Those looking for a dark and gritty read will get just that as well as lots of steamy sexual encounters with The Pulse by Shoshanna Evers. Keep reading to get a glimpse of this dystopian read, along with my impressions of it. You can learn even more by visiting the other blogs hosting this tour. Make sure to fill out the form below for your chance to win a $50 bookstore GC!
Emily Rosen lives in a military camp at Grand Central Station, where women sell their bodies to soldiers for extra rations. When she discovers a dark secret—that America is rebuilding outside of New York City, and everything the city’s refugees have been told is a lie—she escapes, the soldiers hot on her heels…
But Christopher Mason, a convict who broke out of prison after the Pulse, finds Emily first. Although he’s survived this long on the streets by looking out only for himself, Emily is beautiful, alluring, and impossible to leave behind.
Now Emily must convince this intimidating, magnetic stranger to be her guide as they journey out of New York and into the unknown. She’ll barter with her body, but sex with Mason can never be currency—it’s pure passion, and everything she desires. Despite the crumbling world around them, can Emily and Mason discover true love blooming in the darkest of places?
EXCERPT:
“Look at me,” Emily said soothingly. “I need to see your pupils.”
She peered into his eyes. In a perfect world, she’d shine a flashlight in them, but there were no flashlights. The only light she had now streamed in through the dirty glass panes of the windows.
Man, he was good-looking. Too good-looking. And large.
Mason leaned forward on the cot and grabbed her wrists. “It’s you,” he said groggily.
“I’m Emily, I’m taking care of you,” she said gently. “I’m going to clean your wound. It may hurt.”
“I remember you. I saw you that day, when they picked you up. When you got brought in.”
Emily looked at him in horror. He was from the camp, he had to be. She shrank away from him, feeling her heart race. The washrag hung limply from her hand.
Focus, don’t be blinded by fear.
“I remember you. When they took you away, it was me, hiding behind the cab,” Mason said, staring intently into her eyes. “Are you okay?”
She remembered him now, the man who held his finger to his lips. At the time she had assumed he was hiding from the soldiers, just like she had been.
Like she was now.
“You—you’re not one of them?” she asked, hating how weak and scared she sounded.
“No. I’ve got my reasons to hide from the law. Like you, I imagine.”
She laughed, a dry barking sound. “Not like my reason.”
Quickly, she quieted herself. The less he knew about her hidden radio, the safer for both of them.
“Are you . . . Why are you hiding, Mason?” She had to know, as much as she didn’t want to. He was the only man around she could possibly trust—if he truly had nothing to do with the soldiers.
As much as she wanted to make it on her own, it didn’t hurt to know who her friends were—and her enemies.
Suddenly, he looked at her suspiciously. “I should never have told you my name.”
“I’m sorry,” Emily whispered. “I saw the tattoo, on your arm. I thought maybe you had been in prison.”
“Do you know what they do to prisoners now, Emily?”
Emily looked at him and cocked her head. “My understanding is they let all the petty criminals go. The ones who were murderers, rapists, pedophiles and psychos they . . . they shot them. Killed them all so they wouldn’t take up valuable resources.”
“They kill prisoners, huh?” Mason said, staring at her intently, holding her wrists. “So what makes you think I want you spreading rumors about me being in prison?”
“I won’t tell anyone. Not a soul.”
He dropped his hands then, as if suddenly realizing what he was doing. “There’re no computers to track me. No fingerprint files. I’m a blank slate now, and I intend to start over.”
“What did you do?” she whispered.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” he said. “And that’s all you need to know. Understand?”
“Okay,” she said softly, and picked up the rag to finish cleaning his wound, grateful to have a task to keep her focused. He wouldn’t need stitches, but she’d have to check him every fifteen minutes or so for a while to make sure he wasn’t suffering from a brain injury.
Not that she could do anything for him if he was. If his head injury was truly serious, then he would just go to sleep and die. She wasn’t about to do brain surgery. She couldn’t even if she knew how.
His T-shirt was saturated with blood—scalps tend to bleed a lot. “Can you . . . take off your shirt?” she asked tentatively.
“You don’t have to do this,” he said. His face looked flushed, a deep pink coloring his previously pale cheeks. “I’m not—I don’t expect you to—”
She took a step back. “No! That’s not what I meant. I just—your shirt is ruined. Bloody. I can wash it.”
He turned his face from her for a moment as if trying to compose himself.
“Where you gonna wash it?” he asked as he pulled the filthy shirt over his shoulders.
She glimpsed tight abdominal muscles and an incredibly large, smooth chest before the shirt came completely off . He had a sprinkling of crinkly dark hair leading down around his navel, trailing into the waistband of his cargo pants.
Emily sighed. “I don’t know. But I bet one of the shirts I took with me from Grand Central will fit. Might be a bit tight,” she acknowledged as she ruffled through a worn backpack. “Here.”
It was definitely too small, outlining all of his muscles in stark relief.
She peered into his eyes. In a perfect world, she’d shine a flashlight in them, but there were no flashlights. The only light she had now streamed in through the dirty glass panes of the windows.
Man, he was good-looking. Too good-looking. And large.
Mason leaned forward on the cot and grabbed her wrists. “It’s you,” he said groggily.
“I’m Emily, I’m taking care of you,” she said gently. “I’m going to clean your wound. It may hurt.”
“I remember you. I saw you that day, when they picked you up. When you got brought in.”
Emily looked at him in horror. He was from the camp, he had to be. She shrank away from him, feeling her heart race. The washrag hung limply from her hand.
Focus, don’t be blinded by fear.
“I remember you. When they took you away, it was me, hiding behind the cab,” Mason said, staring intently into her eyes. “Are you okay?”
She remembered him now, the man who held his finger to his lips. At the time she had assumed he was hiding from the soldiers, just like she had been.
Like she was now.
“You—you’re not one of them?” she asked, hating how weak and scared she sounded.
“No. I’ve got my reasons to hide from the law. Like you, I imagine.”
She laughed, a dry barking sound. “Not like my reason.”
Quickly, she quieted herself. The less he knew about her hidden radio, the safer for both of them.
“Are you . . . Why are you hiding, Mason?” She had to know, as much as she didn’t want to. He was the only man around she could possibly trust—if he truly had nothing to do with the soldiers.
As much as she wanted to make it on her own, it didn’t hurt to know who her friends were—and her enemies.
Suddenly, he looked at her suspiciously. “I should never have told you my name.”
“I’m sorry,” Emily whispered. “I saw the tattoo, on your arm. I thought maybe you had been in prison.”
“Do you know what they do to prisoners now, Emily?”
Emily looked at him and cocked her head. “My understanding is they let all the petty criminals go. The ones who were murderers, rapists, pedophiles and psychos they . . . they shot them. Killed them all so they wouldn’t take up valuable resources.”
“They kill prisoners, huh?” Mason said, staring at her intently, holding her wrists. “So what makes you think I want you spreading rumors about me being in prison?”
“I won’t tell anyone. Not a soul.”
He dropped his hands then, as if suddenly realizing what he was doing. “There’re no computers to track me. No fingerprint files. I’m a blank slate now, and I intend to start over.”
“What did you do?” she whispered.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” he said. “And that’s all you need to know. Understand?”
“Okay,” she said softly, and picked up the rag to finish cleaning his wound, grateful to have a task to keep her focused. He wouldn’t need stitches, but she’d have to check him every fifteen minutes or so for a while to make sure he wasn’t suffering from a brain injury.
Not that she could do anything for him if he was. If his head injury was truly serious, then he would just go to sleep and die. She wasn’t about to do brain surgery. She couldn’t even if she knew how.
His T-shirt was saturated with blood—scalps tend to bleed a lot. “Can you . . . take off your shirt?” she asked tentatively.
“You don’t have to do this,” he said. His face looked flushed, a deep pink coloring his previously pale cheeks. “I’m not—I don’t expect you to—”
She took a step back. “No! That’s not what I meant. I just—your shirt is ruined. Bloody. I can wash it.”
He turned his face from her for a moment as if trying to compose himself.
“Where you gonna wash it?” he asked as he pulled the filthy shirt over his shoulders.
She glimpsed tight abdominal muscles and an incredibly large, smooth chest before the shirt came completely off . He had a sprinkling of crinkly dark hair leading down around his navel, trailing into the waistband of his cargo pants.
Emily sighed. “I don’t know. But I bet one of the shirts I took with me from Grand Central will fit. Might be a bit tight,” she acknowledged as she ruffled through a worn backpack. “Here.”
It was definitely too small, outlining all of his muscles in stark relief.
MY IMPRESSIONS OF THIS BOOK:
At first glance The Pulse poses an intriguing hypothesis giving readers a dark and gritty look into a post-apocalyptic world that's brought out the best and worst in people just trying to survive. While demonstrating how one man's power lets him and his soldiers use women for their own means, one woman who knows there's better out in the world bonds with a prisoner who doesn't want responsibility. Interspersed into these life and death situations are numerous sexual encounters that take over the story at times and sometimes felt out of place considering the constant life and death struggle going on.
At first glance The Pulse poses an intriguing hypothesis giving readers a dark and gritty look into a post-apocalyptic world that's brought out the best and worst in people just trying to survive. While demonstrating how one man's power lets him and his soldiers use women for their own means, one woman who knows there's better out in the world bonds with a prisoner who doesn't want responsibility. Interspersed into these life and death situations are numerous sexual encounters that take over the story at times and sometimes felt out of place considering the constant life and death struggle going on.
There's very little happiness to be found in this bleak world where every second could be your last, especially for a woman without protection. It's for that reason than sweet-natured nurse Emily is first drawn to escaped murderer Mason. She needs protection as she leaves for what she thinks is the promise land and his initial attraction to her and desire to see her safe have the two of them struggling to find a place where they can be together living under their own rules. Emily was a character to like one moment and be annoyed by the next. She never quite got out of the habit of bartering sex for safety as could be seen in many of her early interactions with Mason. She was a hypocrite at times when it came to the idea of kill or be killed which left me exasperated with her childish attitude. Mason on the other hand understood the harsh realities of this new world and while he wanted to be the kind of man she deserved he never wanted to put her at risk for being anything other than boldly aggressive in defense of her. He's the kind of man you can admire for his honesty, survival instincts, and ability to go after a small dream for him and the woman he's come to love.
While being part of Emily and Mason's journey cross-country to find a safe haven, we also get to see the continuing degradation to those women left behind at Grand Central Station. There's images reminiscent of the Holocaust in how the women live and survive that's truly disturbing. Even more disturbing is the way Jenna, the friend Emily left behind, deals with her way of life. She embraces it to make it easier to deal with which makes it very unpleasant for the reader. Her eyes were opened in a dramatic way at the end of this story which sets her on a journey of her own which will be told in the next story in the Pulse Trilogy. This was a story not always easy to read but it is compelling with this new world vividly depicted. It's a dark, gritty, and oftentimes depressing read with very little hope. Thankfully there is a HEA which has me wanting to come back for more.
My rating for this is a C+
*I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.
My rating for this is a C+
*I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.
Critically-acclaimed author Shoshanna Evers has written dozens of sexy stories including Amazon Erotica Bestsellers Overheated, and Enslaved, Book 1 in the Enslaved Trilogy. Her work has been featured in Best Bondage Erotica 2012 and Best Bondage Erotica 2013, the Penguin/Berkley Heat anthology Agony/Ecstasy, and numerous erotic BDSM novellas including Chastity Belt and Punishing the Art Thief from Ellora's Cave Publishing.
The non-fiction anthology Shoshanna Evers edited and contributed to, How To Write Hot Sex: Tips from Multi-Published Erotic Romance Authors, is a #1 Bestseller in the Authorship, Erotica Writing Reference, and Romance Writing categories.
Her BDSM erotic romance The Enslaved Trilogy released in April 2013 from Simon & Schuster's Pocket Star imprint, followed by the Pulse Trilogy, a post-apocalyptic dystopian erotic romance releasing November 2013.
Shoshanna is a New York native who now lives with her family and two big dogs in Northern Idaho. She welcomes emails from readers and writers, and loves to interact on Twitter and Facebook.
The non-fiction anthology Shoshanna Evers edited and contributed to, How To Write Hot Sex: Tips from Multi-Published Erotic Romance Authors, is a #1 Bestseller in the Authorship, Erotica Writing Reference, and Romance Writing categories.
Her BDSM erotic romance The Enslaved Trilogy released in April 2013 from Simon & Schuster's Pocket Star imprint, followed by the Pulse Trilogy, a post-apocalyptic dystopian erotic romance releasing November 2013.
Shoshanna is a New York native who now lives with her family and two big dogs in Northern Idaho. She welcomes emails from readers and writers, and loves to interact on Twitter and Facebook.
WEBSITE: www.ShoshannaEvers.com
TWITTER: http://twitter.com/
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TWITTER: http://twitter.com/
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**********GIVEAWAY**********
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Thanks for hosting this giveaway. I like the theme of this book.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Robbie!
DeleteSounds intriguing.
ReplyDeleteKit3247(at)aol(dot)com
Thank you, Rita! :)
DeleteBook sounds interesting, thanks for the review.
ReplyDeleteThanks for commenting, Jean!
DeleteThank you so much for hosting me today, and for the thoughtful review of The Pulse! I'll be checking back in later! :)
ReplyDeleteBtw if anyone needs a quick link to The Pulse, it’s available on sale for a limited time for just $1.99, before it goes up to $5.99!
ReplyDeleteKindle: http://amzn.to/H879cU
Nook http://bit.ly/1hQfOhA
iBooks http://bit.ly/18GMoLO
Sounds interesting
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