Something catastrophic has happened and the world is plunged into the dark; the electric grid is down. Modern life grinds to a halt, and the people of Shadow Ridge struggle to survive, rationing food and medicine and learning how to live off the land like their ancestors once did.

Cut off from the world, life goes on. Jace McQuaid, who was in town for his parent’s anniversary, and his brother pick up the reins of law enforcement and attempt to keep their town safe. But a violent death rocks their little community and he must track a killer using only his own ingenuity. Meanwhile, Jace has got a thing for Morgan Addison, a widow with an endearing child but she is keeping him at arm’s length. When her no good brother-in-law returns to town, Jace must act fast to save their lives.

I found the premise for this mystery thriller intriguing; life after some type of disaster turns back the clock on daily life. The author presents a satisfying picture of what that life might look like. Struggles, cooperation and of course division. At the heart of the story is a murder mystery and Jace must track the killer without modern technology, they have only a few radios that they charge using solar power and little else. Jace’s sister is a doctor with a dwindling supply of medicine. She works with others to create native medicine to treat infections and other ailments. And of course, there is the slow building romance between Jace and Morgan.

The book is well-written with a clean narrative. There is an overlay of christian values. I enjoyed this book which is the first in a series, and I look forward to reading more about Shadow Ridge and its inhabitants. Recommend to readers who enjoy clean fiction, mystery thrillers, and slow burn romance.

I rate this book 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐stars ( )

The exciting and believable debut of Lisa Harris’s Christian dystopian series, FALLOUT.

Survival is the first book in Lisa Harris’s Christian dystopian series, Fallout, and it’s been most appropriately described as “Longmire meets Jericho.” As an enthusiast of the dystopian/post-apocalyptic sub-genre, I can confidently say this book will go down as one of my favorites, and now I can’t wait to dive into the subsequent novels!

Jace McQuaid is an earnest and engaging protagonist, though I was initially surprised he took the lead, not his father. (I think the comparison to Longmire set up that expectation.) But it is through Jace’s point of view that the story unfolds, and we also get an additional subplot regarding his father to follow.

The plot felt more realistic than many other books I’ve read in this subgenre. There are a lot of unknowns as people struggle to survive, which I think would be the case. With their lines of communication gone, I don’t think anyone would really know (by this point in the story) what had caused technology’s collapse. As a radio operator, I would like to believe that some communication system would have regenerated pretty quickly, though. There are still quite a few Elmers and MacGyvers out there working with minimal tech. However, not having that up and running created limitations that made for a great story.

I liked that Jace and others always considered the impact “The Quake” had upon their neighbors, whether when trying to lend support or figure out what the bad guy would do next, given the circumstances. As adversity brings out the best and the worst in people, I hope most would tend to the good. I really enjoyed the mentions of how the town’s older residents had been sought out for their knowledge and memories of how things were done before technological conveniences became the norm.

Besides the dystopian storyline, there is romance. Starting as a warm and tentative attraction, Jace and Morgan have internal conflicts over letting their relationship grow into something more. Despite some differences, they are good together, and I was all for them becoming a couple. Little Noah was a sweet handful, and he made me smile.

With an exciting and realistic plot, engaging characters, and a desolate, dystopian west Texas setting, I recommend SURVIVAL to readers who enjoy dystopian stories with a romantic subplot and, so far, no viruses or zombies.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Lone Star Book Blog Tours. ( )

Survival is the first full length novel in the Fallout series by Lisa Harris. Lisa Harris has been a must read author to me for years and Survival proved to me once again why I will always read her books. She writes stories filled with adrenaline pumping action, realistic characters, and always throws in the right amount of romance. However, I must say that this story was a bit different than others I have read by her. Although I enjoyed this book, it might not be for everyone with its somewhat dystopian feel. This story involves a page-turning hunt for a killer, but that is not really the scary part of the book so to speak. It is the fact that something causes the power grid to go down and now this town has to figure out how to live life off the grid. Lisa Harris draws from her own experiences living in Africa to really make the reader question and think about what life would be like with no power so no technology or any other conveniences of modern life.

I am really looking to book 2, Hunted releasing in February 2022. ( )