The latest installment of Clair Kent's dystopian romance series, "Homestead," focuses on survival and how unexpected alliances take center stage. As the only child of wealthy parents, Chloe lived a rarified and sheltered life before Impact. After the world changes, her grandfather continues to look after her, but a series of events causes her to lose everything and exposes her to a dangerous world with little to no protection. This catalyst forces her to rely on the kindness of strangers, including Jimmy Carlson, a quiet man who offers protection in exchange for partnership. As Chloe and Jimmy navigate this fragile new existence, the story unfolds with tension, romance, and the complexities of trust in a harsh new reality. Kent's novel is perfect for fans of dystopian romance.

I really wanted to like this book, I really did. I love post apocalyptic or dystopian settings however, this book was so mired down in the day to day that it felt like it just dragged (and not a whole lot happened).

It’s 9 years since a meteor landed and changed the world changed and our heroine has been living in an underground bunker with her grandfather the whole time. When they surface to look for food her grandfather is killed and our heroine ends up becoming part of a small community. She is approached by one of the men to be his live in companion/partner and with no other options she decided to take him up on his offer.

While there are definitely steamy scenes I feel like the actual romance and journey to love was missing.

4.5 stars rounded up. I love this series. This is a dystopian series with 0 fantasy. It's about humans surviving after an asteroid hits the Earth. There is uncertainty, lack of safety, community and food. This is book 7 but could be read as a standalone. These are entirely different characters and community than previous books.

In this story, Chloe, has been living in the woods with her grandfather for 9 years. They have a lot of amenities and have not interacted with other humans since the asteroid hit. One day they are driving their ATV out to look for supplies and they are attacked by a man on the trail. Chloe's grandfather is shot and she is alone in the world.

Chloe meets Jimmy, a part of a local community, who saves her and lets her know that they were in the middle of an unsafe area. He takes he back to the community where she is taken in by his parents and others that have been working together to survive.

Chloe has done many things with her grandfather over the years, but her grandfather had some outdated ideas of what girls can do, and didn't teach her a lot of things she needed to know to survive without him. Right away Chloe feels like she owes this community and works hard to learn and earn her keep. There is a girl in the group that has been interested in Jimmy, and lets Chloe assume they have a relationship, and also appears to be a person that attracts drama, and does not work as hard as she could. I always expected Laura to be a villain in this book but she doesn't really play into the plot after that scene which was nice, but unexpected.

Jimmy offers Chloe a "partner" relationship where she would live with him on his close by land, and they would essentially be a couple. Chloe would do the "indoor' tasks and Jimmy will do the 'outdoor" tasks. Things go pretty well, but Chloe is always worried that she isn't living up to her end of the bargain. That and the fact that Jimmy doesn't talk much about his feelings is the major portion of the storyline.

Chloe is attacked while Jimmy is off working at his parents' farm, Jimmy's back goes out, and finally she becomes pregnant but all along they don't discuss their relationship and Chloe always feels like she's not fulfilling her end of the bargain.

Finally the two of them are kidnapped, and they admit they're in love with each other. The realities of their feelings and miscommunication don't make this the best book in the series, and both characters aren't the most compelling, but I still enjoyed the book and can't wait to keep reading as many books as Claire Kent wants to give us in this dystopian world.

I received a promotional copy and am giving an honest review.

wow!! what an amazing book!! I loved this so much! you know one of my absolute favourite tropes is arranged marriage/marriage of convienience and this book encapsulated all that i love about it haha!

The book started with Chloe's grandpa dying forcing her to go along with Jimmy to his town and staying with his family. after a couple of weeks of grieving he asks her to be his wife! Chloe was not expecting this but is greatly pleased with the opportunity to fit in somewhere.

This premise leads to a beautiful story of love and companionship. I thought the conflict in this book was thrilling and engaging. all in all another BRILLIANT instalment in this series and im so sad its gonna be ending soon! this is one of my all time favourite worlds and im so happy to have read it all.

Thank you Claire Kent for an ARC of this book <3

This was....interesting. Not something I would pick up and read based on the description alone. I loved the cover-it caught my attention. Reading the description I was half sure I was going to hate it. I actually really enjoyed this book!! Thank you!

I am still obsessed with this series 7 books in and the latest instalment doesn’t miss. I love this take on marriage of convenience in a dystopian setting, and it was really interesting to see how the stakes of this trope can become incredibly high and how Chloe and Jimmy navigate these obstacles. I loved this instalment and I will read anything in this universe. Can’t wait for the next in the series!

I have been binging this series (books 6 & 7)since I got the arc for this book. And it didn’t disappoint.

Chloe and Jimmy meet quite unexpectedly when Chloe is in danger. He saves her when she is orphaned and brings her to his community. Sheltered from everything, Chloe is quite innocent but very hardworking. I loved how she powered through all the obstacles life kept on throwing at her. But her life is quite precarious so when Jimmy put forth a preposition she agrees ( and that scene was my favourite)!

I really love this series and this is one of the realistic books in it with struggles that they face in post apocalyptic world, which is devoid of even basic necessities.
There is a learning curve between Jimmy and Chloe and the author has captured and written it beautifully. This is one of the book where I really wish we could’ve read Hero’s POV because Jimmy is a taciturn. But I really loved how much of a softie he was. He was really kind and patient. I loved that when things hit a rough patch, they communicated with each other.
It was good to see Rachel, Cal and Mack. Can’t wait to read Mack’s book and I really really hope this author will continue this series or write a spinoff.

—post apocalypse romance.
—partner with benefits.
—grumpy, taciturn hero.
—age gap, TW, KU and safe.

All my reviews (AMAZON, GOODREADS AND BOOKSTAGRAM ) are live and link is given below.

This is, absolutely, one of the best apocalyptic romances I've ever read. Post-apocalyptic and dystopian reads aren't usually my favorites since so many get bogged down in darkness, but there was a lot of light and sweet in this story. Still plenty of tension, tight situations, and a looming sense of danger. I liked that this is a single, first person POV story from h, even with Jimmy being stoic and not as talkative.

As for Chloe and Jimmy, they're both likable, caring, strong, and vulnerable at times. Neither has let the end of the world turn them into something they're not, despite their grief over who and what they've lost. Their journey isn't without obstacles. I really like the character development, the author has amazingly described. How Travis grew from a man of no words to someone having meaningful conversations and how he shows Chloe that she is enough.

I was never bored while reading this story. It had the right mix of romance and action although to me it was more a romance book with action which is always my preference.The epilogue is a sweet HEA that I felt like this couple truly earned and deserved.

Can't wait to read the next and last book in this series. Well done, Claire. You got my five stars.

ARC provided by NetGalley

I really enjoyed this. It was different from anything else I had read. I do want to read some of the other books in the series.

I really, really enjoyed reading this. Claire Kent’s writing is just so easy to read – it flows so nicely and has a lovely conversational feel to it. Though there’s a lot of heavy content in this book, it never feels like it; likewise, there are huge stretches of this novel where there isn’t a lot actually happening but, again, it doesn’t feel like it.

This book is definitely focused on the relationship between Chloe and Jimmy, and the romance that develops between them. This is not a big, sweeping, dramatic romance, but something slow and gentle. Not slow in a physical sense – there’s a lot of sex scenes in this book and this is the foundation that their relationship is based on. But the physical side of their relationship complements the emotional side well. You can see them developing deeper feelings and trying to navigate the conflict between their initial ‘arrangement’ and the fact they’re developing real feelings. There’s also a realism to the book – the author doesn’t shy away from addressing things such as personal hygiene and the sex scenes are realistic, flaws and all. It really adds to the depth of the relationship that develops between the two of them.
This book is miscommunication-heavy, but the author does it so well – and when the final conflict between them happens, it feels natural, realistic.

There’s also plenty of external intrigue and drama to keep things interesting, and it did not detract from the romance. It worked very well alongside the romantic plot. That said, there is some very heavy content here, so please, do check content warnings.

Overall, this was a really, really lovely book in a lot of ways. The way that the romance develops feels very natural and realistic. The content is heavy, yes, but the author is very skilled at making it an easy read. I would recommend it to anyone who likes science fiction, post-apocalyptic romance with a forced proximity, relationship of convenience couple. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a free copy of this book.

