Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

Life After Us #2

Lavender Dreams

Rate this book
On the run from invading forces, Vicki escapes into the woods with Ambrose. After his truck is stolen, she has to make a choice: accept her fiance, Will, is dead, or keep searching -- possibly in vain. Can she learn to love Ambrose as she loved Will?

Khaki. That's what everyone thinks of him, but Vicki knows the truth, and after that kiss, Ambrose yearns for more. He wants Vicki to forget about her fiance and accept the fact he is dead. They saw him being dragged off in handcuffs before the explosion! But, what if he's not dead? What if he made it out alive?

When Vicki is kidnapped by terrorists, Ambrose fights to find the woman he loves. Yet their lavender dream promises of serenity may never come.

169 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 4, 2018

3 people are currently reading
24 people want to read

About the author

Rebekah Dodson

75 books185 followers
Rebekah Dodson is a prolific word weaver of romance, fantasy, and science fiction novels. Her works include the series Postcards from Paris, The Surrogate, The Curse of Lanval series, several stand alone novels, and her upcoming YA novel, Clock City. She has been writing her whole life, with her first published work of historical fiction with 4H Clubs of America at the age of 12, and poetry at the age of 16 with the National Poetry Society. With an extensive academic background including education, history, psychology and English, she currently works as a college professor by day and a writer by night.

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
15 (65%)
4 stars
7 (30%)
3 stars
1 (4%)
2 stars
0 (0%)
1 star
0 (0%)
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
Profile Image for Books 'n' All  Promotions.
844 reviews40 followers
December 15, 2018
This is book 2 in the Life After Us series and it does work as stand alone but I would advise that Poppy Bloom is read first if possible.  Poppy Bloom ended on a cliff-hanger and that is where this book picks up.

The USA has been attacked and is now under the control of a group of 'Military' who are armed with high tech weapons capable of reducing people to dust.  Add to the mix a young girl with an agenda and danger is all around.

Ambrose and Vicky are on the run and Ambrose is injured just when they think they are safe they encounter more problems.

I do not normally read dystopian but I do like to read something different on occasion and read Poppy Bloom so I needed to know what happens next.

The characters build in depth and complexity as the book progresses to become well rounded, realistic characters with a strong will to survive.  The story is a very engaging one that kept the pages turning.

Again the book ends on a cliff-hanger so I am now waiting for the next in the series.

5 stars from me.

Many thanks to Junction Publishing for the advance copy.  This is my unbiased review and all thoughts and opinions are my own.
Profile Image for Joanna Larum.
Author 14 books8 followers
December 5, 2018
Having read the first book in the Life After Us series, I was on tenterhooks waiting for the second part of Vicki and Ambrose's story to arrive. I had been left hanging over a precipice and I was desperate to find out if they survived. They did and this is the next part of their journey to escape from the terrorists who are destroying the USA.
Vicki is still looking for her fiance, Will, but she realises that she is falling in love with Ambrose and the ways he differs from Will are the reasons for her growing admiration and love for him. There is danger all round them and every stage in their journey is fraught with difficulties, culminating in Vicki's capture by the terrorists. She is wanted for a particular reason which I shan't expose here because it would spoil the story, but it leaves Ambrose alone and desperate for news of her. He manages to get a job where he learns how brutal the military is but then hears more about Vicki's capture and where she is being held. Once again, the book drops us at a crossroads, leaving the reader wondering how Ambrose can hope to rescue Vicki.
I have thoroughly enjoyed the story, although I do wonder about the reasoning behind the overthrow of such a large country which seems to be lead by one man, a man whose actions and emotions are never logical. I hope the next book will satisfy my curiosity on that point.
Profile Image for K.D. Bloodworth.
Author 5 books22 followers
December 18, 2018
Rebekah Dodson is a new author on my list. Having read the first book, Poppy Bloom, I could hardly wait for the second book to arrive. I was delighted that I only had to wait four days, just by chance on my purchase timing. I could hardly wait to see what happened to Vicki and Ambrose with hopes that Will dies a slow and painful death.

Just like the first book, I was totally submerged in the story when out of nowhere I was at the end. Oh, boooo! No, this can't be the end! I was immediately on FB sending Rebekah a message of how she could do this to me! Ambrose! Save Vicki!

Rebekah assured me that book three will be here in February 2019. The wait is horrible!

Ambrose and Vicki have stolen my heart in a survival story of the end of the world as we know it. A peek into the future without being so far-fetched that it seems like science fiction.

Fast-paced, (if I didn't fall asleep reading in bed, I would have finished this book in a day), well-developed characters, great descriptions, and a believable story.

