Mercury Striking (The Scorpius Syndrome)

I have always been an avid follower of Ms Zanetti’s books since her first paranormal series. Once I saw the opportunity to receive a copy of Mercury Striking, I jumped on it. This book is her best yet. In a post apocalyptic world, our heroine, Lynn, is running away from an evil character and others who want to see her dead. She goes to Jax, our hero, her last resort. Both these characters have to battle the others wanting them both dead, and their inside battles of trusting each other.
Both these characters are compelling, each step they take they draw closer to each other. The sex is off the charts hot! I could not put this book down. Read it in one day. I cannot wait for the next book, where many questions will be answered. Ms Zanetti, you hit this one out of the PARK!

The book was absolutely fantastic if you like end of the world type romance novels!!! What would happen if the end of the world came but you survived? Would you be a good guy, bad guy, or somewhere in between? This book gives you all of that and a fantastic romance to go along with! I could not put it down.

This is a great series if you like sci-fi with strong ALPHA H and smart tough h. The story was full of action, drama and passion. The main characters were given time to develop both their characters and relationship. The secondary characters were plentiful and just as interesting. Due to the apocalyptic circumstances there were numerous enemies and dangerous circumstances making for a fast paced story line. While the story is not perfect it has all the elements I like in a great read - most important a captivating story line and riveting characters, danger and adventure with an Alpha H protector/partner and passionate possessive love.

I really liked this book and the new characters, I think it has the potential to be a great series. I hope that she carries the two main characters from this first book into the second or gives them a second book. I think they're story is just beginning.

MERCURY STRIKING by Rebecca Zanetti

THE WRITING – I enjoy Zanetti’s writing style each and every time I read one of her novels. Everything flows together extremely well, and this book is no different. However, there was one instance where I noticed that instead of the main male character’s actual name of Jax, “Jack” was used. Further into the story, we learn that his mother was originally going to name him Jack, but didn’t speak English very well so it became Jax. My thinking was that perhaps his name was originally supposed to be Jack, and then Zanetti changed it, but this one occurrence got missed(?). The mix up only happened the one time that I caught, and took me out of the story for as long as it took me to comprehend that his name had changed, but that was it.

The scientific information was conveyed very well and in a way that I kept up with it and was interested in what the characters were going through. I didn’t feel overwhelmed or that the author felt the need to “info dump” all of the research she’d gone through to produce the book.

Also, something that I always appreciate in a novel is when there are no abrupt POV shifts. Some authors can do this well, but it keeps things smooth if I’m only in one character’s head at a time. This book had multiple POV’s, but each got their own block of time to shine without interruption from another, easily blending from scene to scene, character to character.

The descriptions of this burgeoning dystopic world were gritty, visceral, and surprisingly dark compared to other works by this author. I appreciated the shock value of the scenes she presented, and the fact that Zanetti was fearless in a way when it came to explaining the viciousness of human nature, but not in a I’m-going-to-be-sick fashion.

One negative (I guess it can be called that, anyway) was the comical, almost painful, names of the characters – Tace Justice, Razor “Raze” Shadow, Lynne Harmony, Jax Mercury, etc. A little too over-the-top for my tastes.

THE STORY/PLOT – The story had a steady, succinct timeline, and I never experienced a moment when I was confused as to where or when I was. Having read the prequel SCORPIUS RISING—featured in the ON THE HUNT anthology, which cast Nora (Lynne’s best friend) and Deke (Nora’s husband) as the main characters—I already knew how the world had become so damaged. However, the prequel is not necessary reading material for anyone to slip with ease into this new apocalyptic universe.

There were two conflicts threaded throughout: the main major conflict and the personal conflict. The major conflict, was, of course, the destruction of society and trying to survive the bacteria that could turn humans into sociopaths or zombie-like creatures. The minor, personal conflict was Jax’s vendetta against/with the leader of one of the gangs in the area because the man had killed Jax’s brother before the outbreak. Zanetti balanced both of these conflicts really, really well, and even combined them toward the end for a climactic finish that was satisfying, but kept me on the hook for more.

THE CHARACTERS – I really enjoyed the main characters and the supporting characters, as well. Jax was quintessential alpha-male, but he also grew as a person as he finally came to accept his leadership responsibilities, and that he was more than simply a body to stand in front of bullets. He was honest with Lynne from the start about their relationship, though, he, of course, falls for her. I genuinely love books where the H falls for the h and has to convince her that they’re meant to be together. Oftentimes, it’s the h who has to do all of the hard work (and brings on so much drama), so these kinds of romantic stories are refreshing. The only issue I had with Jax’s character was the part where he used a belt on her to scare her into submission. I felt that was too far for him to go when he could have intimidated her in other ways.

Lynne was smart, funny, fearless, logical, and barring the one scene where I thought she didn’t fight back enough (after he spanked her with the belt), she stood up to keep others alive, herself alive, and managed to stay true to herself. She didn’t let Jax overwhelm her, but other than being overprotective male on her, he really didn’t try to make her this docile little thing, either. The characters truly fit each other, and grew together by the end of book.

FAVORITE SCENE: This quote from Jax to Lynne says it all. It’s positively swoon-worthy, and covers the love story for the entire novel. ‘His hands manacled her wet jeans around her thighs. “You’re smart and spirited, and I never thought I’d meet anybody like you. If there are bullets, I’m between you and them. If you get taken, I’m hunting you down till my last breath. And if you end up in hell, I’ll storm the f*****g place until the fires go out.”’

LEAST FAVORITE SCENE: This would have to be the scene where he spanks her with a belt. I really thought it was unnecessary and more violent-dominant versus hot-dominant. And then she doesn’t really retaliate. After a little moment of anger, she sleeps with him a few hours later. I could have done without it, but considering the last book I reviewed and the issues with that male lead (see SPIDER GAME by Christine Feehan), this wasn’t anything to turn me away from the awesomeness of the story.

In conclusion, Rebecca Zanetti hit it out of the park once again with the start to this new series. I will definitely be preordering the next book in the series, and I highly recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of any of Zanetti’s books.

Thanks for spending time with my review, and Happy Reading!

Recommended Reads that are similar to MERCURY STRIKING:
SCORPIUS RISING by Rebecca Zanetti
FLESH Series by Kylie Scott –
FLESH
SKIN
ROOM WITH A VIEW

I read some other reviews before purchase, and I don't get why some ladies were offended by the way Jax treated Lynne. The world ended. New game. New rules. You come into someone else's territory, you live by their rules; that's the way it works.
Jax emerges as an intriguing reluctant hero while Lynne comes off as somewhat whiny for a super genius who survived the Armageddon. But Jax's strong personality is enough to carry the romance.
I like how the entire book doesn't hing on their one time together, but rather their sex evolves as they do as a couple.

I am a big fan of post-apocalyptic fiction and I really enjoyed this first book in author Zanetti's newest series (if you don't count the prequel novella SCORPIUS RISING included with three other stories in the book ON THE HUNT). And you really should read the prequel to get the most out of the story. I just wish it could be purchased separately as a novella.

I loved this story - characters, world building, storyline.

Lynne Harmony was the head of the CDCs Department of Infectious Diseases when Scorpius hit - a bacterial pandemic that has taken out 99% of the U.S. population (no one is sure about the rest of the world since communications are down most everywhere). It affects survivors in different ways (a nice twist to the story) but Lynne is the only one affected in the manner she is.

She heads to L.A. when she hears there's a man who might be able to help her track down vital information -Jax Mercury - and as soon as they meet the sparks start flying.

There's a lot more steamy sex than I'm used to in post-apocalyptic books but the sex scenes are written well and are, well...hot.

I'm going back and read the prequel next, which I missed before, and then I'm going to read an Advanced Reading Copy of book two in the series that I happen to have - SHADOW FALLING - due out August 30, 2016. The third book in the series is called JUSTICE ASCENDING and we'll have to wait a while for it since it's not due out until January 2017. Waiting...that's what I hate about series books.

This one is definitely worth reading if you're into post-apocalyptic fiction, thrillers, steamy romances, or just fast Mad Max type action.

3.5 stars

Mercury Striking was a really enjoyable intro to a new series by Rebecca Zanetti. I loved the concept of the story and seeing the aftermath of the outbreak and how people are surviving. I loved Jax, he was deadly and willing to protect those he had under his protection. Lynne was also a great character, she was just the right amount of soft for Jax. They are going to be a great team to lead this group. I look forward to reading more in this series.

Mercury Striking the 1st book in Rebecca Zanetti's new Scorpius series. The story reminds me of Stephen King's The Stand which is an Amazing Apocalyptic story, it also, reminds me of The movie The Strain and Christine Feehans scenes of Josep in Dark Ghost and don't forget the Walking Dead and movie Mad Max Fury Road. If you put all these books and movies together you get Mercury Striking. Please tell me why RZ killed off the Black Man Wyatt the only Black lead character she had? crazy Wyatt was a great character, a Super Bowl Champion 49er. Why kill him off?

There is an outbreak of The Scorpius Bacteria and Lynne Harmony head of the CDC and microbiologist has been affected with this Bacterium. She is know as a carrier and is call Typhoid Mary. People in the entire world as we know it are dead from Scorpius only 1% of the populations survived Food medical, gasoline, electricity even water is scarce and must be scavenged for. The Country is in Ciaos. Lynne escapes from being held prisoner by the government. She escapes with the help of her uncle. Lynne set out looking for Jax Mercury leader of the Vanguard community, she needs him to protect her and help her find the main laboratory Myriad.

Jax Mercury Ex Gang member, Ex Army Special Ops and now leader of the Vanguard territories. Jax is supposed to be a fierce Alpha warrior type. He fell a bit short of this for me, He got his butt handed to him to many times. To many of his people were killed by Rippers, rival gangs and such. I liked Jax but I wasn't all that impressed with him. He order Lynne around and she just took it like some meek little women following orders. The sex was just OK nothing special. What was special and caused me to give the story 3 stars instead of 2 was the world RZ is building and all the many wonderful characters and different organizations cropping up. I am looking forward to reading the next installment bk2 Shadow Falling. This story has really good bones to make it a great series. Just hope RZ tones down the abuse to women in her next stories. I didn't like reading the torture to women!!

I love Rebecca Zanetti's books and Mercury Striking is no exception! I was wondering how much I would like it since it is not a paranormal romance like most of the other books I have read from her but a few pages in I knew my reservations were unfounded! Can't wait for the next book in the series!

I love Rebecca Zanetti's writing style, not a big fan of post apocalyptic or zombies though which this book is all about. The zombies are not zombies per say but humans infected with a virus. If you like that sort of thing this would be a great book for you.

First, let me say I LOVE the Dark Protector series by this author. It's my favorite and I re-read the whole series all the time.

So, when the same author releases the first book in a new post-apoctolyptic series, I got excited.

I got too excited too early.

Now, let me say that this book might be good for you. It might even be a favorite. Take a chance and read it. You might love it, and I'd hate to deprive anyone of a good read.

But I did not like this one at all. I could not connect with the hero, and both him and the heroine did not have much chemistry. I just couldn't see their connection. The whole world that the author tried to create just didn't sit well with me. I couldn't get into it, and found myself skimming a quarter of the way through.

I found quite a bit of the story repetitive and a little bland. I have to admit I also did some eye rolling.

So, in the end, this one is getting returned. I won't read any more of this series. At all. But, this author is great and I'll her other future work.

By the way, if you're looking for a good sexy post apocalyptic book series, the Beyond series by Kit Rocha is fantastic.

The Scorpius bacteria remains in survivors after they've recovered, altering them in different ways, some gain enhanced abilities, while roughly half of the survivors turn into killers a/k/a Rippers. There are two types of Rippers: one is methodical and clever like a psychopathic serial killer, the other is confused and demented-likely to tear you apart like an animal.

Lynn Harmony, a/k/a Blue Heart, is the Typhoid Mary of the apocalypse. As the head of the CDC's infectious diseases, she was one of the first to contract the Scorpius bacteria, an alien bacteria that nearly wiped out the population.

On the run from a powerful man who wishes to control her, Lynn crosses the country to find Jax Mercury, a legendary leader. Seeking protection and to find Myriad, a rumored laboratory where researchers were hopefully close to finding a cure for Scorpius.

From the beginning of the apocalypse, Jax Mercury had gathered survivors, scavenging supplies and offering protection from gangs and Rippers. When Lynn enters his life, he takes the chance and offers her the security she is looking for and makes her a promise.

Nothing is safe in the post-apocalyptic world, danger lurks around every corner. Can Jax protect Lynn? Can Lynn find a cure to Scorpius?

***

OH. MY. GAWD. I could not put this book down. Rebecca Zanetti has created a captivating post-apocalyptic world filled with riveting characters that I can't get enough of. I was transfixed by her powerful story where she blended the danger and adventure of a world run by mercenaries and by people trying to recreate society and keep humanity in a desolate landscape.

Lynn Harmony was a fascinating heroine. She would do anything to find a cure for Scorpius, including binding herself to a dangerous man. Jax Mercury was a ruthless leader. He strived to maintain his distance from everyone, yet it was quickly apparent that he cared about those under his protection.

Lynn and Jax were emotionally complex characters, neither of them were prepared to be attached to another person, both had felt too much pain in their lives. Yet there was no denying the sizzling hot desire they felt for each other. Their fiery passion scorched the pages as they struggled to not fall in love with each other as they fulfilled each others needs.

I found all of the characters of Mercury Striking to be well fleshed out and complex. The layers of emotion were not only conveyed to Lynn and Jax. I found myself caring for the other members of Jax's group and despising their rivals. The protagonists in this book are so well written, that I can't wait to see how they will all evolve throughout the series as they try to rebuild civilization and overcome their obstacles.

I thought that the villains were superbly crafted and thoroughly evil. I liked that they weren't predictable and kept a few surprises up their sleeves.

Mercury Striking is one of those books that I didn't want to end! I am highly anticipating the next book in this series.

With a deadly disease unleashed on the world, Lynne, the former head of the CDC (Center for Disease Control) is on the run. Known as "Blue Heart" because after contracting the Scorpius disease, experiments on her to find a cure have colored her heart and the veins surrounding it blue, Lynne is trying to make it to a clinic known as "Myriad" and hope the rumors are true and a cure is there. Running from her ex-boyfriend, who is now the President of the United States, she looks for help from Jax Mercury. He was a Delta Force soldier who gathered a group of people together to try and survive against the illness, Rippers (people who have been turned into serial killers by the disease), and other survivors. Food is scarce but trust is even rarer in this time, Lynne and Jax are going to need a lot of the former if they're going to survive.

As book one in a new romantic suspense apocalyptical series, this started off into the action right away, so much so I felt pretty lost for most of the beginning. There is apparently a novella that actually starts off the series and begins the world building in regards to the deadly disease Scorpius being discovered, unleashed, and its effect on the world. I would highly suggest reading that first so you don't feel as left behind as I did reading this one. As the story went on I was able to get a better handle on the current world setting but unfortunately, this didn't happen until well into the second half. The disease and how it affects everyone, some die, some survive to become carriers, and some become Rippers was a little muddled. The Rippers and their different sociopathic tendencies, some become serial killers and some thoughtless rabid beasts seemed like too much variation for a 300+ novel, all the ideas aren't fully flushed out. However, as this looks to be a building continuous series, maybe in later books the ideas introduced here will become more fully formed.

Lynne's part in the Scorpius disease as the head of CDC was another part I never felt like all the dots connected, but again, reading the novella could help here as she is introduced in that one. There was more telling of her toughness, escaping her imprisonment and making her way across what is left of the United States to Jax in L.A. but not a lot of showing. In fact, a lot of instances happen "off screen" with characters talking about them later. Her game plan of partnering with Jax, specifically because she heard about him on the news before things really fell apart, felt somewhat forced but lucky her, he turned out to be super hot. Jax had more of a backstory than what is usually afforded typical alpha heroes but his character, too, felt forced. The added in minor BDSM play in the bedroom felt obligatory for what the current market wants. They did have good interplay with each other but there was a lot happening in this story to interrupt them.

The story leaned a lot on the sexual side; there are many bedroom scenes in the beginning and middle. I didn't feel a connection between our leads, insta-attraction that morphs into insta-lust are the basis for their relationship, and so, I found them more filler than engaging. There were a plethora of secondary characters, Jax's medic friend Tace, the mysterious Raze, the possibly psychic little girl Lena, Cruz who heads the rival gang Twenty, Lynne's ex-boyfriend and president of the United States Bret, and many more. Jax's fighting Cruz for resources and because of an old feud and Lynne's trying to find a cure for Scorpius while running from Bret, all this with the end of the world theme made for a very busy book with nothing being able to fully be focused on. The story appeared to be fighting with itself as to if it wanted to be a romance, suspense, or end of days book; the parts weren't always cohesive.

The concept of a deadly disease wiping out ninety-nine percent of the population and the aftermath is intriguing and parts of the world building are here for that but there were a lot of half formed and dangling threads, too. This has many high ratings; I'm the dissenting voice on this one, so read the novella and maybe give this a try if looking for a more sexual apocalyptic story. The hero and heroine who star in the second book are introduced here and their story does look to be interesting.

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I have read every one of Rebecca's books and loved them all except for this series. I could not finish the book as I found it to be too bloody and graphic. I have read her Dark Protectors, Enforcers of the Realm and Maverick series and have re-read these books numerous times. This series is nothing like the other books. I found the scenes too bloody and gory for my taste. I have never seen Rebecca use the "c" word in any of her other books. I'm not against the word, however, it did surprise me. I will buy the next book, in the series, as I understand that Talen and Cara, from Hunted will have an update. That is the only reason I'll buy the next book.

Wow, that was one intense book. I'm going to have to go read some light romantic story next just for a change of pace.
This story starts out in a dramatic way, and hooks the reader right off the bat. Yes, because of the setting there will be violence, sex and death. There will also be romance of a sorts, a community built into a tight knit group and careful friendships. Why do I say careful friendships? Because getting too close to people comes at a high cost. The pain that comes when they die.
The main characters were interesting and complex. As were some of the other people in the story.
There is also some tender moments among people who thought that they had none of that left anymore. That felt that all emotion had been killed off in the quest to just stay alive. Lynn is one of those people who is numb but she does have a small bucket list before she dies. And she feels like her death isn't really all that far away. Many people fear her thinking she is carrying an even worse form of the plague. I really liked Jax who became a leader without even trying. He just saw some people who needed protecting and he stepped up.
The plague is not the only enemy that they face. There are ruthless gangs, any government is questionable if it still exists and there are Rippers. Rippers have survived the plague and fall into two categories and both are highly dangerous. One group out there is crazy violent. The other is now brilliant but serial killer brilliant crazy. There are some survivors that are not Rippers but it's still up in the air how stable or unstable they are.

There is also one gang leader (Cruz) in particular who wants Jax to suffer and die. Then he plans to take over Jax's territory and all that he has. Cruz carries a grudge which makes him even more dangerous. He is clever, mean and powerful in his own way.
The story has plenty of action and surprises and kept me involved from the first page. I don't read that many of this type of book but it was really well written. Now I want to read the next one in the series which we caught catch a quick peek at the end of this book. "Shadow Falling" is lined up in my TBR pile.
Yes, like other reviewer I was disturbed by Jax beating her with the belt... This whole book had some dark and disturbing things to it. But it was also about survival and trying to remain human.
On a side note, the author's dedication brought a smile to my face. Blue Heart it is.

When I get an ARC for a sci-fi dystopian universe type book with a hot, tough alpha both my inner geek and inner smut-lover stand up and cheer. Mercury Striking definitely had hot alphas plus lots of world gone crazy action that kept me turning the pages.

A deadly plague has hit the earth. For the unfortunate ones struck down with this plague the impact has multiple outcomes. It either kills you, turns you into a crazed cannibal-like killer, or it could enhance you by giving you extra strength or cognitive powers. For some, though, it leaves you with all the enhancements, but no sense of right and wrong- similar to serial killers and much scarier than the crazed cannibals running around.

Supposedly, the outbreak can be traced back to our heroine, Lynn, who rumor has it, was the cause but who may also be the key to finding a cure. Lynn escapes a nightmare and makes her way to LA and into the stronghold of the infamous Jax. She hopes Jax will be able to protect her and help her get into the places she needs to go to access the intel and research to figure out how to combat the disease.

Lynn wasn’t some super tough, take no prisoner heroine. She was exceptionally smart, driven, and desperate to help humanity. This made her tough in her own way and I really liked her. All her secrets, and there were many, were secrets worth keeping so I didn’t have any of those “OMG, just tell him!!!” moments. Every action, even the ones that weren’t the smartest, were completely understandable and believable. Many thought of her like a Typhoid Mary, at best shunning her, at worst wanting her dead. I felt for her and how heartbreaking it was to have people hate her based on false rumors and fear.

Jax was one heck of an alpha-hole but he had reason to be. With the world literally falling down around him, he was able to carve out a safe place but in order to keep it that way he had to implement some pretty harsh measures. Some would even call them brutal. Jax was damaged and anguished over things he had seen and done even before the world as he knew it came to an end. He took way too much on his shoulders and needed to learn that he was not the end all, be all, therefore everything bad that happened was not all his fault. I loved Jax. To me he was the perfect apocalyptic world hero.

With all the uncertainties, rumors, and secrets this was a slow burn romance. Trust had to be earned and it was a long time coming. Every step Jax and Lynn took along the way added to them being a believable pair, even when it was just lust and need in control. Once they actually got together, it was one heck of a hot ride. I read a lot of sex scenes so very rarely will I actually make a note about the hotness level within a scene, but the first time these two came together I did. It was scorching hot, and as the emotions took over and actual feelings were involved it became even hotter.

With all the action, great characters, emotion and grit, I enjoyed Mercury Striking a great deal, but here is why it’s not a 5 star read for me. I do not like being told and not shown key scenes and it felt like there was a lot of that here, especially with Lynn and Jax’s backstories. I wanted firsthand knowledge of what happened when the outbreak hit, especially to Lynn since she was supposedly the cause of everything. I also wanted to be in on her journey to LA. It would have been good to be there when things turned to chaos and Jax secured his stronghold. As riveting a read as this was, I still felt like I missed some key parts.

I loved the characters, the action, and the grit. My inner geek was satisfied and my inner smut lover was grinning from ear to ear. With a happy for now ending, a bad guy who needs to die, and lots of characters who deserve to find some happiness, I am looking forward to seeing what this series has in store for us next.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the Publisher.

I always wanted to read something from Rebecca Zanetti after reading a lot of positive reviews about her books. And then one time while I was window shopping at our local bookstore, I saw this book Mercury Striking, and it was on sale! I didn't think twice, I bought it and my! I'm just glad that I did.

This story already got me intrigued as early as the first page and it made me asked so many questions (the good ones). All I could remember is that this is going to be a post-apocalyptic romance story so the settings makes sense. I've read apocalyptic stories before but only few, and when I came across one, I always compare them with the hit TV series, The Walking Dead. But for this one, it's somewhat the same with other post-apocalyptic stories I've read before, a virus accidentally released to the public and in return, billions of people died. Very common right? But that idea didn't crossed my mind while reading this story. I guess because as early as the first chapter, Jax Mercury is already messing with my mind. When it comes to books I always have a thing for guys who are intimidating, dangerous and sexy at the same time. I think half the time I was reading this book, I keep on giggling and looking at the cover almost every minute, haha. It's kind of hilarious really and I look like a total perv haha. I'm most vulnerable when I am really loving the romance and I can't count how many times I was like that the whole time reading this story.

To even up, Zanetti successfully incorporated suspense, action and mystery in this story which I am really digging! The idea about the virus killing billions of people maybe ordinary but Zanetti worked her way out and made this story so exciting. I also find the Ripper thingy dangerous which makes this story more interesting than your normal virus-infected-person-turned-zombie stories. I actually love zombies and I wouldn't mind reading some, but once in a while, it's good to read something different.

For the characters, well, I guess it's pretty obvious that I like Jax Mercury right? Haha. Aside from the suspense, I also like that little by little, we've got to really be acquainted with the characters especially Jax and Lynne. This book was taken from multiple POVs, although I like dual POV more, when it comes to stories like this, I wouldn't really mind at all since it would also be interesting to see what the supporting characters were feeling and thinking too especially on those thrilling parts.

I'm not usually fond of series before because I hate cliff hanger, but for this story, there's actually none. I'm glad that this book didn't left us hanging but still get us thinking what will happen next. The tension between the main characters were dealt early on the story so that was really good. But the two of them exchanging those three words that early? Wow, I wasn't expecting that to be this fast. But I guess that's for the best.

It's my first book from the author but I have to say that all those rave reviews about her were true. And I absolutely love her writing style. I guess I just met another addition to my favorite authors, *wink.

Mercury Striking is the first book in the Scorpius Syndrome series and it's definitely a good start. For now, I am giving this story a 4.5 stars.

EDIT: I just found out that this series has a prequel and I haven't read it yet since I obviously read book 1 first, haha. But as you can see, I was still able to understand the story without having to read the prequel because all we're properly explained.

Title: Mercury Striking
Author: Rebecca Zanetti
Genre: Adult Post-Apocalyptic Romance
Format: Ebook
Pages: 384
Rating: 5
Heat: 5

Thoughts: Ooooh, that was good!! A bacteria has wiped out most of the USA, maybe the world but with the internet and other communications down we don’t know. And if you survive having the deadly disease you could end up being a serial killer. Not everyone goes to that extreme but it will still change you. I am loving this, there’s a bit of fantasy/paranormal thrown in that keeps you on your toes. Some of the survivors seem to have psychic abilities of some kind and I can’t wait to see what else pops up. Awesome characters, although other than Lynne and Jax we really don’t get to know anyone that well. Not a bad thing, and the hints are there which had me wanting the next book NOW! There’s just enough mystery, little tidbits, that keep you glued to the page hoping to learn more. Great start to a must read series!

This is the first book in a new post-apocalyptic world where might makes right and gangs and dictators reign over their territories....

Jax, a protector in both heart and soul, is the absolute authority in the territory they've seized... He will do anything to ensure the survival of those under his care in a world destroyed, even when that means making tough decisions and sacrificing for the greater good....

Zanetti's writing is so unique and descriptive, you feel like you are actually there in a dystopian L.A. struggling to survive. I stayed up till the wee hours of the morning not wanting to put it down...then, once I realized I was nearing the end I didn't want to continue reading... I just couldn't stand that the book was ending! The writing, characterization, and storyline will pull you in from the start, and never release you, even at the end. You can feel their triumph and pain, their love and will to survive, as if it's your own.

And though I will always sing its praises, there were a few things that some might not care for....the most obvious item would be one scene where, without giving too much away, an adult character in the book is spanked with a belt. I don't mind a bit of spanking in my books....I actively seek books with that featured if I am in the mood...not often, but it happens so believe me when I say it doesn't bother me as a whole....however, this time it did but not anywhere near where I'd take away any points for it.....for me, it just seemed out of place, and the way it was done, more out of anger then a kink or playfulness, seemed...well, wrong for lack of a better word. If there's someone out there extremely sensitive to that type of stuff, here's your heads up it is there, but literally it's once, and I felt it didn't take away from the amazing story.

This dystopian romance is raw and gritty and I couldn't get enough of it. It's such a unique book with an amazing fresh storyline, definitely an absolute must read. The ending, while a little abrupt, left me desperately wanting her to write faster so I can read the second in the series!

This book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.

I originally discover the Scorpius Syndrome series when I read the prequel in On the Hunt. It was quite the page-turner which had me hooked and then I find out it was going to be months until the next book. Noooo! When I got a whiff that Mercury Striking was coming out, I knew I just had to have it. I grabbed myself a copy and settled in to be wowed again. My wait is finally over!

I always get a rush reading apocalyptic stories. The possibility that this could happen today, tomorrow or years from now and how we, as the human race, would survive is so intriguing to me. But what does it for me is the REAL chance this may happen and yes, I can see something like a killer bacteria wiping out the world. Scorpius Syndrome...WHOA! There is quite a bit of world building and if you haven’t read the prequel in On the Hunt you may be a bit lost. So in case you don’t know the premise behind the story, Scorpius came from a meteorite that some college students found. They cracked it open and let loose a bacterium that spreads rapidly and kills 99% of the people infected. Those who survive either become wack-a-doodle crazy, as in sociopath crazy or are normal. Actually, they aren't quite normal. It seems they brains are enhanced. Bits of that are revealed, although I think more to it will come out further into the series. For now, you have the crazies and the survivors who are very complex, the good and the bad is not cut and dry. This is where all the secondary characters come into play. Rippers, Vanguards, gangs, military and just plain old human survivors. Some of their stories are heartbreaking, some you just love to hate. And the others have me so intrigued I can't wait to see what is in story for them...especially Tace and Rafe!

Now what an exciting story be without a little romance. Lynne and Jax. She's the former head of the CDC and everybody is on the hunt for her. Jax is former gang member turn military and now he is holding down in L.A. keeping himself and his Vanguards alive. If you need a clear picture in your mind of what Jax looks like, check out the cover because it damn never perfect IMO. Lynne's escaped a crazy ex-boyfriend, is trying to find a cure is in desperate need of Jax's help. Best part for me was how realistic Lynne and Jax are in. They aren't perfect and have their doubts and fears. They both have flaws on top of having trust issues and it isn't always a clean clear road for them. The dynamics between them is intense both in and out of the bedroom and there is a nice slow build-up that ends with a HEA...well as happy as it can be while the world as you know it has come to an end.

I almost feel Mercury Striking is two stories in one. One half is the romance between Lynne and Jax. The other half is post-apocalyptic world and the survivors. Both are equally exciting but mixed together, they are explosive. Action, suspense, romance - Rebecca Zanetti certainly did not disappoint this reader. Mercury Striking is one book that goes straight into my recommending pile. I cannot wait for the next book!

I received this book from the JeepDiva for the express purposes of an honest review. The opinions and rating of this review are solely mine.
Stars - 5, Flames - 3

The first 15% was excellent - a dystopian world ravaged by a contagion that wipes out the majority of the population and turns a small percentage of the infected into Rippers - mindless or smart killing machines (the author got a little fuzzy on that). We have a small group of survivors in LA led by a smart capable ex-soldier Jax, and we have our brilliant heroine on the run - Lynne, who is trying to save herself and what is left of humanity.
Then BAM - the book took a serious turn into WTF territory when our H spanked our h.
Spanked!?!
Like she's some naughty schoolgirl being reprimanded because she refused to talk/do what the H wanted her to. ????
In a flash our brilliant scientist h became a TSTL soppy lead - where was all her smarts? The H raved on about how brilliant she was...? But I never witnessed anything of the sort - she never seemed to understand how to handle the H (oh, lets try blackmailing him for the fourth or fifth time - because this time it might actually work... grrrr) She couldn't manipulate him worth a damn.
They cuddled, he has PTSD issues, she's got a ripper on her trail and yet... we have these two leads waffling around... not doing much of anything... I wanted to shake them both.

I wanted them to be capable. Own their emotions. Own being a good leader and a brilliant scientist but still find themselves unable to live without the other.

This could have been told any number of ways - what a pity the author chose this route, it disrespected the characters and it alienated me as a reader

Mercury Rising was an different mix of ideas that just left me befuddled more than interested. The world has gone to Hell with a virus that is turning killing people and those that it doesn’t kill it turns into serial killers. 99% of the world’s population is gone. The government is a patchwork of people who have taken over and others that are psychopaths just wanting to rule the world. The story centers around the US so we don’t know how wide spread the virus is nor if another country might be planning to invade. Vitamin B seems to be the only defense the humans have to survive and of course that is in short supply.

We meet Lynne Harmony as she reaches her destination in California. She has two goals: one to find a secret lab and two to kill someone. What makes her unique is that the world believes she started the virus. She has a unique calling card that makes her well known to anyone who sees her. Jax Mercury is going to kill for her or so she thinks. He has other plans.

Jax Mercury set up this small territory of survivors. Gangs roam L.A. and he defends his own. When he sees Lynne, he knows he has an ace in the hole and he plans on leveraging to save his group. He’s hard on Lynne and doesn’t believe he is worth saving. A leader is what he is seen as, but he wants nothing to do with supporting the infrastructure to make it happen. Low on supplies, he is trying to survive while fighting off rival gangs.

For 50% of this book, I was bored. The world building was slow to come out and when it did it felt very contradicting. So basically a virus is released. If a person had access to vitamin B then it combatted the virus and you had a good chance of surviving, but maybe you might have issues. Things like you don’t have much in the way of emotions or empathy. It could get worse to the point it created a serial killer. Or even worse to the point of what I would call a zombie, but they never want to call it that. When someone is eating a body, well, that’s what I call a zombie.

So when they went out hunting for supplies, they had to be on alert for serial killers, zombies and rival gang members. Lynne has an motive to find something that she doesn’t right off share with Jax. Jax comes from the bad streets where he once part of a gang he is trying to kill now. He ends up in the military which ultimately made him into a better man.

The secondary cast is one that drew me in more than the main characters. There is the former NFL player who is like the counselor to the society. There is another military member who is a field medic trying to sew them all back together. There are teenagers falling in love and not being smart. A mother and daughter who scalage for supplies. Ham radio guy looking for a government that isn’t helping them. The secondary characters were more likable than the main characters.

Several times I stopped reading and then had to push myself to continue forward. The world building was complicated at times and the explanations didn’t always ring truthful. The plot was fairly easy in its basic form of man finds woman falls in love and can’t figure out what he feeling. This just seemed to need a little more time to peculate. I am hoping with the facts now out, the next story will be more interesting on fixing the world. So onto the next book while I still argue with myself as to what I found confusing about this story.

A new series from Zanetti! *silly reader girl booty dance* Zanetti brought an interesting mix to the table with this post apocalyptic romantic suspense. Action, danger, romance. Yes, please! The quick of it is that a deadly bacteria has wiped out billions of people and left the world a gritty war zone full of scared and desperate survivors. And it's up to the heroine--who many blame for the outbreak--to convince one very dangerous man and the band of survivors he's pulled together to help her find a way to save them all from the nightmare they've been plunged into.

I loved the characters. Lynne and Jax are survivors who have managed to overcome everything that's been thrown at them--danger, death, heartache and loss--and lived to fight another day. Jax pulling together survivors and keeping them under his protection and Lynne never giving up on finding a cure or at least a way to slow down the bacteria trying to destroy them all. They're both a bit broken (totally expected) but there's a strength to each that's admirable. The romance? Slow moving despite the attraction and heat. I liked it though. They have so much to deal with externally with threats against their group and internally with trust issues that it made sense. There's passion and some yummy sex scenes to cap it all off. Woohoo!

The suspense was a spot different for me. I don't read too many post-apocalyptic storylines. And this one had a lot of grit. There's nothing pretty, easy or sexy about the way these people are living. The world really fell apart and couldn't function normally after so many died and those left are seriously fighting for survival--against the ongoing threat from the deadly bacteria, against gang members trying to steal meager supplies, against those who have been infected and gone crazy, and against forces that are targeting Lynne for all sorts of reasons. It's brutal, harsh, and completely fascinating.

As a whole Mercury Striking was an interesting read with lots of great elements. But it was missing something for me. It took me forever to really get into this one. I'd say the 50% mark or just passed it. I'm not even sure what it was other than it just didn't fully grab my attention. There weren't any huge surprises or twists I didn't see coming or jaw dropping moments of whoa! that I typically relate to Zanetti's books. It wasn't bad but not what I typically expect writing-wise from Zanetti. It did eventually pull me in though. While the storyline didn't grab me completely--it kind of just rambles along as they try to survive and find a cure-- the characters did. I enjoyed the main characters but I also really liked the support cast and getting to slowly know them. Mercury Striking wasn't a perfect start to the series for me but it laid an interesting groundwork that has me curious to see what'll happen next for this ragtag group of survivors. I can see it winning me over.

Going to do my review a little different for this book.

What's the main premise of this series: A deadly virus has ended most of life on earth. For the ones it didn't kill it changed them. The worst were made into Rippers of which there were two types of them one increased their intelligence but made them without conscience like serial killers and the others were just plain insane and killed anything. There were a small few who survived the fever with just the heightening of their senses and kept their sanity.

Were things explained and the world building done well: Not everything was explained right away – some things took the course of the book. The books starts after the virus when everyone is fighting to stay alive. For me by the end of this book I was satisfied I knew enough about the virus, what caused it and if there was any hope for the future. The things that were not always clear were who all the bad guys were. Some where obvious – like the LA gangs and all the Rippers but a group called the Mercenaries are still a mystery.

Characters: There were a lot of main and secondary characters. I didnt feel overwhelmed by the amount of them and all but one you knew who side they were on. For the most part we got enough back story on even the secondary characters to come to care about them but in this violent apocalyptic world that doesnt mean they will be around for long. Death count is high through out the book.

Romance: Lynn Harmony and Jax Mercury are not your typical sweet romance couple. Lynn was a CDC scientist before the outbreak and also a survivor of the fever but it left her with a blue heart literally that glows in her chest. The US has been told she is the carrier of a new strain of the Scorpius virus and to stay away from her but that isnt the truth. Her goal was to make to LA to toughest soldier in the new world for both his protection and to get her to the CDC in California for hopes of finding a cure. Jax has had to be tough his whole life – first growing up in tough gang in LA then as a soldier seeing the only good friends he's ever had died. Even though he doesnt want the job he is the leader of a group of survivors who is doing everything in his power to make sure they are kept alive and trained for fighting Rippers, gang members and how to scavenge for food and supplies. Jax tries to present himself as mean fighting machine with no emotions but its pretty clear he has a soul and he realizes right away that Lynn is someone he needs to protect even if the two constantly butt heads. The sexual attraction runs pretty hot between them and Jax has a few surprises he pulls out in the bedroom.

Most mysterious and character I want more of: Raze Shadow.. His book is next. Even though he fights side by side with Jax throughout this book he is keeping one heck of a secret on who he really is and why he was in Jax's camp. Cant wait to find out the truth.

Overall impression of the book: I liked it. The story was captivating, the characters interesting and with the open ended ending your left wanting more.

The wait is over. After reading the thrilling prequel, I could finally dive into book one. Man, things are tough, gritty, sizzling, and in a dark place for the survival of mankind after the Scorpius plague outbreak. Zanetti impressed me with her super-soldiers, her paranormal alphas, and now her post-apocalyptic survivors.

So yes, this is book one, but I'm going to make a huge, helpful suggestion that the reader snags the prequel first. The prequel is hanging out in the On the Hunt anthology at the moment with several other fab stories. This book could be read as the beginning since the explanations to the world are there and characters are introduced and developed along with their storyline, but the prequel shows how it all began and gives a taste of what is to come both in this story and further down the line of the series. Plus the heroine and a few other characters began their stories in the prequel.

The story opens when Lynne Harmony, aka Blue Heart the most infamous survivor of the Scorpius plague, is near the end of her long exhausting journey to do what she set out to do- find a vaccine against the plague and end a very dangerous person- before she hopefully can find permanent peace and rest in her own death. Lynne is reviled by humans who think she started the plague, who think she cares a worse strain of the plague, or who just flat out blame her as the head of the defunct CDC for not stopping the plague. But all Lynne wants to do is use her sharp mind and skill to help people survive and maybe find a way to stop it all. And the key to this is the legendary former special ops soldier and leader of a rag-tag group of survivors, Jax Mercury.

Jax has been a fighter to survive most of his life and now he is the leader protecting a group of humans against rival gangs, those who are twisted by the plague into something not human (zombies) or worse into high functioning psychopaths. He doesn't see himself as more than a way to give the people under his protection a small chance, but his own hope of making it is hanging by a thread. Into his life walks the most famous woman in the country and though he can see she has secrets, she has offered to help find something to counter the plague. Jax shouldn't be attracted to a complication like Lynne so he works hard to ignore this and think in terms of the best way to use her to help his people.

Rival gangs want to push in and take over the territory and take the stores, danger lurks from those infected by the plague, members of Jax's group react to Lynne's presence, the newly forming government is headed by a man who wants Lynne at all costs, and daily living is a fight. Jax and Lynne circle each other warily. But in the end, they must figure out how to trust and work together if they are to keep hope and survive.

It has been some time since I read a post-apocalyptic story. I love these gritty, survivor tales though I confess that plague scenarios leave me a bit queasy. Fortunately, this one doesn't get gross and the victims don't look nasty either. Though, don't get me wrong, those infected who didn't come through intact are way more dangerous than your average zombie.

The story spends quite a bit of time on set up and getting the reader up to speed. I was interested and intrigued by the complicated world, but at the same time, I noticed that this does effect the pacing. Hang in there, because it does speed up and there are some really intense scenes and action sequences to get your pulse-rate going.

Another thing that might get your pulse-rate going is the passionate encounters between Jax and Lynne. Jax is rough and he tries to stay detached. Lynne is smart and knows its not a good time to get all emotional, too. So by necessity this is a slow-burn relationship. Neither think they are good for each other nor that it is the right time for focus to be off their survival goals. But that said, their steady partnering and build of trust and feelings was great.

Now one of my favorite parts to post-apocalyptic stories is to see how the tearing down and rebuilding of a race happens when the 'big' event (in this case a plague) occurs and wipes it all out for a reboot. The author did a good job of making this world on the brink feel authentic right down to the fatigue, losing hope, and horrendous situations.

And paired with my interest in the setting and world of a story like this is the development of the characters who populate such a tale. I enjoyed seeing how those who survived either rolled over and gave up, stepped into the vacuum to gain for themselves, or grew into their full potential as protectors, nurturers, and leaders.

The narration switches up between mostly Lynne and Jax, but even one of the villains gets his perspective included. Have to say that in this case, I wasn't that into the villains perspective. But I did enjoy both Lynne and Jax as narrators and I enjoyed seeing both in action.

I'm hard on heroines, but Lynne was a great heroine for me. She's smart, pragmatic, compassionate, resourceful, and fearful yet brave. Jax was a man in transition. He was so tough in ways, but also not so tough in others. He wants to do his job and not get involved with others at the same time. He resists being a true leader. But Jax is surrounded by a strong unit of people who shore him up and have their own strengths to toss in the pot. I can't wait to get their stories as the series progresses.

The last part of the book is where all the money scenes are. While I wasn't surprised by any big breath-snitching twists, things still got pretty intense. Love the action and fight scenes and where the story left things leading into the next book. I peaked at the teaser long enough to see that it is about the couple that intrigued me the most so now I'm left drumming my fingers impatiently again.

So in summary, it gets off slow as a first book in a series can, but then it gets rolling for some good action and romance in a gritty, post-apocalyptic setting. I would recommend this series to those who enjoy this sub-genre and others who can take their romantic suspense in any setting.

My thanks to Kensington Group for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Reviewed by Angela and posted at Under The Covers Book Blog

Mercury Striking has a thought provoking story line. Zanetti shows off her skills in writing good action, nail biting scenes and emotional predicaments that will leave readers in tears. Every turn of the page had me needing more and more of the story.

There has been an outbreak that nearly wiped out the country. Only the fittest survived. Living without electricity, barely any gas, water, food, and people scavenge for what they can in abandoned places. The once civil and well-ordered world has become dark and very dangerous. However, there are the strong who started a small community where the women and children are protected and men stand strong against the dangers of this so called post-apocalyptic life.

It was rumoured that the Lynne, the former head of the CDC (Center for Disease Control) is responsible for the spread of the disease and continues to do spread the virus. Her blue heart is also known to be the very solution to the outbreak. There is so much more to the story but seeking Jax Mercury, ex-military, may be her last hope to survive and possibly save what’s left of humanity.

The world Zanetti had created is dark, dangerous and the possibility of this story coming true is down right scary. Jax and Lynne are two very strong characters surviving this fight for survival not just for personal reasons but much bigger than they are. Their involvement to saving what’s left of their world is awe inspiring, and their past and current situation broke my heart. I love Zanetti’s placement of their characters and how important they have become to the people around them. The romance came at a slow pace but when it surfaced it was fueled by a lot of heat-of-the-moment situations. I loved every bit if their story

I did miss reading the prequel, The Scorpious Rising, a novella released from the anthology called The Hunt. I didn’t feel that there was a need to read that since I fully understood what was going on in the book from the beginning until the end. However, I was told it tells part of Lynne’s journey and I would not want to miss that. So, I will be getting to that book as soon as possible.

I fair warning. This book has a moderate amount of violence that may not be appropriate or enjoyed by many.

I originally discover the Scorpius Syndrome series when I read the prequel in On the Hunt. It was quite the page-turner which had me hooked and then I find out it was going to be months until the next book. Noooo! When I got a whiff that Mercury Striking was coming out, I knew I just had to have it. I grabbed myself a copy and settled in to be wowed again. My wait is finally over!

I always get a rush reading apocalyptic stories. The possibility that this could happen today, tomorrow or years from now and how we, as the human race, would survive is so intriguing to me. But what does it for me is the REAL chance this may happen and yes, I can see something like a killer bacteria wiping out the world. Scorpius Syndrome...WHOA! There is quite a bit of world building and if you haven’t read the prequel in On the Hunt you may be a bit lost. So in case you don’t know the premise behind the story, Scorpius came from a meteorite that some college students found. They cracked it open and let loose a bacterium that spreads rapidly and kills 99% of the people infected. Those who survive either become wack-a-doodle crazy, as in sociopath crazy or are normal. Actually, they aren't quite normal. It seems they brains are enhanced. Bits of that are revealed, although I think more to it will come out further into the series. For now, you have the crazies and the survivors who are very complex, the good and the bad is not cut and dry. This is where all the secondary characters come into play. Rippers, Vanguards, gangs, military and just plain old human survivors. Some of their stories are heartbreaking, some you just love to hate. And the others have me so intrigued I can't wait to see what is in story for them...especially Tace and Rafe!

Now what an exciting story be without a little romance. Lynne and Jax. She's the former head of the CDC and everybody is on the hunt for her. Jax is former gang member turn military and now he is holding down in L.A. keeping himself and his Vanguards alive. If you need a clear picture in your mind of what Jax looks like, check out the cover because it damn never perfect IMO. Lynne's escaped a crazy ex-boyfriend, is trying to find a cure is in desperate need of Jax's help. Best part for me was how realistic Lynne and Jax are in. They aren't perfect and have their doubts and fears. They both have flaws on top of having trust issues and it isn't always a clean clear road for them. The dynamics between them is intense both in and out of the bedroom and there is a nice slow build-up that ends with a HEA...well as happy as it can be while the world as you know it has come to an end.

I almost feel Mercury Striking is two stories in one. One half is the romance between Lynne and Jax. The other half is post-apocalyptic world and the survivors. Both are equally exciting but mixed together, they are explosive. Action, suspense, romance - Rebecca Zanetti certainly did not disappoint this reader. Mercury Striking is one book that goes straight into my recommending pile. I cannot wait for the next book!

