Acquired by E.S. Tremayne
The X/X Pandemic #1

Dark look at what could happen if a new virus attacked and changed the population gender balance on Earth. A bit dystopian, apocalyptic, and intriguing as there is a dark romance included.

What I Liked:
* That it made me think “what if” and then think “how would I cope if I was one of the survivors?” Also, what biological mutation might be out there now…that make this reality?
* Zinnia “Zen” Davis Browning: RN, mother, wife, survivor, had a rough encounter around her second decade that had a huge impact on her life, strong, has a temper, willing to do what it takes, protective, loves her children, interesting
* Cyan “Cy” Caldwell: military then paramilitary/mercenary after the pandemic, has a sideline that is rather dark but works for him, is drawn to Zen at first and then again when he sees her decades later, intriguing, strong, dark, deadly, force to be reckoned with, but…saw some other sides of him
* The idea of a gender-specific virus and the impact it would have on society…what if all of any gender was impacted not by war, a gender-neutral virus, or played no favorites…and how would it appear
* Zen’s twins impact on her life and how different they were from one another – hope to hear more about them in future books in the series
* That Zen’s husband, Mark, was “exposed” for the person he really was
* That I could see Zen and Cy together and hoped they would find a way forward in the future
* The plot, pacing, setting, and writing – drew me in and made me care
* That there were shades of gray rather than clearcut black and white…even within some of the main characters…some that I want to know more about.
* That Cy’s name took me back to watercolor classes and paintings I created
* Thinking about what I would be willing to do in Zen’s situation and wondering how hard it would be to survive

What I didn’t like:
* Who and what I was meant to dislike
* Thinking about how people might change and let their will to survive take over with predatory and self-centered people becoming dominant in a world gone awry…we all have to survive…or usually want to…or so says Maslow
* Wondering what makes a person “good” or “bad” and how some can be both, depending on the situation, or good/bad to one person but not to another…grayscale thoughts abounded

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read more in this series? Definitely

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars