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Dead Things #2
Dead Fall
Since the events in Chicago, Devin and Noah dare to believe that a future is possible, and there is hope. For them and humanity. Noah struggles to find his place at Devin’s side. Stricken with survivor’s guilt and a driving need to make a difference, Noah leaves his lover to investigate the only lead he has to stop the undead. Himself. Devin has fought to stay sane in a world of horror for too long and his one shining light is Noah. When Noah heads off on some misguided venture to search for answers, Devin knows he can’t bear to be the one left behind again. They are two men who have nothing, and everything, to lose.
254 pages, Paperback
First published January 31, 2018
4 people are currently reading
40 people want to read
About the author
Meredith Russell
54 books68 followersMeredith Russell lives in the heart of England. An avid fan of many story genres, she enjoys nothing less than a happy ending. She believes in heroes and romance and strives to reflect this in her writing. Sharing her imagination and passion for stories and characters is a dream Meredith is excited to turn into reality.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
February 5, 2018
I was already hooked for this book after reading Dead Things, and the constant tension, suspense and action continued to keep me on the edge of my seat here in Dead Fall. Noah’s uncertainty of his place and his need to contribute, which seem to stem from unwarranted feelings of inadequacy, lead him to make a decision to set out on his own to try and help…which in turn leads to a constant rollercoaster ride. The kind of ride where it always feels like you’re hurtling toward definite disaster.
It felt like I was perpetually on a precipice, ready to fall over at any moment not knowing what would be coming at Noah, Devin, and the rest of their group next. There are quite a few characters that you can not be sure you can trust—and even now after finishing the book, I’m still not quite sure. And while that’s unnerving, it also has me all in for this series and desperately wanting the next story.
One thing that is absolutely certain by the end of this book…Noah and Devin’s relationship has grown and evolved from the “I just need somebody” stage to the “I just NEED you”—and the “I just need YOU” point. Being separated when Noah strikes out on his own just drives that point home for both of them.
There’s several new additions to the cast of characters, and they inject even more risk and tension into the plot. While I want to believe they’re good and just want to help everyone (not just Noah and Devin’s group, but to help find a cure), the level of doubt that is a constant in this series still has me hesitant.
5 suspense-filled stars for Dead Fall, and now I’m eagerly waiting the next installment to see where things go from here. While the level of physical intimacy is pretty low, it does exist and that—along with quite a bit of violence from the zombie attacks and adult language—makes this story one for readers 18+. This is the second book in the series, and while I suppose you could read it on its own, I would strongly recommend reading Dead Things first otherwise you won’t get the full impact of this book.
It felt like I was perpetually on a precipice, ready to fall over at any moment not knowing what would be coming at Noah, Devin, and the rest of their group next. There are quite a few characters that you can not be sure you can trust—and even now after finishing the book, I’m still not quite sure. And while that’s unnerving, it also has me all in for this series and desperately wanting the next story.
One thing that is absolutely certain by the end of this book…Noah and Devin’s relationship has grown and evolved from the “I just need somebody” stage to the “I just NEED you”—and the “I just need YOU” point. Being separated when Noah strikes out on his own just drives that point home for both of them.
There’s several new additions to the cast of characters, and they inject even more risk and tension into the plot. While I want to believe they’re good and just want to help everyone (not just Noah and Devin’s group, but to help find a cure), the level of doubt that is a constant in this series still has me hesitant.
5 suspense-filled stars for Dead Fall, and now I’m eagerly waiting the next installment to see where things go from here. While the level of physical intimacy is pretty low, it does exist and that—along with quite a bit of violence from the zombie attacks and adult language—makes this story one for readers 18+. This is the second book in the series, and while I suppose you could read it on its own, I would strongly recommend reading Dead Things first otherwise you won’t get the full impact of this book.
August 13, 2018
All I have to say is I hope there is a book three coming, because you guys and these cliffhangers are driving me out of my ever loving skull! Humph. I do have to say I expected a few things different but characters will be characters. And of course, why is it in a zombie apocalypse, there have to be those stupid ones? Right? Ugh. Not a bad book though.