I received this book from the JeepDiva for the express purposes of an honest review. The opinions and rating of this review are solely mine.
Stars - 5, Flames - 3

The first 15% was excellent - a dystopian world ravaged by a contagion that wipes out the majority of the population and turns a small percentage of the infected into Rippers - mindless or smart killing machines (the author got a little fuzzy on that). We have a small group of survivors in LA led by a smart capable ex-soldier Jax, and we have our brilliant heroine on the run - Lynne, who is trying to save herself and what is left of humanity.
Then BAM - the book took a serious turn into WTF territory when our H spanked our h.
Spanked!?!
Like she's some naughty schoolgirl being reprimanded because she refused to talk/do what the H wanted her to. ????
In a flash our brilliant scientist h became a TSTL soppy lead - where was all her smarts? The H raved on about how brilliant she was...? But I never witnessed anything of the sort - she never seemed to understand how to handle the H (oh, lets try blackmailing him for the fourth or fifth time - because this time it might actually work... grrrr) She couldn't manipulate him worth a damn.
They cuddled, he has PTSD issues, she's got a ripper on her trail and yet... we have these two leads waffling around... not doing much of anything... I wanted to shake them both.

I wanted them to be capable. Own their emotions. Own being a good leader and a brilliant scientist but still find themselves unable to live without the other.

This could have been told any number of ways - what a pity the author chose this route, it disrespected the characters and it alienated me as a reader

Mercury Rising was an different mix of ideas that just left me befuddled more than interested. The world has gone to Hell with a virus that is turning killing people and those that it doesn’t kill it turns into serial killers. 99% of the world’s population is gone. The government is a patchwork of people who have taken over and others that are psychopaths just wanting to rule the world. The story centers around the US so we don’t know how wide spread the virus is nor if another country might be planning to invade. Vitamin B seems to be the only defense the humans have to survive and of course that is in short supply.

We meet Lynne Harmony as she reaches her destination in California. She has two goals: one to find a secret lab and two to kill someone. What makes her unique is that the world believes she started the virus. She has a unique calling card that makes her well known to anyone who sees her. Jax Mercury is going to kill for her or so she thinks. He has other plans.

Jax Mercury set up this small territory of survivors. Gangs roam L.A. and he defends his own. When he sees Lynne, he knows he has an ace in the hole and he plans on leveraging to save his group. He’s hard on Lynne and doesn’t believe he is worth saving. A leader is what he is seen as, but he wants nothing to do with supporting the infrastructure to make it happen. Low on supplies, he is trying to survive while fighting off rival gangs.

For 50% of this book, I was bored. The world building was slow to come out and when it did it felt very contradicting. So basically a virus is released. If a person had access to vitamin B then it combatted the virus and you had a good chance of surviving, but maybe you might have issues. Things like you don’t have much in the way of emotions or empathy. It could get worse to the point it created a serial killer. Or even worse to the point of what I would call a zombie, but they never want to call it that. When someone is eating a body, well, that’s what I call a zombie.

So when they went out hunting for supplies, they had to be on alert for serial killers, zombies and rival gang members. Lynne has an motive to find something that she doesn’t right off share with Jax. Jax comes from the bad streets where he once part of a gang he is trying to kill now. He ends up in the military which ultimately made him into a better man.

The secondary cast is one that drew me in more than the main characters. There is the former NFL player who is like the counselor to the society. There is another military member who is a field medic trying to sew them all back together. There are teenagers falling in love and not being smart. A mother and daughter who scalage for supplies. Ham radio guy looking for a government that isn’t helping them. The secondary characters were more likable than the main characters.

Several times I stopped reading and then had to push myself to continue forward. The world building was complicated at times and the explanations didn’t always ring truthful. The plot was fairly easy in its basic form of man finds woman falls in love and can’t figure out what he feeling. This just seemed to need a little more time to peculate. I am hoping with the facts now out, the next story will be more interesting on fixing the world. So onto the next book while I still argue with myself as to what I found confusing about this story.

A new series from Zanetti! *silly reader girl booty dance* Zanetti brought an interesting mix to the table with this post apocalyptic romantic suspense. Action, danger, romance. Yes, please! The quick of it is that a deadly bacteria has wiped out billions of people and left the world a gritty war zone full of scared and desperate survivors. And it's up to the heroine--who many blame for the outbreak--to convince one very dangerous man and the band of survivors he's pulled together to help her find a way to save them all from the nightmare they've been plunged into.

I loved the characters. Lynne and Jax are survivors who have managed to overcome everything that's been thrown at them--danger, death, heartache and loss--and lived to fight another day. Jax pulling together survivors and keeping them under his protection and Lynne never giving up on finding a cure or at least a way to slow down the bacteria trying to destroy them all. They're both a bit broken (totally expected) but there's a strength to each that's admirable. The romance? Slow moving despite the attraction and heat. I liked it though. They have so much to deal with externally with threats against their group and internally with trust issues that it made sense. There's passion and some yummy sex scenes to cap it all off. Woohoo!

The suspense was a spot different for me. I don't read too many post-apocalyptic storylines. And this one had a lot of grit. There's nothing pretty, easy or sexy about the way these people are living. The world really fell apart and couldn't function normally after so many died and those left are seriously fighting for survival--against the ongoing threat from the deadly bacteria, against gang members trying to steal meager supplies, against those who have been infected and gone crazy, and against forces that are targeting Lynne for all sorts of reasons. It's brutal, harsh, and completely fascinating.

As a whole Mercury Striking was an interesting read with lots of great elements. But it was missing something for me. It took me forever to really get into this one. I'd say the 50% mark or just passed it. I'm not even sure what it was other than it just didn't fully grab my attention. There weren't any huge surprises or twists I didn't see coming or jaw dropping moments of whoa! that I typically relate to Zanetti's books. It wasn't bad but not what I typically expect writing-wise from Zanetti. It did eventually pull me in though. While the storyline didn't grab me completely--it kind of just rambles along as they try to survive and find a cure-- the characters did. I enjoyed the main characters but I also really liked the support cast and getting to slowly know them. Mercury Striking wasn't a perfect start to the series for me but it laid an interesting groundwork that has me curious to see what'll happen next for this ragtag group of survivors. I can see it winning me over.

Going to do my review a little different for this book.

What's the main premise of this series: A deadly virus has ended most of life on earth. For the ones it didn't kill it changed them. The worst were made into Rippers of which there were two types of them one increased their intelligence but made them without conscience like serial killers and the others were just plain insane and killed anything. There were a small few who survived the fever with just the heightening of their senses and kept their sanity.

Were things explained and the world building done well: Not everything was explained right away – some things took the course of the book. The books starts after the virus when everyone is fighting to stay alive. For me by the end of this book I was satisfied I knew enough about the virus, what caused it and if there was any hope for the future. The things that were not always clear were who all the bad guys were. Some where obvious – like the LA gangs and all the Rippers but a group called the Mercenaries are still a mystery.

Characters: There were a lot of main and secondary characters. I didnt feel overwhelmed by the amount of them and all but one you knew who side they were on. For the most part we got enough back story on even the secondary characters to come to care about them but in this violent apocalyptic world that doesnt mean they will be around for long. Death count is high through out the book.

Romance: Lynn Harmony and Jax Mercury are not your typical sweet romance couple. Lynn was a CDC scientist before the outbreak and also a survivor of the fever but it left her with a blue heart literally that glows in her chest. The US has been told she is the carrier of a new strain of the Scorpius virus and to stay away from her but that isnt the truth. Her goal was to make to LA to toughest soldier in the new world for both his protection and to get her to the CDC in California for hopes of finding a cure. Jax has had to be tough his whole life – first growing up in tough gang in LA then as a soldier seeing the only good friends he's ever had died. Even though he doesnt want the job he is the leader of a group of survivors who is doing everything in his power to make sure they are kept alive and trained for fighting Rippers, gang members and how to scavenge for food and supplies. Jax tries to present himself as mean fighting machine with no emotions but its pretty clear he has a soul and he realizes right away that Lynn is someone he needs to protect even if the two constantly butt heads. The sexual attraction runs pretty hot between them and Jax has a few surprises he pulls out in the bedroom.

Most mysterious and character I want more of: Raze Shadow.. His book is next. Even though he fights side by side with Jax throughout this book he is keeping one heck of a secret on who he really is and why he was in Jax's camp. Cant wait to find out the truth.

Overall impression of the book: I liked it. The story was captivating, the characters interesting and with the open ended ending your left wanting more.

The wait is over. After reading the thrilling prequel, I could finally dive into book one. Man, things are tough, gritty, sizzling, and in a dark place for the survival of mankind after the Scorpius plague outbreak. Zanetti impressed me with her super-soldiers, her paranormal alphas, and now her post-apocalyptic survivors.

So yes, this is book one, but I'm going to make a huge, helpful suggestion that the reader snags the prequel first. The prequel is hanging out in the On the Hunt anthology at the moment with several other fab stories. This book could be read as the beginning since the explanations to the world are there and characters are introduced and developed along with their storyline, but the prequel shows how it all began and gives a taste of what is to come both in this story and further down the line of the series. Plus the heroine and a few other characters began their stories in the prequel.

The story opens when Lynne Harmony, aka Blue Heart the most infamous survivor of the Scorpius plague, is near the end of her long exhausting journey to do what she set out to do- find a vaccine against the plague and end a very dangerous person- before she hopefully can find permanent peace and rest in her own death. Lynne is reviled by humans who think she started the plague, who think she cares a worse strain of the plague, or who just flat out blame her as the head of the defunct CDC for not stopping the plague. But all Lynne wants to do is use her sharp mind and skill to help people survive and maybe find a way to stop it all. And the key to this is the legendary former special ops soldier and leader of a rag-tag group of survivors, Jax Mercury.

Jax has been a fighter to survive most of his life and now he is the leader protecting a group of humans against rival gangs, those who are twisted by the plague into something not human (zombies) or worse into high functioning psychopaths. He doesn't see himself as more than a way to give the people under his protection a small chance, but his own hope of making it is hanging by a thread. Into his life walks the most famous woman in the country and though he can see she has secrets, she has offered to help find something to counter the plague. Jax shouldn't be attracted to a complication like Lynne so he works hard to ignore this and think in terms of the best way to use her to help his people.

Rival gangs want to push in and take over the territory and take the stores, danger lurks from those infected by the plague, members of Jax's group react to Lynne's presence, the newly forming government is headed by a man who wants Lynne at all costs, and daily living is a fight. Jax and Lynne circle each other warily. But in the end, they must figure out how to trust and work together if they are to keep hope and survive.

It has been some time since I read a post-apocalyptic story. I love these gritty, survivor tales though I confess that plague scenarios leave me a bit queasy. Fortunately, this one doesn't get gross and the victims don't look nasty either. Though, don't get me wrong, those infected who didn't come through intact are way more dangerous than your average zombie.

The story spends quite a bit of time on set up and getting the reader up to speed. I was interested and intrigued by the complicated world, but at the same time, I noticed that this does effect the pacing. Hang in there, because it does speed up and there are some really intense scenes and action sequences to get your pulse-rate going.

Another thing that might get your pulse-rate going is the passionate encounters between Jax and Lynne. Jax is rough and he tries to stay detached. Lynne is smart and knows its not a good time to get all emotional, too. So by necessity this is a slow-burn relationship. Neither think they are good for each other nor that it is the right time for focus to be off their survival goals. But that said, their steady partnering and build of trust and feelings was great.

Now one of my favorite parts to post-apocalyptic stories is to see how the tearing down and rebuilding of a race happens when the 'big' event (in this case a plague) occurs and wipes it all out for a reboot. The author did a good job of making this world on the brink feel authentic right down to the fatigue, losing hope, and horrendous situations.

And paired with my interest in the setting and world of a story like this is the development of the characters who populate such a tale. I enjoyed seeing how those who survived either rolled over and gave up, stepped into the vacuum to gain for themselves, or grew into their full potential as protectors, nurturers, and leaders.

The narration switches up between mostly Lynne and Jax, but even one of the villains gets his perspective included. Have to say that in this case, I wasn't that into the villains perspective. But I did enjoy both Lynne and Jax as narrators and I enjoyed seeing both in action.

I'm hard on heroines, but Lynne was a great heroine for me. She's smart, pragmatic, compassionate, resourceful, and fearful yet brave. Jax was a man in transition. He was so tough in ways, but also not so tough in others. He wants to do his job and not get involved with others at the same time. He resists being a true leader. But Jax is surrounded by a strong unit of people who shore him up and have their own strengths to toss in the pot. I can't wait to get their stories as the series progresses.

The last part of the book is where all the money scenes are. While I wasn't surprised by any big breath-snitching twists, things still got pretty intense. Love the action and fight scenes and where the story left things leading into the next book. I peaked at the teaser long enough to see that it is about the couple that intrigued me the most so now I'm left drumming my fingers impatiently again.

So in summary, it gets off slow as a first book in a series can, but then it gets rolling for some good action and romance in a gritty, post-apocalyptic setting. I would recommend this series to those who enjoy this sub-genre and others who can take their romantic suspense in any setting.

My thanks to Kensington Group for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Reviewed by Angela and posted at Under The Covers Book Blog

Mercury Striking has a thought provoking story line. Zanetti shows off her skills in writing good action, nail biting scenes and emotional predicaments that will leave readers in tears. Every turn of the page had me needing more and more of the story.

There has been an outbreak that nearly wiped out the country. Only the fittest survived. Living without electricity, barely any gas, water, food, and people scavenge for what they can in abandoned places. The once civil and well-ordered world has become dark and very dangerous. However, there are the strong who started a small community where the women and children are protected and men stand strong against the dangers of this so called post-apocalyptic life.

It was rumoured that the Lynne, the former head of the CDC (Center for Disease Control) is responsible for the spread of the disease and continues to do spread the virus. Her blue heart is also known to be the very solution to the outbreak. There is so much more to the story but seeking Jax Mercury, ex-military, may be her last hope to survive and possibly save what’s left of humanity.

The world Zanetti had created is dark, dangerous and the possibility of this story coming true is down right scary. Jax and Lynne are two very strong characters surviving this fight for survival not just for personal reasons but much bigger than they are. Their involvement to saving what’s left of their world is awe inspiring, and their past and current situation broke my heart. I love Zanetti’s placement of their characters and how important they have become to the people around them. The romance came at a slow pace but when it surfaced it was fueled by a lot of heat-of-the-moment situations. I loved every bit if their story

I did miss reading the prequel, The Scorpious Rising, a novella released from the anthology called The Hunt. I didn’t feel that there was a need to read that since I fully understood what was going on in the book from the beginning until the end. However, I was told it tells part of Lynne’s journey and I would not want to miss that. So, I will be getting to that book as soon as possible.

I fair warning. This book has a moderate amount of violence that may not be appropriate or enjoyed by many.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

While being entirely way too smutty for my tastes, Mercury Striking is a well thought out page turner.

With the Scorpius bacteria on the loose, more deadly than the plague, Jax Mercury has created his own community in Los Angeles where the people are protected and everyone does their part. Meanwhile, Lynn Harmony aka “Blue Heart” is fugitive #1. Said to be carrying a mutated strain of the Scorpius bacteria, she is supposed to be turned into what’s left of the government if she’s found. As the former head of the CDC, she’s too valuable to let go.

So obviously this is a romance. And it’s a steamy alpha male romance at that. Personally, I don’t get the whole alpha male attraction. They’re mostly just jerks. Jax isn’t too bad, as far as Alpha’s go. He’s got a lot of backstory and reasons for acting the way he does. He’s got a past and demons to conquer.

Lynne is far from the damsel in distress herself. She’s got a brain and knows how to use it. She’s got her own demons to vanquish and together with Jax, they may just be able to take on the world.

I was surprised by how much I liked about this book. The action was good and kept the story moving. The explanations for the Scorpius bacteria was well thought out and interesting, it wasn’t a last minute cop out thrown together by the author in order to get the characters in bed together. It was legit. And I liked it. The side characters were also very interesting and I have a feeling there is plenty to find out about each of them in the future.

As far as what I didn’t like, as I said before, I’m not one for books with lots of sex. It’s just not my reading preference. If you like a lot of sex scenes, this is the book for you! For me, it was too much. Especially a particular scene in the book which was WAY too rapey for my liking. The author knows each partner wanted it, but there was no way that Jax knew she really wanted it. She said no, and he did it anyway. It left a really bad taste in my mouth and if I were the kind of reader who quit partway through a book, I would have quit. Aside from that scene, I had no other major issues with the book.

So, should you read it? If you like LOTS of sex scenes and romance novels that have more substance than just the romance aspect, YES. If you don’t like sex scenes, you may have a harder time. You could always skip over them, but you’ll miss some of the relationship development.

Mercury Striking is listed as number one in the Scorpius Syndrome series but I feel it only fair to warn other readers that there's a prequel entitled Scirpius Rising in the anthology On The Hunt that really sets the scene . Lynne Harmony worked for the CDC but became infected by a mutated strain of an alien bacteria. Worse still although Lynne has pulled through millions across the world have succumbed to the deadly infection and now Lynne is hunted but this clever woman has a plan.
Jax Mercury knows all about fighting and death. Scorpius doesn't just kill, it can change the infected leaving behind sometimes enhanced humans but more often then not what survives is known as a Ripper. Rippers lose their empathy and sanity as they become little more than deadly killers. Yes the Scorpius bacteria is now the enemy that Jax faces but when the woman known as Blue Heart arrives in his territory Jax begins to learn just how challenging leadership really is!
I loved this but I do think that's probably partly due to having all the background information from Scorpius Rising. As this book begins Lynne isn't just looking for asylum she is searching for the place that continued her research before everything fell apart. Lynne is hated, feared and believed to be the cause of the deadly plague that has infected ninety nine percent of the US. She needs a strong ally in this hostile landscape . What she hadn't expected was to find a protector who will do whatever it takes to save those he considers to be "his". Jax may lead the Vanguard group but his ways may not suit all. Tough yes but can this leader really hold it together in this post apocalyptic world they now live in. Lynne doesn't just need him to scavenge or fight she needs him to kill but just who is the target?
Wow I am in awe. Two strong personalities that drive this story and yet there's a certain humour here too. If you enjoy alpha males then badass Jax will leave you salivating but there's also an incredible vulnerability about him. Lynne is pragmatic , courageous and a total spitfire at times. Yes she is a survivor but she challenges Jax at every turn giving readers a passionate story that could melt your kindle ! There's drama , action and even painful betrayal within these pages but the author drops real emotion in too so beware it might just take you unawares. You won't close this book feeling you have all the answers but you will get a sense of hope and rather intriguingly there's developments that are so tantalising I just can't wait to read what happens next
I was gifted a copy in exchange for an honest review

I am a huge fan of Rebecca Zanetti's Dark Protectors series and, in fact, just finished it during the holidays. When I saw she had a new series being released, I requested a copy on NetGalley and Kensington Books shared a pre-release copy. Mercury Striking is the first novel in the Scorpius Syndrome series. The setting is a post apocalyptic United Stated, where a virus called Scorpius has wiped out a majority of the population.

I have read a lot of post apocalyptic fiction, and I think Rebecca Zanetti has created a universe that is one of the most fascinating I've read. The landscape was dirty and grey, trash heaps providing the only pops of color from old fast food wrappers. The virus, if you survived it, either turned you into a Ripper, a psychotic human with serial killer tendencies, a zombi-like humanoid, or you developed extra abilities. If you had been smart, you were smarter, strong, stronger, etc. Lynne Harmony, the creator, and also victim of the Scorpius virus is, as most of Zanetti's female characters, an extremely intelligent woman. Her intelligence was boosted after she recovered from the virus, but she still has a fragility that makes Jax Mercury want to protect her. Mercury, an ex-soldier, created a safe haven in his old neighborhood that he guarded by force against Rippers and other Ganglords. The two of them together have the brain and brawn to protect the other survivors and hopefully find the cure.

Zanetti did a great job of fleshing out her characters so that they were not one dimensional. My imagination drew pictures of grit, grime and blood (not to mention the smells), which only made the tender moments have more clarity. The storyline focused on Lynne and Jax, but Zanetti spent time making the other characters mysterious and interesting as well. I hope she writes fast because I'm hooked!

If you haven’t read Scorpius Rising from the On The Hunt anthology, stop and read it now. It isn’t a “must”, but in my opinion it really sets the stage for Mercury Striking.

Fans of an apocalyptic type read will no doubt devour this one. It us unlike anything I have read from Zanetti before. I’d say that Walking Dead meets the Sin brothers is the best way to describe it. The world has changed, and those that have survived it are either enhanced, or worse: a zombie-like creature set on tearing you limb from limb. I have never been a watcher of the Waking Dead series, and honestly my weak ability to tolerate the more gruesome parts had me doing some skim reading. I am sure, however, that many will absolutely love it.

As for our couple, those who’ve read Scorpius Rising will have already met the brilliant Lynn Harmony. She has been on the run and the propaganda being blasted and spread about her isn’t all together true. She needs help, information, and in all honesty, a friend and ally in finding a cure.

Jax Mercury has garnered a reputation. He is fast, deadly, and comes with a past divided in two camps: adolescent gang member and decorated solider. This combination has put him in a precarious situation. He must defend his grouping of people within the compound while keeping the rippers and rival gangs out. Supplies are scarce and the moral and safety of his people must come first.

Lynn has made her way to Mercury and is seeking asylum. Neither of them expects the relation that grows while Jax is keeping her safe from the enemy as well as his own people. Jax will learn how to become a real leader while finding the answers they all seek.

It’s an engrossing mixture of sci-fi apocalyptic contagion and a couple finding respite in the heat of battle. One of Zanetti’s best works to date.

5 STARS
~Tanja

Another winner from Rebecca Zanetti; I couldn't put it down.

Zanetti paints a bleak picture of the future - a deadly bacteria that kills you or, if you survive, changes you into a new person, but more likely turning you into something like a zombie or a high functioning murdering sociopath. Resources are scarce, people are afraid and desperate and fighting with all they have to survive for just another day.

Jax is a gangbanger turned soldier turned leader of a small band of survivors. He doesn't want to be a leader and struggles with what that means is a big part of his journey throughout the book. Jax is all alpha male; he's loyal, honorable, determined, he'd walk through gunfire, bombs, for someone he cared for or considered his responsibility. If I was living in a world where the Scorpius bacteria reigned there's no one I'd rather follow than Jax.

Lynn is an anomaly. She's the girl with a blue heart. A girl everyone is looking for. I admired her strength, terrible things have happened to her but she never gives up. Her notoriety and blue heart make her an outsider and target of distrust leaving her feeling alone but she takes it and keeps going. Jax and Lynn are such a great match, complimenting each other, strong where the other is weak and they're both so protective.

Mercury Striking is the first book in the Scorpius Syndrome series and I can't wait to see what happens next.

Disclosure: eARC provided in exchange for an honest review

I really enjoy the way Rebecca Zanetti's mind works. Her fantasy-esque worlds all hold just enough believability in them to have the reader certain that what goes on has to happen "in real life". Her Sin brothers (namely Blind Faith) had me hooked on her writing style, and I was pumped to start a new series 'with' her.

Jax Mercury was a very solid, strong lead male. He's not quiet about his thoughts and he's not shy to voice his opinions. His history pre-virus and his role in the world post-virus intertwine to make him a guy who should scare you, but also make him a guy you want on your side. He certainly starts out as a guy you want to hate, one that you're not sure can redeem himself through the pages. Watching him open up, though -- that was where the true Jax-love came.

Add that to the intensity that surrounds Lynne and the protectiveness that Jax eventually embodies where she's concerned, this futuristic world takes on a great romantic suspense feel, making it a great read for lovers of either trope. There was a lot of information in this book, though, so it's definitely one that you have to be willing to put 100% of your attention to in order to keep up with the storyline and the happenings of the world.

And who's next? Vivienne & Raze.

Eek! I can't wait to know more of Vivienne's story, and the way Raze has kept her in his sights... Cannot wait to watch how that all plays out.

*received a copy of the title in exchange for an honest review.

BEFORE READING: in the anthology On the Hunt there's a novella that starts off the series and explains how the Scorpius bacteria was discovered, unleashed, and messed up the entire world. Don't be like me and only figure that out after you're already halfway into the book and have pretty much no idea what's going on. :D

I knew going in that this was a dystopian book, but that was pretty much the extent of my knowledge. Like mentioned before, I had no idea why the world came to be the way it was or why Lynne was as dangerous as she was. Mercury Striking was quick to bring on the action and slow to explain the world building (because of the novella, I suppose), so I was pretty lost for most of the first half of the book. I had to piece together the little information the characters let out about the disease and how it worked, and I still had a hard time getting the whole picture.

Lynne used to work for CDC (Center for Disease Control) and was the one blamed for the disease getting out, even though she wasn't the one who went around infecting people. While trying to find a cure she was experimented on, something that made her heart and the veins around it glow blue. Weird, right? She ran away and went to look for help in Jax Mercury, an ex-military man who gathered a group of survivors and tried his best to survive against the Scorpius disease.

Little info about Jax which is in the content warnings bellow, but it's important to mention here: abuse tw [he chokes a woman and he beats Lynne with a belt.]

What tripped me most about this book, aside from Lynne's glowing blue heart, was what the Scorpius disease did to people. Let me quote directly from the book: "Scorpius is capable of stripping the frontal cortex of a victim and turning him or her into a serial killer. We tried to figure out who and why, but as with any illness, it affects different people differently.” The disease was spread through saliva, blood, and semen; some died from it but those who were turned into serial killers were called Rippers... like Jack, the Ripper.

The whole set up seemed so weird to me. Maybe because I didn't read the novella, but the entire time I was reading this I was really confused. And it didn't get better once it was revealed who Lynne was running from. Things just got more ridiculous.

There was too much going on in a single book, so much so that it felt like nothing was really focused on and developed. I know this is the first book in a series, so maybe a few points were deliberately left that way so they'd be picked up in the next installments.

Rebecca has been one of my favorite authors since the first Dark Protector book. I am usually not one to enjoy post-apocalyptic books. But because I have read the Dark Protectors I decided why not give these a try. I am so glad I did. Jax Mercury is an alpha leader of Vanguard territory. This consists of men, women and children who have survived the out break of scorpius virus. Jax just wants justice for all and hopefully find a cure for this deadly infection. He vows to take care of the people in his group and perhaps some day the world will be able to start over again peacefully. But there are forces against Jax and his group. People who think they reign supreme and should decide on who lives or dies. When Lynn finally stumbles upon his group, Jax must decide whether to help and trust her or kill her before she brings his enemies down upon the Vanguard group. Never did the man expect to actually fight an attraction for the doctor.

Blog Tour, Review & Giveaway: Mercury Striking (The Scorpius Syndrome) by Rebecca Zanetti [...]
Publication Date: January 26, 2016
Genre: Dystopian/ Post Apocalyptic Romance
Reviewed by: Reading in Pajamas/ Cori
Rated: 5 Stars

REVIEW:
I love this new series! Mercury Striking is the first book in Rebecca Zanetti's new post apocalyptic romance series, Scorpius Syndrome. There is a prequel novella that sets up the series in On the Hunt by Alexandra Ivy, Rebecca Zanetti, Dianne Duvall, Hannah Jayne that I would recommend picking up before reading Mercury Striking. This series is captivating, gritty and well written. Rebecca Zanetti created a unique post apocalyptic world and she draws the reader into the story. I love the new characters she has created. I highly recommend this series for dystopian lovers looking for an exciting new series. I'm hooked and can't wait to see where this series goes. I loved Mercury Srtiking and this series is one of my new addictions.

QUOTE: "I’ll follow you into the depths of hell, and if I can’t get you out, I’ll quash the fires. —Jax Mercury"

*Review copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Hot dang this book was absolutely awesome. Mercury Striking is nothing like I expected, it’s seriously unique and amazing, so glad I grabbed this beauty.

If you don’t know I have a deep appreciation for Rebecca Zanetti’s books. Her books are addicting beyond belief, absolutely beautiful and compelling.

Lynne Harmony and Jax Mercury are some of the most intense characters I’ve ever read. After an epidemic broke out by a deadly bacteria known as the Scorpius Bacterium. Most of the population has been wiped out, some have gotten the disease and survived, while others turn into Rippers. Rippers are “people” who have turned into sociopaths or have advanced abilities. The world isn’t looking so great for survivors. There is very little technology, and no one it safe because resources are running out.

The first person to contract the disease was Lynne. Lynne was once one of the most renowned microbiologists working with the Scorpius bacteria. In an effort to fix her with multiple experiments, Lynne now has a blue heart and the entire living world looking for her. Lynne finally escaped captivity and went out looking for Jax Mercury, the only one who can help her.

Jax is an ex-special forces soldier and ex gang member in LA. He’s now the leader of the rebel territory in LA. Jax doesn’t want to be a leader, he just wants to survive. When Lynne Harmony the most wanted woman alive comes asking for his help his whole life is flipped upside-down. Now he’s counting on Lynne to find a cure and in exchange she asks him to kill someone for her.

Seriously this book is beyond amazing. I couldn’t put it down for a second. Jax is ruthless and comes across as very uncaring and harsh when he really just wants to do what’s best for his people. Lynne is so absolutely sweet and she’s such a survivor no matter what’s thrown at her. When she finds Jax the people he lives with view her as a virus and I love how she’s so strong and fierce despite all of that. The romance in this story was hot, but I like that it didn’t overtake the book. There was an actual story and I think Rebecca Zanetti always does such a great job at balancing the sexiness with the actual story so neither are lost.

I cannot wait for the next book! Super excited because this book is beyond beautiuful!!! If you enjoy high suspense action stories with romance, phenomenal writing and kick-a** writing you’ll want to grab this beauty.

There are times when a story or series grabs you and simply will not let go. The Scorpius Syndrome is such a series for me. If you have not yet read the prequel to this series which is Scorpius Rising found in the anthology On The Hunt – then I would strongly suggest that you find it. Now. That prequel story sets up how all of this madness came to be reality – and why Lynne is so vital.

In a world gone crazy and a society that no longer exists there are now two types of people left – survivors who will do everything in their power to make it to one more day for there is always hope for something better than what just passed. And there are scavengers, those who will kill you without a thought for a moldy slice of bread or for simply being in the wrong place at the worst time possible. Scavengers also include the Rippers, those who survived the bacteria, yet are now mindless killers – and there is the absolute worst terror around, also Rippers but these survived with an enhanced intelligence that allows these serial killers to plot and plan their madness induced murders with a cunning and determination that will only be stopped with their own death.

Welcome to the new reality.

As the first full length novel in the series, Mercury Striking has the task of not only telling a compelling story, but setting up what this world is like now. I had no trouble falling into this world and accepting it as reality from the first chapter. The sense of desperate determination was my first thought when Lynne appeared on the page. Courage is often found in the simple act of putting one foot in front of the other and doing what is necessary – no matter what that might be.

Lynne has been through hell – and survived. In the last days of news stories and dwindling nationwide communication she has become either the Angel of Death or the only hope for mankind – depending on the propaganda and rumor mills at work at any given time. What she is truly is simply a survivor with two goals. Make it to Jax Mercury’s compound in Los Angles where she just might be able to salvage medical information hidden nearby that could possibly help turn the tide of this massive infection – and to bargain for the death of one man, one powerful man who because of the times has hidden his infected mad plans behind a facade. If she can do either, but hopefully both of those things then she can die knowing that she did all she could.

When the woman known as “Blue Heart” showed up on the edge of Jax’s territory, he had to admire or at least acknowledge her crazy courage. She stood bravely in the blinding headlights, calmly showed his men her indeed blue heart that glowed and pulsed an aqua color from the center of her chest and demanded to see him. Well, she found him. He didn’t know exactly what her agenda was, but there was no turning back for her now. She belonged to him now and the sooner she realized that fact the sooner they could get on to why she was really here.

I could easily write tons of more words about this compelling, intense story of a new world, a new reality. But at this point, you need to take up the story and discover the rest for yourself. Because beyond the beginning of Mercury Striking are twists and turns, sizzling sexual chemistry between Lynne and Jax, betrayals, and so much more that is the whole of reinventing a society, even a small one in the compound, where survival is the ultimate goal.

The secondary cast of characters is rich in diversity. Some will not make it beyond this story – others will survive, changed perhaps but still fighting for another day. Others have hidden agendas that will be slowly played out. And every single one is desperately trying, in their own way, to hold on to their humanity.

You don’t have to be a reader of post-apocalyptic stories to enjoy Mercury Striking. This is a compelling, action packed, intense look at what happens to a world gone crazy and those left behind to deal with a new reality.

I don’t think I can adequately convey how highly I would recommend this story. If I could give it 10 stars, I would. Yet, it is one that you need to experience for yourself for the small nuances, the changed mindsets, the constant underlying fear and tensions – these are things that you need to feel firsthand. Would I recommend Mercury Striking to any romantic suspense, mystery or even sci-fi reader? Hell yeah!

The next book in the series, Shadow Falling, is due out the end of this summer (August 30th at this time). And I cannot wait to get my hands on that one to continue the journey with these amazing characters.

*I received an e-ARC of Mercury Striking from the publisher,Kensington Books-Zebra and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. That does not change what I think of this novel.*

Summary from Goodreads:

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…

My Thoughts:

Post-apocalyptic romance. That is all I needed to hear before I was adding this book on to my TBR wishlist. It is so easy sometimes, isn't it? This is a genre that I cannot resist and always want to read more of although really I've read very few books like this. This book was just as good as I had hoped it would be, and I am delighted that it is the beginning to a series. A post-apocalyptic romantic series...be still my heart! After finishing this book I am already eagerly anticipating book two because this book was just that good. It was unique, kick-ass, and intense which are all things that made this book a winner for me. It would be most accurate to say that I devoured this book- I started reading it and just couldn't stop.

I have a certain weakness for books and shows (evidenced by my obsession to The Walking Dead) that feature "the end of society as we know it". It is a scary thing to read about at times because it can feel all too real. The world that this author created was perfect because it felt so real. The constant hunt and search for supplies. The attempt at creating a life and some new version of normal. And of course the need to fight to survive. If society really was to end, I am sure that all three of these things would be necessary which is a terrifying thought. I loved how easily this author pulled me into this dark world that she had created. It was so different from other books that I have read like this and I couldn't help but appreciate that fact alone. Add to that two really great main characters and you have a winning read! Oh, but I just loved the characters in this book and especially Jax and Lynn. The chemistry between these two was just as hot as I had hoped for. There are some secondary characters that really had me intrigued as well and I'm hoping to see more of them in the next book. The ending of this book was completely intense! I was on the edge of my seat reading as fast as I possibly could. The author had some super creepy moments in there that made it even more intense! I finished this book all too soon and was left wishing for more. At least I have another book to look forward to although I sure do wish that I had it in my hands now!

Overall, this book was an amazing read that left me wanting more. If anyone has recommendations for other post-apocalyptic romance reads, do share! I love books like this but just don't know of enough of them. I sure would like to add more to my TBR wishlist! The romance in this book fit in perfectly with the story line (and didn't feel like it was shoved in as a side note) and left me feeling completely satisfied. The intensity of this book and the world that the author created made this a thrilling read that I just couldn't get enough of. I would highly recommend this book to romance fans and especially those of romantic suspense. Highly recommended!

Bottom Line: A great beginning to this series- it was just as good as I wanted it to be!

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher and NetGalley.

The world has been attacked by the Scorpius bacteria so don't forget your Vitamin B shot.

Jax Mercury has stepped up and put together a community after the bacteria has killed about 99% of the population. He protects them but he demands complete loyalty. he has his code and he sticks to it.

In walks Lynne Harmony (former head of the CDC) with her blue heart. People either want to kill her for creating the bacteria or being a carrier for a stronger strain, which neither is true. She traveled across the country to find Jax to barter a deal for protection and resources.

This novel is fast paced. Every time you thought you could take a breath another obstacle threw itself at them. There was incredible chemistry between Jax and Lynne. There was also a lot of characters that shaped the development of the relationship between Jax and Lynne, both good and evil.

I loved that Jax had some really good friends that he considered bothers. They had turmoil themselves, which only strengthened the bonds that they had. I felt all the characters had true strength. The evil characters were equally written well. As you might imagine, in a world that has gone crazy there might be some characters that want to do harm mostly due to the Scorpius bacteria.

And in the end Jax and Lynne just might have a chance in this post-apocalyptic world.

I received this book via NetGalley to give an honest review.

The description pulled me into this one and I have to say it was really good. I think one thing that threw me off was the romance that hit automatically between Lynne and Jax. I wasn't expecting that so quickly. When the spanking scene came into play I was thinking oh lawd help me. Please don't let this book be one of those. Thankfully it wasn't.
Lynn has been on the run from those that want her and not in a good way, Jax is a man who is trying to keep people alive. The two you would think would never be together minus their good looks but they are both hard-headed so it is bound to happen.

It seems that there has been a virus that has been unleashed on the world and those that have been affected are either carries or called Rippers now when I thought rippers I was thinking something horrible but it is not. Rippers are regular people who have turned into serial killers, you have those that are calculated rippers and some that don't care. It is the ones that plan everything out you gotta watch out for. It seems when you become a ripper you no longer have feelings, scary right?
Lynn searches for Jax as she has heard about him she needs him to do a job for her and help her find a building so she can find research that may help her figure something out with this virus. With Lynn working in the CDC she has the knowledge that others do not.

So what happens when Lynn asks for Jax's help? Especially to do one thing that most would say no to? Well you gotta get your hands on this book to find out. Also is there a cure for this virus or will there ever be one.

I thought Lynn was a good developed character and I liked how she was different, we see how she handles herself in certain situations and how she survived on her own while trying to find Jax. It was nice seeing her put Jax in his place from time to time even though he didn't like it.

Jax whew! What can you say he is this great character who learns that he has to really get to know others and not just order them but find out more about them. Being an ex-special forces solider and an gang member has shown him the good and bad of life and we see how he pulls off that commandeering vibe he gives off.
I really enjoyed the plot and the action that was within the book. There is plenty of it. Jax is fighting with Cruz a man who is from his past. Then there is fighting the man who has come for Lynn, at the end who will survive?

Now I have heard that there is a prequel to this book and I plan on reading it, but I think you can read this book without reading the prequel first. The author did a good job explaining everything in my opinion. Though I expect the prequel is maybe a bit more in depth on how this virus came to be and how it was unleashed maybe? I am not sure I haven't checked out the synopsis to see yet.

The world as they knew it has ended and they're still adjusting to all the changes. Not to mention they are literally fighting for survival at all times.

In Scorpius Rising, the prequel to the series, Lynne a brilliant scientist, is tasked with helping to decipher the Scorpius Syndrome, a bacteria that was accidentally unleashed. While working with her best friend, Nora (heroine of the prequel), also a brilliant scientist, Lynne is infected with a strand of the disease and takes a chance by giving herself a test sample without knowing its full results. Definitely a risky move, but Lynne really had no choice.

In a good news but wait, don't get too excited yet type prognosis, Lynne is alive after months of being used as a test subject, but is in high demand for the potential of a cure being found within her. Psst...she also has a blue heart. Yes, I said a blue heart. Well that's quite a distinctive characteristic that makes staying hidden very difficult, now doesn't it? ;-)

She's able to finally make her way to Jax, the leader of a refuge. He's a well decorated military man, that has taken on the leadership role for a lot of people and he's about to get one more. If he agrees to Lynne's conditions.*hums Jeopardy theme*

Lynne knows Jax can protect her and in exchange she'll share everything she knows about the disease. (She also asks for one more thing, but you'll need to read the book and find out that one on your own. It's epic.)

Jax, unsure if he can trust Lynne due to rumors swirling around about her, keeps her safe by having her stay in his quarters. Smart move, Jax. *I typed that sarcastically, but it really doesn't translate well. LOL* It's a good way to protect her from the refuge members that are unsure of her being there, but it also puts temptation a lot closer.

Of course, the attraction between Jax and Lynne is immediate, intense, and very real. As they agree upon a mutual "blowing off some steam" type arrangement, things are anything but casual between them. Neither one is willing to admit it, let alone even realized it themselves, exactly how attached they've become to each other. Sometimes the end is actually a beginning.

Oh if only they didn't have a world to try to save, they could focus on figuring out their relationship. Don't you just hate adulting sometimes? LOL As Jax and Lynne learn to work together towards a common goal, they also learn to trust and embrace the feelings they have for each other. There's no way things are that simple though. They're also dealing with Jax's former gang (he had a rough childhood) trying to seize all their supplies, keep Lynne safe from just about everyone, including her ex, a now very powerful and delusional man, show the others in the compound that Lynne isn't a threat, work on finding a cure, or at the very least a stabilizer to help those once they've been infected, and on top of all that (yeah, they didn't have enough to deal with, so they needed to add one more thing to the mix...overachievers. *smirk*), they're also learning that what they've found is worth fighting for. *I confess, upon finishing the book I had my own personal version of a Janis Joplin song going through my head - Take Another Little Piece of my Blue Heart now, baby - and now it's in your head too. LOL earworm delivered*

The snippet we see of the hero and heroine, Raze and Vivienne, for book 2 certainly gained my attention and I can't wait to read it. *goes back to her time machine plans*

5 “Blue Heart” Stars!

“That’s where you’re wrong, Lynne Harmony. The second you crossed into Vanguard territory, the very moment you asked for my help, that’s exactly what you became.”

“What?” she asked, sounding breathless now.

“Mine.”

Mercury Striking is the first book in Rebecca Zanetti’s new dystopian series entitled The Scorpius Syndrome. I have absolutely loved many books by this author so, needless to say, I was like a kid in a candy store when I got my hands on this one. Once again, this author has penned an absolutely incredible and distinctive dystopian-esque romance. It was packed full of suspense, intrigue, action, romance, love and passion. And, once again, I loved taking a wild ride on the Rebecca Zanetti choo-choo train of awesome! WOOOO WOOOO chuga chuga WOOO wooo!

In this series Rebecca Zanetti has created an intrinsically unique dystopian world. There is a prequel novella entitled Scorpius Rising which takes place a few months prior to the start of this book and also sets up the overall story arc. It is available in the anthology On the Hunt if you are interested in reading it first. I did not read this novella and found that this author did a great job explaining things and giving the reader enough information to not get lost with the world building and storyline. I do have to state that I am a huge dystopian genre fan so to have this author pen an engrossing tale that kept me on the edge of my seat with the added bonus of copious amounts of sexy alpha-males….well, now…. that’s just a win-win situation in my books. For those readers who are not necessarily into reading this genre, I would still suggest giving this one a go. I did not find anything too overly complicated. As the story progressed and we are provided with a more complete picture of the overall story arc, it became easier and easier to make sense of this imaginative, rich and vivid world and immerse myself in the tale this author was weaving.

So, what’s this book all about? Imagine a post-apocalyptic United States where 99% of the population has been decimated by a deadly bacteria known as Scorpius Bacterium. Very few people have been lucky enough to escape the bacteria altogether while others have contracted it and managed to survive. However, those that have managed to survive have either turned into a “Ripper”, someone completely altered with sociopathic tendencies, or have recovered and now have enhanced abilities. With so much mass destruction because of the Scorpius bacteria, the US as we know it has ceased to exist. Technology and mass communication has completely broken down and it is survival of the fittest with people fighting for the basic necessities. Also, it is unknown if the remainder of the world has been equally annihilated by the bacteria.

"Great. All he needed was a depressed biological weapon in the form of a sexy brunette to mess with his already f****** fantastic daily schedule."

Lynne Harmony was once a renowned microbiologist and the head of the Infectious Diseases department of the Center for Disease Control. She was involved when the Scorpius bacteria first made an appearance and worked tirelessly to develop a cure. Along the way, Lynne contracted the disease. However, Lynne is unique because in an effort to save her the experiments caused the veins around her heart to turn blue, essentially coloring her heart the same. Lynne is now on the run and in search of a specific scientific facility that just may have the information that can lead to a cure. She is thought to be the woman who created the bacteria and is believed to be carrying an even more vicious strain within her. She is being hunted. Her only saving grace may just be Jax Mercury.

Jax is an ex-special forces soldier (who was once a former gang member in LA) who has become the rebel leader of the Vanguard territory in Los Angeles. He is now in charge of a few hundred people who look to him to keep them safe. Food and supplies are scarce and they must scavenge and hunt for what they require. Jax may have never wanted to be in a leadership role; but, it is, nonetheless, a role that he takes seriously. When the infamous Lynne Harmony wanders into his territory seeking his protection, Jax is unsure as to whether he can trust the most hunted person in the US. Lynne is willing to provide Jax and his men with all the knowledge she has as she attempts to find the scientific facility. How can Jax turn that down?

"She was everything he didn’t deserve, everything good, and he’d make sure she stayed safe for the rest of her life, no matter what he had to do."

I absolutely loved Lynne who has had to overcome many obstacles just to survive. She is strong, sweet, kind, brave, feisty and she loves hard. It is Lynne’s resiliency and fierceness that pushes her to do whatever is necessary to survive and trek on foot to Los Angeles in search of Jax. When she does find him and is taken into his compound she stands strong against the prejudice she experiences from his people. I also adored Jax. Seriously, he was delicious! Yes, he was ruthless and extremely stoic with his emotions, but he was also a fierce bundle of protectiveness who would stop at nothing to safeguard and defend those under his protection. The attraction between Lynne and Jax was immediate, throwing them both off balance. Jax may have tried to build up some uncaring walls when it came to Lynne but the more he gets to know her, the more he is unable to stay emotionally detached. The progression of their relationship throughout the story was realistic, organic and well done. Here you have two people who are doing their best to survive in this new, very harsh world. They are inexplicably drawn together and when they finally give into temptation, it is nothing short of intense, passionate and sizzling hot! Holy balls, is it H.O.T.

With Mercury Striking, Rebecca Zanetti has once again written an enthralling story with twists and turns that will have you holding your breath and viciously reading, determined to find out what happens next. She also throws a passionate and sexy romance in the mix that will have you clutching your heart. The perfect balance. The next book in the series, Shadow Falling, will be about Raze… YAY!!.... and it is due to be released September 2016.

“All mine, Lynne Harmony. My Blue Heart.”

In this exciting and action packed first story of the Scorpius Syndrome series, we are quickly introduced to our heroine Lynne. She's on the run from government agents, mercenaries, and anyone else with a grudge against her - and there are a lot of them. She's considered the 'Typhoid Mary' of her time, a woman who is blamed for a devastating bacterial infection that has run rampant over the entire planet, killing off an untold number. Victims it doesn't kill are left in a few possible states 1) normal but with enhanced intelligence 2) with damage to the centers of the brain responsible for emotions thus rendering people into sociopathic serial killers; or 3) in the worst case (worse even than the death that would have been preferred), leaving people in a zombie like cannibalistic state. Lynne, who worked for the Centers for Disease Control when the outbreak occurred survived the ferocious illness in the best way possible, still with all her faculties and enhanced intelligence. Because of this, she was experimented on, her blood used to try to find a cure. As a consequence she has a blue heart that is visible through her chest, making her easy to identify. Her only hope is to get to Los Angeles where the site of the now partially destroyed Myriad lab may have the answers to a possible cure, or at least a way to stave off the worst part of the infection. But to get there, she's going to have to go through Jax Mercury's territory. He's the one in charge (albeit reluctantly) of a small group of survivors in this post apocalyptic nightmare. He's also the only person who might be able to protect her from those wanting her dead - if it doesn't come at the hand of some of his own followers. Wary but with a common goal to find a cure, Jax and Lynne join forces . In a world where death stalks daily, they find some solace with each other in a sexual relationship that soon turns to more. Can Lynne find the clues to solve the puzzle before it's too late?

