The Wasteland

Their Champion #1

by K.A. Knight

The world ended and with it so did the rules.

I was stolen from my family and raised in the Wastelands to the North. I did what I had to ensure my survival. I became The Champion, with my history carved into my skin for all to see.

Now I spend my days drinking and hiding from my past until four newcomers offer me a job I can’t refuse. When my past and future mix I must once again rise and fight. This time it’s not for my freedom, it's for my happiness.

*Contains triggers and a cliffhanger ending. This is a dark Dystopian RH.

Genres: Dystopia, Romance, Fantasy, Dark, Post Apocalyptic, Why Choose, Paranormal

242 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 16, 2018

About the author

K.A Knight is a Romance author from a little town in England. She writes the monsters you love to hate. The crazier the better.

She loves her fur babies, coffee and a good book. Katie also has an obsession with monster flicks, and plans to re-watch them all!

Facebook Reader Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/Katie...

Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/KatieKnightA...

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/katieknight...

http://eepurl.com/drLLoj

Reviews

[★Me Myshelf and I★]

DNF @ 75%

There’s something about every character being turned on by violence that just doesn’t sit well with me. Even in this post apocalyptic mad max world, where it’s kill or be killed it’s still a little disturbing.

The characters just didn’t click and when I realise I didn’t care what happened to them I called it a day.

Don’t get me wrong I love a good strong female lead, and this girl took no crap from nobody. Until about 28% where she suddenly and unexplainably started to have mushy feelings and emotions towards the 4 men who basically started stalking her .

The romance would have been better and more believable as a slow burn instead of an insta-love. Drax was the final straw. Even the thought of him being an addition to the harem at some point was enough to make me want to stop.

Also that cover in no way represents this book. She doesn’t have blonde hair or wear dresses! It’s misleading

[Al *the semi serial series skipper* · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF@69%.

Can't take it anymore. The blurb seemed pretty neat and I was so excited to read this especially with the streak I'm on when it comes to finding good books. This book was a big embarrassment.

As another review said this book was like Mad Max and that's how I pictured it. Description of sandy desert , torn clothes, scruffy beards, dirty unwashed bodies helped to sell the image.

The heroine was pretty badass when she was introduced, people gave her space, the prostitutes offered her free lay, she was challenged by drunk men who she promptly put in their place. In fact I had to check the pronoun to be sure I was reading a book about a FMC.

The book when to shit when the men showed up. Immediately they show up she's lusting over them, it wasn't OTT so I didn't mind. Then all of sudden she cannot make decisions by herself anymore, she's emotional, she's making concessions where she didn't before and I'm like wtf. Where was the badass that didn't let anything faze her, when was she switched with this tepid creature.

I can't do it.

[Denisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Ohh, what do we have here!


I did not expect this awesomeness when I started reading this book.


Ok, so it's a dystopia in the real sense of the word. You get violence, blood, rape, torture, the worst sides of humans.
On the other hand, you get friendship, loyalty, love, strength, acceptance, the best things a human being can bring.

This series has everything you could possibly wish for in a Dystopian novel.

The writing is really good (as you'd expect from this author), and the characters are amazing.

You get a great world builder and incredible plot, it's definitely hard to put down and even harder not to really fall for all these characters, no matter how flawed they are.

So, if you're looking for a short dystopian series, but a real one, try this one. It would have been perfect if it was longer, but eh. Still better than 90% of what I've read so far.

Well done, author, well done.

[Bex (Beckie Bookworm) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was ever so excited to get stuck into this one as the description for this sounded just so good and right up my street.
It’s post-apocalyptic and also dark reverse-harem two things I also love.
For reference, the dark here comes from the situations and settings rather than the romance which isn’t in any way dark.
This is the first book in a series I think it’s a trilogy but don’t quote me on that as I haven’t actually checked so I’m just assuming here.
It’s told from our heroines POV and is set after the world has imploded after a series of natural disasters leaving behind a desolate lawless wasteground of a new world order.
This story centres around the heroine Tazanna worth who goes by Worth or the Champion or just plain Taz to her men.
She’s a super tough chick with a tragic back-story that has moulded her into the strong woman she is today.
Taz is a survivor and her body is a roadmap of her life.
The longtime captured pet of the brutal leader of the Berserkers clan she fought her way from her previous slave status and won her freedom fighting to the death in the pit.
Now living in The Rim and taking jobs out in the Wastes as a bounty hunter Taz is someone who is respected and feared by others.
So when four out of towner’s show up wanting to hire her as there guide though initially resistant it’s an offer she can’t afford to refuse.
Maxen, Thorn and twin brothers Drax and Jax are instantly intrigued with her and through this was quite instalove and they do all bond relatively fast it never felt cheesy or unbelievable.
I believed in the connections forged here 100% as well as there’s affections towards one another.
All are so uniquely different and each one offers something totally them to the mix.
And though the guys could take care of themselves I loved that Taz was basically in charge when it came to everyone’s safety out in the Wastes.
She was so self-sufficient and her men weren’t too proud to accept that she knew best and let her lead the way.
In fact, they were super proud and also equally turned on by her proficiency and ability to be so bad-ass.
I found this so refreshing and adored that she was no damsel in distress and could save herself but then could equally be soft when she was just with her men trusting them and letting down her walls around them.
This very much had a mad max doomsday vibe that I especially appreciated.
It was fast-paced and easily kept my attention and even though it's quite insta in nature it was also equally slow-burn expertly building the tension throughout.
It’s sexy and very hot and I liked the way this sizzled on a constant simmer it felt natural rather than contrived.
I also am very intrigued by the inclusion of Dray and am highly anticipating how he is going to fit into the mix or even if he even is, time will answer that question.
I liked where this went and where we left things, loved the finale also.
I enjoyed this one very much it was all sorts of imaginative with some great world-building and am looking forward to getting stuck into the next book which follows on directly from this.
Thumbs up from me for this one.



Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
https://www.facebook.com/beckiebookworm/
www.beckiebookworm.com

[Silvia Andrito · Rating 1 out of 5]

So this book is like Mad Max and Fallout had a love child, but then the writer decided to make it RH so 28% into the book the MC is all soft and full of emotions towards two guys from her will-be harem when the first 27% of the book she was the crazy cold blooded killer who would not only survive but thrive in Mad Max/Fallout. Then the next day they are all touchy and talking about their past and feelings when up to this point she has not encouraged any of this behavior and she literally does not know these guys, they are just some clients she adamantly didn’t want to take on. It just feels incredibly disjointed. Not to mention all this softness is coming from insta lust. No character development or much description for the male characters, and no relationship growth can occur in that little amount of book. Sadly I will not finish.

[Iretsia · Rating 3 out of 5]

!Cliffhanger warning! I enjoyed the idea of this book, but it’s execution was a bit lacking. It had an intriguing plot and world, but it also had issues with the writing itself, characterization, plausibility, the harem and relationships, feminism, and inconsistent and out-of-nowhere plot points. Also, if my opening note didn’t already tell you this, be aware that this book has a pretty decent cliffhanger, though that’s probably the main reason I’m looking forward to book 2.

The author does a good job building this world and differentiating the clans and regions, and I like the idea of the slave turned badass acting as a bounty hunter in a post-apocalyptic world. Unfortunately, the writing was dry for the most part and made me feel as if I was trudging through this book. A big part of this is because this book does a ton of telling instead of showing: for example, “I always have at least four knives on me and you never know when I'm going to use them. A girl has to protect herself, it doesn’t help that I have serious anger issues and know how to fight dirty.” The characterization is just awkward and fumbling when it’s done that way. Plus, the MC is a trope I’ve seen a million times, a Tough Girl™ caricature: “All my sarcasm and bravado drops away leaving the damaged woman in their place.” *rolls eyes* This book also had a lot of distracting editing issues. It was full of sentence fragments and run-on sentences, and it really needed more commas. If you hadn’t already noticed that in the above quotes, I imagine you will in the ones below.

