The Chimera Will Claim You

Pandemic Monsters #2

by Rebecca F. Kenney, Ashley Bryce (Narrator), Eric Smies (Narrator)

I've been separated from Atlan, and there's definitely something creepy and deadly going on in this bunker. This isn't the rescue mission we were told it was. No, this is a trap, and we've been lured here on purpose by a beautiful, monstrous man. I'm not sure why he wants Atlan and me, but I need to find out, because this new enemy just might be more dangerous than the zombie hordes racing across the plains.

But what if the bunker also holds humanity's best hope for survival?

The second installment in this dystopian vampire romance ratchets up the heat level and the danger, introducing new monsters and unfolding the cause of the zombie outbreak! For fans of Laura Thalassa and Jennifer L. Armentrout.

Contains mature themes.

Genres: Audiobook, Paranormal, Romance, Vampires, Dystopia, Fantasy, Zombies

8 pages, Audible Audio

Published January 17, 2023

About the author

Rebecca F. Kenney writes spicy fantasy romance about sassy, strong women and hot guys with tragic backstories... pirates, warlords, demons, Fae, and royals. Her main series are the "Wicked Darlings" series (spicy Fae retellings of the Nutcracker, Wonderland, and Oz), the "Dark Rulers" series (standalones in a shared world), and the "For the Love of the Villain" series of genderbent fairytales. Other books include a post-apocalyptic vampire romance trilogy ("The Vampires Will Save You"), a demon romance "Interior Design for Demons," a dark mermaid fantasy duet, and other spicy retellings.

Rebecca is represented by Eva Scalzo of Speilburg Literary. She lives in upstate South Carolina with her handsome blue-eyed husband and two smart, energetic kids.

For updates and information about upcoming novels, follow on Instagram @rebeccafkenneybooks, on Twitter @RebeccaFKenney1, and on TikTok @rebeccafkenney

Reviews

[Rhonda 🌒🌕🌘 🐈‍⬛ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 🌟
3/5 ❤️‍🩹
3/5 🥰
2/5 🌶️
0/5 🔎
4/5 😰A
1/5 🎭C
2/5 🎭T
0/5 👻

⚠️⛔️TRIGGERS:⛔️⚠️

Sexual Assault
Sexual Content
Forced Proximity
Mention of Rape
Blood
Gore
Institionalization
Hostage Situation
Injury/Injury Detail
Drug Use
Experimentation on Humans
Animal Testing??
Body Horror
Confinement

*apologies if I’ve missed a trigger

🗯️💬BOOK BLURB:💬🗯️

I've been separated from Atlan, and there's definitely something creepy and deadly going on in this bunker. This isn't the rescue mission we were told it was. No, this is a trap, and we've been lured here on purpose by a beautiful, monstrous man. I'm not sure why he wants Atlan and me, but I need to find out, because this new enemy just might be more dangerous than the zombie hordes racing across the plains.

But what if the bunker also holds humanity's best hope for survival?

The second installment in this dystopian vampire romance ratchets up the heat level and the danger, introducing new monsters and unfolding the cause of the zombie outbreak! For fans of Laura Thalassa and Jennifer L. Armentrout.

🌎📖OVERALL REVIEWS📖🌎
Courtesy of Storygraph

COMMUNITY REVIEWS
SUMMARY OF 54 REVIEWS

Moods
dark 87%
adventurous 75%
challenging 62%
emotional 62%
mysterious 62%
sad 62%
tense 62%
hopeful 25%
inspiring 25%
funny 12%
informative 12%
reflective 12%
Pace
fast 71%
slow 14%
medium 14%
Plot- or character-driven?
A mix: 40% | Character: 40% | Plot: 20%
Strong character development?
Yes: 60% | It's complicated: 40%
Loveable characters?
Yes: 60% | It's complicated: 40%
Diverse cast of characters?
Yes: 60% | No: 40%
Flaws of characters a main focus?
Yes: 60% | No: 40%
Average rating
3.64


🤔🧐🤯MY THOUGHTS:🤯🧐🤔

Yay! We have answers to my previous questions in book 1. However, The Chimera is the doctor responsible for the zombie apocalypse. He has also turned himself into a chimera due to there being a finite amount of humans in the world that are still actually human. He now wants to breed Finley and even mentions the possibility of a threesome that would include Altan. The good doctor is also a sociopath. While Finley is an empath. Through her empathy she’s been able to get zombies to mimic her. Because of this she’s become even more valuable to the Doctor.

Things go horribly wrong when one of the doctor’s work associates and sex partner gets jealous of Finley and ends up sticking Finley with a syringe of something. Finley may never be the same. This was also a fairly quick read that ends on that cliffhanger.

I’m off to read book 3 to see what Finley has become and if the female doctor, Dr. Corbin, will have any repercussions for Finley by Doctor Chimera, Ruhle. He wanted Finley as she was. I also need to know what this means for Altan and Finley’s relationship.

RATING KEY:

🌟 Stars - based on the overall plot and theme or idea of the book
❤️‍🩹 Emotions - based on how emotional I got while reading
🥰 Romance - based on how well I got invested in the love story aspect
🌶️ Spice - based on how the sex scenes were portrayed and written as well as the number of sex scenes
🔎 Mystery - based on how well it kept me guessing who, how and why
😰 Scared/Anxious - based on how scared or anxious the book made me while reading
🎭 Comedy/Tragedy- based on if I laughed or if there was a tragic event and how it affected me. I will mark the Masks with either a C or T to indicate Comedy or Tragedy
👻 Spooky/Creepy -based on if this had any occult or paranormal themes and if those elements creeped me out or gave me anxiety!

[romancelibrary · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Pretty good, but the setting is stagnant. We spend this entire book discovering the truth behind the bunker. There are some interesting revelations and the cliffhanger ending is so good.

I didn't like the weird almost-love-triangle nonsense. It really irks me whenever Finley feels desire for anyone other than Atlan. It's so disgusting 🤢 It makes me dislike her, especially considering who the third wheel is 🤢 But at least Finley does make it clear that Atlan is the only one she loves.

Anyway...onto the final book.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great sequel!

THAT ENDING THOUGH. Love these characters and this series. Lots of adventure and romance in this second installment. 4.5 stars.

[Aleesha · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well. This one starts off where book 1 ended, and the weird factor ratchets up from 0 to 100 in naught point five seconds.

I'm not sure if I enjoyed this plot development or not. It was buried underneath all the hard cocks, to be honest. When we're not threatening Finley with rape, there's a lot of people just standing around and talking about technical stuff that I could have done without (even if it was interesting, from a world-building standpoint). In general, this whole book is just...uncomfortable. It got to the point where I didn't even want to read about Finley and Atlan being romantic together because hard dicks in general started to make me sick.



And, once again, the characters sort of let me down here. Finley was irritating in ways she wasn't in book 1. She miraculously becomes the Monster whisperer in this book. The Dr. Phil for everything weird and kooky in this universe. Vampires, zombies, chimera...you name it she's got the ability to mind-juju into submission. And there's zero explanation as to why or where this power came from. We're only given the vaguest of notions that it could be because she's empathic/empathetic somehow...but there's no research or revelation beyond that. She's just...Super-Humanity Girl? (Ironic given the way this shit ended)

And the only research the scientists and Chimera Boy seem to be interested in doing with her is breeding. Which, again, is just fucking disgusting.

Finley's role in this one outside of being a womb for monsters, I guess, was even more icky. Befriending your would-be rapist is a whole other level of Stockholm Syndrome that mostly just made me want to barf. It's made worse by the fact that every time Finley is alone without Atlan she waxes poetic about Reuel's body/beauty. But don't worry guys, she totally doesn't want him!!!!!!!



Yeah, yeah. She's having to play a part to keep the captive people safe. Blah blah. Didn't mean I enjoyed ANY of it. Because it's not written as a clever woman being a badass. There are times where she's weak and simpering and her only idea is "I should just let him do whatever he wants to me". Girl no. Yuck.

Look, what I'm trying to say is that there's an un-fucking-necessary amount of almost-rape going on in this book. Just, nobody's junk is safe. Literally nobody.



I will give the author kudos for the way she handles trauma responses in both Atlan and Finley. It's realistic and rational and emotional and serves as a way to bond the couple together. Even if it did sort of feel like we were all in therapy there for a while.

Wasn't as into this book as book 1. I don't really think there was a ton of progress made, plot-wise either. I wanted to give this a three. But after all that weird lusting after everybody ever I feel like I need a shower, so.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️
Book two takes some weird turns with the whole bunker science trap situation and the chimera and the awkward almost love triangle that happens. It was fine even good, it was unique, but I just didn’t love that the book was going in that direction. But the writing and story was good, personally I didn’t like book two better than book 1 but I can appreciate the authors vision and she did Execute it very well. The characters were great, the story and conflicts were good everything made sense and played out very well and came together in the end, But just personally I didn’t enjoy it as much as the first book but I would defiantly give it a try and read it if you like this series.

[Bethsbooksau · Rating 4 out of 5]

We've got Vampires, we've got Zombies and now there's also some lab created weird creatures and beats to deal with!

Book 2 took off running from the end of book 1 and doce straight in. Atlan and Finley find themselves going to a bunker out on the otherside of the wall and safe zone in zombie infested land to rescue a bunch of researchers and scientists 🤨

BAD IDEA GUYS! 🤣

I did enjoy the banter and all the weird stuff that was going on in the book but basically 80% of the book is spent in the bunker and it did get a little stagnet after a while.

The book ends on a fabulous cliffhanger and im starting book 3 right now 😆🙌

[Zen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked this book less than I liked the first one. I'm not sure if it was supposed to be normalizing attraction to others is normal and fidelity is a choice, but it felt more like the FMC was almost hypersexualized as she could not control her reactions to someone who was a genocidal attempted rapist. The proposed friendship did not help matters, either. I'm curious to see what will happen to the FMC in this last book and how everyone is affected.

[saralouisereads · Rating 5 out of 5]

WTF THATS A JOKE RIGHT?! THIS CANNOT BE HAPPENING OMG. rebecca, you got me fucked up with this ending. 😭🤯🫣😩 anyways, 5⭐️ 3🌶️

[Shiny Ruins · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5⭐️

Ummm what was that ending‽‽

Also, I absolutely hated the whole "he's just misunderstood!" No girl, he a fucking psychopath, stop trying to care bear the guy who wants to rape you in the name of science

[Mimisays411 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book in the complete trilogy of pandemic monster. As usual Rebecca Kenney hit the nail on the head! This post-apocalyptic vampire romance is a unique, suspenseful action packed venture. Being trapped underground in a bunker with some crazy doctor scientists that created the zombie hordes…. Okay, Sure?! What can go wrong?! This have The Island of Dr. Moreau vibes with some very unique twists on vampires, zombies and hodgepodge monsters. Can Finley’s and Atlan’s love survive? Can they survive? Like I said this is a unique post-apocalyptic vampire romance that will keep you in enthralled! The Cliffhanger will leave you in horrible, delicious, suspense so make sure you have the 3rd and final book ready!! Medium level spice 3/5🌶. 4/5⭐️

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Immediately after finishing book #1 in this series, I grabbed this book.

A distress call from the Hordelands is picked up. They are stranded and need help. So Captain sends Atlan, Finley, and some others to help. Only they don't make it to the scientific research lab. A tornado rips through the land, separating the group. Atlan and Finley find some much-needed alone time, to explore Atlan's new feature.

When they get to the lab, things seem off. The team is separated and locked away. A strange beast of a man greets Finley - his name is Reuel and he's a chimera. He is taken by Finely, by her mind and body. Only it's not reciprocated. And that causes a HUGE problem. The lab isn't what it seems, all the scientists have gone made and are doing genetic tests - trying to create a DNA that will stop the zombies and make hybrid humans. Or hybrid vampires if Reuel can.

Book #1 is my favorite. This one is ok. There is ALOT going on with Finely and Atlan and everything. I almost expected the female doctor to help Finley and Atlan out, just to get them out of her way - so she could continue her work.

[Goldie · Rating 1 out of 5]

What the fuck was I reading here?!?

How could such a cool first book lead up to this?!?? Baffling. So…. Is SA just a thing that happens to our lead in every single book here or what? Also why exactly did we get introduced to another love interest when it was neither a love triangle nor a RH? I‘m so confused and severely scared for the third book

[Caleigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 not much plot progress…more of a filler between books

[Megs: Knee Wall Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has all the zombie apocalypse mixed with mad scientist vibes (plus a swoony shirtless vampire).

Again, I couldn't put it down. I loved getting to know more about the bunker and the experiments that Reuel has been working. Dr. Corbin gives me the chills.

I am so excited to see where the final book takes us. Especially after that cliffhanger!!

[Penny Well Reads · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF

I stoped listening to the audiobook after having heard 78% of the book. The story started to go towards a direction I didn’t care for, I wasn’t interest anymore on what it was happening and so it bored me.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

The military has been receiving sporadic messages from a bunker in an outlying and unprotected area. The contacts indicate that the trapped scientists have developed a cure to control the zombies. Three vampires, their blood sources and a number of soldiers set out in armored vehicles to retrieve the scientists. A tornado destroys one of the vehicles and its human occupants are killed by the zombies inside a church where they had taken refuge. Finley and Atlan escape, manage to contact the leader of the mission and are rescued.