Holy moley, did this book pack a punch! It's a gripping and intense story, full of action and drama and a page turner from the very start,with no boring spots in between . Just when you think you know where the story is going, wham, you get broadsided into another whole new direction. I loved it! I'll be honest, I'm really not into the post-apocalyptic zombie type supernatural story, so while the more gruesome survivors of the Scorpius bacterium turn into what are called Rippers (a zombie equivalent), I was okay with that because they weren't beings brought back from the dead. There was a believable logic in having their minds be destroyed by the bacterium. It's a highly contagious one too - contact with bodily fluids is all that's required to get it and it works fast, so a bite from a carrier is enough to kill you or turn you into something else. Because of this, those who've survived the disease are very reluctant to reveal that they've had it (if they haven't been turned into killers and appear normal), as the fear of the disease and its consequences is enough for them to be outcast or killed. The people who remain live a scavenging existence full of danger, and the only protection is to be part of a group like Jax runs, with barriers around his territory of city blocks that are guarded constantly to keep the Rippers and rival gangs out, and groups of teenagers sent out to loot any local establishments still containing usable goods. I really enjoyed the world building in this story - it was well written and very descriptive. But just like a zombie show (the Walking Dead comes to mind), or an episode of Game of Thrones, there is no point to getting attached to any one character (the exception, because this is a romance, being Lynne and Jax who have their moments but ultimately get to their happy ending). Everyone else is fair game, and there were characters I thought would make prime candidates for future stories in the series whose fortunes did not fair well.

Jax and Lynne have an interesting relationship. He believes her when she says she's there to look for a cure, and that unlike the propaganda being spread about her, she doesn't carry a more virile strain of the disease. And because he's also been infected and survived, he doesn't have to worry about getting the disease again. The result is a physical, intimate relationship between them. And whoo boy, in a situation like this when any day could be your last, you might as well up the ante and have awesome sex, and they do. They both say it's just physical, the chance to put the reality of their lives away for a short period of time while they connect with each other. But it soon comes to be more than that, both of them caring for each other. And that's dangerous, because caring for someone can mean making decisions based from the heart and not from the head. I really liked the two of them together, and how for precious moments Jax was able to give Lynne the safe and secure feeling she desperately needed to help her keep her equilibrium. There are various enemy factions that come into play, ones that will continue to play a role in the next story in the series. I'm excited to find out what will happen next and I confess that I devoured the teaser chapter for book 2 at the end of my book. 5 stars for this exciting post apocalyptic thriller!

I received this book for free from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars

I might be (ok alot biased) since I really enjoy and love Ms. Zanettis books that I had to request for an ARC. And I read this book while I was on my flight to my holiday destination which made it a hell of a interesting flight.

I would suggest everyone read the anthology On the Hunt because it introduces the world of scorpius syndrome and it features a great couple as well. I have surmised what happens to Lynne in the anthology to avoid any confusion.

In the post apocalyptic world, USA is under attack from a new kind of space bacteria. The bacterial infection called scorpius syndrome, fatal to some of the population and to others making them deadly. The bacterium responds differently in different people, in some it leads to them completely losing themselves and their moral compass becoming psychopaths with the intention of infecting everyone, while others though carriers of the disease are still for the lack of a better word humane. It is said that bacteria also makes psychics out of some but as of the ending of the book, alot of the information on the bacteria is unknown. The population alive is barely scarping by with little electricity and food supplies left over.

As as biomed student, this was very intriguing to me and it spoke to my science geek side. I loved the whole concept of the bacteria but I digress, moving on the romance and the protagonists.

Lynne Harmony was one of the scientist working on the syndrome when it was first discovered at CDC. Unfortunately during said work she got infected and her best friend used the only work in progress vaccine to help her which resulted in Lynne getting a fluorescent heart which glowed blue. At the end of the book in the anthology Lynne is in hospital trying to recover from the infection. I really enjoyed Lynne, not only is she a genius, she’s also extremely strong and a kickass heroine.

Jax Mercury, a former special ops and the reluctant leader of the survivors of the infection in California. Jax has been trying to keep his people alive with the help of some of the people in his camp by hunting resources (anything from food to fuel to medication). Jax is like Ms. Zanetti’s other heroes, an alpha male and also a badass with a sharp mind. Jax finds himself falling in loves in with Lynne, a woman who is said to carry a deadlier strain of the disease.

Lynne and Jax; from the moment they meet share mutual attraction and at the same time distrust. They had great chemistry and I liked how their relationship developed. Both compliment each other and are extremely lovely people with pasts that have made them stronger.

The book also has tons of action, along with some violence and a fight for survival in a new world. Jax and Lynn find themselves looking for a cure against the bacteria while trying to hide from authorities that comprise of sociopaths bent on building a new world under their control and fighting against old enemies.

This is an excellent start to the series and I can’t wait for the next book Shadow Fallowing which will be about Raze and Vinnie!

A fast paced, action packed dystopian romance, Mercury Striking is the first in a series from Rebecca Zanetti.

After the world is devastated by a mutated alien virus that usually either kills it's victims or turns them into psychotic killers, Lynn Harmony, a former director at the CDC, is probably the only person left alive who can find a cure. She desperately needs information from a lab in Los Angeles but to get there she has to safely traverse the dangers of the lawless country while eluding the President's men and then beg favour from Jax Mercury - nicknamed the King of L.A.

Zanetti has created a rich and intriguing world, the population of America all but decimated by the Scorpius Syndrome. Of the few that survive the virus most become 'Rippers', uncontrollable serial killers, but a handful recover most of whom develop varying degrees of sociopathic behaviour.

Small enclaves of survivors fight to endure the destruction of society and its infrastructure across the US including the stronghold 'Vanguard' in L.A. led by ex special ops soldier and former gang member, Jax Mercury who protects a group of around 500 men, women and children.

Jax is the only one placed to help Lynn find 'Myriad' and complete an important task but with the stain of her glowing blue heart and a presidential bounty on her head she is taking a huge risk when she seeks his help. Jax grants her request for asylum under strict conditions as eager as she to find a cure, but neither is prepared for the relationship that develops between them or the consequences of their relationship.

This is story with plenty of grit, involving plenty of action including deadly firefights and chases, and with some brutal scenes of violence and death, but at its heart Mercury Striking is a romance. . It's all very 'alpha male' meets 'feisty damsel in distress' but I enjoyed the development of their relationship and the physical intimacy between Lynn and Jax sizzles (though I really could have done without the spanking scene).

The secondary characters, both allies and enemies, add interest and breadth to the story. I'm guessing that Raze and Vivienne will be the couple to feature in the next book to continue the series.

A quick, exciting, escapist read with an interesting premise and appealing characters, I enjoyed Mercury Striking and I'll be looking for the next in The Scorpius Syndrome series.

Since I’ve started watching ‘the Walking Death TV series’, books located in the apocalyptic world have my interest. While in a lot of the books morals have disappeared along with modern civilization – but that doesn’t take away from me enjoying those books. Mercury Striking is a story about surviving in a new, harsh environment where the lines between good and evil are blurred. This story is the first book in the ‘Scorpius Syndrome series’, and it pleasantly surprised me.

“The smell had saturated the wind as she’d trekked across the country. The world was littered with dead bodies and devoid of souls. A click echoed in the darkness. About time. Predators, both human and animal, crouched in every shadow, but she’d made it closer to what used to be Los Angeles than she’d hoped.”

Lynne Harmony is on the run from a government she no longer trusts. As a scientist, she was directly involved with the team responsible for the creation of the deathly virus – Scorpius – that has wiped out 99% of the world’s population. In the process of attempting to create an anti-virus, Lynne got infected herself, and somehow survived making her a valuable asset. To accelerate her capture, the remaining government spread the rumor Lynne carries an even deadlier disease, in the hopes people will capture her. Lynne is on her way to Los Angeles, trying to find leads to a possible cure in a hidden facility, and seeking the protection of a modern legend, Jax Mercury. Getting involved with a man isn’t anywhere on her agenda, but she can’t help the feelings she develops for Jax.

“Nobody hates you.” “Yes, they do,” she hiccupped, crying harder, her body shaking. He sighed and dropped onto the sofa, holding her closer, tucking her face into his neck. “We fear things in direct proportion to our ignorance of them.” His breath brushed her ear, and his size provided safety.”

Jax Mercury has survived a brutal childhood, he has escaped gang life, and joined the army to become a better man. When the world collapsed after the outbreak of Scorpius, Jax used his experience and skills to create a safe haven in the Los Angeles area – a place for men, women, and children to survive this brutal new world. This has made him some kind of legend, people come to him for protection and a place to live. Always working on new ways to find new food sources, thinking about security strategies, and fighting enemies to protect the safe haven, any kind of relations with the opposite sex are off the table. Lynne' calling to him on a primal level is a surprise, but not an unwelcome one.

“Yes. Lynne Harmony was stunning as well as desperately wounded. Delicate and fierce. One hour with her, and she’d brought out something in Jax he neither wanted nor needed—the urge to save her. He couldn’t appreciate what made her pretty, and he couldn’t compromise on the mission.”

Although Jax and Lynne feel an attraction for each other, they don’t want to get emotionally involved. They have intimate moments and they talk, but key-information is hold back from one another. Slowly, the couple starts opening up to each other, sharing more and more about their past, and more importantly, the secrets they both are keeping. What begins as a casual hookup, to forget the gruesome world they live in, gradually changes into something much more.

This is not just the story of Jax and Lynne, it’s also the tale about surviving in a world completely changed after the outbreak of a deadly disease. Imagine a world with no electricity, no internet; a world without all the things we take for granted. As already said, Mercury Striking is the first book in the ‘Scorpius Syndrome series’, therefore a lot of characters are introduced and a lot of information is being given. After reading this book I learned about the prequel Scorpius Rising, published in the anthology On the Hunt. Although this novella provides the backstory to the early days of the virus, I didn’t feel like I was missing information.

“There was so much he wanted to say, but he couldn’t find the words. He’d always been much better with action than with speech. “I need you here and safe for when I get back.” She smiled, her lips settling into an enticing curve. “You mean a lot to me, too.” He didn’t have time for emotion, and he didn’t have the need for somebody in his life, but it was too late. Here she was, and he wasn’t letting her go anywhere.”

I’ve enjoyed reading Mercury Striking and I will definitely pick up the next book in the series. I give this book 4 stars.

...well close enough. I. Am. There. Plus Rebecca Zanetti wrote it, bit of a no brainer. I loved her Sin Brother series so I admit I went into Mercury Striking with fairly high expectations and, on the whole, she met them.

"You’re the ultimate carrier of the most dangerous plague to ever attack mankind."

Zanetti has done what she is exceptionally good at and brought her reader a strong, dominant hero with a heroine who's no wallflower. Would I say Jax and Lynne were perfect together? Yes and no. Their chemistry was spot-on and there are some great moments when she puts him in his place but, whilst I appreciated the fight between them and Jax's overall brooding persona, there was a part of him that left a bit of a bad taste in my mouth. ***SPOILER***A guy who will push a woman face first into a bed, rip his belt off and wallop her with it to discipline her...big no no in my book. ***END SPOILER*** He was dominant enough without it and it felt unnecessary although I chose to look at the bigger picture of the entire scenario they were in with people acting out of character as self-preservation. Jax does have a hell of a lot resting on his shoulders and a lot of people relying on him all whilst trying to protect Lynne. It by no means justifies his behaviour in my opinion, but there's no denying it, she needs his protection.

"...your heart is mine."

And it's this element that keeps you absolutely gripped to the storyline: what's going to happen next. These people are fighting to survive and will do whatever is necessary to do so. It's bloody, it's gory but it's also so damn emotional in parts that I found my eyes leaking.

"If there are bullets, I’m between you and them. If you get taken, I’m hunting you down till my last breath."

Mercury Striking is a strong opener to the Scorpious Syndrome series; sexy with action whilst full of suspense and high running emotions, it has a plethora of secondary characters who have their own stories building and there's real scope for some great content down the line. Looking forward to Shadow Falling and the already enigmatic, Raze Shadow.

Copy received courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley for an honest and unbiased opinion.

In a disease ridden post apocalyptic world the ultimate victim and survivor, Lynne Harmony comes to meet with the dangerous rebel leader of L.A., Jax Mercury. They both have something the other needs. They are facing continued spread of the deadly Scorpius bacterium and physical threats from multiple sources. No one is safe and Jax feels responsible for his group. He protects them the best he can, but nothing is certain and continued survival and control of the disease is just a slim possibility.
Jax is intimidating, tough, in control, and trying to be a leader among survivors. He takes responsibility seriously and tries to keep his hopelessness hidden. He is intelligent, philosophical, guarded, dangerous, and deadly. All he can do is fight, try to survive, and bide time before he can carry out his ultimate personal goal and find reinforcements to help them.

Lynne is both hated and feared. Many of the world blame her for the pandemic while others fear she will cause more harm. She's smart and resourceful, and is also a survivor willing to fight for herself and to help save others. She has the knowledge and skills that with the right resources could ultimately help her slow down progression of the disease. But she cannot do it alone.

She is a wild card that has many secrets and some are big ones. And he is mysterious, aloof, commanding, and rough around the edges. But somehow in the hell and chaos they can make each other feel alive. Somehow they give each other a just a little peace for limited times. And they find themselves not just fighting alone anymore. But trust is fragile and the outside threats are relentless. No one is safe. They are all vulnerable. And they do not have a lot of time or resources.

Joining them is a ragtag group of individuals who are spurred on by fear, loyalty, and a need to survive. But in the dangerous world they are living in, it is not realistic to think they all will.

This was a nice change of pace from the contemporary and NA reads that I have been reading lately. I have liked Rebecca's Zanetti's other series so I trusted that she could pull me into a more dystopian story. And she did...she made me admire and care for these characters...all of them...not just the hero and heroine Jax and Lynne, but also the side characters of Tace, Wyatt, Raze, Sami, Byron, Jill, April and Vivienne. It is obvious they all have some stories to tell.

I did not read the prequel novella Scorpius Rising (available in the compilation On the Hunt) and this story starts out pretty fast and goes right into the action. So it started out mysterious, but I was immediately interested and trusted that it would all get explained...and it was...some quickly and some was held back and slowly revealed. But I was able to get up to speed pretty quickly and was easily immersed in the story.

It was suspenseful, grim, primal, and violent. But there was also some hope, loyalty, connections, and fighting spirits that pushed them to try to overcome their hellish reality. Only 1% of the US population remains and even they are not safe from further progression of the bacterium and the after-effects to those that do survive. There were various antagonists and threats at play. There were plenty of secrets and hidden agendas. There were multiple points of view. The protagonists have their own strengths, skills, and weaknesses. There were several missions that needed to be completed, conflicts to face, and issues to be solved. And to do that they must form a team as best they can or die trying.

This made for an intriguing, engrossing start to a new series. I am looking forward to more with these characters. The next book will follow a new couple and also continue with the larger story arc connecting them.

**WARNING** this is not your typical Rebecca Zanetti Romance.

This is a swerve off the typical path of Zanetti romance, and that is welcome. Officially the first book of the Scorpius Syndrome series, there is a prequel novella that appeared in the anthology On the Hunt. I loved that novella, now Mercury Striking, I didn't love it as much as the novella. This one it's a mix of The Walking Dead and a non religious version of The Stand. Jax Mercury didn't quite appeal to me as much as Rebecca's other heroes, but he fits with the setting and the situation and if he had been any different he wouldn't have made sense. I did love Lynne, she is brilliant, strong, and very caring; she is exactly what Jax needed to be a great leader. Rebecca as always is brilliant with her writing, her characters and her storyline.

This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang but a whimper.

The Hollow Men
by T.S. Elliot

Stephen King started his epic novel, The Stand, with the end of T.S. Elliot's poem The Hollow Men. I think it applies here also. Or any dystopian novel that is brought on by a virus/bacteria. Six months is how long it took the Scorpius bacteria to wipe out 90 percent of the population. The remaining one percent are either sociopaths, killing indiscriminately and most are crazed almost like zombies; they haven't been infected yet or actually survived the initial fever and now are carriers. Lynne Harmony is such a survivor, she is also unique. Lynne was the head of her department in the CDC and when the Scorpius bacteria first fell to Earth in an asteroid she was the first to run tests on it, mutate it. She also was the one to discover the only way to keep the bacteria at bay was Vitamin B. Lynne, however, is in trouble she escaped from the CDC and the Government and went looking for a secret lab that was said to have created a chemical that made the human body produce vitamin B naturally in high enough quantities to keep the bacteria at bay. Lynne's only hope is finding the lab before the government and her only hope in achieving any of this is an ex-special forces/ex-gang member Jax Mercury.

Jax Mercury made his way home to L.A. after the U.S. pulled back all the troops. What Jax found was a gang ridden war zone with civilians caught in the middle. Jax made a stand and pulled together everyone who wanted and took over a portion of L.A. He created almost a safe haven but for the ripper attacks and the gang members constantly trying to steal their supplies.Jax is a complex hero with a deeply scarred past and an arch nemesis out to kill him and everyone close to him. Finding Lynne Harmony was a curse and a blessing. Lynne was the hope these people needed if they weren't so afraid of her, she also had trouble following close behind her that could endanger Jax's people.

A lot happens in the book, gunfights, love, death, suspense, and psychics. Overall, I am very pleased with the book and I can't wait for Raze's book.

4.5 Stars!

MERCURY RISING is my first foray into the post-apocalyptic/dystopian/sci-fi world and even as a huge Rebecca Zanetti fan, I had my misgivings but she brought her unique touch to this world and delivered an exciting, intense first book of what promises to be a really interesting series. It's fast and dramatic, but it also has a lot of heart.
The US as we know has come to an end. With about 99 per cent of the population wiped out by the Scorpius bacteria, it's become survival of the fittest and those infected by the bacteria have either survived and become enhanced; or been stripped of all humanity and become soulless killers known as Rippers.

As the former head of the CDC and a brilliant microbiologist, Lynn Harmony is both hated and feared because the outbreak happened on her watch and she's the only person to have survived the infection with a unique memento - a blue heart - as a result of all the experimental treatment carried out on her. Lynn is also the only one who has a good chance of finding a cure or at least a way of managing the contagion, but she needs to stay alive and avoid capture as she seeks protection from Jax Mercury.

Jax Mercury is a legend - a former gang member turned special-ops soldier who has garnered a reputation as deadly and brutal in protecting his territory as he oversees his group of survivors and he's Lynn's only hope. Jax is by nature a protector and the proof lies in the fact that instead of using his skills to stay alive, he gathered a group of survivors into an encampment and became their leader, providing them protection from roving gangs and Rippers, teaching them survival skills and scavenging for provisions for them.

In a post-apocalyptic world where survival is everything, the last thing either Lynn or Jax is looking for is emotional entanglements, but their connection is irresistible and together, they are combustible. Lynn's big brain and fiery nature are very big draws for Jax and soon they both want more than mere survival, they want to live and experience life and love to the fullest.

I'm completely blown away by the world building and amount of information in this book as well as the many characters introduced, but I loved reading every bit of it. There are a lot of unanswered questions and loose end that I'm looking forward to resolving in upcoming books. The sneak peek of the next book has only served to make the wait seem unending. I don't think that reading the prequel is necessary before starting this book, but for a more rounded picture of Lynn's character, it may be best to start there.

For anyone who's looking for a straight romance, the information the author has provided here to set the stage for the rest of the series may seem like a lot, but I can promise you that keeping up with the series will be worth it.

Disclaimer: I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I think the author definitely elevated her game in this book. I admit that I love Rebecca Zanetti’s writing. Whenever I open her book, I feel confident that I will get both a good plot and likeable characters. While this novel book was no exception, she really took time to lay the foundation to what I believe will be an exciting new series.

At the onset, the Scorpius bacterium has wiped out 99% of the earth’s population and the remaining are surviving on vitamin B, while trying to find a cure. There are splinter groups all across the nation and one faction in LA is led by Jax Mercury. When Lynne Harmony comes to his camp looking for help and protection from those trying to harm her, Jax realizes he may have just gotten the person who can save them all. After all, Lynne was one of leading microbiologists at the CDC when the outbreak occurred, so she should be in possession of the latest research and information on the deadly bacteria.

What Jax doesn’t expect is the magnetic pull he has to the secretive scientist, especially since remaining vigilant and cautious of everyone should be his main focus. Can he trust Lynne in light of the fact that he knows she isn’t being entirely truthful with him? What is she hiding?

I read the prequel awhile ago and I don’t remember much from it. So I don’t feel like it affected my enjoyment of this book. The world building in this book was very impressive and sufficed for me to know what's going on. The author really made sure to paint the gritty Los Angeles where it almost reminded me of Mad Max and the Thunderdome society. There is chaos, anarchy, and confusion everywhere. Yet in Jax’s camp, he set up some order to quell the pandemonium and address the myriad rumors about Scorpius. I also liked the supporting cast and they gave the group some diversity and personality. Bravo!

While Jax and Lynne had the same kind of style I am used to from the author (i.e. insta-attraction, feisty and stubborn females, alpha males, steamy sex), the storyline was laid out methodically. Jax was this hard and unyielding leader in a world that required firm and decisive control. That’s why I liked Lynne coming into his life. His feelings for Lynne kept him for being a cold-blooded automaton. They had to learn to trust each other outside the sheets, and allow for emotional intimacy, something neither one desired to do. As they try to figure out what they doing with each other, Jax's camp is staving off other scavenger groups. There was a number of things happening here featuring action-packed scenes, suspense, intrigue and romance. I already see this series on TV or a movie. It has all the makings of great cinema. It wasn't a quick read, but it was a satisfying one. I am already looking forward to the enigma known as Raze, whom will probably be exposed more in book 2.

*I received this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

This new world series from Rebecca Zanetti is amazing. While there isn’t any indication of the year, you can tell it’s not too distant because there’s no mention of any advanced technology or anything. What makes this book stand out from any of the similar ones I’ve read is the relationship building and the plot arc. The plot line was smaller in scope than some of her series, but no less powerful. By honing in on a few characters and one very important chase, Zanetti built suspense and allowed us to really learn the implications surrounding the events that occurred.

Lynne Harmony is being chased by people that either hate her because they believe that while she was the head of the CDC, she was responsible for unleashing the virulent disease that’s killing huge numbers of people across the U.S.–or want her because they believe her blue heart means she can save them. Neither side intends to treat her well, so Lynne is on the run, trying to stay safe until she can reach the one man she’s heard of that can keep her alive long enough to find a cure.

Jax Mercury hadn’t asked for his reputation, but he’s doing the best he can to protect those around him. When the infamous Lynne Harmony shows up asking for asylum in their camp, he doesn’t know whether to be excited or concerned. She’s carrying a load of baggage and a target on her back. If they can get her enough equipment to set up a lab, she can try to figure out what’s going on with the disease–and maybe find a cure.

But she’s got so many people trying to find her and kill her. Is it going to put him and his group at more risk? Is it worth it?

While all of the author’s books can be read as a stand alone, I always prefer to read them in order because you’ll get a richer understanding of the book. Since this is the first in this series, read it so you can get on the story right at the start. Zanetti can make even a post-apocalyptic world look appealing, and I can’t wait for the next book in this series! Thanks!

I absolutely could not put Mercury Striking down. Ms. Zanetti throws us right into the story from the very first page--she's built one heck of a dystopian world here, but she doesn't waste our time bogging us down with the details of it; we jump right into Lynne and Jax's story and can barely catch our breath until we hit the last page, where Lynne and Jax have reached a happy place in their relationship, but very little is settled in the life and death struggle that is their world. So many elements to resolve...so many questions to answer...at least one psychotic bad guy to eliminate...