This book also had a few things that only made sense because no one else in the book questioned them. At one point, when the MC and her harem are still basically strangers, Drax has a nightmare while his brother Jax talks to the MC, who is keeping watch. The MC leaves Jax to take over her watch while she cuddles Drax and soothes him. Sure, the MC has a weak spot for vulnerable people, but it didn’t really make sense for her to do the comforting instead of Jax. Later in the book, the MC attacks and defeats a man who was beating his slave. The MC didn’t kill the man, so I wondered what was going to stop him from killing his slave later. The author solved that fairly conveniently later, but it bothered me that, as a former slave, the MC didn’t consider the possibility.

I have a lot of issues with the harem and the relationships in this book. First, even though Thorn is a good boy, I feel like he’s the weakest link in the harem. The MC never has a real falling-for-him moment like she has with the others. He’s sort of just included with the others when they start being demonstrative, so it’s almost like she got him in the bogo sale without really choosing him. Even though Maxen’s relationship with the MC is developed a bit better, I really kind of hate him. Him calling the MC “mi alma” was weird but sweet the first time, but then he starts including it in every sentence he says to her, and it gets very old. He’s also at the center of some of the consent issues that I’ll discuss later. I have mixed feelings about Dray. On the one hand, I love him and the MC together because psycho couples are awesome: “‘If you aren’t back in ten days, I'll burn this whole fucking Wasteland down looking for you.’ We smile at each other, the fact that he’s being serious only making me happier.” On the other hand, I prefer harems in which the men are close to each other, and the four guys we meet first definitely are. I don’t know whether this book will have any mm, but Drax and Thorn certainly weren’t squeamish about touching each other when they were with the MC at the same time. Drax even licked Thorn’s finger at one point, though the MC was still the focus. As such, I don’t really like the idea of Dray coming into the dynamic and being an interloper. I didn’t really buy it when the guys accepted it so quickly without any discussion when they saw Dray kiss the MC, but they never really had a conversation with the MC about sharing between the four of them either. It was from the first intimate scene that Drax was fine with it, but the MC never checked with the others, and they never discussed whether the acceptance had boundaries: as in, they were fine with them all flirting with her but expected her to pick just one in the end. I just hate when the harems form without any real discussion. I recently read the post-apocalyptic RH book Lightning Strikes, and it did a really good job of realistically setting up the harem, so maybe that made this issue stand out to me even more. I also thought the MC’s big fight with the four guys were somewhat ridiculous. It seemed like they really overreacted but then got over it so quickly after she gave them some space.

This book also had quite a few issues with consent: specifically, people not asking for it. I get it to some extent. People feel like talking ruins the mood or whatever. However, I think consent should have been emphasized lot more in this book than it was. At one point, regarding her time as a slave, the MC narrates, “They don’t need to know just how broken I was or what he did to me. What I let him do to me. Deep down, I know I couldn't stop him and it wasn't like I sat there and asked for more, but it’s hard to explain that logic to the primal side of me.” Clearly, the lines of consent blurred for her while she was a slave. It sounds like she never outright said no but only because she didn’t have the power to do so. Saying no probably would have made things worse for her, tbh. As such, I really, really wanted her current relationships to have very clear consent. Instead, Maxen—the first of the harem to be intimate with her—was fairly awful. Pretty soon after the MC performs the above narration, Maxen becomes intimate with the MC for the first time. He says things like, “Keep fighting babe, it only makes me harder” and “I knew when you told me to fuck off, I would make you mine.” Sure, the MC is enjoying herself and even wraps her legs around him to hold him in place while she tries to squirm away, but that isn’t the point. Maxen knows enough about her to have guessed about what took place while she was a slave (He’s even triggered a PTSD episode by grabbing her shoulder when she wasn’t expecting him to), but he still says things that show a blatant disregard for what she wants, and he never checks whether she is ok with what is happening. As such, Thorn was a godsend during his scene with the MC: “‘You have to say yes, baby girl.’ His voice is like velvet. I almost cry at that, the fact that this big scarred warrior would take the time to make sure this is what I want.” It shouldn’t be unusual! In fact, Maxen should have done it! Honestly, the problem is with both Maxen’s behavior and the way the MC was written. She has PTSD from her time as a slave, so it isn’t believable to me at all that she doesn’t react negatively when Maxen says things like that or wraps his hand tight around her throat. It’s also unbelievable to me that she treats Jax similar to the way Maxen treats her. She knows that he had an awful childhood, though she doesn’t know exactly what it involved. He could have been raped as a child for all she knows, but she’s still very commanding with him, without checking whether he’s ok with that.

