Review: Mercury Striking (The Scorpius Syndrome #1)

Mercury Striking (The Scorpius Syndrome #1)

by Rebecca Zanetti

Blurb:

 With nothing but rumors to lead her, Lynn Harmony has trekked across a nightmare landscape to find one man—a mysterious, damaged legend who protects the weak and leads the strong. He’s more than muscle and firepower—and in post-plague L.A., he’s her only hope. As the one woman who could cure the disease, Lynn is the single most volatile—and vulnerable—creature in this new and ruthless world. But face to face with Jax Mercury…

Danger has never looked quite so delicious…

Themes: post-apocalypse, suspense

Rating: 3.5 stars

Heat Rating: 

Review:

So, where to start with this one… I guess I should start with the fact that I am a huge fan of Rebecca Zanetti and have enjoyed several of her series in the past, so when I saw that she was starting something new I was thrilled.  I read the prequel that was part of an anthology and enjoyed it immensely, so when I had the chance to read this story it was a no-brainer for me.  That being said I was a bit disappointed in this first book in the series. I understand there has to be a lot of world building in these types of world-changing events stories, but the usual emotion and love that I can feel from Rebecca’s characters was a bit lacking for me.  I enjoyed the overall story arc, and seeing Jax and Lynn so devoted to helping those around them, even at the expense of their own lives was a great way to show that even in the worst of times humans can come together to do great things.  Jax was a hardass, but in a way that was understandable because of his past, however his unwillingness to really try to make a connection for most of the story, even when he was bedding Lynn, made him seem like an jerk.  I can tolerate a little bit of that, but at times he was too much on an asshole for me.  Lynn was an interesting character though, strong and vulnerable by turns, but she gave her trust to Jax pretty quickly and she became a part of his world just as quickly, ingratiating herself with his people and finding her footing in his community.  It was nice to see people still able to band together and protect the vulnerable even if sometime their efforts were to no avail and of course others came together to wield power over the weak instead.   The fear that this could someday really be something we have to deal with gives this story a certain edge of reality to it, because honestly this is something that is way more than just possible.  The passion between Lynn and Jax was obvious, even when he was being an ass, and I enjoyed seeing Lynn use her heart and soul to keep Jax from falling too far into darkness and ultimately making him a better man, a better warrior, and an ultimate leader of his people.  As they say, behind every great man is a great woman and this story proves the truth of that in spades.  I am interested to know what will happen next to this shattered society, but hopefully there will be just a tiny bit more actual relationship building as well.

*eARC provided by publisher (via netgalley) for the purpose of an honest and unbiased review.  No compensation was provided.