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Dark Winter: An EMP Adventure & Survival Thriller
No power. No communications. No way of calling for help!
On the eve of the coldest winter on record, Anna is on the run with her younger sister when an EMP hits knocking out all electricity, communications, and transport.
She has a stay on the freezing streets as her town is attacked by a rogue state and descends into chaos, or take the offer of help from a dangerous stranger.
It’s an impossible choice, and the wrong one will lead them both into deadly trouble.
As the temperature drops, and the streets grow hostile, Anna will have to use every ounce of ingenuity she possesses to get her sister through the darkest winter of their lives!
Discover which choice Anna makes in this action-packed EMP adventure and survival thriller that has characters you will love, and love to hate!
On the eve of the coldest winter on record, Anna is on the run with her younger sister when an EMP hits knocking out all electricity, communications, and transport.
She has a stay on the freezing streets as her town is attacked by a rogue state and descends into chaos, or take the offer of help from a dangerous stranger.
It’s an impossible choice, and the wrong one will lead them both into deadly trouble.
As the temperature drops, and the streets grow hostile, Anna will have to use every ounce of ingenuity she possesses to get her sister through the darkest winter of their lives!
Discover which choice Anna makes in this action-packed EMP adventure and survival thriller that has characters you will love, and love to hate!
254 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 1, 2020
197 people are currently reading
13 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
June 6, 2020
This is book one of the Dark Winter series and follows sisters, Anna and Jem Crofton, as Anna tries to keep her twelve year old sister out of the hands of social services, who want to put her in a foster home and put Anna in a hostel, separating them within days of their mother’s death from cancer. Anna has done what she could and with limited funds, believing she will be able to manage by accessing her mother’s bank account when her own funds run out. They get found at a small room she rented for cash, but refuse to answer the door. It seems Jem can’t keep off her phone and speaking to her friends which has led to them being found yet again. They have to take off yet again, and try to get to the centre of Grimsby Town, but are attacked by a group of teenage girls, losing everything they own.
It is a cold winter’s evening and Anna is feeling the cold to her fingers and toes, so decides to go to a local shopping mall and get her sister a hot drink and some millionaires shortbread. She tells her to wait there while she tries the nearest ATM. She starts to panic when her mother’s bank card is swallowed by the machine, with a message stating the account has been closed. They now have no money, no spare clothes and not even their phones. A young man called Callum, who she saw with a slightly older man called Dominic, talking to two teen girls, comes up to her and flashes his wallet full of money and asks if he can help her. She is too clever to allow a stranger to just give her money, but the sight of what could be social workers of police officers, who call her by name, sets her in a panic. Callum comes to her aid and calls her by another name and tells them they have the wrong person. He holds onto her until they reach the café where her sister was waiting.
At just that time, an explosion goes off and they are both thrown to the floor. Callum has injured his head and Jem comes out of the toilet, not knowing what had happened. As they get out of the mall as quickly as they can to avoid the police, a bus comes through the shop window in front of them! As they get to the road, there are cars crashed all around them and people trying their mobile phones with no success. Callum managed to work out that an EMP has hit, especially when a planes almost falls on their heads! He tells them he has somewhere warm and safe for them to go, so they follow his lead, to a rundown street. Callum had been sent out with Dominic, by their boss Gregor, to find some girls to recruit for their drug running gang, but also to find a young woman or girl that could be used for people trafficking by Gregor.
Callum knows that if he turned up back at one of the gang’s flophouse with no one, that he would be badly beaten by Gregor, as he had in the past. He is a former foster kid and had a hard life, so knows he has to confirm his loyalty with his gang to his leader. The gang runs drugs throughout the region and also human trafficking, which so far Callum has avoided. They have teenage girls in the houses, that should keep the place clean and listen to whoever’s in charge, but some haven’t learnt their lessons yet. Gregor is a vicious man and has killed a girl in the recent past, so Callum is always fearful of his response. On arriving at the rundown house, Gregor thinks that Anna is someone else, and a strange link to his past.
The country had just notified that it was at war with Iran and that Russian planes had tried to fly too close to UK waters, just before the first explosions hit, and now the town is in chaos, as the police are quickly overwhelmed. This gave Calum his ideal opportunity to bring them both to his boss and gain his own rewards for his actions. The weather is just getting worse, with one of the worst winters on record and a country that is badly prepared to manage with sub-zero temperatures, never mind the aftereffects of an EMP strike. Not the sort of attack that would be normal for the UK, more likely to happen somewhere like America and most people have difficulties even believing it has actually happened. Gregor questions Callum, aka Frostie, about what he means by the EMP strike idea, and it reminds him of time in his home country in Eastern Europe, when wars happened and they were left with no power, heat or food. Gregor knows that they need to act strongly and immediately, to gather supplies as soon as they can. Only the strong will survive whatever is going to happen next.
One of the police officers that saw Anna in the mall, Vicky Al Farad, also saw one of the bombers, but was unable to take any action in time. Back at the police station, there is no one to tell them what to do next, nor anyone in charge. Vicky was one of a team watching a house at Lovett St, where one of Gregor’s team was based. Going back to check it out, she sees Anna and Jem inside and tries to get Anna to leave with her sister. Neither of the girls realise the real danger they are in with a man like Gregor, and it is made all the much harder as Jem sees only the good side of him and how much he has helped both of them. She hasn’t seen any of the bad things he has done, nor the violence he is capable of. Gregor changes their location after the police officer’s next visit, but takes the home by force and Anna witnesses what he does when the owner turns up. She now knows what he is like, but Jem is still too scared of going with Vicky, fearing she will take her straight to Social Services.
Vicky goes to the only people she know that might be able to help her, Jez and Fauzia Gallagher, her old friends who now run an outdoor supplies shop. Their shop has been targeted by the gang for survival supplies, but they managed to fight them off. How long they will be able to do this is uncertain. Jez has a farmhouse outside the town and this will be a safe haven for Anna and Jem, if they can get them away from Gregor and his gang. Callum will end up paying for his attentions towards Anna, especially as Gregor sees her as someone he knows from his past. He dislikes Callum’s attention and will leave behind anyone that goes against his orders or wishes. Anna is going to have to use all of her ingenuity to get her sister away from a man she sees as a protector and friendly towards her. She hasn’t seen his dark side and Anna hopes she never does.
A struggle against an EMP strike and terrorist attacks, just as war has already been declared, place all of the characters in danger. The coldest winter for many decades is happening at the same time as these events and shortly after the Coronavirus epidemic caused widespread economic downturn across the country. Why Grimsby was targeted is unclear, as it was already a town that had no real importance in the defence of the UK, nor any landmarks or infrastructure that would affect the way the country is run. A better target would have been Manchester or London. It is a strange place for terrorists to hit. Nice to see a story that is not based in the USA and some places that I recognise and have even been to. The beginning of the book was a bit dry, with the political speak of preparation status for attacks such as this, but once you got past that, the story opened up and became so much more than two sisters just trying to avoid Social Services. A young sister’s naivety puts them in more danger multiple times and Anna has to rely on others to get them away to safety. The depravity of the people involved in drug running and human trafficking is clear for all to see and the evil mankind will do to one another, is just beginning to be shown. There is another book to follow and I want to see what happens to the girls and those who aid them. I received an ARC copy of this book from BookSprout and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.
It is a cold winter’s evening and Anna is feeling the cold to her fingers and toes, so decides to go to a local shopping mall and get her sister a hot drink and some millionaires shortbread. She tells her to wait there while she tries the nearest ATM. She starts to panic when her mother’s bank card is swallowed by the machine, with a message stating the account has been closed. They now have no money, no spare clothes and not even their phones. A young man called Callum, who she saw with a slightly older man called Dominic, talking to two teen girls, comes up to her and flashes his wallet full of money and asks if he can help her. She is too clever to allow a stranger to just give her money, but the sight of what could be social workers of police officers, who call her by name, sets her in a panic. Callum comes to her aid and calls her by another name and tells them they have the wrong person. He holds onto her until they reach the café where her sister was waiting.
At just that time, an explosion goes off and they are both thrown to the floor. Callum has injured his head and Jem comes out of the toilet, not knowing what had happened. As they get out of the mall as quickly as they can to avoid the police, a bus comes through the shop window in front of them! As they get to the road, there are cars crashed all around them and people trying their mobile phones with no success. Callum managed to work out that an EMP has hit, especially when a planes almost falls on their heads! He tells them he has somewhere warm and safe for them to go, so they follow his lead, to a rundown street. Callum had been sent out with Dominic, by their boss Gregor, to find some girls to recruit for their drug running gang, but also to find a young woman or girl that could be used for people trafficking by Gregor.
Callum knows that if he turned up back at one of the gang’s flophouse with no one, that he would be badly beaten by Gregor, as he had in the past. He is a former foster kid and had a hard life, so knows he has to confirm his loyalty with his gang to his leader. The gang runs drugs throughout the region and also human trafficking, which so far Callum has avoided. They have teenage girls in the houses, that should keep the place clean and listen to whoever’s in charge, but some haven’t learnt their lessons yet. Gregor is a vicious man and has killed a girl in the recent past, so Callum is always fearful of his response. On arriving at the rundown house, Gregor thinks that Anna is someone else, and a strange link to his past.
The country had just notified that it was at war with Iran and that Russian planes had tried to fly too close to UK waters, just before the first explosions hit, and now the town is in chaos, as the police are quickly overwhelmed. This gave Calum his ideal opportunity to bring them both to his boss and gain his own rewards for his actions. The weather is just getting worse, with one of the worst winters on record and a country that is badly prepared to manage with sub-zero temperatures, never mind the aftereffects of an EMP strike. Not the sort of attack that would be normal for the UK, more likely to happen somewhere like America and most people have difficulties even believing it has actually happened. Gregor questions Callum, aka Frostie, about what he means by the EMP strike idea, and it reminds him of time in his home country in Eastern Europe, when wars happened and they were left with no power, heat or food. Gregor knows that they need to act strongly and immediately, to gather supplies as soon as they can. Only the strong will survive whatever is going to happen next.
One of the police officers that saw Anna in the mall, Vicky Al Farad, also saw one of the bombers, but was unable to take any action in time. Back at the police station, there is no one to tell them what to do next, nor anyone in charge. Vicky was one of a team watching a house at Lovett St, where one of Gregor’s team was based. Going back to check it out, she sees Anna and Jem inside and tries to get Anna to leave with her sister. Neither of the girls realise the real danger they are in with a man like Gregor, and it is made all the much harder as Jem sees only the good side of him and how much he has helped both of them. She hasn’t seen any of the bad things he has done, nor the violence he is capable of. Gregor changes their location after the police officer’s next visit, but takes the home by force and Anna witnesses what he does when the owner turns up. She now knows what he is like, but Jem is still too scared of going with Vicky, fearing she will take her straight to Social Services.
Vicky goes to the only people she know that might be able to help her, Jez and Fauzia Gallagher, her old friends who now run an outdoor supplies shop. Their shop has been targeted by the gang for survival supplies, but they managed to fight them off. How long they will be able to do this is uncertain. Jez has a farmhouse outside the town and this will be a safe haven for Anna and Jem, if they can get them away from Gregor and his gang. Callum will end up paying for his attentions towards Anna, especially as Gregor sees her as someone he knows from his past. He dislikes Callum’s attention and will leave behind anyone that goes against his orders or wishes. Anna is going to have to use all of her ingenuity to get her sister away from a man she sees as a protector and friendly towards her. She hasn’t seen his dark side and Anna hopes she never does.
A struggle against an EMP strike and terrorist attacks, just as war has already been declared, place all of the characters in danger. The coldest winter for many decades is happening at the same time as these events and shortly after the Coronavirus epidemic caused widespread economic downturn across the country. Why Grimsby was targeted is unclear, as it was already a town that had no real importance in the defence of the UK, nor any landmarks or infrastructure that would affect the way the country is run. A better target would have been Manchester or London. It is a strange place for terrorists to hit. Nice to see a story that is not based in the USA and some places that I recognise and have even been to. The beginning of the book was a bit dry, with the political speak of preparation status for attacks such as this, but once you got past that, the story opened up and became so much more than two sisters just trying to avoid Social Services. A young sister’s naivety puts them in more danger multiple times and Anna has to rely on others to get them away to safety. The depravity of the people involved in drug running and human trafficking is clear for all to see and the evil mankind will do to one another, is just beginning to be shown. There is another book to follow and I want to see what happens to the girls and those who aid them. I received an ARC copy of this book from BookSprout and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.
June 4, 2020
A story of survival in England after an EMP attack. Sometimes you will love the characters and sometimes you will want to wring their necks. Two young girls have lost their mother to cancer. The older girl promised her mother that she would always protect and care for her sister. Well, Anna is only 18 and Jemima is 12. Jemima has been spoiled her entire life and knows all the tricks to get her way. Then, again, Anna is a very naive eighteen year old girl. The situation they find themselves in is also due to the fact that Children's Services wants to put Jemima in a foster home and neither girl wants that to happen. At least they have heard about what can happen in those homes. Even though I may sound as though I didn't like the book, I did. I couldn't put it down and read it in one day. It is full of action and some scary situations. All in all, a 5 star read.
June 4, 2020
This was a first for me by this author and I can say I will definitely be reading more from her, she is a very talented storyteller! This book has everything it takes place during an EMP but that is just the beginning of the problems in store for our characters they have to survive a gang that traffics women and children along with learning how to survive in a powerless world where humanity turns on each other in the name of survival. I couldn't put the book down and I am anxiously awaiting the next book in the wonderful new series!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
September 2, 2020
Exciting EMP Thriller
This author is at her absolute best when it comes to weaving a tale about the apocalypse. The characters are so believable that you feel you are with them in their confusion and fear. A major EMP has hit a small village, a social worker is trying to take a young girl from her sister, and a savage, brutal drug lord has taken the girls under his "protection" . From the first paragraph, you are with Anna and Jem as they face life after everything is shut down by the EMP.
Ms. Fernfield writes a mean story! I highly recommend you read this book if you love this genre as I do. You won't be disappointed.
This author is at her absolute best when it comes to weaving a tale about the apocalypse. The characters are so believable that you feel you are with them in their confusion and fear. A major EMP has hit a small village, a social worker is trying to take a young girl from her sister, and a savage, brutal drug lord has taken the girls under his "protection" . From the first paragraph, you are with Anna and Jem as they face life after everything is shut down by the EMP.
Ms. Fernfield writes a mean story! I highly recommend you read this book if you love this genre as I do. You won't be disappointed.
November 11, 2024
Excellent!
I just couldn’t put this one down (I believe I say that about all Rebecca’s books!)
A lot of research went into making the book as real to life and correct as possible. Right down to how people spoke. You can just tell in the reading. The story line was original as were each character and I found myself thinking about it and how the folk were going to cope when I wasn’t reading it!
I just couldn’t wait to finish, but now I have, I wish I hadn’t!! I’m hoping for another!!? Loved how it ended although I do wonder why he didn’t get onto the boat ….?!
I just couldn’t put this one down (I believe I say that about all Rebecca’s books!)
A lot of research went into making the book as real to life and correct as possible. Right down to how people spoke. You can just tell in the reading. The story line was original as were each character and I found myself thinking about it and how the folk were going to cope when I wasn’t reading it!
I just couldn’t wait to finish, but now I have, I wish I hadn’t!! I’m hoping for another!!? Loved how it ended although I do wonder why he didn’t get onto the boat ….?!
June 6, 2020
Such a great read!! We get some insight into each character's mind, which is something you don't always get! This book kept me interested and wanting to keep reading!! I couldn't put it down! And then the ending....wow, now I need to read more! ASAP! lol If you love Post-Apocalyptic books, I highly recommend this one!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
August 4, 2020
A very good read. Lots of background activity and insights into the various characters and this helps them to grow and develop as the story progresses. Certainly lots of food for thought with all the different storylines in the book. The ending leaves the reader wanting more and I very much look forward to the second book being published in November 2020. A well deserved 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
June 17, 2020
This was a great book. The author is very talented and one of my favorites. Dark Winter is very well written with a storyline that pulls you in from the start. I would definitely recommend reading.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
June 5, 2020
I love stories with multiple points of view. It is like getting the whole story of what is happening, or getting more than one story in one book!
June 30, 2020
It starts
The characters are still developing and the plot grows in this first book. The winter promises to be a hard one as the EMp hoist.
The characters are still developing and the plot grows in this first book. The winter promises to be a hard one as the EMp hoist.
October 17, 2020
Sorry I didn't care for it that much.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews