Review of 'Into the End' by Bonnie R. Paulson

 

Into the End - Book #1

Rachel Parker in Into the End can IDENTIFY fear, she can DEFINE it, but she doesn't feel it. Not anymore. Not since the tests.

Her inability to feel fear may be the reason why the rest of America is screaming in terror.

America’s end is near.

No one knows why, but the great country is under attack.

After being weakened by countless natural disasters, America opens its airspace for aid. But instead, what is left of the devastated west coast finds itself nearly obliterated from above. The key may belong to tests designed by a Pacific Northwest psychologist, Rachel Parker.

Rachel loses the love of her life in a house fire as they escape with their children to the nearby Rocky Mountains following the first round of air raids. In refuge, she faces her husband’s best friend, Joshua, but doesn’t want to face his ill-harbored feelings or her own inability to face fear.

Her sister, Brenda, escapes the fallen city, and, mistaken for Rachel, is captured. Terrified and alone, Brenda is protected by the enigmatic Daniel even while he helps keep her captive. Through torture and mind games, Brenda discovers information about her sister’s work that could spin the free world into a tumultuous frenzy where the unknown is safer than reality.


**My thoughts**

I am not a huge fan of dystopian books, but something in me was telling me to take a chance on this series for the book tour. 

WOW.

When the Pacific Northwest starts to be bombed, Rachel and Andy grab their kids, hop on the four-wheelers, and take off for their property buried in the woods. Andy's paranoia about some sort of apocalypse coming and insistence on preparing this shelter has paid off. But there are secrets about their neighbor and a mystery about his true relationship with Rachel and her family in the past. Rachel is also harboring her own secrets that can make your stomach turn.

Brenda, Rachel's lookalike sister, learns how to find strength within herself that she never knew she had. Then, there is Tom, a wayward young man, who also has a mysterious past with Rachel.

The action is nonstop. Bonnie effortlessly shifts from scene to scene and chapter to chapter. Everyone's lives are so deeply intertwined, that a decision by one can affect all of them. Their decisions can also impact the world as a whole, as America is falling apart, thanks to an attack from an unnamed source. You're left questioning, "Why?" just as much as the characters in the book. You feel their fear and discomfort as they frantically try to save themselves and their loved ones. I could not put it down and was up half of the night finishing it.

This installment in the series comes to a satisfying close, not really one of those obnoxious cliffhangers. At the same time, you need to also know what happens next, and find yourself compelled to immediately begin on book 2.

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Through The Flames - Book #2

Allies = All Lies

America is burning. The unknown blinds the citizens from fighting.

Dr. Rachel Parker’s worst psychological designs are loosed on America by an unknown enemy. She leaves the safety of the mountains for the destruction of town to face her co-designer, Daniel, whose role is blurred by the smoke of deception. Captured by militia, Rachel has to find the answers she’s seeking. She’s not prepared to look within her own damaged mind for the solutions. Rachel’s frame of sanity and emotional stability lay on the line parallel to the country’s circumstances.

Brenda Krous, Rachel’s sister, possesses information that could change the face of the war. Sacrifices to get there become more and more personal until the “Brenda” she was and the “Brenda” she is becoming hit a crossroads. If she finds the compassion to help her sister, her patriotism to the nation might be sacrificed.

**My thoughts**

In this second book, another action-packed adventure, your loyalties to some of the characters begin to change. Some of them are not quite the wonderful people you had originally thought. You even find yourself beginning to feel a bit of compassion for some of the perceived bad guys. You feel your heart being wrenched as tough decisions have to be made, especially involving young children. I think I even held back a tear or two.

By the time I got to this book, I actually felt the need to create my own survival pack. I started asking myself what I would do should my area be attacked. Where would I go? Could I really survive trapped in my house for several days? I also started to question the morals associated with experimentation to find out what makes people tick.

Again, my nose was glued to my Kindle until the wee hours. I sat outside wrapped up in blanket, reading until my Fire's battery was drained. The nonstop action continues, making the pages fly.  

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Out of the Ashes - Book #3 (Final Book)

America can rise, but the cost is high.

Traumatized by previous exposure to her own tests, Dr. Rachel Parker has to complete the methodical steps she swore would never see the light of day… on herself. Her sister, Brenda Krous, may be the only one capable of pulling her through intact.

If they can accomplish the feat and find resolution together, the answers they discover can help the rest of America rise up and reclaim itself from the protection of destruction.

But a nation’s fall has a time frame and pride can get in the way. Rachel and Brenda must find what they need in each other to conquer the fear in others.

Purchase on Amazon

 

Bonnie R. Paulson mixes her science and medical background with reality and possibilities to make even myths seem likely and give every romance the genetic strength to survive. Bonnie has discovered a dark and twisty turn in her writing that she hopes you enjoy as much as she has enjoyed uncovering it. Dirt biking with her family in the Northwest keeps her sane.

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