Tensions are high, tempers are flaring, and since their illustrious leader got himself killed in Chicago,, things seem to be unraveling quickly. And Chicago is bad news on it's own. The one bright hope they had, shot to shit. So moral is even lower. And Devin isn't trusting of some that escaped Chicago. But what can he do but watch. But Noel is sick of not feeling needed and feeling hopeless, he takes off to find answers on his own. Maybe somewhere someone has medical records of what's been happening and why Noel is the way he is. He wants to help, to be needed. Devin and Hank set out after him, to save him. While they are following Noel and trying to rescue him, the all come across info that is shocking. And Noel seems to be piecing things together. But now he's captured, and zombie have come to investigate. The team that captured him seem ok but Devin doesn't trust easy. But they need to get to safety. So they work together to go home. But things are changing now. And not necessarily for the good. Devin can't live with Noel, but he can't be the man Noel needs. Maybe it will work out. But he doesn't know how.
Ok so I understand Devin is still raw from losing his boyfriend. I get that. And I get that these are trying times and pushing everyone to the brink of insanity and beyond. However, I was so frustrated at Devin's behavior. One minute he finally says he loves Noel but then just leaves him hanging. Closes himself off again. You can't keep doing that to someone you love. And Noel feel like everything he says is like stepping on a landmine. Nothing he says seems to be right. Noel just wants to help. He needs to feel like he's contributing….doing his part. Oh these two. I want to smack Devin and hug Noel.
This book was a little off for me too. Sometimes it seemed like things were just jumbled together. Everyone is going different directions amd no one can get it together. So when something bad happens, everyone is disjointed. There's no flow. Sometimes we need a little chaos but work it out but sometimes we need smooth and for someone to catch a break.
http://lovebytesreviews.com
Tensions are high, tempers are flaring, and since their illustrious leader got himself killed in Chicago,, things seem to be unraveling quickly. And Chicago is bad news on it's own. The one bright hope they had, shot to shit. So moral is even lower. And Devin isn't trusting of some that escaped Chicago. But what can he do but watch. But Noel is sick of not feeling needed and feeling hopeless, he takes off to find answers on his own. Maybe somewhere someone has medical records of what's been happening and why Noel is the way he is. He wants to help, to be needed. Devin and Hank set out after him, to save him. While they are following Noel and trying to rescue him, the all come across info that is shocking. And Noel seems to be piecing things together. But now he's captured, and zombie have come to investigate. The team that captured him seem ok but Devin doesn't trust easy. But they need to get to safety. So they work together to go home. But things are changing now. And not necessarily for the good. Devin can't live with Noel, but he can't be the man Noel needs. Maybe it will work out. But he doesn't know how.
Ok so I understand Devin is still raw from losing his boyfriend. I get that. And I get that these are trying times and pushing everyone to the brink of insanity and beyond. However, I was so frustrated at Devin's behavior. One minute he finally says he loves Noel but then just leaves him hanging. Closes himself off again. You can't keep doing that to someone you love. And Noel feel like everything he says is like stepping on a landmine. Nothing he says seems to be right. Noel just wants to help. He needs to feel like he's contributing….doing his part. Oh these two. I want to smack Devin and hug Noel.
This book was a little off for me too. Sometimes it seemed like things were just jumbled together. Everyone is going different directions amd no one can get it together. So when something bad happens, everyone is disjointed. There's no flow. Sometimes we need a little chaos but work it out but sometimes we need smooth and for someone to catch a break.
http://lovebytesreviews.com
February 22, 2018
No matter what happens from here on, you're not alone...
Three months after 'Chicago incident', Devin still struggling with the 'changing' and how people staring strangely at him.
Focusing on training Noah skill so he could protect himself was another important thing for Devin, because as his 'wing man', Noah safety was beyond everything.
When Lukas came with the news about Chicago shelter had gone and also the possibility of no one had survived from the chaos, the news put them all in shocked.
On his way back from Chicago to the prison, Lukas also met with another survivors and bring them along with him and soon their present stir some conflicts among the survivors and Corden's ex-personal-army. And with that, the hope to find the cure also gone...
Being immune and the thought about being lonely if everyone he know will also vanished someday caused by the virus had made Noah think to find the answer, even it means he must left the one he loved behind...
Noah then decided to find the answer by himself and leave...
When Devin find out that Noah had left and endangered his life for the answer, he had no choice than to save his lover and bring him home safely.
