Waking Up Alive

End of Days Love #2

by Emma Shortt

They’re running for their lives…

After surviving the zombie apocalypse for two years, Tye LeBow never expected to be saved from a hungry gang of zombies by a geek with a bad attitude and a penchant for explosives. Tye can’t quite work out why scientist Polly Parker saved him. She doesn’t want his protection, and she certainly doesn’t want his company. But Tye has no intention of leaving the beguiling geek behind.

Polly doesn’t want to leave her home, but when the wakers begin to show signs of a burgeoning intelligence, heading south is the only option. With a car packed full of homemade explosives, and Tye’s very large axe, they are ready for the road trip of their lives.

Bombs and blades aren’t the only keys to survival–they’ll need to rely on each other, in a way that neither could have imagined…

Genres: Zombies, Romance, Post Apocalyptic, Paranormal

408 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 18, 2016

About the author

As a kid Emma wanted to be an astronaut, or maybe Captain Janeway. Because she didn't really think her career choices through very well she ended up in an everyday geek job, crunching numbers and sighing over syntax. It seemed a long way from the stars and in an effort to escape Emma decided to get serious about her other passion. Writing.

Several years later and Emma has yet to walk on the moon or sit in the Captain's chair, but she is still writing. She scribbles stories in all sorts of genres, contemporary, paranormal, post-apocalyptic, historical, sci-fi...if she hasn't tried it yet she will before long.

The only common theme is the romance. A hopeless romantic everything Emma writes has a love story in there somewhere.

Reviews

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Release Date : January 18th 2016

Story Rating ~ 4 Stars!
Hero Rating ~ 5 HUGE STARS!
Heroine Rating ~ 5 Stars!
The Zombies ~ 5 Stars!
Action Rating ~ 5 Stars!
Romance Rating ~ 4 Stars!
Heat Level ~ 2 Stars
Ending ~ 4 Stars
Overall Rating ~ 4.5 Stars!



Waking Up Alive was an action packed pulse pounding ride! I was hooked in quickly and found it very hard to put the book down. Emma Shortt weaved yet another amazing read about living in a zombie apocalypse world. The First book, Waking Up Dead was a 5 star read of me. I loved it SO much and could hardly wait to get my hands on book 2. The wait was a bit longer than I was expecting but when I saw Waking Up Alive was finally offered up for reviewing at Netgalley, I was SO DARN EXCITED!! I was also worried that I might have forgotten too much of the story line from book 1 but my fears were laid to rest as I started reading. Both of these books take place in the same time frame. In book 1, Waking Up Dead we are introduced to best friends Tye and Jackson. They are very close and are like brother and sister to each other. They get separated in the beginning due to a large amounts of zombies. Book 1 follows Jackson and book 2 follows Tye. As I started reading Waking Up Alive everything came back to me quickly.

Tye and Jackson were searching for food when a pack of zombies cornered them. The only way to save themselves was to split up. This is where we follow Tye instead of Jackson.

Polly is a scientist. She has managed to make a bomb and was setting things up when she first sees Tye. At first she plans on leaving him there to blow up with the zombies but at the last minute she decides to help him. Polly is leery to be with any other humans. She has had a bad experience with some bad men. The situation is so bad that Polly does not trust anyone and has made her wanting to be alone. After Tye proves to her that he is not wanting to hurt her, she opens up her home to him and within 24 hours, they become good friends. Polly also has an Internet connection and has been talking to Sebastian, a scientist who resides at a survivor camp down in Texas. Tye ends up having an Internet conversation with Sebastian. Tye learns where the camp is and Sebastian asks him to bring Polly with him when he leaves. Polly has no plans of leaving her safe environment but soon she has no option because the zombies have figure out where she is at.

Tye and Polly hit the road in her SUV that they have stocked with food, water and others things they will need. As they cross country they get into quite a few battles with the zombies. Up until this point it has been non-stop action which just continues on and on.

This story was AMAZING until something drastic happens at about the 75% mark. I really did not like the way things played out. It was hard for me reading just what was going on. The action seemed to slow down at this point too. Through all this my emotions were still engaged but I really wished things would have played out a bit differently. This is the only reason for me rating this book a 4.5 instead of a 5 star read.

My favorite character was Tye. I LOVED him to pieces, he was a true hero in every way shape and form.

I absolutely LOVED the twist Emma did with her version on Waker’s/Zombies. They were different than the zombies we all love to hate in the series The Walking Dead.

The heat level was very low, with only a kiss here and there. Despite that, just the way Tye treated Polly made this a truly romantic read for me.

In the end there is an epilogue which takes us into the near future. I felt satisfied with the ending, but I’m also left wanting more. Good thing for me that Emma has two more books in store for us, Waking Up Changed and Waking Up Human. I certainly hope I don’t have another year and half to wait for the next book. EMMA PLEASE don’t make us wait that long!!

Although this is book 2 in the series, I feel it can be read as a standalone. I must warn you though, you’ll probably feel the need to read book 1 afterwards.

I highly recommend this series to those of you who LOVE zombies!

*I received an ARC from Entangled Publishing via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*

[Mehsi · Rating 5 out of 5]

"... and the nerds shall inherit the earth... though they might have to share it with the zombies..."

I finally could read the second book! I had it on my kindle for a few weeks now, but I was waiting for October to come before I could read it. Halloween and all that.

This was a fantabulous, creepy, rollercoaster of a read. After the cliffhanger in the first book I was curious to see how the second book would continue. Would they start at the cliffhanger? Or would we get a whole book from the beginning, the moment Tye and Jackson got split up? The answer is the latter option.

Like the previous book we have two POVs (and later another person got one or two chapters as well), Polly and Tye. We already know a bit about Tye, and we were introduced briefly to Polly in the first book. Now we see how they met, how they travelled together to the camp, how everything got to the point of the cliffhanger of the first book.

At first it was a bit boring, as I already knew what would happen, but as soon as Jackson and Tye split up it got interesting. We meet Polly, a nerdy, kooky girl who apparently survived on wits and luck (and a hell of shot with her gun). I took an instant liking to the girl. I wanted to know more about her, how she survived these past 2 years.
Plus she was so different from Jackson. I do like my girls kick-ass, but I also like it when a girl is open to help, especially from a guy. Jackson often got pissed off when all Luke wanted was to help her out, or when he worried about her. Polly was totally different. She was kick-ass, BUT she was more than willing to accept help, to grab Tye's hand when it got difficult. She never once got angry at him for his help, and I just was so happy.
Plus I just love a girl who is smart and makes the most of a situation. Polly was able to survive by her smarts, by finding a place where she would be safe, by hoarding the surrounding buildings, by making bombs (yes, this girl is a bomb maker).

It was also fun to learn more about Tye. About how he was a police officer, how he went through those first few months, the horrors he saw, and also why he keeps staying so happy and relaxed.
Tye was such a sweetheart, I just wanted to cuddle him and hold him. I loved how he never gave up on Polly, how he stayed with her, came back to her, helped her, and loved her.
I felt so sorry for him after what happened to Polly. He finally had found a girl to love again, he finally found someone he wanted to protect, someone who he wanted to hold close, and then that happens. :( You may just imagine how he handled the situation. I was scared that he would get hurt, though I knew, deep down, that he would never let that happen.

Polly x Tye also felt way more real than Jackson x Luke, and I found myself rooting for these these two characters who couldn't have been more different. (Tye = fire and sweet, police officer. Polly = quirky and icy, scientist/mathematician.) Whereas Jackson and Luke immediately got close, and not that long after got quite intimate, Polly and Tye take much much longer. That mostly has to do due to a horrific experience that Polly had a few month prior to meeting Tye. She was helping out survivors and got caught by bad men who raped her in a van. You can imagine that it is already scary for a woman alone in the apocalypse, but that this makes everything worse. :( So yeah, throughout the book we see Tye be very patient with Polly, let her set the pace. Let her decide when she wanted to get closer to Tye. Of course it wasn't easy for him, but Polly is important to him, he treasures her. It was just adorable. And I was cheering for Polly, as with the story you can see her come out of her shell more and more. The wall that she had created crumbled more and more with each sweet action that Tye did.

But, as I said, the rape. At one point in the story (when we get past the cliffhanger from book 1) we read what happened to her. It isn't too graphic, but I do want to warn people about it.

As soon as we hit the part where the first book ended it became even more exciting. Especially since Polly's POV became quite intriguing to read. We saw how she went through the process, how it felt to her. Of course I was also invested in the cure, would they find it? What would happen to Polly, to Red? Would they be cured? Or would they turn into something else entirely?

I have to say I am a bit sad about the ending, it felt like so much more could be explored. Like the cure, did they cure people? Did it work on everyone? Is the world a bit safer now? Or is everything still not OK? I would have loved to see an epilogue. Something to tell us how everyone is doing.

So maybe a book about Red? I would at least want to know her story. When did she get bitten? Right away? Months later? How did it happen? And then of course I also want to know how it goes for her these days. Is she able to get over the trauma that came with being a zombie?

All in all, I do hope for more books. And I would highly recommend this book (and the previous one) to everyone.

Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/

[Elaine - Splashes Into Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating: 4.5/5
I’ll be honest and admit to thinking twice before even requesting this book, I’m not normally into zombie apocalypse novels but this one is totally the exception and I’m so glad Entangled agreed to let me read and review an ARC of it!

It has a clever, well developed and intriguing plot, a brilliant, nerdy and independent feisty female lead and a strong, alpha male leading man who needs her to rescue him! Don’t read this expecting it to be like other zombie stories, this is a unique and enthralling version, a real page turner and one you’d do better reading for yourself, rather than this review! It is an action packed adventure, filled with twists, turns and surprises.

This is the second book in the series and there are, apparently, two more to come. I hadn’t read the first one but I certainly hope to read the sequels! I have no hesitation in highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys action packed adventures in which romance develops - even if you don’t normally like zombie stories!

Thanks to the author, publishers and NetGalley, too, for gifting me an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review

[1-Click Addict Support Group · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so, so, so close to 5 stars. I devoured this book, one sitting. It was not an overly short book either. May we please take a moment to collectively sigh over the sexy wonder that is Tye? Thank you. He was everything a good alpha hero should be. Strong. Sexy. Compassionate. Oh, and actually a hero. Saving the world one dead zombie at a time.

When we meet him he's traveling towards the hopeful safety of a survivor camp with a woman friend. Actually a woman, who is truthfully only a friend. Want to see me respect a man? Show me one who can respect a woman with no promise of sex. Boom. Done. He's fiercely loyal to Jackson, and respects her as a woman, a fighter, and a survivor. May we swoon?

Of course things are not allowed to go as planned so when a wrench is thrown into their plans, Tye is separated from Jackson and meets Polly. Nerdy, awkward, shy, pretty in her own proper way, Polly. She is not a fighter, but that makes her no less a survivor. She has maintained a life for herself despite the odds, by sheer clever ingenuity. It's so easy to admire her, and to hope, given the situation, there really would be a place in the world for someone who can only fight with their brains. She has her reasons to distrust Tye, and despite his attraction to her, he is determined to win her over, to prove that he is not a threat to her.

This is where most authors still push the alpha on the poor scared woman. Practically forcing her to accept him and deal with her trauma in a few intense scenes excused from their abruptness by sheer sexiness. Not this author. She takes you on a slow ride of a budding friendship, a blossoming respect. Don't worry, there is nothing slow about the reading of this book. There is enough suspense and trouble going on in the background without adding to it with a problematic relationship. It was an edge of the seat kind of ride, the kind that after I finished had me looking both ways when I let my dog out at night. Not too scary, but definitely well done.

The end is what threw me a little. I loved the plot and the development. I loved where she took the ending, I just felt like it dragged on a bit timewise. It took place in the book world over a course of months and that seemed excessive. Maybe realistic, but excessive for reading purposes. Still, there was not a magical, easy way out, and you are left genuinely wondering throughout if it's actually going to turn out okay. Some of the problems aren't correctable and you get an honest and heartwarming depicting of how the characters react to this.

The final bit left me a little unsure as well. "Red" has so many problems adjusting to her reclaimed life that I felt so many others would find it difficult or impossible, so it left me wondering just how feasible their plan was. This wasn't discussed, and I felt it should be.

Overall, I loved this read, and I'm planning to go back and read the first one. I can only hope there will be a third one. There absolutely should be! ~ George, 4 stars

[Lenore Kosinski · Rating 3 out of 5]

https://celebrityreaders.com/2017/02/...

3.5 stars -- I moved this book up on my TBR b/c I'm trying to read books featuring black characters for black history month, and from the cover I assumed Tye was black. I feel like there are different reasons for having diverse characters, and if your reasons are to see things from the perspective of someone of a different race (in this case black), then I'm afraid you'd be disappointed. It really didn't come into play at all. Perhaps because it's the zombie apocalypse, and race is the least of anyone's worries. It's also just nice to have representation, which is the other reason to have diverse characters, and this would have worked for that.

So after that long winded paragraph, I was definitely entertained by this novel, but it never succeeded in truly sucking me in. Everything was just good for me, but not great. Well, except maybe Tye. He was such a sweet but still badass guy. Polly was a bit harder to fall in love with, an I must say that I don't think I ever really did. I enjoyed her, she was likable, but I tend to gravitate towards snark and sass, and Polly lacked most basic social skills. There was one point where Tye talks about her sense of humour, and I thought to myself "what sense of humour?" I guess I like to see it, rather than be told it exists.

If you're looking for a romance, I would say that Polly and Tye's may not quite satisfy you. It was definitely sweet, and I really did feel a connection between them, but it didn't give me butterflies. And it's not because there were only maybe a few light kisses, it was more just that Polly is such an odd character internally that I was just never swept off my feet and believed her tummy flips. I will say that their connection as companions is FANTASTIC. I really felt how much they needed each other and cared for each other. Not sure if I'm making any sense, b/c that probably sounds contradictory. It was like more than friends, but I didn't quite get any sexual chemistry (which can exist even in clean reads).

Now as far as a zombie book goes, I thoroughly enjoyed the action, suspense, and overall questions of how one would survive and what would that do to the people left. I will note that I don't read many zombie books, so I cannot give a comparison to what is out there. And I also did not read book 1 in this series, but other than making me a bit curious about Jackson and Luke's story, I didn't feel I missed anything.

I enjoyed the different reactions to the zombies that both Polly and Tye had, and how they viewed those people. I was actually intrigued to see a view into the zombies thought processes, I hadn't been expecting that, and I wasn't sure how I was going to feel, but in the end I felt it worked for the book.

I'm not sure if I will read more in the series. If I didn't have a HUGE TBR, I definitely would. But given I do have too many books to read, if I don't get to it I won't be heartbroken.

[Viking Jam]

https://koeur.wordpress.com/2016/01/0...

Publisher: Entangled

Publishing Date: January 2016

ISBN: 9781633755444

Genre: SciFI

Rating: 2.5/5

Publishers Description: After surviving the zombie apocalypse for two years, Tye LeBow never expected to be saved from a hungry gang of zombies by a geek with a bad attitude and a penchant for explosives. Tye can’t quite work out why scientist Polly Parker saved him. She doesn’t want his protection, and she certainly doesn’t want his company. But Tye has no intention of leaving the beguiling geek behind.

Review: This book follows the first only it is Tye’s journey to the South with his insta-love companion. Why did this fall a little flat? Tye is just not a character that develops at all. The only thing that develops is a boner for Polly. The constant “Baby Girl” endearments really wore thin. Polly is not believable as a post-apoc survivor of 2 years. She’s shy, demure, weak, slow and blind….all the attributes that got most of the population killed off. She’s been working at the University think tank but somehow knows how to shoot a pistol like an expert because “it’s all mathematics..”. Sorry Polly its not all mathematics. Its more about body control, practice and technique. Like the first installment, all the main characters carry machetes, katanas or axes. Forget that the USA has billions of guns and even more ammo but somehow food is easier to find.

Honestly, this novel should have just carried through with Jackson as she was a finely crafted character. Although she makes an appearance its all about whiney Tye and dull Polly. Still, this novel was entertaining if you don’t get hung up on the details.

[Paranormal Kiss · Rating 4 out of 5]

Waking Up Alive by Emma Short is a fitting addition to the End of Days Love series. This one runs concurrent to events in the first book then moves forward more in the end. It follows Tye, whom we met in the first book, Waking Up Dead. I loved Tye, he’s a survivor and a fighter but he’s also endearingly sweet and wonderfully loyal. I really liked Polly as well. She’s the polar opposite of the previous heroine, Jackson. Super smart, but not a fighter, she’s cleverly found a way to survive in this new and horrific world.

I loved Tye and Polly together. Their romance is slow and tentative but heartfelt. Their journey isn’t without some extreme obstacles and I found myself practically chewing my nails at one point. There is action and gruesome gore but it is balanced by the emotion that emanates from the pages.

Waking Up Alive makes us look beyond the Zombies to the humanity that was and is possibly still cognizant in some way within the creatures they’ve become. In Waking Up Dead they were the monsters that needed to be slayed. In this book we look beyond that to the possible hope of a cure and it makes you reevaluate your perception of the Zombies, or Wakers as they’re called by Polly.

Overall, I really enjoyed Waking Up Alive. It’s definitely not for the faint of heart. I would recommend it to fans of the first book and those that don’t mind a heavy dose of blood, pus and other things that make you go ew!

*ARC (Advanced Review Copy) received from the publisher, Entangled Publishing, LLC, via NetGalley.

[Corrie Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed it. Wish it was steamier, but it had good action, and plot consistencies. Had a bit of a zombie hangover when it was done. So much more I want to read of this world. It was better than the first book, as far as realism, but they were both enjoyable.

[Gigi staub · Rating 5 out of 5]

After surviving the zombie apocalypse for two years, Tye LeBow never expected to be saved from a hungry gang of zombies by a geek with a bad attitude and a penchant for explosives. Tye can’t quite work out why scientist Polly Parker saved him. She doesn’t want his protection, and she certainly doesn’t want his company. But Tye has no intention of leaving the beguiling geek behind.

Polly doesn’t want to leave her home, but when the wakers begin to show signs of a burgeoning intelligence, heading south is the only option. With a car packed full of homemade explosives, and Tye’s very large axe, they are ready for the road trip of their lives.

Bombs and blades aren’t the only keys to survival–they’ll need to rely on each other, in a way that neither could have imagined…

Review:

Welcome to the Zombie Apocalypse!

First thoughts after reading this, very engaging story and well-written.

I love my zombie apocalypse TV shows, so I had to pick up this when I saw it up for review. The story is not only about fighting and action, it has a lot of heart to it. Though is does have a lot of trying to survive, what I found I liked the most were the scenes where Polly and Tye are just together and getting to know each other. Another part I really enjoyed was they just don't jump into bed because they are lonely, they get to know each other and take it slow. And in full disclosure, there are no sexy scenes in this book, so if you are looking for that you will not find it here. Polly has had a bad experience with other survivors, so it really makes sense that she is cautious and not just going to fall into bed with anyone and Tye is a stand-up guy who knows that he needs to be careful with her. Polly and Tye are both survivors and both have their strengths and weaknesses but are really better together. There is a lot that happens to these two as they try to move south, but I wanted to try not spoil this books for those who want to read it. I did like the Author's unique view of the zombie's and the zombie virus and how their thought process works, thought it was very creative and had a new spin to it. This is the second book in the series, but from what I can tell they are happening simultaneously and I think if you did start with this book you would not be lost, at least I was not.

Lots of tension, action and budding romance in this book. Good fix of the zombie apocalypse while the Walking Dead is on hiatus.

4.5Stars

*Received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.*

[Monique · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two years after the zombie apocalypse, precisely 26 months and 13 days, Tye LeBow is searching for supplies in empty houses. His friend Jackson Hart is keeping watch; they’ve been travelling together for a month. While searching, Tye hears a noise, and they have to make a run for it; there are some wakers – zombies – outside. Zombies usually travel in pack of 5, but this time there are three packs; it’s not normal, as far as normal is nowadays anyway. Tye and Jackson must split up, and they will meet in one hour in Kelly’s Clothing Boutique. Meanwhile, Dr. Polly Parker is inside said Boutique; she’s setting up traps, home-made bombs, to be precise. And Tye walks in; Polly hasn’t seen another person in 9 months, and the last one, a man… And there, I was seriously intrigued… Polly is scared, thinks of leaving Tye there, then changes her mind and goes and gets him.

The books I have read and the zombies movies I have watched total fewer than the number of fingers on both hands. I’m not sure what prompted me to pick this book; the blurb looked interesting, the cover looks awfully nice; I just took a chance, and I’m very happy I did! Even though, it’s book 2, I did not feel I missed anything, except to know more about Jackson. WAKING UP ALIVE takes the reader right in the thick of things, and talk about fast-paced and exciting! I loved both Polly and Tye, they are very different: he’s the brawn, she’s the brain; and they have different reasons to want to kill the zombies, and this is a fascinating part of the story. What pleased me most about WAKING UP ALIVE is that it is a very intelligent book which gives a lot to think about. There are epic plot twists, which are settled very cleverly. All in all, I believe readers who like zombies will love it, but most of all, this is a book for readers who never read about zombies or don’t fancy them! The writing is seamless, the dialogues perfectly reflect the characters’ personalities, everything is plausible; it’s excellent from the first page to the last! An exciting, fascinating, clever, and intelligent book! I hope there will be more books in this series!

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

*ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for honest review*

I really liked this book.

This book has everything I would want in a zombie book: romance/suspense/action/kickass characters (this applied more to Tye than Polly). I did have a some issues with Polly. I will address those in my complete review at a later date.


I will say that you should read the first book in the series in order to get maximum enjoyment out of this book.

******************updated******************

I really enjoyed this book. I really liked the world Emma created. This was a different “Zombie book” compared to some of the other books I’ve read and I think that’s what made this series so enjoyable.

I will say, I wasn't the biggest fan of Polly’s. She got on my nerves a few times thought out the book. Some of the things she done, i didn't like. She was so different from Jackson (girl from the first book). This was necessarily a bad thing, but Polly was more a geek. She wasn’t really good outside in the “real world”.

I really did like where the author took this book. It has a lot of action, some romance, and suspense. It has everything you would want in a zombie book.



Overall, I liked it. I didn’t like Polly as much as I wished I would’ve, . I really liked Tye. He was kick ass in this book. I really hope there will be another book, because I want to see what happens after the ending of this book. Some things are left unanswered. Maybe Seb will get his own book? I can only hope!

[Monique · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well worth the wait. Review to come

*****

After waiting nearly 26 months (which coincidentally is almost as long as the zombie apocalypse has been going on in this book), I finally got my hands on it... And it exceeded my expectations. Emma Shortt did a brilliant job with the sequel of Waking Up Dead.

Unfolding during the same time as the first novel, this novel led me into deeper exploration of the nature of the zombies or wakers, as Penny (our brilliantly awesome and nerdy heroine) more accurately calls them.

Filled with suspense and intensely page-turning, Waking Up Alive did not suffer from Sequel Syndrome. In fact, it could be read entirely on its own, but then you'd miss out on the brilliant, ass-kicking herione from the first novel. Though she makes an appearance in this novel, I have to say that I missed Jackson's spunk and sass in this book, but Penny's awkwardness more than makes up for it.

The hero of the story, Tye, seems to be a bad-ass mofo, but he's really not. At least, not when it comes to most humans. Perfect Alpha-type, Tye likes to charge and kick zombie-butt, even more so when something tragic happens to the love of his life.

Emma Shortt does not disappoint (does she even know how to disappoint?). And if I have to wait another 2 years for Book 3, well, I know it will be well worth the wait!

[Julie (Let's Read Good Books) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 - 3.5 stars

Contains Spoilers!

I really enjoyed this up until the point Polly was bitten, and then it didn't hold my attention as well. The secondary characters weren't appealing either. Seb's character was inconsistent, and I didn't buy into his mistake that allowed the zombies to escape from his lab. Jackson just grated here, while I loved her character in Waking Up Dead, and Luke was completely under-utilized. He was pretty much just Jackson's arm candy, which was disappointing.

The action up to Tye and Polly reaching Laredo was blistering, and what I enjoy best about zombie books. They was constantly on the run, dodging from ever more cunning monsters that want nothing more than to eat them. Their flight from Chicago is tense and nerve-wracking and kept me turning the pages.

Then they get to Laredo and everything came to a screeching halt. If you are more interested in the possible recovery from a devastating zombie virus, than this will be right up your alley. Seb, a scientist, believes he finally has the key to manufacturing a cure for the plague that has brought a bloody and violent end to the world. I found the lab time tedious and wasn't as engaged in that aspect of the story.

[Jo Dawson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Waking Up Dead is the second book in the End of Days Love series by Emma Shortt. This novel finds Tye and Polly uniting brains and brawn to survive the zombie apocalypse. I seriously never thought that I’d read & love a zombie romance - but I did! The relationship between Tye and Polly is wonderfully tentative and fragile, as they face risks in this post-apocalyptic world, they form a strong team confronting challenges - both internal and external.

I loved this book, probably more than the first one. I thought Ms. Shortt did an excellent job in depicting the travails of this duo and I was thrilled to be along for the ride. Interestingly, this was a strong novel even as a stand-alone – a feat rarely successful in a series; generally each successive novel is hinged on the book(s) previous, but due to the concurrent timeframe and independent events, it really does read well if you have not read the first book in the series – but it was good too, so you probably should just read both!.

I’m unsure if there is going to be a third (or more!) installments in this series, but I will gladly watch for it!

[Jessi · Rating 3 out of 5]

ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.

Emma Shortt draws you into a world that its hard to realize that its not real and only a book. Her characters are riveting and intense. She takes you on a journey across the U.S. in search of hope. What every human needs is hope.

Tye knows that after meeting the little nerd Polly that he can't in good conscious leave the little spit fire in her ivory tour while he rides off to safety. With the zombies getting smarter Tye is finally able to convince Polly to leave her safety and journey with him to a survivor'settlement and what he hopes with also mean their safety.

Sometimes fate lands us a hard pill to swallow and soon Tye and Polly are tested to the end of their strength s to prove what is worth waiting for and what really makes us love each other.

Though to me this book wasn't really a true romance novel it was a novel about strength hope and the enduring power of love.

[Vickie Schultz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok first off I love the Walking Dead its my absolute favorite show on TV right now. So if that is your cup of tea, then this book is for you. It had that whole vibe to it. I found it to be pretty interesting kind of wordy at times and I got bored a bit.

This is not my typical kind of read but I wanted to try something new and overall I am glad I did. I didn't read the first book in this series and I am not sure if I should have. But I was able to following along pretty well.

I really liked Polly very nerdy, smart girl. I loved Tye he was super, sweet and protective of Polly and of his friend Jackson. I loved how he constantly called Polly "Baby Girl" it was so sweet and sort of romantic.

There was 2 parts to this story and the second half I was so not thrilled with and there was a key reason, but I won't give that away. I would recommend this book if are you a lover of zombies, apocalypse end of world type stories.

[Marie Brown (Marie's Tempting Reads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marie's Tempting Reads Netgalley ARC Review:

Another hearth-pounding, scary, and oh so tempting post-apocalyptic romance by Emma Shortt! Waking Up Alive actually had more oomph to it then the last one. Of course maybe because Polly is more leery of men and needs more protection. When Tye is rescued by Polly, he is determined to protect her, even when she doesn't want it. This book was incredibly intense with non-stop excitement and sizzling chemistry between Polly and Tye. This is exactly the kind of post-apocalyptic romance that I enjoy. It has the perfect amount of danger and gore, yet has that strong romance and steamy sex, that really is the icing on the cake.

Waking Up Alive was perfect for me! I actually give this book a HEART-THUMPING FOUR AND A HALF STARS! I loved Tye, I feel for Polly, and the general story entertains. I LOVE it!

[Keri · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book actually starts where Jackson's did, taking us back to those moments before they separated and after in Tye's perspective. Tye, who I liked way better than Luke. We meet brainy, scared Polly and watching Tye interact with her was heart melting even before the scenes of the ending of Jackson's book, once we get to the half way point and pick up where we left off with the whole crew it's pretty much go go go and there is a lot to entertain you with. Tye is amazingly loyal to Polly, and poor Polly has so much to overcome it was crazy to see how the author weaved it all. All in all this was all I could have wanted for their story and more.
This was a complimentary e-copy provided by the author and publisher in exchange for a honest review via Netgalley.

[Sissy's Romance Book Review · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is book two in the "End of Days Love" series. I have not read the first book "Waking Up Dead" and did feel like I needed to read that one first to help with some of the story line. It didn't really stop me from enjoying having the chance to read this book. This is a paranormal type book. Tye LeBoow has been fight zombie apocalypse for two years. He meets Polly Parker who saves him from being killed by some zombies. Polly is a geeky kind of girl with a interest in explosives. Polly does not want his help with Tye tries to offer it and wants to be left alone. But that isn't what Tye has in mind. If you like Zombies stories and paranormal stories this book is for you.

[Patricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Since I did not read the first book I was a little off my game here.
I get that in this book we are following Tye after her and Jackson were separated by a zombie horde.
I found this an interesting book up to a certain point and then everything changed and slowed down and I found myself losing interest. The epilogue helped me a bit that is why I gave it a 3 star. Maybe if I started at the beginning I may have been more invested. Otherwise overall it wasn't bad for a zombie book

[Tracy's Place · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75 out of 5

[Brittany · Rating 1 out of 5]

I received this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I just could not get into this book. I tried to enjoy the story but it just did not pull me in.