Profile Image for Ashley Wright.
54 reviews
December 4, 2018
Ambrose loves Vicki, Vicki is falling in love with Ambrose but also is only starting to come to terms with the fact that her fiance Will might have not actually made it through the war torn area of their home town. They are still on the run from the enemy looking for her. Still not sure why they are looking for her, and trying to be safe. When she is kidnapped and held against her will, Ambrose must find a way to rescue her and stay a live in the process. The lavender blooming symbolizes potential peace in the future to me. I can't wait for book 3 and for this amazing series to conclude with hopefully these two amazing characters coming together finally in peace and harmony.
Profile Image for C Exley Books (Cassandra).
730 reviews82 followers
May 5, 2019
Beta read from 30th September- 3rd October.

This is book 2 in the Life After Us series. I would advise that Poppy Bloom (Book 1) is read first. Poppy Bloom ended on a cliffhanger and that is where this book picks up. Just like the first book, I was totally submerged in the story when out of nowhere I was at the end.

Ambrose and Vicky are on the run and Ambrose is injured just when they think they are safe they encounter more problems.

Again the book ends on a cliffhanger so I am now waiting for the next in the series.
Profile Image for Joni Martins.
Author 23 books47 followers
December 5, 2020
Book Review

Basic Details:
Book Title: Lavender Dreams
Subtitle: (Life After Us #2)
Author: Rebekah Dodson
Genre: Romance
Part of a series? Yes
Order in series: 2
Best read after earlier books in series? Yes
Available: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5...

Overall score:
I scored this book 5/5
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Short Summary of the book:
Vicki and Ambrose are still trying to escape from invading forces and she hopes against hope her fiancé Will is still alive. With the truck stolen, will she need to give up on the search and accept he is no longer alive? After all, he was dragged off by the invaders. The feelings Ambrose develops for her also cause him problems. And will he be able to find and save her when she is abducted by the terrorists?
What I liked about the book:
The tension in this book is double tension. First the tension of whether the two will survive. But there is also the tension between two people fighting against their mutual attraction.
What I didn’t like about the book:
I enjoyed the entire book.
My favourite bits in the book:
How Vicki sticks up for Ambrose and Ambrose searches for the woman he has fallen in love with.
My least favourite bits in the book:
I enjoyed the book in its entirety.
Any further books in the series? Any more planned by this author?
This is the second book in the series. After reading the first, I couldn’t stop myself from getting the other two too.
What books could this be compared to and why?
This series is not like any others I’ve read. It shows us not to judge people at first appearance and also the strength of love.
Recommendation:
In summary, I would recommend this book for the following readers:

Children No
Young Adult Yes
Adult Yes

If you like romance and post-apocalyptic stories, this book may be the book for you.
Book Description by Author:
On the run from invading forces, Vicki escapes into the woods with Ambrose. After his truck is stolen, she has to make a choice: accept her fiance, Will, is dead, or keep searching -- possibly in vain. Can she learn to love Ambrose as she loved Will?

Khaki. That's what everyone thinks of him, but Vicki knows the truth, and after that kiss, Ambrose yearns for more. He wants Vicki to forget about her fiance and accept the fact he is dead. They saw him being dragged off in handcuffs before the explosion! But, what if he's not dead? What if he made it out alive?

When Vicki is kidnapped by terrorists, Ambrose fights to find the woman he loves. Yet their lavender dream promises of serenity may never come.
About the Author:
Rebekah Dodson is a prolific word weaver of romance, fantasy, and science fiction novels. Her works include the series Postcards from Paris, The Surrogate, The Curse of Lanval series, several stand alone novels, and her upcoming YA novel, Clock City. She has been writing her whole life, with her first published work of historical fiction with 4H Clubs of America at the age of 12, and poetry at the age of 16 with the National Poetry Society. With an extensive academic background including education, history, psychology and English, she currently works as a college professor by day and a writer by night.
Profile Image for Amanda.
2,026 reviews56 followers
December 28, 2018
I absolutely loved the first book in this mini series called ‘Poppy Bloom’ and I couldn’t wait to get hold of a copy of ‘Lavender Dreams’. I couldn’t wait to read it and I stared reading it as soon as I could. Wowzers, I was not to be disappointed as I really enjoyed it but more about that in a bit.
I loved the range of characters in this book. The main focus of the book is on Vicki and Ambrose, who are currently on the run from terrorists. Vicki is mourning the loss of her fiancé Will, who was last seen being carted off by terrorists. She hasn’t had sight nor sound of him since. However that doesn’t necessarily mean that he is dead and she is torn between wanting to move on or believing that he is still alive somewhere. Added to this confused mass of feelings is the fact that Vicki realises that she is falling in love with Ambrose. Disaster strikes when Vicki is apprehended by terrorists for reasons which become apparent in the story and Ambrose is faced with the very scary prospect of how to rescue Vicki. I did wonder if that was truly mission impossible but I happily wanted to be proven wrong.
I have to admit that although I like reading romance novels, I am not usually a fan of the science fiction or dystopia genre. Every once in a while I do like a change of genre and so I started to read ‘Lavender Dreams’ with an open mind. I was pleasantly surprised by just how much I did enjoy reading this book.
It didn’t take me long at all to get into this book and pretty much by the end of the first page I was hooked on this book. Reading this book felt much like a reunion with old friends. I really did feel as though I had got to know them well during the course of the first book. The author writes so convincingly about her characters that they seemed very realistic and they seemed to jump off the page and spring to life as it were. I found that I cared about what happened to them. I found that the deeper I was getting into the book, the quicker the pages seemed to be turning. I seemed to race to the end but because I was enjoying the book so much I didn’t realise just how fast the time was passing or how quickly I was getting through the book. I was stunned to reach the end of the book as quickly as I did. I was enjoying the book so much that I just wanted it to continue.
In short, I really did enjoy reading ‘Lavender Dreams’ and I would definitely recommend it to other readers. I will definitely be reading more from Rebekah Dodson. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 4* out of 5*.
Profile Image for TheBookMum13.
184 reviews
July 28, 2025
The latest SYKD purchase, this one was a bit different for me, more apocalyptic but with a modern/futuristic take.

Based in the future, the writing was really captivating and I dove into it. to the point where as soon as I finished book one I went straight into book two. They are both under 200 pages, so that also helped.

The Life After Us series, has twists upon twists and when you thought you knew what was coming, you really didn't.

I wasn't sure if this book was for me initially, I'm not one for futuristic books, but also the political narrative and the story plot involving racism, i was a bit hmm do i wanna read this or not.

But I'm kinda glad i did, it gave The survival dependence of The day after tomorrow movie, but also on a more SciFi level.

Vicki is the definition of worst person to go through this kinda thing with initially, god she was annoying lol but you learn to love her, Ambrose is kinda Anti tech, which works out in his favour when everything goes down.

The two hate each other but in Book two maybe hate a little bit less..... then the fiancé appears and bang.... messy.

For a quick SciFi read defo recommend. I'll be going into Book 3 soon!!
11.6k reviews49 followers
September 25, 2025
Life After Us - Book 2

Lavender Dreams is the second book of the Life After Us series. This book continues from Poppy Blooms and is about Vicki Morel and Ambrose Palamo. The setting is in a apocalyptic world where a terrorist organization is taking over after causing all the chaos in and around Portland, Oregon and across the USA. Vicki and Ambrose are on the run and trying to get to safety. She is still dealing with her feelings for Will, her fiance, who may still be alive but is most likely dead. Ambrose is injured, Vicki is kidnapped, and they have to deal with more revelations.
341 reviews3 followers
September 29, 2025
Lavender Dreams is book 2 in the Life After Us series and the continuation of Ambrose and Vicki's fight for survival in the aftermath of the world changing. Vicki has finally found her past and is coming to terms with the fact that she never really knew Will at all. As she fights to keep Ambrose safe, she puts herself in danger. Plenty of action and suspense but lots of love as Ambrose and Vicki fight for one another. Another cliffhanger so be prepared to stay up all night reading part 3 for the ending to their story.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Michelle.
10.7k reviews28 followers
April 6, 2019
Lavender Dreams is book two of the Life After Us series and takes us back into the gripping new world. If you have read book one of this series, Poppy, then you know that the world as we know it has changed and everyone must learn to adapt. This book takes us on quite a wild journey with Ambrose and Vickie full of twists, turns, drama, separations, angst and so much more. I can't wait to read the next book in this emotional series to see if Vickie get some kind of HEA. I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book.
Profile Image for Barbara.
19.2k reviews8 followers
September 14, 2025
The second story in "Life After Us," which details Vicki's escape into the woods with Ambrose. The characters are compelling and develop with increasing depth and complexity throughout the book, evolving into well-rounded, realistic individuals with a strong will to survive. The engaging narrative consistently prompted me to continue reading. I will be reading the next book. I received a copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Deb.
7,554 reviews36 followers
April 7, 2019
This book takes us back into the horrific world of a changed country. Separated, he strives to find a way back to her as the author continuously throws obstacles in his way. Friendships are made as well as more enemies. But the story continues to be fascinating and the author provides the emotional impact which adds to the drama.
16.7k reviews155 followers
May 27, 2019
She is now on the run and runs into the woods with them. Her fiance truck is stolen and she wonders if he is dead. If he is still alive should she hung for him? What if he is dead? What will she do? Follow her adventures

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Cheryl.
441 reviews3 followers
October 15, 2025
Lavender Dreams is book two in a series and Amber and Ambrose’s story set mostly in a new world of survival. Can they survive together and fall in love?.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.