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Final Days #3
The Calms
Dash:
It was bound to come to an end sooner or later. For years, The Calms has been a dream. A little oasis in the apocalypse, closed off from the outside world, from the encroaching military presence, from the so-called zombies… We fancied ourselves safe.
But I knew better. I knew it was only a matter of time before it went to hell.
Missing livestock, missing people, then the whispers in the dark, past the firelight and lanterns all haunted my little farmstead, edging closer while everyone around me lived in denial.
Even with all of our precautions, The Calms was ready to fall.
Then I found Sam. Doctor Sam Brodnax, to be specific. An accidental refugee from the nearby military lab, he’s trapped in The Calms as a surge of strangely advanced zombies starts creeping through our defenses.
Not only is Sam the first new face I’ve seen in The Calms since childhood and the embodiment of every fantasy I’ve ever had made real, he’s also the bearer of awful news: the cure we’ve been promised for years isn’t coming and the ghouls are starting to change into something more dangerous than we’ve ever imagined.
And The Calms is right in the path of the newest horde.
Between Sam and I, we have to find a way to push back the horde, to keep the people of The Calms safe and get him back to his lab before it falls to the horde as well.
The Calms is a part of the Final Days MM romance multiauthor series. Each apocalyptic book can be read as a standalone, but there are more thrilling zombie tales to enjoy so why not grab them all?
It was bound to come to an end sooner or later. For years, The Calms has been a dream. A little oasis in the apocalypse, closed off from the outside world, from the encroaching military presence, from the so-called zombies… We fancied ourselves safe.
But I knew better. I knew it was only a matter of time before it went to hell.
Missing livestock, missing people, then the whispers in the dark, past the firelight and lanterns all haunted my little farmstead, edging closer while everyone around me lived in denial.
Even with all of our precautions, The Calms was ready to fall.
Then I found Sam. Doctor Sam Brodnax, to be specific. An accidental refugee from the nearby military lab, he’s trapped in The Calms as a surge of strangely advanced zombies starts creeping through our defenses.
Not only is Sam the first new face I’ve seen in The Calms since childhood and the embodiment of every fantasy I’ve ever had made real, he’s also the bearer of awful news: the cure we’ve been promised for years isn’t coming and the ghouls are starting to change into something more dangerous than we’ve ever imagined.
And The Calms is right in the path of the newest horde.
Between Sam and I, we have to find a way to push back the horde, to keep the people of The Calms safe and get him back to his lab before it falls to the horde as well.
The Calms is a part of the Final Days MM romance multiauthor series. Each apocalyptic book can be read as a standalone, but there are more thrilling zombie tales to enjoy so why not grab them all?
- GenresZombiesQueerM M Romance
211 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 24, 2022
14 people are currently reading
33 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
October 5, 2023
⭐️ 3 stars ⭐️
Post-apocalyptic setting, action-packed with a sprinkle of romance.
Extremely fitting title, because the first half of the book is exactly that, calm.
It picks up around 60%, but then all hell breaks loose and everything is happening all at once.
The romance is a bit of a slow burn and definitely on the back burner, leaving the military conspiracy storyline front and center for majority of the book.
Not to say it wasn’t intriguing, but I would’ve liked a little more Dash & Sam and a little less virus talk.
“Ghouls,” I muttered flatly. “That’s dehumanizing.” He looked over his shoulder at me, a tired and bemused expression on his face. “These folks aren’t human anymore, Doc.”
Post-apocalyptic setting, action-packed with a sprinkle of romance.
Extremely fitting title, because the first half of the book is exactly that, calm.
It picks up around 60%, but then all hell breaks loose and everything is happening all at once.
The romance is a bit of a slow burn and definitely on the back burner, leaving the military conspiracy storyline front and center for majority of the book.
Not to say it wasn’t intriguing, but I would’ve liked a little more Dash & Sam and a little less virus talk.
did-not-finish
March 14, 2024DNF @ 43%
The writing style for THE CALMS is a little odd but mostly I'm just bored with the story and there's hardly any romance even though I'm almost halfway through the book.
The writing style for THE CALMS is a little odd but mostly I'm just bored with the story and there's hardly any romance even though I'm almost halfway through the book.
March 26, 2025
No rating DNF. The writing and scientific worldbuilding just didn’t work for me.
October 11, 2022
Wow....this was an intense, action-filled story that I could not stop reading. This multi-author series has been such a pleasant surprise. I am really enjoying reading about the outbreak and gaining bits of information as I read each book. I am so looking forward to the other two books in this series.
Meredith Spies is a new author to me, but I was very impressed with how she was able to keep me engaged when there was a lot of science talk. It was actually fascinating to learn how the virus was mutating and how the zombies/ghouls were changing and becoming more intelligent. Which is frankly terrifying to think about.
I really liked Sam and Dash. Dr. Sam Brodnax, one of the researchers at the nearby military base, has come to realize that there will never be a cure for this virus and the only hope is in the vaccine that has been created. As he pushed by his superiors to leave the base for a mission to collect fresh samples, all hell breaks loose. He sees firsthand the changes in the zombies and is terrified about what is being unleashed on the unsuspecting populace. While out, he meets Dash, a survivalist just trying to protect the people who live in the Calms. The two grow close together as they battle what has been unleashed. The relationship between the two is totally believable, and I was rooting for them to both survive.
The side characters were interesting as well. I just wish I knew what happens to everyone in the future. There is an epilogue, but it is set only two months after the final chapter. I guess I just have to have faith that they survived though this ending is definitely more hopeful than Book 1. Great read!
I received an ARC from the author for my honest review
Meredith Spies is a new author to me, but I was very impressed with how she was able to keep me engaged when there was a lot of science talk. It was actually fascinating to learn how the virus was mutating and how the zombies/ghouls were changing and becoming more intelligent. Which is frankly terrifying to think about.
I really liked Sam and Dash. Dr. Sam Brodnax, one of the researchers at the nearby military base, has come to realize that there will never be a cure for this virus and the only hope is in the vaccine that has been created. As he pushed by his superiors to leave the base for a mission to collect fresh samples, all hell breaks loose. He sees firsthand the changes in the zombies and is terrified about what is being unleashed on the unsuspecting populace. While out, he meets Dash, a survivalist just trying to protect the people who live in the Calms. The two grow close together as they battle what has been unleashed. The relationship between the two is totally believable, and I was rooting for them to both survive.
The side characters were interesting as well. I just wish I knew what happens to everyone in the future. There is an epilogue, but it is set only two months after the final chapter. I guess I just have to have faith that they survived though this ending is definitely more hopeful than Book 1. Great read!
I received an ARC from the author for my honest review
March 5, 2023
Reseña en español
A M O
Realmente soy una amante de las lecturas MM/ Bl y amo las películas y libros de zombies, esto es increíble a mi parecer, al contrario de los 2 libros antes este te da más contexto del mundo en el que se desarrolla, nos platea una nueva variante del virus y nos muestra una historia mas enfocada en zombies pero continuando con un romance hermoso y muy gay.
¿Que no me gustó? La poca interacción romantica, es comprensible es el fin del mundo duh, pero a mí dulce corazón amante de los momentos tiernos le faltó escenas así en este libro.
A M O
Realmente soy una amante de las lecturas MM/ Bl y amo las películas y libros de zombies, esto es increíble a mi parecer, al contrario de los 2 libros antes este te da más contexto del mundo en el que se desarrolla, nos platea una nueva variante del virus y nos muestra una historia mas enfocada en zombies pero continuando con un romance hermoso y muy gay.
¿Que no me gustó? La poca interacción romantica, es comprensible es el fin del mundo duh, pero a mí dulce corazón amante de los momentos tiernos le faltó escenas así en este libro.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 20, 2022
I enjoyed this book. The zombie apocalypse has been around for 15 years and people are trying to survive. Dash lives in the Calms with his friends Darlene and James. Sam works at the military base in the lab. He was sent out to take samples of the zombies so they can figure out a cure to this disease. They met when Dash was out and Sam rolled the military truck. Great non stop action with trying to survive. Loved it and recommend.
I received a copy of this book for my review.
I received a copy of this book for my review.
January 24, 2024
MM, Post-apocalyptic, Suspense, 1st Dual POV
Status: KU, Standalone, Third Act Conflict -
Dash: Runs a Farm, Competent
Sam: Researcher at a Military Base, Sent Out to Collect Samples
Notes: Zombie Post-apocalypse (15 Years), Forced Proximity, Survival, Virus Evolving
Sex Notes:
Status: KU, Standalone, Third Act Conflict -
Dash: Runs a Farm, Competent
Sam: Researcher at a Military Base, Sent Out to Collect Samples
Notes: Zombie Post-apocalypse (15 Years), Forced Proximity, Survival, Virus Evolving
Sex Notes:
November 14, 2022
good story...this series is amazing.. this story got even better..the love.. the horror.. the curiousity.. all in all it was just a well written good story and i enjoyed it a lot.
February 17, 2023
🧟🧟 I love Dash
November 14, 2022
This was an enjoyable story of Dash and Sam. Dash has done everything he can to stay safe and keep his family’s farm going and Sam has been trying to find a cure or immunization to help those affected by the virus. It was interesting how they came together and I enjoyed their by-play and how different the families surrounding Dash were and how they were all capable in their own way and helped each other out.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews