Rabid Heart

In a world populated with cookie-cutter z-fiction, Rabid Heart is a standout original take on the genre!

Love is love is love is love. Love is stronger than anything, even the zombie apocalypse. A few hundred survivors on the military base is all that remains, save for the mass amounts of decaying zombies who are starving, roaming the streets for brains and flesh. The military survivors are led by Colonel Kenneth Driscoll. His daughter, Rhonda Driscoll, used to be a hairstylist. She was also going to get married to Brad Savini before the Necro-Rabies breakout in North America. The rabid zombies are known as Cujos, and they can eat people or turn them. I like the nods to Tom Savini and Stephen King.

While out looking for survivors and supplies, Rhonda runs inot her Cujo-fied ex. Instead of offing him, she takes him back to the base. Her dad is pissed, of course. So, he does the only logical thing. He plans on killing him. Rhonda finds out and makes a run for it with Brad in tow. Rabid Heart is a story of survival, love empathy, and inclusivity/inclusiveness. I like how Wagner goes old school with the relationship dynamic and the lead character trying to domesticate a zombie.

Even though Rabid Heart doesn't expand beyond Rhonda and her experiences, Jeremy Wagner hints at the bigger picture. By keeping it Rhonda-centric, the story feels more personal, making it more compelling. Rhonda is a complex character, and her relationship dynamic is interesting. It reminded me of Night of the Living Dead and The Walking Dead.

All in all, Rabid Heart is an enjoyable read. The story is well written. It doesn't let up. I will definitely check out Jeremy Wagner's other work.

4.5 stars!

I honestly started out this boom with much trepidation. I thought “how can any romance involving a zombie actually be anything but a necrophiliac nightmare.” Thankfully, the author didn’t take that route. Instead, this is a testimony of true love, beyond the grave, and how it can overcome almost anything, even a zombie virus. The heroine is likable, very personable, and total badass. She thinks of others before her own wishes, and is extremely loyal, which is rare these days and everyone seems to think soul mates are as interchangeable as clean underwear. No shortage of zombie gore, action, mutants abominations, sickos, and deviants either. Easily holds a candle to Walking Dead, Dawn of the Dead, Nation Z, etc. fun, gross, romantic, fast paced zombie apocalyptic chaos.

Picked this up due to the wonderful pulp cover and wasn’t disappointed at all. Bonkers concept that the author pulls off very well. About as much a romance as one could honestly expect when a zombie is involved, Rabid Heart is more of a survival romp through a post-apocalyptic wasteland than anything else – and a rather decent one that.

While there’s little in the way of surprises for fans of the zombie genre, the characters are compelling and the execution is entertaining enough to keep a reader’s interest.

Fun and thrilling read, with a few genuinely disturbing moments. Quick and worthy Halloween story.

This was an ARC in exchange for an honest review. With thanks to Netgalley and Riverdale Avenue Books

There are certain stories in literature that make the reader's heart swell. Usually those stories of true love defying the odds, growth in the spirits of the couple, and making the reader root for them through this journey. There are countless novels that fall into this category, and "Rabid Heart" is a new addition to this canon. The story follows Rhonda and Brad, a couple on the verge of marriage when the zombie apocalypse tore them apart. Rhonda is surviving in relative luxury while Brad is a zombie. Fate brought them back together during one of Rhonda's supply runs, and the heart wants what the heart wants, even if the heart of the man of your dreams is decaying and dead.

Zombie literature of any type insists that the reader suspend belief. People are always on a road trip of some sort, people are all great at shooting zombies in the head, ammo is in endless supply until the hero kills about 100 zombies then they are magically out, and if it is not time for the hero to die, then they will find some sort of creative way out of the situation, usually with another person showing up with perfect timing. "Rabid Heart" is not an exception to this rule, and even it falls into some of these traps, there is still a new twist to the tale. Even with the violence and threatening violence toward women and children, this is a great story with a good main character.

Rhonda is the heroine and genuine good person in the middle of this story. Even though she is young, she understands that Brad is who she is supposed to be with, regardless of his current state. The only thing that I wish is that Brad would have protected her a little bit more and their relationship was more defined post zombificiation. As it is, the characters are great, the action is great, the gore and violence is great, and it is a fun novel to read. I enjoyed it a lot.

I received this as an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Rabid Heart is a hard-to-believe of two young kids from the heartland who were on the run together after a harrowing experience. Brad and Rhonda were star-crossed ladies vets like Romeo and Juliet or the woman who married Frankenstein. After all, there's nothing like the zombie apocalypse to test the bonds of loyalty and affection. Reminiscent of the great horror novels of the Seventies, Rabid Heart is a fun, fast read guaranteed to entertain.

I've not read anything by Jeremy Wagner until now, and I'll definitely be on the lookout for more of his work! This book was so fun, and with not knowing much of what to expect going into it, it kept throwing random things at me that I LOVED! (No Spoilers!)