Will Devin find Noah whereabouts and save him?
🍁🍁🍁
I must admit that the second book was way more intense and 'stressful' than the previous one. For the story that happen only in 48 hour, the tensions were 'there' and enough to make your heart beat faster.
I wish I could blame Noah for his 'stupidity', but I can't!
I also cannot blame Devin for still keeping all things to himself and living in Connor's memories and leave Noah in uncertainty about his position in Devin's heart.
The story still intriguing even there's almost no sex scenes in it except for some kiss here and there. But you still can feel the romance between Devin and Noah in the middle of the horrors scenes. But I feel its enough and the moments also right. Sometimes, when the story could 'distract' you or consumed you enough at some level, the sex scenes become not quite important anymore. At least that what I feel when I read this book.
The hospital scenes feels so intense and consuming. I need to hold my breath at 64% reading because what had happen to Noah scared the hell out of me!
The hospital scenes also introduce us to some new characters to the story like Mac, Yara, March and Brandon. But among all the new characters, it's Brandon who successfully stole my attention and made me curious even more about his 'story'.
Overall, the story still intriguing and interesting enough to follow even with the cliffy ending, and I do really enjoying the reading.
Really can't wait for what will happen next to Noah and Devin on their way to find the answer. And I hope that the next book will be the final story from this series, because reading more than three books with the same MC's was not my thing.
So, dear author...
Please don't make us wait for that long again...
Thank you...
*ARC is kindly provided by the Author in exchange of a fair, unbiased and honest review*
January 31, 2018
I’ve been waiting years for this book. Years. Was the wait worth it? Youbetcha.
The zombie apocalypse has destroyed life as we know it, a familiar story concept, yes, but one author Meredith Russell has put her signature on, and she has done so with no small amount of precise and articulate storytelling. The world building has been accomplished through descriptive language and shown through character action and interaction, and her freaks are just the right amount of deadly and disgusting enough to up the adrenaline factor at every encounter. There’s a prison within a prison aspect to the story that lends just the right amount of claustrophobia to the atmosphere. There’s nothing quite like being the lesser animal, caged in and understanding that humans are no longer at the top of the food chain, and that there are things roaming free on the outside that source you as prey.
One of the things I appreciate about this series is that Russell made a point to avoid the easier romantic answer to Devin and Noah’s relationship. This is not an insta-love story in spite of it perhaps having been a temptation to lean on the love-conquers-all trope to contrast the depth of dystopia in their new world order. Instead, the expected losses and fears of investing emotionally in a relationship in a hellscape where the basics we take for granted are now a precious luxury are presented in a realistic way, the way one would expect if we were to lose everything we loved and held dear. The resistance in Devin in particular to make himself vulnerable again to the grief he experienced when he lost the man he loved is believable and something I appreciated within this setting’s chaos and the characters’ dubious future.
The search for answers plays a major role in this installment of the series—not to figure out what’s caused the dead to rise and walk again, but how to stop it, and how Noah may hold the key to unlocking those answers. The theme of sacrificing for the greater good is a mainstay among heroes in our fiction, and that’s no less true in Dead Fall. Noah’s unilateral decision to strike out on his own causes its fair share of problems, but it also introduces a new group of characters and new options, which introduces the complicated issue of trust and in what ways humans might become as monstrous in their actions and betrayals as the real monsters in the story are monstrous in their savage hunger for human flesh.
There are no pat answers or resolutions to the problems in this installment of the series. This isn’t the end, there’s more story to tell, and this book feels a lot like the author is chumming the waters to see what will come out to play with its food. It’s a transition book that offers a connection between what was and what’s yet to come. I, for one, am looking forward to seeing how Russell resolves this series, to watch Noah and Devin continue to grow closer now that they’ve acknowledged their feelings for each other, and, of course, more zombies is always a fun reason to stay tuned.
Reviewed by Lisa for The Novel Approach
The zombie apocalypse has destroyed life as we know it, a familiar story concept, yes, but one author Meredith Russell has put her signature on, and she has done so with no small amount of precise and articulate storytelling. The world building has been accomplished through descriptive language and shown through character action and interaction, and her freaks are just the right amount of deadly and disgusting enough to up the adrenaline factor at every encounter. There’s a prison within a prison aspect to the story that lends just the right amount of claustrophobia to the atmosphere. There’s nothing quite like being the lesser animal, caged in and understanding that humans are no longer at the top of the food chain, and that there are things roaming free on the outside that source you as prey.
