.
Ruthless. Relentless. Feral with the need to protect what’s his… and the heat between us is hotter, rougher, and far too dangerous to ignore.
Now we’re trapped deep in the mountains, hunted by the dead and the desperate alike.
And for the first time since the world ended…
The way he looks at me is different.
Hungry.
Focused.
Possessive.
Because in a broken world, the most dangerous thing of all isn’t the monsters outside.
It’s falling for my sister’s husband…
…and the dark, primal man who finally sees me — and refuses to let me go.
🔥 A dark, high-heat zombie apocalypse romance featuring a broken, possessive mountain man, forced proximity, mistaken identity angst, found family tension, survival romance stakes, and a hard-won happily ever after. Perfect for readers who love gritty post-apocalyptic romance, protective alpha heroes, and emotionally intense end-of-the-world love stories.
210 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 26, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 15, 2026
I take responsibility for part of this rating because the love after loss trope is one of my top hated tropes, but I keep trying different books with it in them because sometimes they're done well and they make my heart ache just right. Sadly, this was yet another one that was literally everything I hate about the trope.
But before I get into that, this trope wasn't the only issue.
‼️ Expect spoilers ‼️
This is not only an apocalypse story, but specifically a zombie apocalypse story. Yet aside from some mentions in their memories here and there, and some anecdotes about how they were affected by how the sister died, and one (1) part where the MMC tracks down a pair of zombies and interacts with them for a couple paragraphs, this could have been any other genre.
This is primarily why I chose the book in the first place (my weak spot for post-apocalyptic fiction), so that was a huge letdown.
Now, the relationship:
Before I get to what had my stomach churning in a way I don't usually experience even with this trope, I need to stress the fact that time passing is not indicated in the beginning of the story. This means that to us, the readers, it seems like she arrives at his doorstep 3 years into the apocalypse, his unprocessed grief is stirred because she looks just like her sister (his late WIFE), and then the very next day he's fucking her and she's feeling relief that he caved.
Um wtf??
There are very subtle clues that more time has passed than just that one night, but the book really makes us work to understand that. However, even with the post-event knowledge that more time actually passed where they were denying their feelings before giving in (none of which we see on page), there are some fundamental ick factors that had me actively wishing I could yank these two MC's apart and relocate them to opposite sides of the planet for eternity.
Nothing is gonna paint this picture better than the text itself, so here are some direct quotes:
🔹“You look like her.” His breath warmed the frozen air between us. His thumb traced my cheekbone, following the same path Kate used to when she wiped my tears. “God. Exactly like her.”
(We are NOT off to a great start with the love after loss trope, folks.)
🔹He loved her. The realization stabbed fresh. He still loves her.
(^^^This is the DAY they reunite for the first time after the apocalypse happened 3 years earlier, MINUTES into their first conversation. Did this girl really think she'd show up at her dead sister's husband's cabin out of the blue and he'd be waiting to fall into her snatch? The answer is yes, btw. She really did think this.)
🔹On a small wooden table. A single mug. White ceramic, cracked and stained with coffee rings. Painted in cheerful red letters: “World’s Best Teacher.” The sight nearly broke me. Kate gave it to him on their first Christmas. He laughed and kissed her and used it every morning, even though it held maybe six ounces and he drank coffee by the pot. He kept it. Through the infection, the bombing, the collapse of everything. He kept one stupid mug because she gave it to him. I looked away before the tears came.
(Still during that first conversation. I literally can't tell if she's grieving her sister here or if she's jealous of her sister.)
🔹But that mouth. God, that mouth was Kate’s mouth. Same full lips. Same habit of pressing them together when thinking. Same way of biting the lower one when nervous or scared or trying not to cry.
(Meanwhile he only sees his late wife when he looks at her. 💀)
🔹“I’m not a stranger.”
No. But you’re not her, either.
(Oop-)
🔹“Then again the year Kate and I got married. Our honeymoon was supposed to be in Europe, but the travel agent screwed up and we ended up here instead.” I swallowed hard. “She said it was perfect. Better than Paris.”
(He's talking about the cabin they're currently in, where they'll eventually settle down. It's where he spent his honeymoon with her sister. They're about to fuck in the same bed. This gives me the ick so hard.)
🔹She didn’t smell like Kate, who had favored that rose perfume that lingered for days. Madison smelled like dust and old concrete and something alive and wild. Sweat and the soap she scavenged from somewhere. She didn’t stand like Kate either. Didn’t have her sister’s casual grace. Madison stood like a soldier, weight balanced on the balls of her feet, ready to move in any direction at a moment’s notice. But her mouth was right there. Full and soft and inches from mine.
(How romantic...? This man only sees her as an outlet.)
🔹There was no tenderness, no hesitation—just raw, possessive need as he stripped me bare...
🔹It wasn’t gentle, wasn’t the way lovers fucked in the old world. This was conquest...
(This is the first time he fucks her a day or whatever later btw. And yes, you guessed it, he he's picturing the sister.)
🔹Hunger consumed me—the need to be filled, to be wanted by the one man I shouldn’t crave. Was he thinking of her? Was this his way of holding onto Kate through me?
(Yes I love having to wonder who the man I'm with is thinking of while inside me... /S)
🔹“Goddamn it,” he rasped, his breath hot against my throat, and for a split second, I thought I heard her name whispered like a curse.
(Oh hell no!)
🔹“God, Kate…” I breathed against her skin, the name slipping out unbidden, familiar as my own heartbeat. Relief flooded through me like warm honey. “I’m so glad you came back to me.”
(The morning after she was reveling in him "claiming her", she wakes up to him whispering this in her ear and realizes it wasn't really her he was with mentally.)
🔹“You weren’t making love to me, Lennon,” she said. “You were using my body to pretend your wife came back from the grave.”
“That’s not true.” But even as I said it, I wasn’t sure. The lines blurred beyond recognition.
(The one thing this FMC did right was leaving his ass after that display...and then the book had to put her walking straight into danger after having survived and dodged all that for the 3 years prior on her own. Spare me the stupidity.)
To be fair, the MMC was WONDERFUL once he got it together. The issue is that it happened in the space from one moment to the next, and we see zero growth from either character on page before they're both ready to put the dead sister behind them.
But before I get into that, this trope wasn't the only issue.
‼️ Expect spoilers ‼️
This is not only an apocalypse story, but specifically a zombie apocalypse story. Yet aside from some mentions in their memories here and there, and some anecdotes about how they were affected by how the sister died, and one (1) part where the MMC tracks down a pair of zombies and interacts with them for a couple paragraphs, this could have been any other genre.
This is primarily why I chose the book in the first place (my weak spot for post-apocalyptic fiction), so that was a huge letdown.
Now, the relationship:
Before I get to what had my stomach churning in a way I don't usually experience even with this trope, I need to stress the fact that time passing is not indicated in the beginning of the story. This means that to us, the readers, it seems like she arrives at his doorstep 3 years into the apocalypse, his unprocessed grief is stirred because she looks just like her sister (his late WIFE), and then the very next day he's fucking her and she's feeling relief that he caved.
Um wtf??
There are very subtle clues that more time has passed than just that one night, but the book really makes us work to understand that. However, even with the post-event knowledge that more time actually passed where they were denying their feelings before giving in (none of which we see on page), there are some fundamental ick factors that had me actively wishing I could yank these two MC's apart and relocate them to opposite sides of the planet for eternity.
Nothing is gonna paint this picture better than the text itself, so here are some direct quotes:
🔹“You look like her.” His breath warmed the frozen air between us. His thumb traced my cheekbone, following the same path Kate used to when she wiped my tears. “God. Exactly like her.”
(We are NOT off to a great start with the love after loss trope, folks.)
🔹He loved her. The realization stabbed fresh. He still loves her.
(^^^This is the DAY they reunite for the first time after the apocalypse happened 3 years earlier, MINUTES into their first conversation. Did this girl really think she'd show up at her dead sister's husband's cabin out of the blue and he'd be waiting to fall into her snatch? The answer is yes, btw. She really did think this.)
🔹On a small wooden table. A single mug. White ceramic, cracked and stained with coffee rings. Painted in cheerful red letters: “World’s Best Teacher.” The sight nearly broke me. Kate gave it to him on their first Christmas. He laughed and kissed her and used it every morning, even though it held maybe six ounces and he drank coffee by the pot. He kept it. Through the infection, the bombing, the collapse of everything. He kept one stupid mug because she gave it to him. I looked away before the tears came.
(Still during that first conversation. I literally can't tell if she's grieving her sister here or if she's jealous of her sister.)
🔹But that mouth. God, that mouth was Kate’s mouth. Same full lips. Same habit of pressing them together when thinking. Same way of biting the lower one when nervous or scared or trying not to cry.
(Meanwhile he only sees his late wife when he looks at her. 💀)
🔹“I’m not a stranger.”
No. But you’re not her, either.
(Oop-)
🔹“Then again the year Kate and I got married. Our honeymoon was supposed to be in Europe, but the travel agent screwed up and we ended up here instead.” I swallowed hard. “She said it was perfect. Better than Paris.”
(He's talking about the cabin they're currently in, where they'll eventually settle down. It's where he spent his honeymoon with her sister. They're about to fuck in the same bed. This gives me the ick so hard.)
🔹She didn’t smell like Kate, who had favored that rose perfume that lingered for days. Madison smelled like dust and old concrete and something alive and wild. Sweat and the soap she scavenged from somewhere. She didn’t stand like Kate either. Didn’t have her sister’s casual grace. Madison stood like a soldier, weight balanced on the balls of her feet, ready to move in any direction at a moment’s notice. But her mouth was right there. Full and soft and inches from mine.
(How romantic...? This man only sees her as an outlet.)
🔹There was no tenderness, no hesitation—just raw, possessive need as he stripped me bare...
🔹It wasn’t gentle, wasn’t the way lovers fucked in the old world. This was conquest...
(This is the first time he fucks her a day or whatever later btw. And yes, you guessed it, he he's picturing the sister.)
🔹Hunger consumed me—the need to be filled, to be wanted by the one man I shouldn’t crave. Was he thinking of her? Was this his way of holding onto Kate through me?
(Yes I love having to wonder who the man I'm with is thinking of while inside me... /S)
🔹“Goddamn it,” he rasped, his breath hot against my throat, and for a split second, I thought I heard her name whispered like a curse.
(Oh hell no!)
🔹“God, Kate…” I breathed against her skin, the name slipping out unbidden, familiar as my own heartbeat. Relief flooded through me like warm honey. “I’m so glad you came back to me.”
(The morning after she was reveling in him "claiming her", she wakes up to him whispering this in her ear and realizes it wasn't really her he was with mentally.)
🔹“You weren’t making love to me, Lennon,” she said. “You were using my body to pretend your wife came back from the grave.”
“That’s not true.” But even as I said it, I wasn’t sure. The lines blurred beyond recognition.
(The one thing this FMC did right was leaving his ass after that display...and then the book had to put her walking straight into danger after having survived and dodged all that for the 3 years prior on her own. Spare me the stupidity.)
To be fair, the MMC was WONDERFUL once he got it together. The issue is that it happened in the space from one moment to the next, and we see zero growth from either character on page before they're both ready to put the dead sister behind them.
May 20, 2026
This story was interesting and I wish we saw more of the world.
This story takes place three years after the zombie apocalypse starts. During the story there is only one on page scene with zombies, and even then it is not that bad. This story mostly focuses on Kate, who is not either of the main characters. She is the dead sister/wife to the characters. I wanted there to be less of a focus on Kate. I get that was the taboo element to their relationship but was too much. Kate died at the beginning of the zombie outbreak. Neither MC has seen each other in years, but still carried this ghost with them. I found a bit of tough to get through because it was verging on gross at times. I also wanted more of them on page once they moved on from their grief.
The epilogue saved it for me. I thought the epilogue was sweet and emotional.
Also, the tag line of High-Heat is entirely misleading.
This story takes place three years after the zombie apocalypse starts. During the story there is only one on page scene with zombies, and even then it is not that bad. This story mostly focuses on Kate, who is not either of the main characters. She is the dead sister/wife to the characters. I wanted there to be less of a focus on Kate. I get that was the taboo element to their relationship but was too much. Kate died at the beginning of the zombie outbreak. Neither MC has seen each other in years, but still carried this ghost with them. I found a bit of tough to get through because it was verging on gross at times. I also wanted more of them on page once they moved on from their grief.
The epilogue saved it for me. I thought the epilogue was sweet and emotional.
Also, the tag line of High-Heat is entirely misleading.
May 21, 2026
2.75 this felt like the second half of a decent read, but the first half was totally lacking.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews