Surviving Hearts

by Charlotte Saxon

Genres: Dystopia, Post Apocalyptic, Why Choose

614 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 5, 2026

About the author

Why Choose Author.

Finding love even in the darkest of places.

Reviews

[Rain]

I gave up before finishing, so I won’t give a star rating. I struggled with the first in this series, but thought I would give this second book a try.

This feels like a group of high school students with adult problems. Each individual has a carefully built past that is supposed to influence their current action, but reads more like a checklist then genuine conduct. I desperately needed these characters to have more depth.

And what was with all the yelling and screaming idiots? There’s only so much stupid I can handle during a zombie apocalypse. Let them get eaten.

[Joanne-Marie Palmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

*****Advanced Reader Copy sent by the Author*****

Surviving Hearts is the second instalment to the post-apocalyptic romance duology Apocalyptic Hearts. Again I ate this book up and was not disappointed.

In this book Saxon successfully manages to blend the grim reality of a world overrun by the undead and ruled by the dregs of society with a romance that is, quite frankly absolutely scorching 🔥

The standout feature of this book is the spice level which has gone from a jalapeño to Trinidad scorpion pepper in a few chapters! The intensity level has been dialled up to eleven, delivering some of the most electric chemistry I’ve read in a long time. There were moments where the passion between the leads was so consuming that I completely forgot they were in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. While the world outside was falling apart, the world inside their sanctuary was definitely heating up. The only downside and this is my own niggle was that the MMCs kept calling Ollie “baby and sweetheart” like she wasn’t capable of ripping people’s throats out to protect those she loves!

While the central romance was a triumph, I found myself wishing for a bit more depth elsewhere:
• I would have liked more development for the main supporting characters like Rachel, Andy & Tobias and to some extent Jerri as they have so much potential, but at times they felt like they were hovering in the background of the primary romance which I know is the point of main characters but still?
• I’m also still sitting with a few lingering questions regarding the sabotage. While the plot moved quickly, I don’t feel like we got a fully satisfying answer as to why it was happening in the first place.

Despite these minor things the ending really landed for me. I was particularly happy with the time jump at the close of the book. Sometimes when a story ends, you’re left wondering if the characters actually find peace; seeing exactly what happened next provided a sense of closure but dare I say I would have liked it to be open to see what adventures our guys and gals would get upto next.

If you want a zombie novel where the stakes are high but the romance is even hotter 🌶️ then this is a must-read. Just don’t be surprised if the steam makes you forget to watch out for the "walkers”

Great set of books, really enjoyable fast paced reads.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]




I’m not sure how Charlotte Saxon did it, but she somehow managed to make the second part of her two book series “Apocalyptic Hearts” even better than the first. And considering what a book hangover I had over that one, I didn’t think it possible.

It seemed I had to wait FOREVER for “Surviving Hearts” to be released, but it was so worth the wait. “Undying Hearts” had me falling in love with Ollie, Rhys, Alex and Theo (not to mention Harlow, Bean and Ketchup). It made me feel as though I were traveling with them as they made across an unforgiving and dangerous landscape to attempt an absolutely insane rescue. A huge amount of the people of the world had been turned to zombies, and in addition to dealing with the undead, the group also had to deal with humans who were just plain evil. And as if all that weren’t enough, they started catching feelings for each other.

Yeah, that book put me through the wringer. And I was so eager to find out how the author was going to continue the story. I wasn’t sure it could get any better. But it sure did.

We pick up at the beginning of the second book as the first one left off. Ollie and her guys have, against all odds, rescued Ollie’s brother and the other captives, and now they face the daunting task of returning to Haven, the small community the guys came from.

But it turns out returning to Haven might be the easy part. Because the place that is supposed to be safe and secure has changed dramatically in the month or so the guys have been gone. Security is lax, supplies are missing, and most concerning, people are missing as well. And no one seems to be too bothered by it all. So Rhys, Alex, Theo and Ollie set out to find out what has been happening.

This book, like the last, had so many tense, heart-pounding moments. There were a lot of clashes with the undead, but even more with the living. Two other groups were bent on bringing down Haven and our brave foursome had to figure out how to stop it.

There were twists and turns in the plot, allegiances questioned, good friends put in peril. And lots and lots of blood and gore. The author, like in the first book, didn’t shy away from descriptions of the fighting and ugliness that made the book feel more real. (And made my stomach feel queasy!)

And in this second book Ollie and her guys finally start to work out their relationships. I was impressed that the author didn’t simply give them a case of insta-love, or even just throw them together without delving into their relationships more deeply. Instead, we got to know each of the characters as individuals, then as they connected with one another, and finally as they all came together in a family unit. Like last time, the mental health rep was strong and much appreciated.

But *unlike* last time, the sexy times were numerous and scorching in this book. Despite the heat however, the spicy moments never detracted from the overall story. When Ollie got intimate with one or more of her guys, it wasn’t gratuitous. Yes, it was sinfully hot, but it also helped to establish the connection between them, and how each had their own dynamic as a couple.

Ollie ended up with three amazing men. Theo, quick with a joke and a gloriously dirty mouth, Alex, a gentle giant with the hidden rage to tear down the world for his girl, and Rhys, the stoic soldier who is as good at dominating Ollie as he is at keeping her safe. The guys didn’t do so badly, either. Ollie is an absolutely kick-a$$ woman who will fight for those she loves, stand shoulder to shoulder with her guys, and open her heart wide.

I do have to admit, as well, to being impressed that the author kept this at a two book series. The second volume comes in at over 600 pages. She could easily have halved it and given her readers a trilogy instead. But rather than stringing her readers along (and trying to make some extra bucks), she gave us an epic second half. Which is honestly so very fitting for this story, and for Ollie and her guys.

All this to say that I absolutely loved this book and could not recommend it more strongly. And I absolutely cannot wait to see what Charlotte Saxon comes up with next!

[Tehmeena · Rating 5 out of 5]

CONTENT WARNINGS; Check your triggers - full list can be found on the author's website.

Tropes;
♥︎💀𝑴𝒖𝒍𝒕𝒊 𝑷𝑶𝑽𝒔
♥︎💚𝑼𝑲 𝑺𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈/𝑨 𝑫𝒖𝒐𝒍𝒐𝒈𝒚
♥︎💀𝑫𝒚𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒑𝒊𝒂𝒏 𝑹𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆
♥︎💚𝑾𝒉𝒚 𝑪𝒉𝒐𝒐𝒔𝒆/𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒆 𝑯𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒎
♥︎💀𝑷𝒐𝒔𝒕-𝑨𝒑𝒐𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒚𝒑𝒕𝒊𝒄 𝑾𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅
♥︎💚𝒁𝒐𝒎𝒃𝒊𝒆𝒔 & 𝑰𝒏𝒇𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏
♥︎💀𝑺𝒖𝒓𝒗𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒍 & 𝑯𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒐𝒓
♥︎💚𝑨𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 & 𝑫𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓
♥︎💀𝑫𝒂𝒓𝒌 𝑯𝒖𝒎𝒐𝒖𝒓/𝑩𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓
♥︎💚𝑨 𝑻𝒓𝒂𝒖𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒔𝒆𝒅/𝑪𝒂𝒑𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆/𝑭𝒊𝒆𝒓𝒄𝒆 𝑭𝑴𝑪
♥︎💀3 𝑩𝒓𝒐𝒌𝒆𝒏/𝑶𝒃𝒔𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒅/𝑷𝒓𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝑴𝑴𝑪𝒔
♥︎💚𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝑫𝒓𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒏
♥︎💀𝑻𝒓𝒖𝒔𝒕 & 𝑩𝒆𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒚𝒂𝒍
♥︎💚𝑯𝒊𝒈𝒉 𝑺𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒔 & 𝑻𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏
♥︎💀𝑵𝒊𝒄𝒌𝒏𝒂𝒎𝒆𝒔, 𝑺𝒑𝒊𝒄𝒆 & 𝑷𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏
♥︎💚𝑺𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝑷𝒍𝒐𝒕 & 𝑬𝒎𝒐𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝑫𝒆𝒑𝒕𝒉
♥︎💀𝑭𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒚 & 𝑩𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒈
♥︎💚𝑵𝒐 𝑪𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒇𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓
♥︎💀𝑯𝑬𝑨

This is book two of the "Apocalyptic Hearts" duology, which continues after the first (Undying Hearts). Olivia saves her brother, Tobias, with the help of her boys, Theo, Rhys and Alex from the Scourge. However, now, not only do they have to escape from zombies, but from the Scourge's wrath as well. Will they be able to evade from their hands in time?

I'm in love with this series. I wish there's more because I would love to see more development regarding Tobias, Rachel, etc. They're brilliant side characters and leave a lasting affect. Anyways. Onto the main MCs!

Olivia/Ollie is our amazingly capable FMC, who is traumatised and broken, yet she is fierce, strong-minded and awesome. In this book I think her character has grown more, with more. She can fight of course and stand her ground for what she believes in, showing strength and determination even in the most treacherous moments. One of my most well-liked, favoured heroine to be honest!

Theo, Rhys and Alex are hot and I can't get enough of them. We appreciate how obsessively protective three hot, capable men are for one FMC. HELL YES. Also, they're not afraid to be vulnerable when need be. I'm not usually into a lot of why choose/reverse harem but these guys are so sweet, yet broken, and they each bring their own personalities without stepping on each other's toes. I love them all! They're fiercely caring and territorial. FINE AS HELL.

Contrary to my usual Dark Romance reads on my page, zombies books are one of my absolute favourites! And this duology is easily near the top. It's a bit of a longer read than I'm used to, but it really is extremely immersive and action-packed. Every character brings their own importance, some more than others and others not so much, albeit it's all part of the plan. Backstories, layers of personalities revealing truth. Past trauma and healing. With a higher scale of steamy passion in comparison to the first one, it certainly gives more to make the reader blush as it does me. And the ending wraps up delectably and satisfyingly, providing a HEA.

There is heart-wrenchingly vulnerable moments, undying devotion and beautifully written spice, goosebumps and tension. Zombies, blood and gore! And the pacing is perfect and doesn't lose impact, with a bad-ass FMC and three equally dangerously bad-ass MMCs, high risk situations and a lot more. Add it to you TBR list asap please, you won't regret it.

ﾒ૦ﾒ૦💋

Out of Fives;
♥︎💚𝑪𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓:✨✨✨✨✨
♥︎💀𝑨𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏:💥💥💥💥💥
♥︎💚𝑺𝒑𝒊𝒄𝒆:🔥🔥🔥🔥
♥︎💀𝑫𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓:⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️
♥︎💚𝑽𝒊𝒐𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆/𝑮𝒐𝒓𝒆:🔪 🩸🔪 🩸🔪
♥︎💀𝑬𝒎𝒐𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔:🎲🎲🎲🎲
♥︎💚𝑻𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏:🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨
♥︎💀𝑪𝒉𝒆𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒚:💋💋💋💋💋
♥︎💚𝑫𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅:💀💀💀💀💀
♥︎💀𝑯𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒆:🫀🫀🫀🫀🫀
♥︎💚𝑯𝒐𝒑𝒆:🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️
♥︎💀𝑰𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒊𝒗𝒆:🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿
♥︎💚𝑶𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒂 𝑭𝑴𝑪:🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷
♥︎💀𝑹𝒉𝒚𝒔 𝑴𝑴𝑪:🤎🤎🤎🤎🤎
♥︎💚𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒐 𝑴𝑴𝑪:💚💚💚💚💚
♥︎💀𝑨𝒍𝒆𝒙 𝑴𝑴𝑪:🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡
♥︎💚𝑷𝒍𝒐𝒕𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒆:📝📝📝📝📝
♥︎💀𝑷𝒂𝒄𝒊𝒏𝒈:⏳⌛⏳⌛⏳
♥︎💚𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝑫𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒑𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕:🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
♥︎💀𝑾𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 𝑩𝒖𝒊𝒍𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈:🌏🌎🌍🌏🌎
♥︎💚𝑩𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝑹𝒆𝒄𝒆𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒅: 𝒆𝑨𝑹𝑪/𝒆𝒑𝒖𝒃.
♥︎💀𝑺𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔: 𝑨𝒑𝒐𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒚𝒑𝒕𝒊𝒄 𝑯𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒔 - 𝑩𝒐𝒐𝒌 2.
♥︎💚𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔: 61 (𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒍𝒖𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒆𝒑𝒊𝒍𝒐𝒈𝒖𝒆).
♥︎💀𝑷𝒂𝒈𝒆𝒔: 666.
♥︎💚𝑮𝒆𝒏𝒓𝒆: 𝒁𝒐𝒎𝒃𝒊𝒆𝒔, 𝑹𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆, 𝑷𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝑨𝒑𝒐𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒚𝒑𝒕𝒊𝒄.
♥︎💀𝑷𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒅: 5𝒕𝒉 𝑴𝒂𝒚, 2026.
♥︎💚𝑾𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝑰 𝑹𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒅: 𝒀𝒆𝒔.
♥︎💀𝑶𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝑺𝒕𝒂𝒓 𝑹𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to the author for an advanced copy of this book. I'm leaving a voluntary review.

[Alisha English · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Arc Review* 4.5 Stars


I was so happy to be chosen for an E-Arc of this book and was super excited to see what would happen next. I love a good cliffhanger but I also normally hate them as I want to read the next book asap, so I don’t forget too much before the new book is out. But with these books it was never a problem.

The way it picked right back up at the end of the last book was so nice and drew me right back in. Unfortunately I was reading this when I was able to devour it as fast as I wanted thanks to work and other factors but when I was able to read it I didn’t want to put it down.

I love the fact that the FMC has grown so much from the scared woman who was afraid all the time and seemed so meek. Even without her brother and men at her side she still kicked *** and wasn’t afraid to get her hands dirty.

And as someone who has family in the UK and in general doesn’t read that many zombie/apocalypse based books I loved it. It’s also fun to discuss what type of places that are depicted in these books with my family there and know from a local how accurate travel and shops are.

Please do read triggers before reading as some topics can be disturbing to some readers. Thankfully none of my true triggers were touched, and I’m not so squeamish when it comes to some of the scenes written.

Overall seeing the personal growth shown by both the FMC, the MMCs and some of the background characters made this a book I will never not re-read.

[Amber Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

***ARC reader***
4.5 stars

Surviving Hearts by Charlotte continues after the conclusion of the first book. Ollie and the guys have successfully rescued her brother and friend’s daughter from the Scourge’s clutches. The group faces a series of trials in the middle of a zombie apocalypse while also avoiding the wrath of the Scourge’s revenge and potential traitors within their very own group.

While some could say I’m being biased as I am a HUGE fan of zombie stories, I am also selective when it comes to the plot. That’s why I truly enjoyed this why choose post-apocalyptic story because the plot alone immerses you in its zombie-filled world. The characters are constantly put into life or death situations, but despite the zombie apocalypse setting, their decisions feel realistic and believable.

Now to the fun part, the MEN! Rhys, Theo, and Alex are a slice of each personality that you could fall in love with. I loved how obsessed and protective they were of Ollie. Ollie herself grows into a badass and even saves the guys a couple of times (queen behavior). There’s really nothing I have to complain about when it comes to the characters.

Surviving Hearts is a part of the Apocalyptic Hearts duet, so you must read Undying Hearts first. Both were equally as amazing! Let’s just say I ate this book up, pun intended 😉

[Melissa Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a wild ride. This duet is nonstop action and I absolutely ate it up! Obviously since this is book 2 you NEED to read book 1 Undying Hearts, this picks right back up with Ollie and her guys. The vulnerability that these men showed was so heartbreaking. Each one had something from their past. I loved how strong and lethal they were, however with Ollie they were protective and loving. Ollie has to be one of favorite FMC'S. Her strength and tenacity made her such a total bad @$$. This duet had an amazing storyline from the first chapter, great characters, lots of action to keep you entertained and plenty of spice!! I am sad to seeing end!

[caffeinatedbookbabe_ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was kindly given this book early to read

This book is part of a duet and it is strongly adviced to read book 1 - Undying hearts as this books jumps straight into where book 1 left off. Ollie is a great main character with a lot of depth and her development throughout the two books is shown well on the pages and makes you root for her! I loved her determination it was a strong standout! This book had some well written spicy scenes that were *chefs kiss* in my humble option! The men in this book without giving too much away are morally grey perfection!

This duet is definitely worth a read!

[Dena · Rating 4 out of 5]

not much left after sex

Olivia is navigating the apocalypse with three men she clearly loves and trying to help fortify her new home. However not everything is at it seems and now they need to find out who is an ally and who is an enemy before it is to late.


I was a little let down. There really wasn’t that much of a progression of the plot on the apocalypse because it was mostly the sex scenes which is okay but I enjoyed the first half of the book and was hoping for more of the same following.

[Keara · Rating 5 out of 5]

A perfect ending to an unforgettable duet. This book was absolutely worth the wait; a satisfying, beautifully crafted conclusion that delivered on every promise the first book made.

🌶🌶🌶 - perfectly spicy; because sharing is caring 🫶

This author has cemented themselves on my auto-buy list, and I cannot wait to see what they write next!

[Kcee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recieved an ARC from the Author! Thank you so much!

Great story! Loved the Characters 🖤 Had a smashing good time reading this one!

If you love a good zombie apocalypse story, I definitely recommend jumping into this one!

[Bonita · Rating 5 out of 5]

what a great story!

what a great story!
Character development, a feisty leading lady who kicks ass but stays sweet, three hunky men who adore her just as she is, and a zompocalypse that brings in bad guys without the zombies becoming irrelevant…what more could you want?!?

[Athena Que Será, Será · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was unnecessarily long!
Tags: damaged-broken_hero, damaged-broken_heroine, divorced-hero, duet, dystopian-post-apocalyptic, heroine-saves-heroes-life, military-exmilitary-romance, om_drama, ow-drama, read, rh-paranormal, scarred-hero, scarred-heroine, strong-fmc-heroine, zombie-scifi-survival

[Medalia]

You heritage doesnt have to determine where you go and how you act. Feeling fear is enough to make that fear come true.
You are not a monster. You may be to some people but maybe someone will tell you that you are their monster.

[Poccca Nachname · Rating 5 out of 5]

I simply loved the story!! <3