One of the things I appreciate about this series is that Russell made a point to avoid the easier romantic answer to Devin and Noah’s relationship. This is not an insta-love story in spite of it perhaps having been a temptation to lean on the love-conquers-all trope to contrast the depth of dystopia in their new world order. Instead, the expected losses and fears of investing emotionally in a relationship in a hellscape where the basics we take for granted are now a precious luxury are presented in a realistic way, the way one would expect if we were to lose everything we loved and held dear. The resistance in Devin in particular to make himself vulnerable again to the grief he experienced when he lost the man he loved is believable and something I appreciated within this setting’s chaos and the characters’ dubious future.
The search for answers plays a major role in this installment of the series—not to figure out what’s caused the dead to rise and walk again, but how to stop it, and how Noah may hold the key to unlocking those answers. The theme of sacrificing for the greater good is a mainstay among heroes in our fiction, and that’s no less true in Dead Fall. Noah’s unilateral decision to strike out on his own causes its fair share of problems, but it also introduces a new group of characters and new options, which introduces the complicated issue of trust and in what ways humans might become as monstrous in their actions and betrayals as the real monsters in the story are monstrous in their savage hunger for human flesh.
There are no pat answers or resolutions to the problems in this installment of the series. This isn’t the end, there’s more story to tell, and this book feels a lot like the author is chumming the waters to see what will come out to play with its food. It’s a transition book that offers a connection between what was and what’s yet to come. I, for one, am looking forward to seeing how Russell resolves this series, to watch Noah and Devin continue to grow closer now that they’ve acknowledged their feelings for each other, and, of course, more zombies is always a fun reason to stay tuned.
Reviewed by Lisa for The Novel Approach
February 2, 2018
Continues the story of Devin and Noah. The apocalypse continues, no end in sight. Devin, still mourning Connor is conflicted about feelings he's developing for Noah.
Noah thinks he's possibly the answer to saving the people he's come to care for and possibly civilization.
Bad decisions create peril for both.
Good continuation of the series. Wish it would of been longer though.
If the Zombie Apocalypse is your thing with a romance thrown in this is the book for you to read.
Noah thinks he's possibly the answer to saving the people he's come to care for and possibly civilization.
Bad decisions create peril for both.
Good continuation of the series. Wish it would of been longer though.
If the Zombie Apocalypse is your thing with a romance thrown in this is the book for you to read.
February 14, 2018
WHERE IS BOOK 3!!!!!!!
February 11, 2018
3.5 stars
Just like in the first book, I was impressed with all the gory scenes with the undead. Never knowing who would survive the encounters and wondering if the new people they met could really be trusted. I loved the element of danger. But I have to admit at being disappointed with the so-called relationship of Devin and Noah. Even though only a few months have passed between the ending of book 1 and this one, I was still expecting there to be a whole lot more growth and progress in their relationship. There really wasn't. Devin was still keeping his distance emotionally and there seemed to be very little chemistry between them. Even when they admitted their love, it seemed a little forced and I just wasn't feeling it. I'd still be interested to read a third book though to see how their next road trip turns out.
Just like in the first book, I was impressed with all the gory scenes with the undead. Never knowing who would survive the encounters and wondering if the new people they met could really be trusted. I loved the element of danger. But I have to admit at being disappointed with the so-called relationship of Devin and Noah. Even though only a few months have passed between the ending of book 1 and this one, I was still expecting there to be a whole lot more growth and progress in their relationship. There really wasn't. Devin was still keeping his distance emotionally and there seemed to be very little chemistry between them. Even when they admitted their love, it seemed a little forced and I just wasn't feeling it. I'd still be interested to read a third book though to see how their next road trip turns out.
January 18, 2019
I didn't like this one as much as the first in the series, but I still give this one 4 stars. It was pretty fantastic. I adore Devin and Noah. And while the end of this one wasn't really cliffhangerish, I do hope we get a third in the series soon. I can't wait to see what happens with our MC's in both their relationship and the apocalypse.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews