{"id":10982,"date":"2016-08-13T09:53:38","date_gmt":"2016-08-13T13:53:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=10982"},"modified":"2016-12-19T08:33:23","modified_gmt":"2016-12-19T13:33:23","slug":"arc-review-shadow-falling-the-scorpius-syndrome-2-by-rebecca-zanetti","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=10982","title":{"rendered":"ARC Review: Shadow Falling (The Scorpius Syndrome, #2) by Rebecca Zanetti"},"content":{"rendered":"

Buy:\u00a0Kindle Ebook <\/a>\u00a0| \u00a0Paperback<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n
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\r\n <\/div><\/div>\n
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Review<\/strong><\/h4>\n

4 Action-packed, Romantic, Intense, Badass Stars <\/b><\/p>\n

This is the second full-length novel in the Scorpius Syndrome<\/i> series, and like the first it\u2019s one hell of a ride! This book picks up pretty much straight after the end of Mercury Striking<\/a>, and I would definitely recommend reading these books in order so that you understand the world, the characters who inhabit it and the intricate politics and dynamics at play.<\/p>\n

I love Rebecca Zanetti\u2019s writing and she has created a detailed, slightly terrifying post-apocalyptic world where 99% of the population of the US has been killed off by the Scorpius virus. Life on earth now is made up of the few that have remained uninfected and those who have been infected and survived. However those survivors are left with permanent damage \u2013 ranging from mild behavioural and physical alterations to sociopathic behaviour to the full-on crazed zombie-ism of the Rippers from which there is no return. It\u2019s a scary world, and in the last book we met Jax Mercury who has set up and leads the Vanguard compound in the middle of what used to be LA for survivors to band together to survive. They hunt and scavenge for supplies, and Jax\u2019s partner, brilliant scientist Lynne Harmony, works towards finding a cure for the virus, or at least a way to survive once infected.<\/p>\n

Raze Shadow is one of Jax\u2019s lieutenants. He is highly trained and absolutely deadly, but the man is a mystery. He has secrets he has no intention of sharing and keeps to himself most of the time. In the exciting climax of Mercury Striking<\/i> Raze was involved in the dramatic rescue of renowned FBI profiler Dr Vivienne \u2018Vinnie\u2019 Wellington. Now safely back at the Vanguard compound, things are about to get all kinds of complicated for them all.<\/p>\n

During her captivity, Vinnie was tortured and injected with experimental drugs. Her ability to understand and interpret behaviour has gone from skilled to partially psychic, and she is terrified that she is starting to go crazy. But she finds comfort in the presence of the enigmatic soldier who saved her. Raze is equally as attracted to Vinnie, but he is on a secret mission and he can\u2019t let himself get too close to anybody.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a great dynamic between the unexpected couple. Vinnie is a bit quirky and part of her post-Scorpius\/drug side effects is the fact that she blurts out pretty much every thought that comes into her head. It\u2019s funny and endearing, and her candour and obvious affection for him softens the hardass Raze who realizes that he can\u2019t resist her any more than she can resist him.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou feel it too, right?\u201d As impossible as the world had become, this feeling between them, whatever it was, felt <\/i>good. There was actually something good. She began to lean back, but he stopped her with both hands on her hips\u2026
\n\u201cI feel it. Us.\u201d His hold tightened with definite strength. \u201cI\u2019m not the good guy who\u2019ll tell you to go once we get started, Vinnie. You give me one taste of you, and I won\u2019t let you leave until I\u2019m done. Until I have all of you. I\u2019m not that strong.\u201d
\n\u201cYou\u2019re strong.\u201d\u2026
\n\u201cNot strong enough to let you go.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I really like this couple together. Their coming together is hot and intense with great banter and all of the outbursts and arguments inherent when you get a strong heroine who goes after what she wants, and a super-possessive badass. The super-passionate sexy time brings intensity to everything that is developing between them, and their bickering adds a sense of fun and lightness, and there\u2019s an emotional connection between them which is really sweet.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t heal me.\u201d
\n\u201cI can,\u201d she said. \u201cI don\u2019t know how, and you\u2019re a threat to my heart, but I can heal you. I can make you feel better.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

All of this unfolds amidst the drama and danger of life for our survivors. The ever-present risk of the virus and the mad race to find a cure, threats from the gangs and Rippers that inhabit their surrounds, a new threat developing right inside the walls of the compound and the sociopathic President wants both Lynne and Vinnie back and will do anything to get them. Add to that Raze\u2019s secret mission and the danger that that brings to the group. It\u2019s a rollercoaster of death, danger and deception, and the action is full on.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a fallacy to believe that man is at his most dangerous when he has nothing to lose\u2026the most ferocious of predators emerge when a man has everything to lose.<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And through it all the characters and their unique personalities absolutely shine! From the ruthless badassery of Jax and Raze (and newly introduced Greyson), the flirtatious and filterless Tace and the intelligent, smartass women, I really enjoyed them. I loved the camaraderie between them and the dynamics between the group is fantastic. And in the dark and dangerous world they inhabit, the developing friendships and moments of lightness are a real highlight.<\/p>\n

\u201cGirlfriend? You need to get yourself a gag.\u201d Lynne Harmony murmured from her perch on the love seat.
\nVinnie faltered and then continued in to flop into her leather chair. \u201cI screamed his name. He said I was going to scream his name, and I actually did it.\u201d She shook her head.<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It all blends wonderfully to give us a well-balanced read that is exciting, dramatic, suspenseful, romantic, sexy and action-packed. There\u2019s a lot going on but it\u2019s well paced so it doesn\u2019t overwhelm, and it makes for a great read. The set-up is there for at least two more books, both of which I can\u2019t wait to get my hands on!<\/p>\n

I loved it \u2013 4 stars.<\/p>\n

Advanced Review Copy generously provided by publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.<\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Scorpius Syndrome\u00a0series<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\"scorpius-rising\"\u00a0 \"Mercury\u00a0\u00a0\"Shadow\u00a0\u00a0\"justice-ascending\"\u00a0\u00a0\"\"<\/h4>\n

\"\"\u00a0 \"\"\u00a0\u00a0\"\"<\/h4>\n

Scorpius\u00a0<\/strong>Rising (#0.5 Scorpius Syndrome\/Brigade Novella) <\/b>(Deke & Nora)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0Kindle Ebook<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0|\u00a0 Paperback<\/a> (available\u00a0in the compilation\u00a0On the Hunt)<\/p>\n

Mercury Striking (#1) <\/strong>(Jax & Lynne)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0\u00a0Kindle Ebook<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0\u00a0Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n

Shadow Falling (#2) <\/strong>(Raze & Vinnie)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0\u00a0Kindle Ebook<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0\u00a0Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n

Justice Ascending (#3) <\/strong>(Tace & Sami)
\n Review<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Kindle Ebook\u00a0<\/a> |\u00a0 Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n

Storm Gathering (#4)<\/strong> (Greyson & Moe)
\n<\/strong>Review<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Kindle Ebook<\/a><\/p>\n

Blaze Erupting<\/strong> (#4.5 Scorpius Syndrome\/Brigade Novella) <\/strong>(Hugh & Eleanor)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Kindle Ebook\u00a0<\/a> |\u00a0 Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n

Winter Igniting (#5)<\/strong> (Damon & April)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Kindle Ebook<\/a><\/p>\n

Knight Awakening (#6)<\/strong> (Marcus & Penny)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Kindle Ebook<\/a><\/p>\n

Power Surging (Scorpius Syndrome\/Brigade Novella)<\/strong>
\nTo be released<\/p>\n

Hunter Advancing (Scorpius Syndrome\/Brigade Novella)<\/strong>
\nTo be released<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

For more reads like this one, see our Action\/Adventure Recommendations<\/a> Page<\/strong><\/h4>\n

And check out our Rebecca Zanetti Author Spotlight<\/a> for more reads from this author<\/strong><\/h4>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Buy:\u00a0Kindle Ebook \u00a0| \u00a0Paperback Review 4 Action-packed, Romantic, Intense, Badass Stars This is the second full-length novel in the Scorpius Syndrome series, and like the first it\u2019s one hell of a ride! This book picks […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6442,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","yasr_overall_rating":4,"yasr_post_is_review":"","yasr_auto_insert_disabled":"","yasr_review_type":"Product","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[79,118,9,29],"tags":[59,305,48,317],"class_list":["post-10982","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-action","category-post-apocalyptic","category-romance","category-steamy","tag-arc","tag-rebecca-zanetti","tag-review","tag-scorpius-syndrome"],"yasr_visitor_votes":{"stars_attributes":{"read_only":false,"span_bottom":false},"number_of_votes":0,"sum_votes":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Shadow-Falling.jpg?fit=150%2C245&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7gaNL-2R8","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10982","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10982"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10982\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6442"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10982"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10982"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10982"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}