Captivating from the first chapter to the last, this book has it all. Mystery, romance, and a storyline like no other.

There are enough significant differences between our current Covid-19 pandemic and the flu pandemic in this book that reading it did not bother me. It was actually a great escape from reality. I loved the story and its characters and I'm now eagerly waiting for the next book, Maelstrom.

Thank you to Cougar Creek Publishing LLC and NetGalley for access in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 stars
I might have given this one 5 stars IF I didn’t feel like we were living a very mild version of this right now and if I didn’t feel like a few parts stretched on too long. Otherwise, I really enjoyed this one.
I’m into these types of stories when done right. Which I won’t tell you about since I enjoyed going into this story blind. There is a flu and everyone seems to be dying. At first I thought they were turning into zombies... and maybe some do briefly... I’m not sure.
Great concept for a story and I’m really looking forward to the second book.

First, I liked this book enough that I want to know what happens to Ripper and Mac in book 2 and plan to keep an eye out for Maelstrom!

The beginning of Ripper and Kenzie’s relationship didn’t sit well with me. There were conversations between them and her inner dialogue that were a bit awkward. I’d like to have understood more about why Ripper went from Army Ranger to Biker. He could’ve built custom bikes without joining a gang. I also struggled with Kyle — his immature attitude and his placement in the story.... BUT, I do see in the end how it all comes together for the story line to progress to a second book.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

** spoiler alert ** I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and am providing an honest review.

I'm a bit of a junkie for dystopian stories, so requesting to read Pandemonium, a book in which a pandemic leads to the collapsing of society, was a no-brainer for me. Overall, I enjoyed this read, but I will say it had a bit of a slow start for me. As I think about it, I don't know if I've read many, if any, books that start at the downfall. I usually come into these stories after people have "adjusted" to their new lives and we get to see what that looks like.

However, here, for about the first 25% of the book, it's Kenzie in denial about what's going on and they group trying to set their lives up for this new reality. Then there's Kenzie and Ripper's budding romance, including a couple of date-like activities that felt really out-of-place in the backdrop of a world in ruin. Even Ripper taking Kenzie to the shooting range -- an activity meant to develop some survival skills -- seemed more like an opportunity for him to feel her up. And while we're on this subject, they did daily target practice for over a month. Did they not feel like they should be saving ammunition?

Needless-to-say I was a bit nervous for the first quarter of the book because I was expecting more action than I was getting. Luckily things picked up from there and kept a pretty steady rhythm. As is always the case, other humans are almost more of a threat than the disease. That lead to the need to navigate a few precarious situations. Through it all, Ripper was steady and Miles was incredibly prepared. I think Ripper and Miles were my favorite parts of this book, specifically how Ripper interacted with Miles. It made my heart melt.

I was quite apathetic to Kenzie and I wasn't fully sold on her relationship with Ripper initially. Time after time she underestimated Ripper's character, which resulted in him making her feel like crap about it. It always seemed like Kenzie didn't feel good enough and was trying to prove herself to Ripper, which didn't seem like a healthy basis of a relationship. Eventually, they grew on me, though.

I'd like to briefly talk about how wordy some scenes were (as my review gets incredibly wordy). The first sex scene was constantly interrupted by random thoughts from Kenzie, completely ruining the mood (not for them, I guess) and drawing that scene out to be much longer than necessary. There's also the scene where Kenzie saves the doctor from two guys who were attacking and trying to rob him. They then sit there talking. Exposed. At night. While her cousin and ex are dying from the flu at home. You know? The whole reason she left the house. The whole time, I'm anxious because Miles had a fever of 104 when she left. They couldn't have talked while they were walking back to the house?

How did Miles even get the flu? Was it just floating in the air? Unless it goes unmentioned (which I highly doubt because everything is mentioned), I don't think he had left the compound recently or encountered anyone. I mean, if he had left, I could totally see him getting it. None of them took precautions against it, despite the flu's mortality rate having to be at least above 90%. No masks. A general attitude that they probably had already been exposed, so why try to prevent anything (*eye roll*). Kenzie had even kissed a flu-stricken Miles on his sweaty forehead. What?

Despite the aforementioned gripes, I still enjoyed the story the author crafted. It kept me invested in everyone's outcomes. I'm even considering what the author might have planned for the next book in this series. There was no cliffhanger and everything was nicely wrapped up, so I'm not sure what's in store for them next, but I'd like to know ;-).

I throughly enjoyed this book. Given the recent times, I found the book sobering and did notice the differences which made it easier to read. I felt for the characters and felt the connection between them. I am looking forward to the next installment in the series.

The resemblance between this novel and current events is uncanny especially when the author states that this novel was finished prior to the current pandemic.

Overall, the story is a detailed look at a diverse group of people as they navigate the crisis. Each character is fleshed out with distinct personalities, while the world is around them also being detailed and relevant to the story. That doesn’t mean that the characters are always likable, but they do contribute to the narrative.

The story itself drags out and feels much longer than it’s already considerable page count. There are many dramatic and emotional scenes that can be shocking and touching. However, after awhile, it can also be mentally and emotionally taxing on the reader, especially in today’s situation. And while the story also has numerous erotic scenes, they sometimes feel forced or out of place in the narrative.


In the end, Pandemonium is an entertaining read even with it’s issues.

The parallels between this book and our current situation with corona were fascinating, especially in light of the authors note at the beginning of the book saying that it was finished pre-virus. Life imitating art in this case! It was a bit creepy how things lined up at first, especially with the rioting and such, but luckily real life isn't quite as devastating as the book. Beyond the virus though the book is about people, Ripper, bad boy biker and military veteran, Kenzie the beautiful but clueless college coed and her cousin Miles, the autistic prepper who brings them together. What I liked about their characters was that they were kind of the opposite of what you would expect. Ripper, though rough, tough and backs it up, is also really emotionally mature and healthy and relationship minded, where as Kenzie is the one with commitment and trust issues. I am not normally a fan of insta-love but in this case it works well, and their chemistry is pretty well written.