After global warming and a second civil war devastated the former United States, two different societies rose from the ashes – the Union, a towering high-tech utopia, hugging the perimeter of the continent, and the devastated, untamed midsection known as the Ruins.
Seventeen-year-old Evan Taylor has an easy, privileged life in the Union. What she doesn’t have is any idea what to do with the rest of her life. She only knows she wants to do something meaningful, to make a difference in the lives of others.
When she’s kidnapped and taken into the Ruins as a pawn in a dispute involving her boyfriend, Bryce, her ideal world is turned upside down. What she learns while in the Ruins shakes her faith in everything she’s ever known, from Bryce, to her family, and even the Union itself.
Now Evan must choose whether to stay with Cyrus, the sexy, resourceful survivor who believes she’s in the Ruins for a reason, or return to the only life she’s ever known. But when she stumbles upon a dangerous plot that threatens both worlds, her decision could tear her apart.
An Excerpt
The sun hangs low,
balancing delicately on treetops when someone calls my name. One of the
brothers is coming toward me holding hiking boots in one hand and a pair of
socks in the other. Pale eyes. Cyrus. I guess they’re tag-teaming me now.
Relief washes over his
features when he spots me. Seriously?
After how they found me, just how stupid does he think I am?
Blowing out a mouthful
of air, I realize I need to make the best of this situation until I can get
home.
Cyrus hands me the
boots and socks. “I got a size seven. Let me know if they don’t fit.”
“Thanks.” While lacing
up my boots, I decide if I’m going to make the best of things, I need to start
by apologizing. “I’m sorry about last night. About screaming at you the way I
did.”
He studies me for a
moment, his golden brown eyes sizing me up. I brace myself for a lecture on how
I owe them for rescuing me, but all he says is, “Apology accepted.”
Not what I was
expecting. “Can I ask you something?”
He reaches a hand out
to help me off the rock. “Sure.”
“How many people live
out here?”
We start back to the
house and I need to take three steps for every two of his to keep up with his
longer strides.
“If you mean the land
mass outside the Union, I don’t know, but in this valley, a few thousand. Why?”
“Just curious, I
guess.”
I survey my
surroundings with objectivity for the first time and I’m struck by the raw
beauty, so different from the planned and cultivated Union.
Cyrus stares at me,
like he wants to say something more, but he just runs a hand through his hair.
“We should get inside. It’s almost time to eat.”
T.H. Hernandez Bio:
When I'm not writing, you can find me with my nose in a book, hanging out with family and friends, hiking, or knitting. I'm obsessed with Facebook, young adult novels, bad lip reading videos, pumpkin spice lattes, microbrewed beers, and the San Diego Chargers.
Buy Links:
Links:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Post a Comment
Comments are bloggy food.
Feed our blog...