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Rise & Converge #1
The Lie That Binds
A first-crush kiss chased by a punch in the mouth.
Ehra Havel is pretending to live like the elitist Omeo class that is trying to exploit and extinguish unmatched people just like her. Adopted from the streets of futuristic Chicago by an Omeo couple, she’s raised to follow the rules and emulate their marathon-length marriages by her counselor father.
Rules are made to be broken.
“Unmarried” to steamy and stormy, nonconformist Mamara, Ehra’s rollicking ride begins with her partner’s derelict brother missing from prison. Can they find him and undo his misdeeds before getting caught by cops and unraveling their rocky relationship?
Ehra Havel is pretending to live like the elitist Omeo class that is trying to exploit and extinguish unmatched people just like her. Adopted from the streets of futuristic Chicago by an Omeo couple, she’s raised to follow the rules and emulate their marathon-length marriages by her counselor father.
Rules are made to be broken.
“Unmarried” to steamy and stormy, nonconformist Mamara, Ehra’s rollicking ride begins with her partner’s derelict brother missing from prison. Can they find him and undo his misdeeds before getting caught by cops and unraveling their rocky relationship?
- GenresRomanceScience Fiction
228 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 9, 2022
29 people are currently reading
71 people want to read
About the author
S.E. Chandler
17 books28 followersFirst published as a poet on the wall of her elementary school in 1988, #1 Bestselling author Susy Chandler has spent decades dashing poems in private. After major life changes brought her to North Carolina, she cut her cable and wrote her first novel to celebrate finishing her MBA. As part of her oxymoronic lifestyle, she is pursuing an MFA in Creative Writing at the Thomas Wolfe Center for Narrative at Lenoir-Rhyne University of Asheville.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
April 24, 2022
This was really fascinating, Futuristic, Sci-Fi read with heavy Dystopian elements - Kindle Unlimited.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09V9K3LW8?...
Set in the future where advancements in human health and technology abounds, DNA pre-determines life long "marriages" called matches. These people are called Omeo, who consider themselves to be elite, and get far more opportunities and assistance from their society, in comparison to the much subjugated "unmatched" who are seen as the dregs.
Our MC, Ehra is an unmatched woman, marked as such from birth from having been born to an unmatched mother. She was 'lucky' in that an Omeo couple took her in and adopted her as a child, after her mother went missing. So she was in a unique position to have been raised in Omeo privilege, yet still seen as a second-class citizen. Her father especially taught her how to navigate this society with a fair merit of success. But she always felt torn between the two worlds and a part of neither.
Her "unmarried" life partner is Mamara, who was also born to an unmatched mother, but lived her life on the streets, with her brother, Janus. They are an established couple that have been together for years, and seem to have a strong bond in their relationship. When Mamara's brother goes missing, and is marked as a target - Ehra's carefully constructed and social rules for the way this society works really starts to unravel.
She starts to see just how unfair the setup is for anyone born as 'unmatched' if they do not get adopted to Omeo parents (a rare thing anyway). How they do not get the opportunities or assistance the Omeo do, and are already starting out with odds stacked against them, and having to work twice as hard to get half as much, as it easily gets cancelled out, should you step out of line... While the Omeo's often get every chance to try, try again, and still maintain their status, lucrative jobs, and power.
It's a timely tale, that really brings up a lot of uncomfortable and yet relevant points today about socio-economic issues in our world, and the divide continuing to exist and become more disparate as things progress, or don't as the case may be. I found it truly enthralling, and seeing it through Ehra's own eyes and seeing her frustration mount as she becomes more and more angry with the way things are, and wanting people in charge (like her own parents) to do more to change it, and do something about this unacceptable !Utopia! that is just a class system in action.
I was on the edge of my seat by the end, and it does basically end with a cliff-hanger. So I am very keen to see where the story goes next, and witness Ehra take on this society. But will it cost her, her love, Mamara?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09V9K3LW8?...
Set in the future where advancements in human health and technology abounds, DNA pre-determines life long "marriages" called matches. These people are called Omeo, who consider themselves to be elite, and get far more opportunities and assistance from their society, in comparison to the much subjugated "unmatched" who are seen as the dregs.
Our MC, Ehra is an unmatched woman, marked as such from birth from having been born to an unmatched mother. She was 'lucky' in that an Omeo couple took her in and adopted her as a child, after her mother went missing. So she was in a unique position to have been raised in Omeo privilege, yet still seen as a second-class citizen. Her father especially taught her how to navigate this society with a fair merit of success. But she always felt torn between the two worlds and a part of neither.
Her "unmarried" life partner is Mamara, who was also born to an unmatched mother, but lived her life on the streets, with her brother, Janus. They are an established couple that have been together for years, and seem to have a strong bond in their relationship. When Mamara's brother goes missing, and is marked as a target - Ehra's carefully constructed and social rules for the way this society works really starts to unravel.
She starts to see just how unfair the setup is for anyone born as 'unmatched' if they do not get adopted to Omeo parents (a rare thing anyway). How they do not get the opportunities or assistance the Omeo do, and are already starting out with odds stacked against them, and having to work twice as hard to get half as much, as it easily gets cancelled out, should you step out of line... While the Omeo's often get every chance to try, try again, and still maintain their status, lucrative jobs, and power.
It's a timely tale, that really brings up a lot of uncomfortable and yet relevant points today about socio-economic issues in our world, and the divide continuing to exist and become more disparate as things progress, or don't as the case may be. I found it truly enthralling, and seeing it through Ehra's own eyes and seeing her frustration mount as she becomes more and more angry with the way things are, and wanting people in charge (like her own parents) to do more to change it, and do something about this unacceptable !Utopia! that is just a class system in action.
I was on the edge of my seat by the end, and it does basically end with a cliff-hanger. So I am very keen to see where the story goes next, and witness Ehra take on this society. But will it cost her, her love, Mamara?
December 28, 2023
What a fascinating story! It is one of the best science fictions I have read this year and I loved it so much that I stayed past midnight to finish it! The story is fast paced and the world building is brilliant and relatable. I can't help but associating the super lucky and privileged "Matched" people in this book with the ultra wealthy Americans, the top 1% in income bracket, while the majority of "Unmatched" with the rest of American people, the middle and lower class, who struggling just for survival. Being the first book in this series, I understand the importance of Cliff Hanger, and this book leaves a big question mark and I can't wait reading the rest. The MCs are unforgettable, especially Ehra, who is intelligent, brave, compassionate, caring and has a strong sense of justice. Her girlfriend Mamara, on the other hand, feels too one dimensional, too simplified. I wish the author tells us more about Mamara, her personal story before she met the dreamy Ehra. Overall, a very enjoyable read!
April 4, 2024
This book ...
Although it is dystopian, with its elite class (based on biology) vs. everyone else, in so many ways mirrors human society throughout time, including now. Ehra and Mamara, despite the disadvantages of being 'other' than elite, found each other and coupled in a hopefully long lasting way. Ehra's exposure to the protected, favored, elite class colors her life in so many ways, even though she is an 'other'. Her moral code and life experiences seem to be leading her towards social agitation regarding inequality. I am grateful to agitators who have dragged society towards equality for all. Heres hoping Ehra finds success in her endeavors.
This book ... is an excellent series starter. I recommend it.
Although it is dystopian, with its elite class (based on biology) vs. everyone else, in so many ways mirrors human society throughout time, including now. Ehra and Mamara, despite the disadvantages of being 'other' than elite, found each other and coupled in a hopefully long lasting way. Ehra's exposure to the protected, favored, elite class colors her life in so many ways, even though she is an 'other'. Her moral code and life experiences seem to be leading her towards social agitation regarding inequality. I am grateful to agitators who have dragged society towards equality for all. Heres hoping Ehra finds success in her endeavors.
This book ... is an excellent series starter. I recommend it.
May 10, 2023
This is a great read.
A well crafted and beautifully written book. I have never seen a more perfect sci-fi read than thus one. It's captivating from the onset and will keep you interested throughout.
A well crafted and beautifully written book. I have never seen a more perfect sci-fi read than thus one. It's captivating from the onset and will keep you interested throughout.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews