Outcast: An Enemies to Lovers Island Romance (Ruthless Paradise Book 1)

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The secondary characters were AWESOME!!! Kat, Ty and Maddy are my new fictional best friends! Wish I could grab a drink with them every week 😂 A mix of The 100, Lost, and Divergent. A dystopian world, post Change, post pandemic, post world ending!" - ★★★★★ Goodreads Review From the blurb, we know this is set in a post apocalyptic world, in an island that was spared to the doom and still harbours the spring breakers who where there at the time when the world went to hell and that those have split into two factions. The romance revolves around Callie and Kai who have met way before all this and who, due to a serious misunderstanding (I hate the misunderstanding trope but this one was not due to the stupidity of the characters and was solved kinda early on the book) hate each other. The development of their new relationship was beautiful to watch - it took some serious pride swallowing from both (IMO) and I swooned a lot 💖😍💖. And there were seriously HOT 🔥 moments between those two!! I loved how consent was so important to Kai and how he melted near Callie. This ends in a cliffhanger. It's part of a duet, although there seems to be a companion novella for some side characters available.

I’m good at ruining things. But not so good at fighting my feelings for him. The ones that make it hard to breathe. That hurt. That burn me to the core at the memories of what we lost. He’s gotten too deep under my skin. And now that he pulled away, I’m craving him like I’m gasping for air. The arc story revolves around the why, how and future of this island and factions. And we come to see that at the center of the conflict are two former best friends who got separated by the jealousy of one regarding one girl... Callie. There is a lottery of sorts every so often and when it happens 7 young people are selected to travel to and live on this island, touted to be the last paradise on earth. Only the most beautiful, skilled or useful are selected.

Petal (Ruthless Paradise Book 2) continues Kai and Callie’s story started in Outcast (Ruthless Paradise Book 1). Please read book 1 to better understand the storyline and the world it takes place in. The novel features mature themes and content that may not be suitable for all audiences. This is a bit dark. Not just dystopian dark, but the "romance" between the two main characters starts off with hate and angst and for some triggering reasons, if you have triggers, be aware that some content could he triggering for you. The plot: I could separate the plot into two lines - the romance story and the arc story. Both are great! In the two years since, I’ve made Zion Island a safe haven. I lost people who loved me. I made a home for hundreds who hate me. I built a pharmaceutical empire that gives hope to future generations. I did like this book more that the second one (this is number three) but I still didn’t really like it. It felt like the only plot development happened at the end when the author wanted to end on a cliffhanger.

There were moments of pure pain, pure joy, pure happiness and pure angst, and I felt everything deeply. We came from the richest families in the world. We were supposed to be invincible. But the week we partied on Zion Island, the world was ravaged by a nuclear war. While a bunch of college co Ed fraternity/sorority kids are partying for spring break on a small island, the world launched into full nuclear holocaust. And for whatever reason, the island was spared. Humans have now entered a new reality, one where the US and Europe no longer dominate, one where only 30% of the world isn't dealing with nuclear fall out. One where in the places there is no fall out there is a societal breakdown resulting in dangerous, lawless, communities. And the minute I meet her scared hazel eyes as she sits on the beach after the boat crash, my world tips on its axle.

Reviews

The story is so different from any other I have read, but in the best way possible!" - ★★★★★ Goodreads Review This book was not even about Archer, but I loved every second of his POV. And the reason why am I falling for him so hard is because I see that he just need someone to love him and there was a time when I thought that no one really loves and cares about me and I know how bad that can messes up with your head. I don’t wanna be cliche, but he’s just a villain who is misunderstood. And the more I read about him the more I’m convinced that he is actually the good guy.