fight the tideRating: 4.75 stars
Buy Links: 
 Amazon | All Romance | Amazon UK
Length: Novel


After barely making it across the country with their lives, Parker and Adam managed to survive the zombie apocalypse long enough to make it to the relative safety of the ocean. The zombies continue to decimate the world, but since they avoid the water, their boat on the ocean provides a temporary shelter. But things are still not safe. The guys have to make constant runs for supplies on land, not to mention that the few remaining survivors are not all friendly. On top of that, even though the boat is keeping them fairly protected, with no destination and no place to go for safe harbor, Adam and Parker are just sailing around, taking it day by day with no long-term plan.

There is one glimmer of hope, and that is Salvation Island, a supposed safe haven that they keep hearing about over the ship’s radio. Parker is wary and doesn’t even want to consider taking a chance on it, too worried it is false security and a trap lays waiting. Ever since their experience at the Pines where Adam was drugged and experimented upon, Parker has been incredibly nervous about strangers. Seeing Adam hurt terrified Parker and he doesn’t trust anyone anymore. Parker wants to just stick with Adam and not have anything to do with anybody else, especially when Parker is threatened by some other survivors they encounter. But as bad as things were at the Pines, seeing another werewolf has made Adam anxious to find more of his kind. Not just that, but anxious for a community, to be around other people and not be so isolated. So Adam thinks it is worth trying for Salvation Island and taking a chance that it could be a safe place for them.

Adam and Parker continue to face dangers at sea, and little hope of anything changing on land. The guys are committed to each other and to being together. But now they must decide if they are going to stick to themselves and try to make it on their own, or whether they will risk everything and hope to find a place to settle.

I absolutely loved Keira Andrew’s Kick at the Darkness. The road trip story of young love amidst the zombie apocalypse was one of my favorites of 2015. So I was thrilled to learn that what was originally a single story was being developed into a series, with Fight the Tide as the second installment.

This story takes a little bit of a different tone, but I thought it was excellent as well. The first book is all about the high octane as Parker and Adam are fleeing in the wake of the zombie infestation and pretty much every minute is a fight for their lives. Though the romance and the connection between them is well developed, more of the focus is on the suspense end. In this second story, things are reversed. While the book still has plenty of intense moments and we can definitely feel the dire situations these guys face, the focus is more on the relationship between Parker and Adam and learning more about them. There are more quiet moments where the guys can catch their breaths and focus on the connection between them. The story is still exciting with plenty of thrills, but there is not quite as much emphasis on the suspense end.

Andrews takes the story in a really interesting direction as these guys are completely devoted to one another, but at the same time, are at odds about how to go forward. Parker is frankly traumatized by seeing Adam attacked and hurt. When Parker himself is threatened as well, the combination just leaves him so scared of trusting anyone but Adam. At the same time, Adam struggles with his desire for community and connection. That feeling was always there, but meeting another werewolf has awakened that need even more. He barely remembers the details from his attack, so it is actually much more raw for Parker than for Adam. Adam doesn’t see a future for them without finding some place to settle, but figuring out where that might be, and finding a place where Parker can feel safe seems impossible.

What I loved so much about this story is that despite this built in conflict, Parker and Adam remain completely committed to each other. They are clearly so in love and their bond is so strong, that even as they disagree their primary goal is to take care of each other. They just aren’t sure exactly how. I love seeing how this relationship has grown from enemies at the start of the first book, to deep and intense love in this story. In particular, the unconditional way they love and accept one another. Knowing Parker loves him even with his wolf side means so much to Adam, and I loved seeing the thrill he gets from Parker’s total acceptance. The guys are romantic and sweet and crazy hot together. I mean, crazy hot. I’ll also mention you have never seen a fisting scene quite like this one, I can almost guarantee it. Whew.

So I absolutely loved Fight the Tide and highly recommend it. You are going to want to read it after Kick at the Darkness, but trust me, that is no hardship. I loved the chance to revisit these characters and this world again in the second book and can not wait for more in the series.

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