On a related note, this book had some feminist issues. The author even included a form of the obnoxious command to smile that men are so fond of giving to women: Jax says, “You should laugh more, I like the sound of it.” The MC responds, “You should talk more, I like it,” so at least they’re somewhat equal there, but I don’t think that was really the author’s intention. This book also threw in a ton of slut shaming around 59%, and it was incredibly unnecessary. The MC had described some whores a few time without any disdain, but when a newly freed woman—who didn’t even know that the men with the MC were WITH her—dares to proposition Jax and then Maxen, Maxen absolutely goes off on the woman for her “disrespect” and “lack of dignity.” Seriously, he spends a couple paragraphs talking about how horrible this woman is being for wanting to have sex for the first time as a free woman. He absolutely humiliates this woman and even makes her fear for her life, just to appease the MC’s jealousy. He could have easily just said that they were all with the MC and not interested in anyone else, but the other men congratulate him for the awful way he just treated this woman. In the next scene, Jax says that he’s a virgin because “Fucking some random slut didn’t interest me.” Seriously, what the hell is with badmouthing all the women, other than the MC, who choose to have sex for pleasure? One of the men says, “My mum was a whore, I never even knew who my dad was. She wasn't a bad person, just distant. It was hard for her to raise a baby while still trying to work.” In other words, it’s fine when women have sex as part of their jobs, but actually enjoying it makes them sluts. Unless the MC happens to be such a woman, in which case she can sleep with as many as she wants and no one will think any less of her.

Anyone familiar with my reviews probably know that inconsistent plot points or plot points that come out of nowhere are my pet peeves, and this book had some of both. The following are some of the inconsistencies that distracted me:
• At 12%, the MC leaves her jacket and bag on the porch before retrieving her mark. She pushes him down the road but then suddenly has her stuff again, even though she didn’t go back for it, and the mark’s hands are suddenly tied, even though the MC doesn’t mention tying them.
• At 60%, she tells Jax to keep his hands on the wall or she’d stop what she was doing, but then she goes on and on about wanting him to lose control. She can’t have it both ways.
• At 62%, Jax steals her underwear (I was torn between laughing and being creeped out), but then at 72%, someone else takes her underwear off her, though she didn’t mention putting new ones on.
• Most importantly, the guys and even the MC are aroused by fighting, but they react with disgust when they realize the MC’s mark is turned on by violence, and the MC decries Ivar for being similar to that mark. I think the author needs to do a better job of explaining why the guys thinking it's hot when she fights isn't the same as the gross guy and Ivar being turned on by violence.
The most annoying out-of-nowhere plot element took place at 89% when the MC just so happened to have in her pocket what she needed to escape the situation she was in. She says she always keeps it in her pocket for just such an occasion, but this happened near the end, and it had never been mentioned before. I get that the author wanted to build tension by not letting us know that the MC had a solution, but it felt like a cop out, like it was too convenient. It would have been better if the MC had mentioned fiddling with something in her pocket throughout the book, without going into too many details about what that something actually was.

As a side note, I’m a bit worried about potential babies in this awful world because they sure haven’t been worried about birth control. The MC noted that she didn’t see any children with the Worshippers, but it’s unclear whether they were just hidden. If the children weren’t just hidden and actually don’t exist, then it’s also unclear whether that problem is limited to the Worshippers. I don’t remember seeing any living children in this book.

And that ending, though. I sort of saw it coming, but I’m not sure what it means. It was enough to make me look forward to the next book, just so I can figure out what’s going on.

[G · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars
I really enjoyed this book. I wish I read this sooner. Love anything dystopian

[Stephaniec · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5*
I really enjoy the post-apocalyptic theme in books...it's so interesting to see peoples ideas for the "end of the world" as we know it
Somethings I liked
-the world, it's gritty and bloody
Some I didn't
-the men felt a bit soft for this world and the h needs some serious character growth
All in all not a bad read...on to book 2

[❀ Crystal ✿ - PEACE ☮ LOVE ♥ BOOKS · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a great start to a new RH series. It has everything I love: a badass take no shit heroine, an apocalypse and of course multiple hot and bad men. The heroine has survived and escaped hell, a regular day in the after is nothing for her. Though until she meets her men she’s really just surviving day by day. When four men ask for her help and refuse to take no for an answer she has no idea how important they’ll be to her future or how them being in her life will change it all. I’m so pumped and ready for wherever the series goes from here. After reading Den of Viper’s and LOVING it more than I can put into words I know this author won’t steer me wrong. Taz is such a phenomenal character and I love that her experiences have made her stronger. The world is her oyster and I’m ready for her to rule it all.

[Chelsea · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was really good! I love the dystopian/apocalypse theme. I also really liked how the guys all had their own personalities and weren't just copies of each other. I can't wait to see where thos story goes next!!

[Amara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dystopian RH with lots of violence.

Worth is a badass. Her guys are perfect. For a minute I questioned how they could all fall into sync like they did, but then remembered instances where even IRL some people just got into your life seamlessly like that. Call it instalust or instalove, it does happen. Especially when you both go through something and need to depend on each other. So, yeah... I love series.

I especially love Dray and Jax. But all the harem are magnificent. The world building has the characters fighting for everything. It really is survival of the fittest. The characters, especially Worth, have a complexity that is hard to define... yet K.A. Knight manages it brilliantly.

[T.P.A. · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars: This vicious post -apocalyptic world is dark, dangerous and one struggles to differentiate between a friend or foe. I can understand Worth's predicament as she faces an unexpected encounter with four potential love interests, but due to her past trauma and going through abandonment and betrayal, she is hesitant to place her trust in strangers. The story is pretty dark from the start and the snippets from the FMC's past provide quite a clear picture as to the horrors she has experienced.

Despite the engaging setting, there was just something about the romance that felt a bit off to me. Considering the fact that there is no fated- mates element here, I did find it odd that instant feelings developed, pretty much out of the blue at that. One minute they are strangers... next minute they confess their devotion to each other. I understand that in a reality where you are constantly struggling to survive, every precious moment counts, hence the instant whirlwind of emotions that take over the characters.

Overall, this is a rather interesting story and personally, I do love a good post - apocalyptic world, so perhaps as the series progress, things will start yo feel more genuine to me.

[Tiffany · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an entertaining read. Some parts I found rather annoying though but they were along the lines of writing technique than the material or story itself. I loved the fact that this was the first post-apocalyptic book that I have read that told the truth of the crap that would happen and not just sugar coated. Rape, kidnapping, ruthlessness, wild, a book where a female goes from rescuing a woman from rape to having so much animal in her eyes you think she might bite you. Because that's the kind of crap that would happen in a post-apocalyptic world humans would have to change or die brutally. And Knight didn't sugarcoat it at all the author let us see the brutality that could happen, even if one part made me sorta sad (the family strung up) but again Knight didn't coddle or baby the readers and I loved this book aside from some of the techniques that I didn't like and am looking forward to the next.

[Jeanny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trigger warning ⚠️ violence & rape
Cliffhanger ending.

[ᑎIᕼᗩᑎ · Rating 3 out of 5]

- Reverse harem
- Distopya
- Güçlü kadın karakter
- Tek bakış açısı
- Tetikleyici öğeler mevcut (şiddet)
- 2,5🌶️

Yazarın kurguladığı Mad Max benzeri dünyayı ve aksiyonu çok sevdim. Kadın karakter de tam bir badass’ti. Ancak erkek karakterlerle birbirlerine bir anda aşık oldular ve orada tüm büyü bozuldu. Aralarında zamanla gelişen bir ilişki olsaydı daha yüksek bir puan verebilirdim. Yine de seriye devam ederim gibi zira heyecanlı bir yerde bitti.

[Tashi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sands !

Ok starter off slow didn't know if I would continue at first but once we got past that I loved it onto the next book I go

[Coco.V]

🎁 FREE on Amazon today (3/17/2020)! 🎁

[Tash · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review copy kindly provided by the author in exchange for a honest review

If there is one genre that keeps on delivering the debuts for me lately it is RH. There plenty of writers new and old in this genre and I'm discovering plenty of gems in my quest to fill my e-reader and mind. I loved the women protagonists that have appeared in this genre. All different but all have compelling stories to tell. Some may be broken but their roar is mighty .Worth is one of those characters whose story has just began . She has quite back story and it’s perfect for this dystopia world. It’s a world that is run on greed and survival.
Themes which are common to dystopia but key to this story given the history of Worth. She quite a women given her age and all she been through and accomplished. It the reason the story is what it is .Worth is just a character that takes a while to warm up to but she is fierce and has a story that I'm dying to know more of . She is a survivor and knows how to handle herself in any situation. It makes sense she earned her reputation that she has. The Wastelands is no pretty place and Worth is Queen of them all.
It takes a special group of people to tame someone like her. Worth may know how to act but her story shows there is a vulnerability to her that helps with the guys. It shows that even in this craziness of this world . There still things as soul bounds and this is one of the beautiful things about this book.

The Wasteland is the debut of this author and if I didn't know better I would thought she had been writing for years professionally. She knows how to draw readers in to the world she is created is good as any of the other amazing dystopia worlds out there. Her influence is obvious but even so it only adds to this world she has imagined. I love my dystopia's and there been some great books over the years. This joins those ranks in a heartbeat.
If Knight doesn't give the next book soon. I will be sitting here rocking in a corner as I want more. She has me addicted to the story of Worth and her harem. She couldn't have come in at a better time. She feeds my addiction for RH and definitely will be sing her praises for years to come.



For more of my reviews, visit Thoughts by Tash.And drop by the blog's Facebook page

[Mae · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

[Sherron · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5

[Tünde Kasza tóth · Rating 1 out of 5]

When a woman's worst problems with herself that her stomach is too flat and her boobs are too big, I want to kick her in the face. Enough times to cause permanent damage, so they can concentrate on that. Also, being unbelievably arrongant is not badass. That's just bragging for the sake of bragging. Because we don't actually see her being a badass in the first half, she just repeats that she is. Over and over...

Usually I can overlook editing issues, but there were some so annoying, I just couldn't stand it. She has really long hair, that's down, and she is able to acidentally glimpse a tatto at the back of her neck. I don't know about you, but even when my hair is up i still have to intentionally use two mirrors to see the back of my neck. She kicks the door in on her way in and it gets blasted off the hinges (bacause she is just so badass) and then she kicks the door closed on her way out. In a town where there are no people other than her and her captive. The whole thing is full of pointless and often contradicting shit like this, just so we understand the main character's badassery.

Yeah, you guessed it. I gave up halfway through.

[Katyana · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, this series takes place after some cataclysmic world-ending event. We're not given a lot of details, but it seems that climate change was at least part of it. The world is pretty Max Max-ish.

Overall, the book is a bit amateur. What I mean by that is, repeated phrases or weird wording - basically, people don't call each other their nickname every sentence, they just don't ... my daily conversations don't go "Hey Kat, I was thinking maybe we could go to lunch today. Don't you think so, Kat? Kat would you like a burger? You, Kat, are so sweet." - and just a general need for an editorial pass.

The FMC has survived some horrific trauma, including what I assume is repeated rape, but she's pretty casual about sex. And just as a trigger warning, the first and second books can get pretty graphic in her flashbacks of it.

That all said, for a reason I can't put my finger on, I'm enjoying it. She's a badass, the fights are fun. The men are largely interchangeable, but hot. *shrug*

Brain candy, I suppose.

[Margaux Espinosa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! The story is great, the world and descriptions are fantastic, and the characters are amazing! Worth is completely kick ass, she is rough, mean, and can win in a fight. She has been through too much and has her demons chasing her down, yet she still manages to be an amazing human being while pushing away all her darkness. The men in this book are to freaking die for! I licked Jax and Dray for sure so they are mine and you can’t have them...I still want the others so I will share them with you. I loved that they each bring something unique to and out in Worth and they all know it. K.A. Knight even has Jax tell Worth straight out what quality they each bring to her and that they are individually needed to draw out those parts of her when she needs it the most. The writing in this book was amazing, the fight scenes are epic and it is all constant action, no real drama, but definitely steamy and ABSOLUTELY worth the read!

[Danielle (Danniegurl) · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise of the story isn’t really clear when you end up reading it.

She’s the champion after 30 wins in the ring, which imo doesn’t seem like much. She was taken when she was little away from her dad. She was thrown into the ring and then earned her freedom.

But the man who owned her is now after her again.

But she meets 4 guys who just shove themselves into her life. This whole bit is weird bc they need her to take them somewhere, but it doesn’t exactly happen, they go with her on her jobs. They become close, they tell each other things.

What I didn’t like was how quick things happened how there really isn’t much to the overall story here. I felt it was only surface deep and then we are going and tossing around love.

Even though this isn’t the best series imo, the ending got me into wanting to read the next. Dang cliff hangers.

[Crystie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. It is definitely darker than what I normally enjoy. It is very explicit when the FMC has her flashbacks or is triggered. Normally I dislike that kind of book a great deal. I can't quite put my finger on why I liked this book so much, but I did.

It was definitely action packed. I have shelved it on my MC shelf even though there aren't really any motorcycle clubs. But, there are clear factions, like the Reeves and the Seekers and the Beserkers. And they ride motorcycles. So I went with it.

Seriously, it was action packed. This book has a ton of fighting and surviving. Yes, it is also a reverse harem, so there is definitely some steam. It's not really romantic, though. It's a bit too dark for that, and her harem members are a bit too dark for that.

I look forward to reading more. I've also already decided I should check out more by this author.

[Ms. Cyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A horrible place

I like this Mad Max type of story. Everyone is deadly and the deadliest is Taz Worth. She still has a heart deep inside even though she has worked hard to protect it. No one has a good life in this story. There are definite triggers in this post-apocalyptic world. The four men who come to her for help are too good for this world. It is hard to imagine anyone being happy in such a horrible place, but they are. Taz is a warrior and many see her as a prize. The 5 men in her life actually care for her. With so many enemies though she was bound to be caught.

[4foxsake · Rating 5 out of 5]

Savage

Damn this is some next level post apocalyptic crazy stuff! Worth is a badass with scars and demons running deep. She goes back to the place she ran away from that hold all the horrors of her childhood. But this time she has someone(s) at her back. Drax, Thorn, Maxen and Dax needed her help to get to the north and found a soulmate in the process. Crazy violent, or just crazy good is a good description of the RH mad max esque book.

[Tasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this book, kept me interested from beginning to end. Loved the strong female lead character. Anxiously awaiting book 2, and will read anything by this author. Highly recommended!

[Cassandra Doon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book: The Wasteland
Read By: Ebook
Author: K.A. Knight
Genre: Reverse Harem, Dystopia
Recommend: Yes
< b>Age recommendation: 18-30+ Years
My feelings:


“I have learnt things in the dark that I could never have learned in the light, things that saved my life over and over again, so that there is really only one logical conclusion. I need darkness as much as I need light.” - Barbara Brown Taylor

I was completely blown away by this post-apocalyptic story. It seamlessly blends two of my favorite genres: reverse harem and dystopia, with a healthy dose of blood and gore. The protagonist, Worth, is an absolute force to be reckoned with, a fierce warrior who embodies everything I love in a female lead - a total badass.
Only one woman in this dead world has my warrior scars, dark long brown hair with braids running through it, a massive sword strapped to her back and a no fucks attitude. I’m Tazanna Worth or as they know me, ‘The Champion’ but you can call me Worth.

But it's not just Worth who stole my heart. The guys - Thorn, Maxen, Drax, Jax, and the mysterious 5th addition - all have their own unique charms and personalities that make them irresistible. Except for one of them, Dray, who was left undescribed in the text. But in my mind, he looked like a handsome Henry Cavill (hello!).
They call themselves The Berserkers. Their leader is the coldest, most evil man you will ever meet in the Wastes. Oh, and did I mention it’s my old clan? You can see why I’m such a ray of fucking sunshine.

As the story unfolds, these men quickly fall for Worth and begin to stake their claim on her heart. The instant attraction and fierce protectiveness between them is palpable and makes for some steamy moments. And amidst all the romance, there is plenty of action to keep your heart racing as the characters face deadly challenges and unexpected twists.
I'd happily die for you, Taz, but more importantly, I’d live for you.”

The ending left me wanting more and I'm grateful that this is just the first book in a series. This book has everything I could want in a read - thrilling romance, intense action, and surprising plot twists. It's definitely one I won't soon forget.

[Vicki · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really love dystopian/post-apocalyptic books and the fact that this one is a reverse harem (RH) is a huge bonus. I'm ecstatic that the author did not shy away from the kind of violence and brutality a world like this breeds. The world they are in definitely has a Mad Max vibe to it, and it is even referenced in the book as well. The life the FMC has led has turned her into a fierce badass, and I enjoyed that about her very much. Four guys come to her to hire her for a job, which she eventually agrees to. I wish that her emotional connection to them would have taken longer to grow-the character had already made clear she was ok with casual sex and I think there was an opportunity for her to explore this with them and have the feelings come into it more gradually. The sex scenes are great with a nice, high heat. Also, I was very, very pleased with a male character that comes into the book later - he actually may be my favorite, though as always with RH I am glad we don't have to choose.
I can't quite put my finger on what it is exactly but there was something about the story or the writing that I wasn't a fan of. It might have been an overall flow issue with the story, or the cadence of the writing, but ironically I can't articulate it well. Though we learn about the characters' pasts and the world in general with tidbits throughout the book instead of an infodump (which is nice), sometimes it seems like some things come out of nowhere or are in the wrong place in the book. This does lend to an element of unpredictability which can be a positive but perhaps it also gives a sense of disjointedness like it wasn't a part of the original outline for the book. Told in first person from the heroine's POV, there is a voice unique to her that may not follow traditional writing rules at times (missing commas where they normally would be, having some where normally there would not) and though I found that a bit distracting, it was an interesting voice all the same. The book does end in a cliffhanger so be prepared for that - I'm looking forward to the explanation for what happens, let me tell you!
2.5 Stars on GR scale
3.5 Stars on Amazon scale
I received a free copy of this book and am leaving an honest review.