Content Notes: Violent death of a parent (in past), violent death of a grandparent (on-page), death of a spouse (in past), death in childbirth (in past), death of a child (both in past and on-page), death, murder, attempted murder, violence, gun violence, knife violence, blood, attempted rape, attempted kidnap, explosions / explosives, vomiting, morning sickness, depiction of post-apocalyptic society, on-page sex, unprotected sex (view spoiler), spanking, oral sex, pregnancy..

I have loved every book in this series. It gives me some hope for humanity if something like this ever did happen that we could rebuild our communities and still find our people. And in these stories that means finding love too, usually unexpectedly as you will see in this book. I loved how sweet and gentle our hero was, they were both falling in love and both were afraid to admit it to the other. As usual the spice was all there too and done well as I always expect from this author. Do yourself a favor and pick up this series and this book you will not be disappointed and you’ll find yourself unable to put them down.

4.5 stars

Homestead is book 7 in the Kindled series, and I loved it from beginning to end. It had a completely different feel from the previous books, this time we are in an established farming community. Chloe has lived a very sheltered life with her grandfather until he is killed. She is rescued by Jimmy who brings her to his community where she starts to live and tries to find her place in this new world without her grandfather. Jimmy was immediately smitten with Chloe so he asked her if she would be his partner and woman. Chloe broke my heart at times, she had no idea about relationships or what's expected of a partner, so she tried to be perfect at all times. Jimmy was awesome, he treated Chloe so good but like a typical man he was blind to certain things. I loved when they finally talked and shared their feelings and Chloe finally found her voice. As a couple Jimmy and Chloe were wonderful and there was definitely lots of spice. I can't wait for Mack's book, and I really hope this author continues to write more books in this series.

3.5 stars. This was a pretty good addition to this dystopian series, even if it is not my favorite. Chloe was young when the world changed forever, a virus wiped out most of the world's population, and her parents died. She was raised by her prepper grandfather and was very sheltered from other people, during this dangerous, lawless time in history. When her grandfather is killed, she is saved by Jimmy and brought to live in his family's compound. The people are welcoming, but it is very foreign to her and she feels she must do whatever she can to make everyone happy and secure her safety. Jimmy is a widower and the son of the couple running the compound. He has his own home and land. He asks Chloe to come live with him and be his woman and help him with the farm. They are basically strangers in an arranged "marriage" and there are definitely bumps in the road as their relationship develops.

This book was a mixed bag for me. A pretty good story, but not a great romance. It reminds me of women sent on the wagon train during prairie times to meet a husband they are contracted to and have never met, for practicality and survival. Chloe was so naive and sheltered, unsure how to interact with people. She was a little too dense and it annoyed me at times, although I understood why she was the way she was. Jimmy, as a widower, should have acted more experienced in relationships. But he was also very poor at communicating. They had little chemistry, which also made sense as they barely talked most of the time. The two of them were childlike at times and their sexy scenes were awkward, not steamy. Still, by the end I liked them together. Even if this book is not my favorite of the series, I still enjoyed it and I am looking forward to Mack's story, hopefully soon to come.

4.5 stars! Homestead is the newest installment in Claire Kent’s post apocalyptic Kindled series and I really enjoyed this one! I love the series as a whole but this one was so good on its own too.

It’s been 9 years since Impact happened on earth and we meet Chloe. She was 14 when Impact happened, her parents were killed, and she barely made it out alive with her grandpa. Her grandpa had been a “prepper” for years and so he and Chloe lived on their own relatively safely, yet isolated, for 8 years. The story kicks off with Chloe losing her grandpa and finding herself in a very dangerous situation with no where to go. She ends up meeting Jimmy who saves her and takes her back to the community of farmers where he lives!

Shortly after Jimmy has a proposition for Chloe, come and live with him at his cabin, they can handle the daily chores and workload together, but also be a true partner to him since he’s lonely too. I really liked this take on a “partnership of convenience” if you will! Jimmy is a protector and a bit gruff and closed off (but what hero isn’t in this series 😂) and Chloe feels like she owes him everything for taking her in. Sometimes Chloe drove me bonkers with her thinking and logic, but at the same time I got why she was confused and always trying to be a pleaser and not thinking they had actual feelings for one another since it started off as an arrangement. Their moments together, once they both get it together and are on the same page, were so sweet and I did really like them as a couple! Lots of slower, daily life moments with this one but still some real stakes and dangers thrown in too. I just adore this series overall and highly recommend if you like similar vibes!

I received an ARC, all thoughts in this review are my own!

I really enjoyed this book. This is such a good comfort read! I have such a soft spot for apocalyptic books. The plot is pretty simple, but I thought it was cool and realistic. I have read book 1 in this series and then read this one, Thebookrefuge on YouTube always raves about this books. You can read this as a standalone. Can’t wait to read more books by her.

I love everything Claire Kent writes ❀༉‧₊
Her writing always captivates me, she has a way of constructing her stories that makes you can't stop reading her books.

The plot may seem simple, there are no major conflicts beyond how Chloe and Jimmy build their relationship, but the plot is not without appeal. I couldn't stop reading. I needed to know how the two of them will become more than just two people who need something from each other, so you'll read it in one sitting.

Chloe is a very young girl and grew up apart from this new world, so she found in Jimmy a refuge and, later, love. I found Jimmy to be a very sweet man, a little closed off, but very sweet and concerned about Chloe's needs. When he asks her if she wants to be with him, he may seem very direct, but Jimmy turned out to be a very sweet man. I think it was one of my favorite moments in the book, it's a bit of an awkward scene for them, but I enjoyed it very much.

“So thought... thought I'd ask... you.”
“Ask me what?”
“Ask if you wanna be my woman.”

Homestead is Book 7 (technically Book 8 if you count Last Light) of Claire Kent’s post-apocalyptic romance series Kindled, which follows characters surviving in a post-asteroid decimated world, and finding dirty, stinky, sweet love along the way, as well as attempts to rebuild civilization.

While the worldbuilding is never truly expanded beyond that essential premise, because these books are so intimately character focused, I never felt lacking in any way; rather, the setting provides a unique background for a romance.

Claire Kent’s writing continues to be utterly readable, bingeable, and digestible. Literally throw in any other synonym and you’d be correct. Her writing just flows, almost like it has a sentient mind of its own. It’s choppy and brusque when it needs to be, perhaps to show the early gruffness of the MMC, Jimmy Morgan. It’s also stilted when it needs to be, really hitting home to the reader that the early stage of Jimmy and the FMC Chloe’s relationship is awkward and tentative, and we’ll see it grow over the course of the book, complemented by the writing itself. There’s no pretenses or fluff to Claire Kent’s writing, she just has a story to tell, and tell its well.

This particular story, Homestead, introduces us to FMC Chloe, who, after the asteroid Impact and losing her parents, has been surviving in the wilds with only her grandpa as company, and as her main protector from this new, cruel world. It’s one her grandpa was oddly prepared for, being one of those bunker conspiracy theory types. Turns out he was right!

For a second, I thought we were going to get a badass grandpa and granddaughter duo making their way in the world, but then I remembered the plot of the story, and just when I did, events kicked off that shot, literally, Chloe into the arms of MMC Jimmy and his own community. It takes Chloe a lot of time to get used to her new living arrangements, and even more time getting the hang of all the manual labor required to keep the community functioning. And as one of the newest members of the community, Chloe fears that there’s a good chance she’ll be kicked out if she doesn’t pull her weight.

But her luck changes when Jimmy approaches her with an arrangement: be his woman, be his partner, and Chloe would be able to live with him in his private house, and tend mostly to their own needs. There was talk in the book here of what Chloe felt like she was expected to do, like house chores, versus what she thought Jimmy would take care of, like manual labor outdoors. These lines were pretty defined in the beginning, mostly because Chloe thought she had to stick to them so severely or Jimmy would tire of her and kick her out, but as their relationship progressed and they actually talked more, it was nice to see how these roles sometimes flipped when the characters needed to help each other out.

Speaking of talking more, I would say that is my biggest complaint about Homestead, and the reason for a star being taken off. This is one of Claire Kent’s longest books, yes, but I feel like the only reason it was so long was because of all the miscommunication, or rather, lack of communication, between the characters, and repetitive ruminations of the FMC. This book could’ve totally worked, and worked even better, if it was closer in length to the others in the series. The additional page count only really added additional room for the MCs to continue the lack of actually discussing their problems, versus just saying “I’m fine” and glossing over it.

Other than that, this was a nice story, and I loved how the romance between Chloe and Jimmy progressed. By the end, you could really feel their love and devotion for each other, made all the stronger and the sweeter because they both can shout it from the rooftops after finally opening up to each other, and realizing their both not mind readers.

I would love to see so many more entries in this series, but I think it may be winding down, at least this main portion of it. Based on the set up of Mack’s character at the end of this book, looks like we’ll finally be getting his and Anna’s story. I wonder if their book will close the series, or if we’ll get one more after that?

I highly, highly, highly recommend this series, and Homestead was a great and worthwhile entry to the Kindled world.

Another great book in the kindled series! I find great comfort in this series as I know what I’m getting and that’s not a bad thing. I love the grumpy hero that is very quiet and you don’t truly know what he’s thinking or feeling but because it’s a Claire Kent book you just know that he loves our heroine! I loved Chloe and jimmy's story. We got to witness jimmy soften for Chloe and then we see Chloe get stronger and braver for herself and for jimmy. If you enjoyed the other books in this series I definitely think you will enjoy this one as well. Another bonus of this one is we see past characters along with the future set up for Mack’s long awaited book!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

4.5 stars

Homestead was my first read in this series, so I went into this knowing next to nothing about this fictional world. The Kindled series has been on my radar for a while, though. I've read a few of Kent's other books and loved them, so I had high expectations going into this series—and it did not disappoint.

I really loved how simplistic yet complex and realistic this story was. Obviously, I don't really know what's happened in the previous books (I plan to go back and read the rest of this series), but Homestead gave me enough information that everything made sense, and I wasn't left with any overly burning questions. Any questions I do have relate to how other people/families are coping and what other living situations have arisen in this new world, all of which would be answered by reading other books in this series.

I also really enjoyed how easy it was to slip into each of the natural emotions and reactions you'd expect in a post-apocalyptic world. Especially given how different each survivor's experience would've been.

Chloe, the FMC, has spent the last ten years living off-grid with her grandfather. In the beginning of the book, her grandfather is killed while scavenging, leaving Chloe on her own for the first time. Jimmy, the MMC, is nearby and rescues her, bringing her to the small community that he and his family have created.

Despite the dystopian world-building going on in this story, Homestead is primarily character-focused. Chloe and Jimmy's personal growth and relationship is central to this story, and I loved watching these two characters navigate the world and each other.

This book (and potentially series) could very easily become a comfort read for me. It was really well-written and I never felt like I was missing any important details by not having read the other books in the series yet. I enjoyed seeing glimpses of other side characters in the books, and I look forward to reading their stories as well.

Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys post-apocalyptic/dystopian romances, survivalist tropes, and/or competence kinks. It's book 7 in the Kindled series, but it can be read as a standalone. So if you want to dip your toes into this series, I highly recommend this one.

This is a post-apocalyptic dystopian romance. It’s small scale, essentially the love story of Jimmy and Chloe. Jimmy invites Chloe to set up home with him as his partner in life and bed, with no love or even affection between them. It’s a slow burn to intimacy. Chloe has been living with her over-protective grandfather since Impact, when she was fourteen, so she has a kind of arrested emotional development. She’s very literal in the ways she takes advice, and incredibly insecure. Jimmy in turn is emotionally closed down so there’s endless scope for misunderstanding and hurt between them. In addition to their incredibly hard lives - post Impact life is essentially medieval in a post-industrial world - there are also outlaws and gangs roaming their territory who are keen to prey on any weaknesses they can find. This adds to the tension over the year as they learn to live together.

I loved it. Claire’s writing is very spare and unemotional, it’s deliberately prosaic, as if to mimic the experiences of the MMCs. There’s nothing luscious, or swoony or delicious about their intimacy 🌶🌶 which is essentially transactional, especially for Chloe, but this makes those tiny moments of affection so important. I was starved for them both. It’s not light or funny, but neither is it superficial. These are two good people working really hard and (finally) realising their love for each other.

This is one of seven so far in this series, but it effectively stands alone. Thank you so much NetGalley, the publisher and Claire for the ARC. Opinions are my own.