It is soon apparent that the bunker’s occupants have been cut off from “civilization" for far too long and have developed a morally grey outlook on life. The scientists are actually looking for more bodies to experiment with. The three vampires are of exceptional interest, as is Finley since her blood may contain unusual properties. One of the scientists has actually been injecting himself with various concoctions and considers his grotesque result superior to ordinary humans. He intends to create more creatures with monstrous capabilities via both drugs and procreation (Hell to the no)

It’s discovered that Finley has an ability to link with the zombies in the bunker so that they mimic her actions. She’s also attracted to the chimera and his sexual overtures (Gag to the max) She goes so far as convincing herself that his appearance is attractive.

There is a female scientist who is really easy to dislike and you can notch that feeling up to infinity when she pulls a stunt near the end.

[Emmarie Vaughan · Rating 3 out of 5]

bad end

This was creepy, interesting, thrilling, and suspenseful. I had a good time figuring out what would happen next and seeing how crazy these scientists are.

Things did move too fast again. A mad scientist, that has had issues his entire life, switches sides with one conversation? The turning point didn’t come gradual, it was sudden.

I stayed super invested the whole time, eating this book up as fast as I could, until the last 5%. I am so disappointed!!!
The group each have their own agenda but work together until their paths split, which is soon. This is a temporary situation.
The FMC joins the stereotype and puts herself in immediate danger because she wants sunshine right now. They easily give in, even though she is the one everyone is trying to protect. The characters are smart, but they realized her being a risk to the operation after the fact?
Dumb

She does it again in the last few paragraphs of the story…putting her fragile self into harms way to save an enhanced human that even the author forgot has supernatural speed.

The book is still interesting and I will binge the third, but I wish this one would have been more consistent.

[Jeana Cheque]

I got 41% of the way through the audiobook and decided to bail. I couldn't pay attention, which is a huge red flag that it's not my jam. I gave the first book 4 stars and apparently this one has a wonderful cliffhanger. I just got to the part where she befriended her would-be r@pists; barf. I didn't enjoy the risque BJ between the H/h. So not the right place or time for that. Now they've decided that they can forgive all the atrocities and just work with the psychos in the bunker. Umm...no thanks. Why can't dual narrators talk about how they'll portray a voice and give each other samples before recording? It makes no sense! The male narrator is great and does the chimera voice like the narcissistic villain he is. The female narrator chooses to do his voice like a robot. It's disconcerting when the narrators switch off. This would have been better with only the male narrator. Forget dual when they can't even try to match up character portrayal. Also, I assumed there would be a new romantic couple for each book. The author stuck with Atlan and his bloodbag again.

[Chaos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! This series is getting more and more interesting. And the way the author dives into the mind of Reul and right from wrong. Human to beast. Empathy to apathy. It's quite fascinating. Also the delve into human genome and DNA splicing as well as creating new creatures. I didn't know whether to be horrified, intrigued, or confused. There was so much going on in the lab. It was crazy seeing Finley control those zombies and even control Reul and keep his humanity at the surface. What happened during this book was just insane! I'm really interested to see how the third book plays out and how in the world Finley and Atlan will get out of this mess. I'm terrified for what Dr. Corbin did!! I just hope it makes Finley stronger and better able to fight! Please have her be normal and not a monster like Reul and Dr. Corbin!!

[Ashley Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is nice and short, but I feel like it really didn’t further the story as much as it could have with it being the second book in the series. I did not like how it took the entire book for them to finally hear about getting out of the bunker only for the cliff hanger to happen and another book has to finish up the whole story with still a lot of plots needing closure. I did not like the weird love triangle that almost happens when Finley gets horny around Reuel. She claims she doesn’t want to be seen as a piece of meat to Reuel and is offended when he talks about breeding as basic biology yet gets turned on by looking at him and being near him. Her flipping back and forth with her feelings towards Reuel almost ruined the book for me. Overall this series is not my favorite with the remedial writing and weird plot lines, but it is intriguing enough that I am going to finish it.

[Alyssa Waltz · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶🌶

As if zombies and vampires weren't enough, there's a new type of monster to deal with. But is it his animal nature or his humanity that is the real threat?

For me, this took a sharp left from the original tone of the first book where we fell in love with Atlan. Honestly, everything in the sequel seems to be challenging their very new relationship, and I'm not sure that they're going to be able to come out on the other side. Which makes me sad.

The flirtatiousness with the chimera made me really uncomfy, and I'm really hoping this isn't going to turn out the way it's hinting at. Also, Atlan made some decisions that lost him some points for me.

I'm going to continue to the next book because I want to know what happens, but I gotta tell you. Your girl is NERVOUS.

[anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

This one was solid, but definitely felt more like a bridge between books than a full story on its own. It picks up immediately after book 1, but the setting felt kind of stuck in one place, and that slowed the pacing for me.

The characters are still the heart of the series, and I love them deeply. Rebecca F. Kenney really knows how to write emotionally layered characters you can root for. That said, the weird not-quite love triangle? Not my favorite.

The writing is still strong, and the emotional arcs all make sense. Everything ties together nicely by the end, even if this installment didn’t hit quite as hard for me as book one did. That ending, though? 👀 It definitely left me needing to know what happens next.

[Addison · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - I LOVE THIS AUTHOR!!
This sequel takes the pressure up a notch—more monsters, more danger, more secrets. Separated from Atlan and trapped in a creepy bunker, the heroine finds herself tangled in something far more sinister than zombies. The introduction of the chimera—a beautiful, terrifying presence—adds an eerie mystique to the plot, and the tension between what’s monstrous and what’s humane deepens in all the right ways.
It’s claustrophobic and intense, and the sense of being manipulated by unseen forces is palpable. While the plot moves quickly and keeps you on edge, the emotional thread between the protagonist and Atlan occasionally feels stretched—understandably so, given their separation. Still, the reveals are juicy, and the emerging lore behind the zombie outbreak is both smart and horrifying. Think Resident Evil with more smolder and smarter heartbeats.

[Lanae (findmeonsmutlane) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I honestly don't know why I started the second book..... morbid curiosity to see what was gonna be at the bunker? It definitely wasn't all as it seemed and I was mildly curious.

But then this book. It was such a hot mess, and so confusing, and so just, WHAT. But the author won. And I read the entire thing and now will read the third one to find out how it ends.

This series still feels extremely juvenile. Even despite getting more spice this book. Everything just reads young. And the FMC and MMC still seem so immature. And it went from slow burn to I love yous so quick.

The chimera thing is weird. It's just so weird.

[Lisa Rector · Rating 3 out of 5]

This started to get ridiculous. Once they get trapped in the bunker with the chimera, the main, horny characters are all getting busy in closets and having emotional talks with the enemy, who suddenly has a change of heart. What? And then they have a dance-a-thon with the lab guys and the zombies. Bruh. I lost respect for the book then. This whole things was silly. The only thing that compels me to read the next book is to find out what happened to Finley, but maybe I’ll catch enough in the Look Inside feature to satisfy myself.

[Ash1ey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I decided to rate ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ stars because I thought the main villain character, Reuel, simply gave up too easily. Not that I know much about being a villain (😉), but I don’t think I would give up my entire worldview because a girl I wanted to doink questioned if my actions were truly….. me.

Even though this book is about a group containing humans 🤷🏼‍♀️ and zombie 🧟‍♀️ slaying vampires 🧛🏼 that are tricked by beings with body parts of different species 🦌🐐🐍, when Reuel says:

"Who am I?" he groans. "Finley, who am I?"

The FIRST thing I thought was…. That is so unrealistic. ❌📖❌

But the ending…. Jesus Christ my heart is broken 💔

[Diane G · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best Read Ever

Oh my!! Loved “The Chimera Will Claim You” by Rebecca F. Kenney! This series just keeps getting better and better. Suspense, mystery, fast paced and constant unknown, at every point. Seeing the characters adapt, remain positive through the twists and turns. I’ve purchased the next book and can’t wait to start it and read the HEA. You want an amazing read?? Well, time to read this series.

[Michelle Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome!!!

This sorry is the second book in the series and continues with the main story and life in the bunker. The details of the bunker are perfect and exactly what I expected. The connect with the characters are wonderful. I do have to say though… What is wrong with me?!? There is a perfectly wonder MMC who I should be in love with, but then you bring in Reuel. He is not good, he literally is a monster and I find myself rooting for him! Can’t wait to see what’s next.

[Cassandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was good, but not as good as the first one.

The story takes a weird turn, and pretty much the whole book takes place in the bunker.

There is a weird love triangle going on, and while I’m all for a “why choose” romance-this was NOT it. Just creepy, although I don’t think the author intended it to be…..

Still will read the 3rd to see how it ends

[Blackcanary007 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't enjoy this book as much as I liked the first one in the series. This one had more spice though so that's a plus. The setting was so stagnant. We spend a majority of the book stuck in one setting. All in all it was an alright read. I do believe I'm going to finish the next book to complete the series. This book just didn't fully hit the mark for me. It was just okay.