The world that Ms. Zanetti created here reminds me quite a bit of the one in The Stand , minus the more overt mystical overtones of that novel. Our main characters are a scientist who may or may not hold the key to curing the plague and a former gang member and military special ops team member who has taken somewhat reluctant leadership of a small group of survivors out west. Lynne is on the run from some scary people and thinks she may know where to start looking for a cure, but she needs the protection and assistance that Jax, who had already made a name for himself and his group before national communications cut out, offers.

Jax and Lynne feel an instant attraction, but it's definitely not instalove or even instalust, really. Their relationship developed quickly, sure, but given the state of their world it felt believable. I loved every moment that the two of them were on the page together--such great chemistry, even when they weren't 100% sure that they could trust each other. But once they do commit, watch out!

The rest of the cast of characters are just as compelling, and I'm looking forward to great things from this series...though it's going to take me a little while to get over the character that was killed off. (Darn dystopian stories, with characters who die!) Needing to know how it will all play out, as well as finding out all of the various characters’ stories (and hopefully seeing them get HEAs!) will have me anxiously awaiting each installment of this series.

Rating: 4 1/2 stars / A

Mercury Striking is the first in a new post apocalyptic series. In a world ravaged by a bacteria that will either kill patients or leave them with the possibility of turning into a sociopath, humanity struggles to survive. This has a rich back story, revealed throughout the book as Lynne fights to find the rumored lab and remember research that was lost to her. Part medical thriller, part zombie apocalypse, part romance, there is never a dull moment here.

Lynne Harmony has a target on her back, or literally in her heart. Her glowing heart is a beacon to her identity and the source of the stigma surrounding her. I loved her conviction and strength, her caring and her determination. Though she often has challenges beyond the rest of humanity, she knows what she needs to do and does her best to not let anything get in her way.

Jax Mercury is the leader of a large surviving community, almost begrudgingly. He knows how to lead soldiers, but doesn’t know how to connect to the people. His goals are to keep his people alive and healthy, and avenge his brother’s death.

When Lynne seeks out Jax’s help, she knows there is danger in revealing herself. But she never expected more than a small amount of protection and some help locating labs. These two were an interesting pair. Both so focused on their own troubles, they haven’t stopped long enough to notice anyone else until they are forced to when Lynne arrives at the compound. The surprise as their simple arrangement develops into more is uncharacteristic for both of them.

This is a great group of characters. From the soldiers, to those keeping the community strong, there are so many characters that have intriguing stories, secrets, and tales to tell. My favorite side character, the one that I was anticipating a story focused on him not long after meeting him, sadly won’t be getting his own. But the character that will get the next book is intriguing, mysterious, and definitely knows more than he is letting on.

This was one of those books where the main storyline almost didn’t need a romance aspect. I like having the romance for my own entertainment, but the story is rich and full even without the connection between the two main characters. It’s the kind of story that will continue to keep me engrossed even after the main couple is no longer the focus, simply because of the overarching conflict.

Here we get the first full book of this new dystopian series, just a novella having been out prior. We have Lynne as a heroine, first seen in the prequel as a CDC scientist infected with the virus and given treatment that turned her heart blue. She was best friends with the scientist in the prequel. On this opening, Lynne is on the run, and the United States is in shambles, power grid down, and populated by small strongholds of outlaws and vigilantes. She is headed for one such stronghold in L.A. led by Jax, a former special ops soldier. She needs his help to find a possible source of further information on the virus in a location in Los Angeles. She hopes to trade information for safety from those who pursue her, including the new president of the United States.

This book is packed with action from page 1, and in fact it is more of a dystopian sci-fi type of thing than a true romance. With all the action there is little romance, but that is probably just how it would happen after a virus destroyed 99% of the US population and left the others still falling ill and fighting for their lives.

My stars are for the world building in this. I adore dystopian fiction. I love to see an author's take on what would happen to humanity if stripped back down to basics after having the luxury we have in present world. Zanetti does an awesome job, and I will definitely continue with this series. I can't wait for the next (fall 2016), featuring a secondary character from this book.

For those who want to know, this book has a good share of violence described, and it is not always restricted to the bad guys. They lose some of their own, realistically portrayed. For those who will be upset by losing a fictional character you have come to care about, you might want to be aware of that happening in this book.

My thanks to the publisher via Netgalley for a complimentary copy of this book to read and give an honest review.

NUMBER OF HEARTS: 5
Where do you begin when a story blows you away? When I read Scorpius Rising (the prequel to this series. If you have not read this go read. It give you an awesome foundation for the whole Scorpius Syndrome series). I knew this was going to be a very interesting and intense series. And boy howdy was I right.
Mercury Striking picks up where we left off in Scorpius Rising with the world in complete and utter disarray. We follow Lynne Harmony in her plight to find a way to slow down the Scorpius bacteria. Lynne great!!! I loved her in the prequel and loved her even more after Scorpius Rising. She is determine, loyal and willing to do what it takes to get the job done. Even if that means blackmailing Jax into doing her dirty work.

This bring me to Jax Mercury. If there is ever an apocalypse I want a Jax Mercury my leader. Jax is everything you can image about a bad-boy soldier. And he is perfect. Even Jax’s flaws are perfect. I will tell you that he is a bit of an ass in the beginning, but he will grow on you. I loved these two. Love their journey. I am already looking forward to what will happen next to them.

But Jax & Lynne were not the only characters that I fell in love with. Wyatt, Sami, Tace, Raze and Bryon are all amazing.

If you are looking for a new series that will knock your socks off, pull at your heartstrings, make you root for the underdogs and want to see the world survive the Scorpius apocalypse. You really need to pick up a copy of Mercury Striking and find out if there is a chance for the world.

Favorite Line:
“Jesus.” He pressed his palm against her breastbone-directly above her heart.

“I like the blue.”

“ You feel good. Can I keep you?” she mumbled.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley & Kensington Books-Zebra in exchange for an honest review. This review is my own opinion and not a paid review.

Lynn Harmony is the one woman who could cure the disease but she is the most volatile – and vulnerable and her only hope is the mysterious damaged legend, Jax Mercury in this thrilling post-apocalyptic romance.

Jax Mercury protects the weak and leads the strong but there is a lot riding on Harmony’s continued existence and the reader can’t help but get drawn into the story as they come face to face. The chemistry between Harmony and Jax is electrifying with some hot and steamy sex scenes but neither can afford to let the other in, so this relationship will just have to be one based on momentary pleasure, no matter how delicious the danger turns out to be. The characters are a compelling mix of strong and vulnerable that reaches out and grabs readers by the heart strings, especially when faced with the devastation that the plague left behind and such an uncertain future in this steady to fast paced plot full of suspense, excitement and romance.

Spine tingling tension builds as the readers begin to understand just what the characters face in this post-apocalyptic world and with all the dangers that the group in post-plague L.A. are facing, some aren’t real happy about having Harmony around as others become aware of where she is, the danger continuously increases, especially as danger comes from a few unexpected sources adding lots of excitement as well as intrigue to the story. The well written scenes full of vivid details make it easy for the intriguing events to hold readers hostage while keeping them on the edge of their seat.

I was completely caught up in Harmony and Jax’s story from the very beginning, in some places during the story I found I was literally holding my breath with anticipation of what was coming and in others well let’s just say the emotions that flowed from the pages were heart felt by me as well as the characters and I can’t wait to find out what happens next in this fascinating new world.

I don't normally read the post-apocalyptic genre, but in this case I am glad I did. Rebecca Zanetti created a very complex set of characters in this first Scorpius installment. This is also the first book I have read by Rebecca, but I can tell you now, it won't be the last.

The characters that Rebecca created are memorable and rich. They have depth that is sometimes lacking in this genre. In Lynne Harmony, Rebecca created something that is very difficult. A strong and smart female character that stands by her convictions and is assertive, without being aggressive or a real witch. She is can be vulnerable, and yet not lose her strength. I love that she makes comments about her IQ being in the high three digits, so she wasn't going to do any stupid. As hard as she tries, she can't help but make connections and be a leader by her actions.

Jax is also complex in a different way. He would like to think of himself as just a "blunt instrument". He doesn't want to a leader or have a heart. At the start of the story, he didn't even know why he was doing what he was. As a true alpha, he had that innate need to protect, and expected obedience, not to dominate or subjugate, but for the greater good.

I also liked the complexity of the Scorpius itself. Rebecca managed to make the bacteria/syndrome a character all on its own. She found a unique spin on an old story and made it her own. Her cast of supporting characters were as well developed and complex as Lynne and Jax.

Mercury Striking was on of those books I found myself thinking about and wondering what was going to happen next throughout the day. Since finishing it, I have also wondered more than once what is going to come next. I can't wait until September for the next installment.

4.5 Stars / Top Pick

I am so excited that New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Rebecca Zanetti has started a new series. Unlike her wildly popular romantic suspense Sin Brothers’ series, this time Rebecca has entered the world of Urban Fantasy to create a deeply distributing future that is full of characters clinging on to hope in the novel Mercury Striking, the first book in the Scorpius Syndrome series.

The world building in Mercury Striking will appeal to Walking Dead fans but instead of Zombies, there are Rippers and how she creates their existence is original. The main characters are very interesting and emotionally damaged. One has kept himself emotionally isolated while the other has been physically isolated. When they start to let their guards down, their relationship deepens even as everything around them falls apart. The only reason I didn't give this book a higher score was that the couple's sexual experiences wasn't my cup of tea. There is light BDSM and it's very much his preferences. I never got the feeling that it was “her turn”. However, if you are a fan of alpha males, Jax Mercury is your man.

Usually I get overwhelmed with stories that have many characters because I feel that they take away from the main couple’s storyline and after a while I can’t tell all them apart. However, this has NEVER been the case with any of Rebecca’s stories. This author could teach a course on how to integrate minor characters into a story. She has created so many people to care about that I want this series to continue on for a long time.

Review by: Jessie of Night Owl Reviews

Disclosure: courtesy copy from the publisher/author for an honest review.

Rebecca Zanetti delivers an adrenaline rush, hot read that kept my attention from cover to cover. In this post-apocalypic novel we’re gifted a smoldering alpha ex-soldier hero and a tough stand-up-for-herself heroine.

A deadly bacterial plaque has decimated the human population, leaving survivors – some normal but carriers of the Scorpius virus and others who are changed in to “rippers” who are either zombie-esque cannibals or empathy-stripped psychopaths. However, we are not exactly sure of the extent of the population affected as this story centered in Los Angeles. Lack of communication leaves the state of the rest of the world a mystery.

Jax Mercury leads a stronghold band of survivors in a kill or be-killed world. Insurgents, raids…there’s a lot of fighting and death in this book. Then Lynne Harmony appears, previous head of CDC research and then infected early on with a mutated form of the Scorpius bacterium, leaving her feared and hated. Jax believes she’s the key to finding a cure to the infection. Of course they fall for each other in a long drag-out of we can’t feel this way for each other but it’s an apocalypse so let’s find love now or we may not have it tomorrow. Don’t get me wrong the love story was well done and there's a lot of sexy time in this book.

There’s a huge cast of secondary characters, who are well developed and interesting. The world building is complex and strong, but you have to be in this for reading some necessary informational sections to understand what is going on.

Overall great read. Can’t wait for the next in the series.

*Book received from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

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…

Review:

Very exciting new series!

This adult dystopian adventure is extremely well-done. Even though these type of books have been done to death in recent years, I found this story to unique and very engaging. I liked that the "zombies" or Rippers, as they are called in this story are the product of disease and that the Rippers are not the dead brought back to life, but are now basically serial killers. Their moral compass has been skewed by the disease that ravaged their bodies. Even those who have survived the sickness and are not psychopaths are just a little different/enhanced. Rippers are not the only things that go bump in the night and there are groups of people fighting each other and the Rippers for survival. Now, like the Walking Dead and such, don't get too attached to characters, survival is hard and a few already get killed off in this first book. Of course, there is romance and Lynn and Jax are sexy and perfect for each other.

Gritty, sexy, exciting start to a new series and now I have to wait until September for the next one :(

4.5Stars

*Received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.*

I am so glad that I had a chance to read more about Lynne and what the virus has done. Lynne has found the man that can help her find a cure hopefully and she will be able to get her revenge eventually. Jax is trying his keep the survivors safe from the surrounding gangs and rippers.
Can Lynne really help these people or will she be found by the one person that will do anything to find her again?
Jax & Lynne will need to trust each other and be better & quicker than the enemy.
Jax knows that his people want Lynne gone as they believe that she is carrying a deadly strain of the virus,Jax won't allow anyone to harm her but she knows that she needs to go before things get worse. Can she get her revenge and will there ever be a way to find a cure before even more people die?
I am glad that I read the beginning of the story in On the Hunt as I knew who everyone was and what their role is in the book. Can't wait for Raz'e story

I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! After reading the description for this novel, I could not pass Mercury Striking up. I thought it was too much to ask that the story would actually be as great as the description made it out to be, but I was far from disappointed. Thankfully it’s a series because I was blown away by how amazing this novel was. On that note, reading the novella that precedes this may be a good idea. While I felt that I was able to comprehend the story and keep up with it, the novella gives the reader better comprehension of the world/story overall.

I love romance/erotica and I also love post-apocalyptic stories. Going in, I was convinced there was no way someone could write a combination of the two adequately. They are tough genres to combine without one suffering. Zanetti clearly knows what she’s doing. Not only can she write an intriguing dystopian world, she created a love story that grabs at you and won’t let go until you know how it plays out. Her characters are powerful and dynamic, tangible in a world that I had to remember doesn’t actually exist. They captured me heart and soul from the very beginning.

Zanetti’s writing is a triple threat. She knows how to write great characters with engaging dialogue without skimping on plot or romance. If you think this sounds like a story you would like, let me make the decision for: get it. I can’t wait for the nest in the series to come out.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Rebecca Zanetti is one of my favorite authors. She creates compelling, action-packed stories with well-developed characters that will have you on the edge of your seat and crying for more when it ends. Have I mentioned the swoon worthy Jax? He will have you wishing you were his leading lady despite the Post-Apocalyptic setting.

Jax Mercury has always been a fighter: first as a gang member, then as a solider in the military, now as a survivor of the plague, Scorpius. Scorpius has decimated the United States. Technology is down and those who survived the initial outbreak are struggling to stay one step ahead of the plague. Jax has made it his mission to help others. He commands the strong to care for and protect the weak. Lynn Harmony has been working on a cure, but she needs Jax's help. They both have skeletons in their closets and secrets they would like to keep. Can they work together to find the cure before it is too late?

Jax Mercury is a mysterious solider fighting a battle for survival not only for himself but others in his care. He is a fighter who has honed his skills, both on the battlefield and off. Lynn Harmony may be the only hope for mankind's survival if she can find the cure. Working together will be a test of dormancy, determination and trust. I thoroughly enjoyed this read even though at times I was either crying or screaming at the book...like that would make it better.

Lynne Harmony has had her fair share of fear, pain, and heartache. She’s survived the Scorpius Syndrome only to come out with a glowing blue heart and has been imprisoned, poked and prodded and threatened. The world, at least those that have survived, has gone into survival mode. Shoot first ask questions later and they aren’t about to trust anyone, not even the woman with the blue heart who may just be the only hope the world has left at fighting the disease that destroyed civilization. Stumbling along ruin Lynne gets herself captured by Jax Mercury, the man who has become a legend. Caring for the weak and leading a small army of strong men, Jax is not a man to mess with. With a little give and take it doesn’t take long for the two to find out that they need each other to survive and with a little patience they find that there can be more than just heartache in all the mess and death. It is possible to find love.

There was never a dull moment in this action packed book. Amidst a world of chaos, the romance and chemistry jumped off the pages. I felt the raw pain when another survivor would succumb to the horrible disease. Rebecca Zanetti does an amazing job creating strong characters and a great plot that left me excited to read the next book in the series.

I have a confession that I passed over this book a couple times because the cover turned me off (I know, I know, don’t judge a book by its cover) but Rebecca Zanetti’s name caught my attention enough to read the blurb which sounded intriguing.

I had to mull over this book for a few days before writing this review because I wasn’t really sure how I felt. It took me a long time to get into it and there were a couple times I thought I was going to stop. Both Jax and Lynn left a bad taste in my mouth in the beginning. There’s the alpha male and then there’s the alpha male who is just a jerk. That would not have bothered me as much if Lynn didn’t lap it up. At one point Jax actually beats her on the butt with a belt in anger, is unapologetic about it and though Lynn gets angry at him she still falls for him. What kept me reading was the supporting characters. Jax’s team is great and each member served a part in making Jax a more likeable character (or at least better understood character) as the story moved on.

At around 50% the story line picked up enough to capture my interest and I started to like Jax and Lynn more so. By the end the book somewhat redeemed itself enough that I was glad I finished it. I wasn’t sure I would continue the series EXCEPT that it looks like we get Raze’s story next and he was my favorite character and the teaser chapter hooked me. So I’ll be keeping an eye out for that one!

The US has been attacked by Scorpius. There are three outcomes from contracting the bacteria. You become a sociopathic killer (aka a Reeper), you have heightened intelligence or you die. Jax is an ex-gang member turned army special ops turned leader of a vigilante group and has survived the Scorpius infection. He is leading a rag tag group of people in LA. They must scavenge for food, fuel and ammunition. Lynn survived the infection, but she was left with a blue heart. Her blue heart and her blood may be the key to finding a cure. This book contains a hurting alpha-male, a feisty heroine and several really bad guys. Mercury Striking is a good start to a new series. I can’t wait to hear more from Marvin, a lion that has escaped the zoo to roam around Los Angeles.

My one problem with the book is the conflicting information about who takes a USB flash drive from the Really Bad Guy. At one point, Lynn takes it from around his neck after she shoots Really Bad Guy in the shoulder. A few pages later Jax is given credit for taking the flash drive. A small problem, but with all the world building, I was a little confused to find this contradiction.

This book has good emotions (I felt tears several times), great world building, great friendship building, and great sex scenes. Solid 4 stars.

Mercury Striking by Rebecca Zanetti

Raw. Basic needs. That's what the world has come to in this post apocalyptic scenario of a bacteria that killed billions. Do you have what it takes to survive?

Jax is the leader of his established section of LA. He's in control. While I imagine that would be a necessity in a world out of control, I generally don't like a man that has to sexually dominate a woman. That's Jax to a T. Tying someone up for sex would be ok if both parties are given a choice. He doesn't give Lynne a choice. Sure, she initiated the sex and told him she didn't want sweet. In true romance form, they fall in love. Him for her surprising ability to make him laugh and her for his belief and enforcement of good.
But I still see him as a controlling he-man. Strong sex scenes and violence in a desperate world with limited resources.

A strong and intense read plus the start of a new series. I am looking forward to reading the stories for the secondary characters. This author does have a habit of grabbing your attention and holding on.

"She's been numb, she'd been afraid and she's been hopeless.
Now, she hungered."
Excerpt from Mercury Striking by Rebecca Zanetti

I received a copy of this book via NetGallery

Rebecca Zanetti creates a very believable and intense post apocalyptic world in Mercury Striking, book one in her Scorpius Syndrome series. Body and soul savaged humanity struggles with its battle against the Scorpius plague and seeks to find a footing when life as it knows it been destroyed. Emotions run to the extreme in this work as the hero and heroine come to grips with their red-hot attraction and growing attachment to each other. A love story that could easily have come off as bittersweet is instead one of triumph and hope as this author adeptly shows her characters love as one of optimism versus despair. Ms. Zanetti capably builds a powerful, full-bodied story with lots of details and layers. Blood tingling and high speed Mercury Striking will monopolize your time from the first word.
*I received this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*

**I received an e-copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**
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Having read the On The Hunt anthology, I had a previous taste of this story in the prequel novella, Scorpius Rising. And, call me naive, but I didn't actually realize this was the same series until I was about 10% through the book!

This book is a little outside my "normal" genre realm, but still appealed with the post-apocalyptic setting and alien virus issue. Jax Mercury & Lynne Harmony are strong protagonists with a terrific dynamic. Surrounded by many multi-faceted characters - several of whom I can see future books about in this series - and several of whom, unfortunately, you won't.

This is a fast-paced story with violence, death. love, and regrets a-plenty. What would happen if suddenly 90% of the world's population was either dead or insane after catching an alien virus? This book will give a detailed idea of this author's take! I could easily see this being a movie along the lines of the Resident Evil series.

Rebecca has created a well-though out and detailed world in this book, and I can't wait to "see" the rest of the series!

Actual rating: 4.5 stars

*I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.*

Mercury Striking is the first book in The Scorpius Syndrome series by Rebecca Zanetti.

POV: 3rd person

Tense: past

Setting: Los Angeles

Sexual Content: Explicit, bondage, for ages 18+

Pet Peeves Included: calling female parts “her sex”

MERCURY STRIKING is fast-paced, exciting, and a thrill to read! I loved most everything about the book, especially how everyone had secrets and their own agendas.

The story is about Lynne Harmony, known as Blue Heart, who is blamed and feared for the virus that wiped out 99% of the world’s population. She seeks out Jax Mercury, a man who is known for being a great fighter and protector in Los Angeles.

The story starts with a lot of mystery. The reader doesn’t know why Lynne has traveled to find Jax, nor what she’s been through. It takes a long time before the reader learns her true motivation, which is okay because there’s enough other stuff going on to move the story forward.

To read more of my review, please visit Books That Hook

Zanetti has created a tale so plausible that it gave me chills. The possibilities behind the dystopian world that she has created are endless. The world itself was vivid and well crafted. I appreciated how it was developed in the present with an intricate history. The action intensive plot was also exciting. Zanetti kept me hooked so that I couldn’t put it down.

The hidden depths to the characters were fantastic. Each time that a new layer was revealed I felt closer to them. Jax’s caring despite the odds, fighting for those around him was a poignant counterpoint to him being the ultimate warrior. He is constantly an alpha in all ways. Lynne’s strength and intellect made her stand out in this novel while also making her a very intriguing individual. Not only were these two fantastic on their own, but the well-developed supporting cast of characters that Zanetti has created made a very interesting world to get lost in. There were so many individuals that I thoroughly enjoyed and can’t wait to meet again in the next novel.

This is a dystopian tale like no other. It is definitely a series that I will be following to the very end.

Please note that I received a complimentary copy of this work in exchange for an honest review.

I started this book right after it got released but around 50% I stopped reading because I was in the mood for a different genre. Last week when I was in a book funk I decided to finish reading Mercury Striking and I am glad I did. ADULT Dystopian romance is one of my favorite genres, and I know there aren't a lot of adult dystopian romance books out there so I am always happy when I discover a new book. I have read books by Rebecca Zanetti before, I adore her Dark Protectors series. So it was kind of a no-brainer for me to give this book a try.

I love the world the author has created in this book. It had the right amount of romance and action in it. I don't like it when one overpowers the other in dystopian books. Jax is definitely an alpha male who is tough and also very protective of the people around him. Lynn is a strong character who has been through a lot and she is still in danger but that doesn't stop her from fighting back.

I am very excited for the next book in this series. We meet both main characters in Mercury Striking and I am intrigued by their stories. I definitely want to know more.

There's a deadly disease unleashed on this world and Lynne (former head of CDC) is on the run. She's known as "Blue Heart" because after contracting the disease, experimental treatment caused her heart/veins to be blue. Our story began with her trying to get to a clinic called "Myriad", because she'd heard rumors there was a cure there. Specifically she was look for someone named Jax Mercury to help her find a cure.

Jax Mercury was Delta Force and has set up at "Myriad". He has a group of men that he can trust and together they protect this "compound". He also is an alpha male who wishes to dominate Lynne.

There's lots of twist and turns in this book and some hot sex scenes. I felt lost for a good bit at the beginning (didn't know there was a prequel). Once I got to the sex scenes it got better. But, I couldn't get into this story. If you like "Mad Max" (the movie) stories, then you'll love this book. Me...I was reading for the hot man and hot sex scenes, but the rest of the book fell short for me.

Reviewed on behalf of Once Upon an Alpha

Mercury Striking by Rebecca Zanetti is the first in a new series. Yet, like all Ms. Zanetti's novels Mercury Striking is intense, well-written and world building. Set in the US after a plague has disruptive normal life, everyone we meet is a survivor, fighting for their life, their next meal and a place to sleep safely. Drop into this world a hero who takes care of others, yet thinks he is broken, worn down from past failures. And, a scientist that is wrapped up in the beginning of the plague, many thinking she caused it, on the run for her life and in search of her research and a cure. Shake, mix, repeat.
The characters consider themselves broken, yet I fell in love with them and the world they are trying to protect and rebuild. They are complex and unique. So many stories within the story. The action is fast-paced and intense. The twists and turns unexpected in a world of chaos and anarchy. And with all the violence and confrontation, this is a story of hope and joy; a story of finding yourself through someone else.

I know it's only February, but I may have just read what could become my favorite book of 2016. It has been so long since I've read a book that captivated me as much as this juicy post-apocalyptic romance. This book has it all- adventure, suspense, sweet romance and mind blowing sex. The characters are so captivating and frequently had me laughing at their exchanges. I loved the storyline of how the virus started and actually found it quite believable. I think that is one of the scariest things about this book. Kudos to Zanetti for developing it along with the newest monsters on Earth- the Rippers. She did a marvelous job of melding the post-apocalyptic thriller and the sweeter romance story into a juicy total.
I had to force myself to put this book down and make it last more than one day simply because I did not want it to end. There is a second book coming out at the end of August but that's over six months away. It will feature Raze and Vivienne, characters you met in this book.

Doomsday stories aren't really my thing. I've been reading the Dark Protectors and Realm Enforcers for months, multiple times each, avoiding going to the dark side. But I finally bit the bullet and bought/read Mercury Striking yesterday. OMG! Rebecca Zanetti can write about anyone anywhere! There's not many authors I've found that captivate and entertain me in any setting, but she is a master of her craft! This story is absolutely BEAUTIFUL!!! I loved the blue hearted heroine. I loved the hero. I loved the whole cast and crew of characters. And I LOVED this story.

Lynne Harmony is going through dangerous landscape, trying to find Jax Mercury, who has risen to mythical hero status since the world started coming to an end 6 months ago. Unfortunately, she doesn’t know if he’l be like everyone else and either try to kill her or turn her into those that are hunting her, considering most everyone blames her for the end.
This is one of the first post-apocalypse books I’ve read and the first book I’ve read from this author. I must say, I was completely enraptured. The book snared me from the beginning and didn’t let go. I had a hard time putting it down, even reading it when I shouldn’t. It’s also usually a hard sell for the quick-love that happens in most books, but I couldn’t help but be very happy that Jax was able to embrace his humanity and feel for Lynne. I can’t wait to read more from this series and more from this author.
**I received an ARC of this story in exchange for an honest review

ARC graciously provided by Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.

Enter in to this riveting world where Scorpius has change everyone and everything you have ever known has changed.

Lynn Harmony, the woman also known as Blue Heart knows that she needs to find Jax Mercury in order to stay alive. After walking into his camp of survivors she knows that she has to earn his trust in order to be able to do what she came for. Find a way to stabilze B in everyone's system if she can't find a cure.

Anyone who is a fan of Apocolyptic books will fall in love with this riveting and vivacious series of survivors. You'll find yourself not being able to sleep at night hoping to finish one more chapter. This book will suck you in and leave you waiting on bated breath for the next book.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a great romance mixed in with the perfect amount of apocolyptic atmosphere.

Mercury Striking is the first book that I have read by author Rebecca Zanetti and it will certainly not be the last. This story is the perfect mix of thriller, suspense, action and even love set in a post apocalyptic world. There is a vast set of characters and there will be some that you just love and some that you wish you could get your hands on.

Jax Mercury is the leader of a faction of people in the middle of LA who have been trying to survive an outbreak of a deadly infection. He is strong, brave and an Alpha in the fullest sense of the word and he is absolutely swoon worthy. Lynne is on the run and she has set her sights on Jax as her savior. The chemistry between these two characters is breathtaking. But will he be able to help her?

I was kept on the edge of my seat, read it in one sitting and just wanted more in the end!

This is a great start to a new series and I can’t wait for the next book

4.5*
This is such a great start to a new series. I read the "Scorpius Rising" 0.5 prequel to this series in "On the Hunt" anthology and loved it, Nora and Deacon's story.
Jax Mercury and Lynne Harmony are two strong willed and intelligent characters both with an agenda. Jax is the leader of the Vanguarde society trying to stay alive in the aftermath of the Scorpius bacteria that killed 90% of the human race. Lynne is the well known survivor known as The Blue Heart Girl and said to be a carrier of an even more deadly form of the bacteria. Escaping from the government Lynne needs to find Jax before they find her and get him to help her if she lives that long.
This book is full of nail biting suspense, heartache and sadness and hope that there's a end to the madness and the triumph of love in a world of despair.
I can not wait to read the next book "Shadow Falling" Raze and Vivienne's book.

Lynn Harmony is a government fugitive who supposedly started a biological disaster that is killing and changing millions of people, catapulted the U.S. into a martial law state, and she's on the run. With her blue, yes the color, heart, she has a hard time concealing her identity, but it's what saves her life when she finds what she's looking for.
Jax Mercury, a soldier and leader of an LA renegade group, is just the person Lynn needs in order to accomplish her goals of finding a cure and solving the problem of being falsely accused before she ends up dead herself.

Fabulous sexy and intimate love story set within a dystopian, psychological drama that leaves you on the edge of your seat and wanting more. Love that there's a sneak peek into the next Scorpius Syndrome series book, I can't wait!
(I received an arc from NetGalley for an honest review)

I was given a copy in return for an honest review.

I love Zanetti's writing and this book held true to what I have come to expect from her. The story was wholly unique. A look at the end of the world that I have never seen before. I loved how the characters were finding a bit if order amongst the chaos. Trying to keep humanity from crumbling completely. The come to rely on eachother in a way even they didn't think possible. The only thing that threw me was how quickly a sex scene occurred. I wasn't put off by it, just wished it had taken a little longer before occuring. All in all this is a great read that I wholly recommend everyone pick up.

This is a great book; this is the first book in The Scorpius Syndrome series by Rebecca Zanetti. A virus has been unleashed and Lynn Harmony is the only person who can cure the disease. She is on the run to trying to get the cure and running from her ex-boyfriend who is now the US President. She is depending on Jax Mercury to help her. If you are looking for a book that has it all, romance, mystery, and suspense then you need to read this book. I am looking forward to reading the next book in this series.
A Review copy was provided to me in exchange for a fair and honest review. The free book held no determination on my personal review.

Lynne Harmony worked for the CDC and was infected with Scorpius. They injected her with something that made her heart blue. Now the President has everyone searching for her and his claiming she is infected with a deadly strain of the virus. She believes her only hope is getting Jax Mercury to protect her.
Jax is a former soldier, survivor of the Scorpius virus and leader of the little community in the middle of L.A. He doesn't trust easily and he is definitely wary of Lynne.
Together they must find a way to beat the infection and their growing attraction. The President wants her back and Jax will protect her with everything in him.
Sex. Fear. And a whole new world. This story will scare you a little because you never know it could happen.
*RECEIVED A COPY FROM NETGALLEY*

Scorpius Rising gave me a chance to know the work of this author. I was unhinged when the story ended on a cliffhanger. I was fortunate to get a signed copy of this book as a freebie at RT2016. I regret for not reading this sooner than it should be. It's the kind of novel right up my alley. It's action-packed with great plot and characters matching their roles. Jax Mercury was a perfect alpha male. An ex-special op military who was tactically skilled in combat fighting and also a great protector to survivors of Scorpius bacteria that wiped out the population of U. S. in six-month span. This author just knew how to keep the entertainment rolling. Two thumbs up!!!

This is a great first book in a new series! I don't usually read this type of post-apocalyptic story, but I was quickly drawn into the lives of the Vanguard group. It's founder, Jax Mercury, vows to protect the members and has to learn to also be their leader. Lynne Harmony (aka Blue Heart) is also on a personal journey and soon becomes a valuable member of the All of the characters are well developed; the plot is fast moving; and there are clues laid for the next book. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series!

Many thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

2.5 Stars

This is pretty much my first read in the post apocolyptic genre and my first book from Rebecca Zanetti.

I'm afraid to say that I found this book a struggle to read in many ways. Firstly the author gives very little background into the characters so it's hard to be emotionally invested in them. It also means there is confusion when there are little bits of information thrown in later on. It almost felt like I had joined this series part way through, rather than being the first in a new series like it claims and it made me feel I should have known a lot of the details already.

It does have a saving grace however, and that is all down to Jax, the rebel leader of a gang of survivors in Los Angeles. The guy is pretty darn hot and definitely someone you'd want helping you should a deadly bacteria threaten to wipeout mankind. An optional benefit of rolling around the sheets with him would certainly help.

Lynne was a difficult character for me, because she gave very little away. Jax would ask her a question and more often than not, she wouldn't answer or not give enough of an answer, so again it was hard to connect with her. I also didn't have a great understanding on the how's and why's of her blue heart. She grew as a chatacter for me by the end, but by then it was too little too late.

As for the pandemic itself I felt it was far too complex for me and the treatment itself was equally mind boggling. The idea of such a thing is good, but there were far too many outcomes to those affected by the disease.

I'm not really sure the exact reason why this book fell short for me. I mean it certainly isn't badly written. Maybe the whole idea of a post apocalyptic world is just a stretch too far for me. Personally this book did get slightly better by the end, but sadly not enough to make me want to continue with the series.

Mercury Striking is very likeable SF read. I loved it from beginning until the end. The writing was great. Story plot interesting that kept me on the edge entire time.
I loved Jax powerful strong leader who doesn't show a lot of emotions until in his compound comes woman. The same woman that everyone blames for millions of deaths. I loved their interaction their conversation how sparks had flown between them who good their sex was. I loved every page.
Although it is a standalone the whole story doesn't end but it continuous with story about very sexy mysterious Raze and Viviane and I can’t wait until September!
*ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

I read the prequel to this series in On The Hunt and was really intrigued. I don't usually read books like this, but have loved Zanetti's books ever since I picked up the Dark Protectors series. I figured with the taste I'd already gotten and the author, how could I go wrong? Wow, I got more than I bargained for! Jax and Lynne make a hell of a pair. Both figure on pursuing their own agenda and get blindsided by emotion. Both are just trying to survive, but find it is so much better to do it together than alone. The characters of Vanguard grow on you til you feel like you know them personally. That's why I was so disappointed when Wyatt got killed, but the story is so true-to-life you are able to accept it as a part of what the people are living through.

I like to think the survivors of an apocalypse would handle things as well as the Vanguard people do. I just hope if it ever happens I can find my own Jax Mercury to go through it with. My only complaint is I have to wait months for Shadows Falling. I can hardly wait!

Finally! A well written 3rd person multi POV novel that didn't make me roll my eyes. Not even once!

This book has it all...alpha males, alpha females, suspense, drama, good sex (the kind that didn't make me roll my eyes. Not even once!)

AND...

Not a coincidence in sight! Every move, every twist, every turn had a thought behind it, a purpose, and a reason. YES! I was getting so tired of the coincidence driven plots of some of the other romantic suspense novels I recently read.

“Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world, she walks into mine…” You won't find a single coincidence in MERCURY STRIKING this book is well planned, well written, and was a real pleasure to read.

The only bummer about stumbling across this novel today...having to wait until August 2016 for book 2 - SHADOW FALLING. Can't wait!

I was so lost. I must have said “Wait, what?” at least 40 times. And then there is a weird scene where he beats her with a belt. Then they have sex later on… It was just strange. I felt like every other page was missing or something. Surely she wouldn’t jump into bed with the guy who beat her earlier right? But even beyond that, I felt that I was missing information. About her, about the disease… everything really! It was a bit like Elle Kennedy’s Claimed which was NOT for me. I think had I know this book was like that one, I wouldn’t have started it. A lot of it was just personal preference so maybe some of thing things I mentioned won’t bother others; Maybe I am just not smart enough to keep up with what was happening and y’all will think “What was that crazy girl talking about not understanding?”! Its totally possible. Maybe I gave up trying too soon? Who knows!

I don't know where to start. This first book in a new series was: FANTASTIC. Great world-building. She does a great job instilling life in all her characters, equally true with the characters in this book. Some elements of it reminded me of The Walking Dead tv series (only, no zombies), which I'm a huge fan of. Dystopian, sci-fi, true love (no happily ever after, of course, given the dystopian nature, nothing is guaranteed). No cliffhangers (yay!) with a hint of whose story is coming next. Sadly, I'll have to wait till September to read it. Five stars, two thumbs up.

5 - "All the gentleman are dead, baby. Soldiers and survivors are what we have now." Stars!

If you were to tell me prior to reading Mercury Striking that I would willingly read a romantic suspense book that has the inclusion of Zombie type characters as part of its main theme, I would have promptly told you 'No way'. As a reader, film goer and just general human being, I do not do horror no matter what the level in any shape, type or form. But this is Rebecca Zanetti, and I just couldn’t resist.

And I am glad I did, because although there are some gruesome bits (on my level of gore anyway, most people would probably not be bothered) this book is an absolutely outstanding read. I think my rating probably attests to that, and quite simply Mercury Striking is Rebecca Zanetti doing what she does best, and with extremely entertaining results.

"What is it about you and death? You just love to dance with it."

The story, set-up, characters and general development across all points was perfectly paced, and although not necessary I would recommend that you try to read the prequel novella Scorpius Rising if you can as it gives you all the background into Lynne Harmony, and more depth into why she’s known as Blue Heart.

"I like the blue."

Jax Mercury was all sorts of Yummy, alpha, dark, a dirty mouth, plenty of action, and pretty much everything I look for in my romantic reading heroes, the fact he wasn’t shy about clearing out the enemy, zombie or otherwise, also made him pretty indispensable.

"You’re beautiful… In case I forget to tell you, you’re beautiful."

But I think the main thing that strikes as the story progresses is that for all his strength and leadership, he is really just a man struggling to survive, deal with his losses and his demons, whilst protecting those around him that look to him for direction and leadership, and work out his feelings for a woman that has come into his life and brought about emotions he doesn’t really want to deal with at the most challenging of times.

"I lead with actions, not words."

This wouldn’t be a Zanetti book without some stellar sexy-times, and she delivers in spades for this couple. Lynne is a strong woman in her own right, and the pair of them together although do not deny they have insane chemistry are both keeping the deeper parts of themselves hidden, and this just added to the fight for dominance in between the sheets, and although Jax invariably wins, Lynne definitely gives as good as she gets.

"There’s only you. From day one, the second you marched into my camp, there’s only been you."

Keeping emotions out of the equation proves to be more and more difficult for them as the story progresses, especially when it becomes apparent that Lynne has more than just a few military figures after her, and the knowledge she possesses, forces Jax’s protective instincts step to the fore especially as the risk to the rest of his people increases as well. Vanguard Territory all of a sudden becomes an extremely dangerous place to be.

"If there are bullets, I’m between you and them. If you get taken, I’m hunting you down till my last breath. And if you end up in hell, I’ll storm the ducking place until the fires go out."

I don’t really want to give much more away, this is a story you will get lost in and struggle to put down until its end. I just wish we didn’t have to wait so long for the next book.

"Don’t regret us."

Shadow Falling is due to release in September, and I cannot wait to see what story the author has in store for the elusive and brooding Raze Shadow. He figured quite strongly in Mercury Striking but you don’t really discover much about the man underneath.

"We can’t erase where we’ve been."

ARC generously provided via Netgalley, and it was my absolute pleasure to provide the above honest review.

My Review:
I absolutely loved this new dystopian world created by Rebecca Zanetti. The world was completely creative and interesting. The characters were wonderfully complex and the story line was riveting. From the moment I started the book, I didn't put it back down until I was done. It was such a good read.

Lynn is an anomaly. As the head researcher at the CDC when the virus scorpius began, she somehow became a test subject after becoming contaminated and now has a glowing blue heart. No one knows for sure if she's dangerous or not, but all signs show that she has something to do with the spread of this virus which has killed 99% of the population. She doesn't have any allies.

But what she does have is knowledge...both in who is the true danger to society and maybe how they can all get past this disease medically. But she needs help for those things to happen...so she goes in search of the biggest baddie out there...Jax Mercury.

When scorpius happened Jax was a soldier, but his past life in the gangs of LA meant that he knows how to survive. He now has a gang of about 500 members living in the middle of downtown LA, but everyday their quality of life becomes further in danger as their supplies diminish and more people grow sick. But before they lost internet, he was already famous for the way he was taking care of his people in the hard streets of LA...which is close to where Lynn needs to be so she searches him out.

This disease and what's it has done to humanity is both scary in that it could happen and so impressive as reading material, because the whole world Rebecca Zanetti has created feels so creative....and terrifying.

I loved Jax and Lynn together. They've both lost so much and have hardened themselves so much against emotion, it's beautiful to see them come together...and care. They both had great character arcs in this story and their relationship really worked for me. Their world has taught them to be so hard, but it's really beautiful thing to see them both open up in this book...even if it's not an easy thing for them. But this isn't only a story about them.

There are so many amazing side characters...Wyatt, the ex-49ers player with the heart of gold; Tace, who's disquiet toward the end of this book broke my heart; Raze, the mysterious fighter; Sami, the fabulous girl in the group who's not afraid to apologize. I loved each and every one of them and throughout the story, my heart broke for several of them as they went through their different trials.

This is a fabulous start to this new series. I can't wait for more.

Note: now that I've read this one, I see that there was a prequel novella, Scorpius Rising. I haven't read it and didn't ever feel confused about the world, but several other reviewers said it enhanced their view of the world going into reading this one.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Mercury Striking by Rebecca Zanetti is the first in a new series but the prequel Scorpius Rising which appeared in 2015 in the On the Hunt Anthology would help set the stage for this book. In my humble opinion, reading that novella would enhance this story. Still some would argue that the novel would read okay as a stand-alone without the background material from Scorpius Rising.

Definitely a different feel to this series then to the Protectors or the Realm Enforcers. It has the grit of the Enforcers but this dystopian series is very different. I had several issues with the anti-hero Jax, which has made this book difficult to rate. At time he seems to have lost his humanity and decency in the struggle to survive. I had a challenging time not continuing to compare him to Talen and his family members. But I kept thinking Talen wouldn’t have behaved that way, when Jax did something I disapproved of (especially in the first half of the book). I guess I need to like the character to appreciate the story. Lynne Harmony is a character that was basically likable. Though at times, I would have told her to steer clear of Jax. With so many others after her, her options were pretty slim.

The story itself is fast paced with Ms. Zanetti’s books often are. The descriptive writing is wonderfully done so that there is a “being there” realism to the story. The plot is also filled with many different groups, and subplots that I had to really pay attention to who was who in the story. While Scorpius Rising gives the background to the plague, Mercury Striking sets in motion who are the good and bad in the terrible, harsh future environment. It is as much a science fiction book as it is a romance story. At times the romance takes a back seat to everything else is life threatening to mankind.

3.5 Stars
Copy provided by the publisher through Net Galley for an honest review.

Rebecca Zanetti writes very well. I enjoy her books (not the spanking scenes, but I know many like those, too, and there is one) but I don't think I would have read this book if I'd known how negative and discouraging this look at the future would be. I still have to give it 5 stars, but if you are looking for an enjoyable beach read that leaves you with a warm feeling, this is not it. "Fiction," I kept reminding myself, "It is fiction."

I thought I was buying post-apocalyptic romantic suspense, but it's surely not that. I'll call it clumsily written bdsm erotica sans consent because I can. I almost quit when Jax humiliates heroine (forgotten her name already) in front of his manly tribe in a chest-beating, who's-your-daddy way while poking at her bare breasts. But I hung in there. Then he gets her alone, whips off his leather belt and beats her with it until he raises welts on her skin. Just to, you know, make sure she knows who's the boss. Then they have excruciating badly written sex. Still, I didn't quit.

I did not quit until I heard something that went like this: She wriggled her bottom across the mattress cascading his balls with her wetness. As an aside, no one I shared that with understood what it meant either. The cascading wetness defeated me. I quit.

It's not sexy or romantic or even erotic. I don't know what it is. But it's not for me. I'll be asking for a refund.

I don’t know what to say. Mercury Striking was a read on speed. This was a thriller romance with an exclamation point on thriller. Mercury Striking is a story about a Scorpius bacterium that was released on the earth. Not by mad scientist but by innocent college students who one day came upon a meteorite which they preceded in cutting in half, thereby; releasing the harmful disease.

Mercury Striking is the first book in Rebecca Zanetti new thrilling post-apocalyptic romance which was introduced in the prequel Scorpius Rising. Lynne was a scientist on the CDC team that was injected directly with the Scorpius bacteria, in order to save her life, Nora Medina injected her with an untried serum which automatically turned her heart blue and the area around it.

After escaping a soon to be death sentence, Lynne trekked across a nightmarish landscape of death and madness looking for the one person who maybe the only salvation for mankind a damaged legend who protects the weak and leads the strong.

Jax Mercury would tell you he’s nobody’s hero. He’s just a man who’s trying to survive in a world that has gone completely mad, and if he helps save others in the process he will chalk that up to redeeming himself for the harm he committed in his younger years.

When he come across Lynne public enemy number one with a bullet if she was ever caught by other humans who blamed her and people like her for not stopping the bacteria from spreading, Both will soon realize that they have the same enemy “Time”. Will they have enough time to find the cure for the disease that has now claimed billions of lives or will time run out for them and the other survivors.

I could go on and on abut Mercury Striking but I am going to stop here and just say if you have the chance to purchase Mercury Striking do so you won’t regret the purchase. It’s a fantastic book that will pull you in for the hours it takes for you to complete the book and maybe longer than that since Mercury Striking is the first book and the next will be due out in September.

Rebecca Zanetti's Sin Brothers series was easily my favorite that I read by her...until I read this book. I'm hooked and there's no looking back. Now admittedly I'm not a reader that enjoys the post-apocalyptic world in my books. But Rebecca is one of the few authors I was willing to make an exception for because I truly love her work, and boy was I glad that I did because I loved the absolute hell out of this book. It's not your typical post-apocalyptic zombie story. It's so much more than that and with an intriguing twist to boot. The world building is rich and captivating, the romance is sizzling hot, and the set up is so enticing that you'll be hooked from the very first chapter!

"Were you like this before Scorpius, Jax?"
"Like what?" he whispered.
"A killer without remorse. A survivor at all costs. So.... cold.
"Yes. I've always been like this."

When a deadly bacterium struck and killed off 99% of the population, it left the survivors...different. If they managed to survive the Scorpius induced fever, their brain was forever altered either heightening their intelligence but turning half of the infected into Rippers. These Rippers coming in two kinds; highly organized and intelligent serial killers or just plain crazy. Lynn Harmony was the former head of infectious diseases at the CDC until she got infected and an experiment for a cure on herself went wrong and gave her a very distinct blue heart. Now with people believing she's the carrier for a much deadlier strand of the bacterium, she's forced her to go on the run. Desperate for a cure she believes may be out there, she's going on nothing but the rumor of the existence of the one man that may be able to help her; Jax Mercury.

Jax is an ex gang member turned army special ops that is now the leader of a vigilante group of Scorpius survivors. When Lynn "Blue Heart" Harmony shows up on his door with the promise of a cure in exchange for a favor she won't name yet, he's intrigued and suspicious. There's an instant spark of attraction between them, even though they couldn't be more different. The chemistry sparks up right away and only intensifies with each new day that Lynn spends at his camp.

"Any chance you could get lost in the moment?"
"Green eyes, if I got lost in the moment, you'd be bent over the bed, face in the pillows, begging to come with every fiber of your being. I'd make you promise everything.

There is a novella that sets up the series that I haven't read yet; On the Hunt. That being said, I had no problems falling right into the set up of the world building. The chemistry between Jax and Lynne was easily my favorite part, but I highly enjoyed this new world that Rebecca Zanetti has written. Think Mad Max meet I Am Legend. The story itself is action packed with not a dull moment to be found. There's twists at every turn that are enough to keep you on your toes and eagerly turning the pages. And did I mention the romance? Because oh my ovaries was it hot!

"Sweet, you could've handled. Sure, there would've been emotion, and that's tough. But this way? My way?
This way, I'll own you."

Lynn was a fantastic heroine with just enough backbone to make her the right sort of kick ass but also with a vulnerability to endear her as well. Jax was everything I love in a hero; damaged with a hidden vulnerable side with a dash of dirty talker. He was absolute perfection. There's a slew of secondary characters introduced as well, that caught my attention right away. The main one being Raze. Lucky for me, his story will be next and the set up for it? Shiver inducing.

I have a feeling that fans of Rebecca Zanetti will be eating up this series with the same fervor I had. Filled with action and suspense, captivating characters and super sexy romance, this book managed to hit every single one of my checkboxes.

"He dropped his forehead to hers, his hand encircling her nape. Then he slid out and back in, the feeling as close to heaven as a killer like he would ever find."

This book was fantastic! I loved every minute of it and can't wait for the next one!

Life is over as humans know it on planet Earth. A virulent bacterium has swept across the landscape killing most of the human population. Of those who have been infected and survived, they are changed…some for the better making them stronger, smarter, and who knows what else. But many others have been changed in a more evil sense of the word. Rippers, the survivors whose brains have been drained of sanity and empathy wander the earth in search of anything they can kill. But some Rippers are so intelligent, devious, and potentially evil that their insanity can pass as sanity...or so they think.

Lynne Harmony is Blue Heart…the former head of infectious diseases at the CDC and a survivor of the Scorpius bacterium only it left her heart glowing blue with the ink of a mutant squid. After escaping her CDC prison, she seeks the one man who might be strong enough, savvy enough, and tough enough to not only protect her from the enemy seeking her return to captivity, but also might be willing to kill someone for her—Jax Mercury. She knows he and the others won’t trust her, will be afraid of her, and she can't blame them but she might be able to give something in return…her intelligence and expertise pertaining to a possible cure for Scorpius.

Jax Mercury is a man who protects. He doesn’t have to be the ultimate leader and hero to the ragtag group of people who make up the Vanguard community under his protection but it’s who he is so when Lynne Harmony, a beautiful, intelligent, and extraordinary woman falls under his protection, he is determined to protect her. Learning to feel emotion, especially love, was not what he’d bargained for.

MERCURY STRIKING by Rebecca Zanetti is probably one of the best, if not the absolute best story, I’ve read in a long while. I’ve read some good books but this one kept me glued to my reader tighter than any have before. MERCURY STRIKING is Richard Matheson's I AM LEGEND meets The Walking Dead meets Typhoid Mary. It’s action-packed, edge of the seat gripping, sexy, and intelligently terrifying because it’s so real. This could actually happen and probably will someday.

The characters are rich, lifelike, and emotional even while tight-lipped and cautious. The secondary characters are as real as the main characters and we, as the reader, get caught up in their friendships even though they've been short-lived and superficial for the most part. When one of the main secondary characters dies, it tears at the heart and be prepared to cry. It truly made my chest hurt.

MERCURY STRIKING by Rebecca Zanetti might not be for everyone but if you love a good post-apocalyptic story and a heady romance with great heat, this story is for you and I highly, highly recommend you reading it. I was reading on a time crunch and still didn’t want it to end. I read the preview at the end for SHADOW FALLING, book two in the Scorpius Syndrome series and I am itching to get to it. September is to hell and gone a long way off, and I already want more of Vanguard and the amazing people who survive there.

***eARC provided by publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest and unscripted review.

Mercury Striking is the 1st book in Rebecca Zanetti's apocalyptic series The Scorpius Syndrome. However there is a prequel novella in the compilation On the Hunt that sets the stage for this book. I recommend reading it first, although you could get by without reading it, the prequel certainly sets the stage and explains how the virus spread and how Lynne ended up in the predicament she is in.
First off, let me say I loved this book. I stayed up until the wee hours of the morning to finish it and then woke up thinking about it. There is a ton of action, some great characters and a hot romance and Zanetti writes an awesome Alpha male character along with a very smart and courageous heroine. This book centers around a world that is dealing with a bacteria that has spread across the US (and possibly the world) wiping out 90% of the population. The survivors of the bacteria have all been changed in some way. They either turn into "Rippers" or have been enhanced in some way. There are two types of Rippers, the crazy, disorganized, kill anything that is front of them, or the organized serial psychopath type. Technology has broken down and things like food, water, gasoline and medical supplies are in short supply. The only way to possibly help manage the infected is through vitamin B injections which are also in short supply.
Lynne Hamony was the head of the infectious disease division of the CDC and working on a cure when she was infected with the bacteria. She used an experimental cure that turned her heart blue and although she survived and didn't turn into a ripper the cure did not work. She is on the run from just about everyone and rumors have spread that she either started the disease or has a more virulent strain of it. She has only one hope and that's to get to Jax Mercury, a vigilante in LA who has created a fortress for "his people" in LA where Lynne believes a secret lab that might have some valuable research is hidden.
Jax is the leader of a group of survivors. He grew up in LA as part of a gang until he joined the military and became a special forces soldier. His camp in the middle of LA is fortified and he runs things his way in order for him and the 500 or so people there to survive. Unfortunately, not only does he have to protect them from Rippers but there are rival groups that want him dead and all of the supplies he has.
Both Lynne and Jax are intelligent and courageous. Jax has a dry sense of humor, a huge protective instinct, and a willingness to do whatever he has to protect his camp. He is the kind of guy you would definitely want to hunker down with during the end of the world. He was a force to be reckoned with and had an edge that some people might not like. Yep, he spanked the heroine with a belt when he felt she put herself and the camp in danger. Normal protocol was to have the person who put the camp in danger exiled but he can't do that with Lynne so he chooses another way in order to get his point across. The scene is very tough to read and skirts the edge but remembering that survival is the most important thing and realizing who Jax's character was and the point he needed to make I was able to accept it and although Lynne is pissed she too lets it go.
There were some great lines in this book that brought moments of humor to an edgy, dark story.
"Hope is the dream of a waking man."
Tace snorted. "I like that quote better than the we're all gonna die quotes you spouted yesterday."
Jax rubbed his aching temple. "I was moody."
Jax has lead a hard life
and the threats he's facing now make things even more difficult. When we first meet Jax he's a solitary soldier doing what he thinks he has to without letting anyone get close to him. But throughout the story we see him grow and show some vulnerability. He also realizes he can't lead without getting to know the people he is leading. When he let Lynne in, he didn't do it half way but fully
“If there are bullets, I’m between you and them. If you get taken, I’m hunting you down till my last breath. And if you end up in hell, I’ll storm the ******* place until the fires go out.”
I also really liked Lynne's character. She's intelligent, courageous and willing to do what she has to try to help find a cure or at least a way to manage the bacteria. She is hated by most of the world and yet she keeps going trying to save it. We get to see her vulnerability when she's with Jax and although she doesn't have a lot of control in the situation she is not a doormat. She's tough and stands up for herself and the same time she sees something in Jax and wants to help him.
There attraction is red hot and they have great chemistry. The love scenes are hot and at times tender.
This was an excellent story. It was full of action, some suspense, a fast paced plot and smoking hot romance! I was hooked from page one and it never slowed down! If I was going to faced with an apocalyptic world I'd want my own Jax to help me survive it. I also really enjoyed the secondary characters and can't wait to find out what happens with Raze in the next book.
I highly recommend this exciting book to anyone who likes a fast-paced, action oriented story with a great romance and complex characters.
Thank you for Net Galley and the Publisher for gifting me this book in return for a fair review.

NOTE TO START: if you are planning to read this book, you really should read Scorpius Rising, the prequel novella that is available in the On the Hunt anthology. The novella sets the stage for this first full length book in a new series and provides background that will make it much easier to dive into this story without feeling as though you missed something.

In a post-apocalyptic world, Lynne Harmony is enemy number one as far as the public at large is concerned. As the former head of the CDC, she was unable to stop Scorpius, and the government is spreading the word that she is infected with a more deadly strain of the bacteria to isolate her after she escaped their attempts to turn her into a lab rat. On the run, alone and desperate, she seeks out the one man she believes is best equipped to help and protect her: Jax Mercury, leader of the Vanguard community of survivors.

A former soldier, Jax gained a reputation as a man you don't want to cross while fighting for control of LA as society broke down. Lynne has a target painted on her back due to government's propaganda and the experiment that has her heart glowing blue in her chest, so when she walks directly into his territory seeking him out, Jax is stunned to say the least but he is also intrigued enough to hear her out. Her proposition: with her knowledge of infrastructure prior to the spread of the sickness, she will attempt to lead him to valuable medical stores that may not have been cleaned out yet and share her research with him. In return, he will give her access to documents he has amassed in various raids, provide her protection and kill one person for her. Half the people in his camp are afraid of her and the other half want her dead or to turn her over to the government to claim the bounty that is being offered for her return, so his only surefire way to protect her is to provide close proximity protection in his own living quarters - and his bed.

Lynne is an intelligent woman and can hold her own against the equally intelligent former Special Forces soldier most of the time, but his leadership style leaves little room for pleasantries as they are a luxury that can be afforded in desperate times. Lynne recognizes that this is exactly what led her to find him and allows him to keep his people as safe as possible.

The fact that her body wakes up and takes notice of the pure masculine dominance radiating off Jax in waves is inconvenient at best, but when he suggests indulging in a bit of mutual gratification to take the edge off their shared attraction, she can't pass up the chance for some real human contact and interaction that doesn't involve medical equipment for the first time in over a year. Although they both promise each other that things will remain purely physical, genuine feelings start to leak in no matter how much they try to deny it. In a world where death is almost guaranteed sooner rather than later, forming attachments only guarantees heartbreak in their minds, but not everyone thinks that way.

Against their better judgment, they both start to give in to reality even as the situation around them becomes more dire. Rival gangs know that Lynne is being kept in Vanguard territory and want to kidnap her to claim the bounty for themselves, the Vanguard camp is running dangerously low on everything, Scorpius continues to claim new victims including close friends, and the Elite Guard formed to find Lynne is still single-mindedly searching for her. Jax has always been a protector, but his need to keep Lynne safe takes precedence over everything else and that shakes him to his core.

I absolutely adored this man who could go from cold and calculating leader in control of every situation to heated dominant fierce alpha male in the span of seconds. He believes the mistakes of his past make him unworthy to lead long term, but he is exactly what their new reality requires to survive. When he makes a choice, he is all in until the end, and he is so much more than just a soldier turned colony leader with his quotes from some of the greatest minds in our history in his discussions with Lynne and his fierce protectiveness of all who are in his care.

Mercury Striking has plenty of action and suspense from start to finish and this story is far from over. Jax and Lynne end up in a good place for now, and I am already anxiously awaiting the next book in the series to find out more about the mysterious Raze where I hope we will see more of this fabulous duo.

4.5 stars---MERCURY STRIKING is the first full length installment in Rebecca Zanetti’s THE SCORPIUS SYNDROME cross genre Sci-Fi/ UF/Dystopian series focusing on a biological pandemic sweeping the world. This is former US soldier Jax Mercury, and CDC researcher Lynn Harmony’s story line that looks at life in the aftermath, and the fallout from an unknown bacteria-from space. For more background information and some history, there is a prequel novella-SCORPIUS RISING-which can be found in the ON THE HUNT anthology (August 2015).

Told from several third person points of view MERCURY STRIKING focuses on the hunt for a cure for a biological bacteria that has killed 99% of the world’s population-as far as anyone knows. Some of those infected have survived to become something known as a Ripper, but there are two types of Rippers inhabiting the world-one is a zombie like creature who feasts on the living; the other is a survivor whose brain has been altered resulting in a stronger, more powerful enhanced human being. When it is discovered that CDC researcher Lynn Harmony survived and quite possibly carries the answer to the cure, she becomes the target for everyone hoping to rule the world. Enter Jax Mercury-the man who has promised to protect Lynn with his life.

Jax is a reluctant hero; a survivor who has amassed a following in an L.A. compound where food and medicine are at a minimum, and rumors are rampant about the source of the virus. Lynn is a former researcher with the CDC who has been accused of causing the plague, and with it comes a target and heavy price on her back. Lynn will become a virtual prisoner, and fall for the man who holds her heart.

There is a large ensemble cast of secondary and supporting characters, many of whom do not live to see another day. Jax’s L.A. compound is home for those without a safe place to live, but safety is all a matter of perspective when gangs and corrupt politicians battle for supremacy and food. Newcomers to the compound are always suspect; few reveal their own history or how they came to be.

MERCURY STRIKING is a story of suspense, mystery, action and drama. There are heartbreaking moments of loss; scenarios of graphic violence and tragic death; rigid control and demanding obedience. In the post-apocalyptic world of the Scorpius Syndrome it is survival of the fittest, and every man and woman for themselves. Everyone has an agenda but not everyone is on the same page.

Rebecca Zanetti looks at the possibility of what could happen if a space-borne pathogen makes it way to earth. Are we prepared for a pandemic of this magnitude? And could we survive the zombie apocalypse from space? The premise is exhilarating; the characters are real and imaginable; the romance is a struggle when the world is constantly dragging you down. There is no happily ever after but the possibility of light at the end of the tunnel.

4.5 Stars
'Mercury Striking' is an exciting start to this dystopian series. We are thrust right into the heart of this world. Lynn Harmony is on the run, seeking refuge and help from Jax Mercury, the leader of a group of survivors in post-plague Los Angeles. But Lynn is no ordinary woman on the run. She represents hope for a cure and fear of the plague itself. And the dangers Lynn and Jax face go beyond the plague.

This was my first Rebecca Zanetti read, and I loved it. I was completely pulled into this world. Being from Los Angeles, I was really into the setting. But I also liked how she built the world around the "plague." Not only was the plague fascinating, but there is tons of action throughout the book. Because the plague is only one of their worries. There are a whole load of bad guys causing danger and violence, and their terror kept me on my toes throughout the read.

What also really grabbed me was the characters. I love a story with strong characters, and I got really wrapped up in Jax and Lynn's story. I loved getting to know them. I also bought into their romance. A very sexy romance, I might add. I know it was quick, but considering the situation, I completely bought it. And enjoyed it. They were a great couple. I also especially liked the side characters. The supporting cast was fantastic, and I look forward to more of them in future books. All in all, a great read!

Great book. This was a new to me author and new series. I like the gritty urban fiction. Lots of excitement, feels and twists and turns. Just when you think you have a handle with what's going on, a little clue will give more information and keeps you hooked and craving more. Will definitely be finding the sequels and devouring them as well. Enjoy!

Lynne Harmony is on the run in a deadly post apocalyptic world. She is a carrier of the deadly Scorpius bacteria. Some want to kill her out of fear, others want to use her to find a cure. She makes her way to Jax Mercury hoping he can protect her and help her. Jax takes her in but knows she is not telling him everything. This book is full of action, hot sex and hope, hope that won't die in even the most dire circumstances. A great start to a new series.

Jax Mercury and Lynne Harmony are a great pair of warriors/survivors. I'm not much into sci-fi, but I soon realized that this book was nit sci-fi as much it was a story about survival, compassion and loyalty. I thoroughly enjoyed the book that Rebecca Zanetti wrote and hope you will too. I'm looking forward to the sequel-I cannot wait!

I received a copy of this book from the author on Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.  

I wasn't blown away by the prequel novella in this series so I was a little wary going into Mercury Striking. Don't get me wrong, I figured I would enjoy it, but I had no idea that I would love it as much as I did. I mean, OMG! Rebecca Zanetti totally knocked it out of the park with this one.

Meeting Lynn in the prequel had me so curious about her and I'm so glad that I read that so I could fully grasp the situation she was in. You can read this one without reading the prequel but I wouldn't recommend it. That being said, as soon as Lynn walks into dangerous territory to meet Jax I knew this one was going to be everything I had hoped it would be.

The initial meeting between the two is rocky, considering they're both dangerous in their own right, but once they started opening up to each other? Sigh! Jax is a total bada**, and yes he has his moments, but once he meets Lynn he's all in and there's no going back for him. That's my kind of hero!

And Lynn... That chick has some serious backbone to survive what she's been through and to continue to be around people that either hate or fear her. She has a bit of a breakdown in Jax's arms which made her an even better heroine in my eyes.

Of course there's some awesome action in this one too. Definitely some nail biting moments and a few that even brought tears to my eyes. And to see bada** Jax crying? Those were some of my absolutely favorite moments even if they were heartbreaking.

Obviously I can't say enough about how much I love this book so I'm just gonna finish with this... Bring on Shadow Falling!!

*ARC kindly provided in exchange for an honest review.

I almost didn't continue the series because of a couple of disturbing reviews; however after a couple of days of thinking that Zanetti never wrote anything demeaning, I ventured forward and am glad I did. Let me be clear. there was never a sexual implication when he asked her to remove her shirt. IT WAS CLINICAL, and all eyes were on her BLUE HEART not her breast! That is why she did not hesitate to do so. As for the spanking? Better than a bullet for disobeying the leader. :-)

I enjoyed the characters, the writing and the plot. It was enjoyable seeing the characters grow as the book continued. The storyline made me think and although I read books like this often, there were events that occurred in the book that brought home some of the realities of surviving the known world ending that I had not considered. I received this book free from Netgalley for an honest review. I enjoyed it and would recommend it.

Engaging book about the fall of mankind from an alien bacteria that came to Earth via a meteor. A scientist is trying to find a cure and a soldier is trying to survive with a bunch of people he's collected. The reason the scientist went to find the soldier was a lot far fetched, but once I ignored that the book itself was good. The next book is out in September and I'm looking forward to it.

I was on the edge of my seat the whole book! The book was fraught with tension, sexual and otherwise. A post-apocalyptic survival story with a side of lust and love. Lynne and Jax are the perfect dark super-heroes. The cast of characters is deep and you will become attached. As with any battle story, there are survivors and there are those that lose their lives valiantly fighting to the end. Loved this first in the Scorpius series.

I'm going to try not to gush too much. Yes, I am a total fan girl for this book. In fact, BUY IT. Then, make sure you have the time to read it uninterrupted in one sitting. It's that damn good.

However...my only beef was that when I started the book, I felt like I was dropped into the middle of something. However as I just learned there is prequel novella, I'll be checking it out ASAP and suggest you do too before reading MS.

As this is a series, I can not wait to see how it develops, especially since we don't have to wait too long. I seriously can not wait.

Mercury Striking reads like a Mad Max action style movie. It's dark and gritty and completely cinematic. It's also sexy, heart-felt and heart-breaking. Oh yes, it is heart-breaking. It's also frightening in the completely believable plot.

All the characters are well developed and Jax and Lynne are both perfectly imperfect. Ms. Zanetti is rough/hard on these two(especially how Jax treats Lynne early on) but it makes the story that much better; giving it much more depth. I'm also usually not surprised or caught off guard in my books, and Ms. Zanetti was able to accomplish this.

I'm trying not to give too much away in this review, because I don't want to ruin anything. Trust me, this book is so good, you need to READ IT NOW. In fact, I'll be buying a copy to re-read to see what I might have missed on my first read. I love that- now I can look for clues and things I might have missed the first go round.

Escaping from captivity and on the run Lynne makes her way to what is left of Los Angeles looking for Jax Mercury. He is the one man she feels that can protect her and keep her safe. Ms Zanetti's 1st installment in a new series gives us dystopian world for adults. Jax is not your typical hero, in that he doesn't want to be one. He has gathered together survivors in his compound and it is a daily chore to just keep body and soul together. When Lynne arrives and he brings her to the compound she is not given a warm welcome, most everyone is afraid of her believing that she is the cause of the plague that has ravaged the world and outside force plot and scheme for not only Jax and Lynne's downfall but the total destruction of everything the survivors hold dear. Her secondary and even lesser characters, all add to the story and are as intricate to the story line as Jax and Lynne are. Ms Zanetti creates a world that we all will not mind visiting in her book, but would hope we never have to live in it.

Yuppi! I'm very happy to announce that Rebecca Zanetti is back with a new and entertaining series that brings me back to the good old times when The Dark Protectors where at their beginning! Mercury striking is a fast paced novel settled in a near future where an epidemic destroys the world as we know it and causing the death or the changing for the worse of the 99% of the world population. Then we met Lynn of the blue heart, Jax without heart at all, and a very nice and big cast of characters. Now I have to wait for the second installation in September, and it would be a long and hard wait....

Evviva, sono molto felice di announciare che Rebecca Zanetti é tornata ai vecchi splendori con una nuova serie che mi riporta ai bei vecchi tempi dell'inizio dei Dark Protectors. Mercury Striking è una storia molto intensa con un buon ritmo dove, in un futuro non troppo lontano, un'epidemia si é portata via il 99% delle persone alcune delle quali sarebbero state meglio da morte. Incontriamo poi Lynn dal cuore blu, Jax che il cuore proprio non ce l'ha e tutto un cast di vari personaggi che ci rimarranno nel cuore. Adesso sono obbligata ad aspettare settembre per il secondo volume e sará una lunga e tormentosa attesa.

Wow!! This was some awesome, kick a--- book. Rebecca Zanetti, got my attention on this Scorpius Syndrome affecting the earth & it's people.
Jax, the alpha male was really a great leader & Lynn, the researcher had a lot of action going on between them. This book makes you stop & think what if this really happened to all of us. God help us, if it does. Looking forward to the next book, Shadow Falling.

The Scorpius Syndrome victims are being treated like the plague and Jax Mercury is the only one who can keep scientist Lynn Harmony safe as she continues to look for a cure to the disease wiping out the human population. Mercury Striking is an awesome continuation of Rebecca Zanetti's new Scorpius series that debuted as the novella Scorpius Rising which can be found in the anthology "On the Hunt".

Suspenseful, gripping, thought-evoking and at times dark. It gave me shivers to think that this could possibly happen - a bacteria wiping out most of the world's population. A place where people are simply trying to survive and every day could be their last. Well written, with great characters set in a scary, believable, post-apocalyptic world.

Crazy good new dystopian themed series. Can always look forward to great stories and thrills from Rebecca Zanetti. Loved the characters with all their strengths and vulnerabilities. Jax and Lynne can't be more different but they complement each other perfectly. Sooooooo looking forward to Razor and Vivienne's story whenever it comes out.

ARC provided in exchange for an honest review

Like all the other Rebecca Zanetti books I've read, this one is amazing.

Super fast paced, it's an adrenaline-pumping read. Impossible to put down, filled with adventure, danger, non-stop action fueled by the need to find a cure before the virus spreads further. This book is one wild and crazy ride. I'm hopelessly addicted to this author and this new series.

A new series by Rebecca Zanetti The Scorpius Syndrome...meet two unlikely individuals each with their own agenda in fighting a most deadly bacteria that threatens to destroy mankind. Dr. Lynne Harmony also known as Blue Heart, is she the cause or can she be part of the cure? Jax Mercury is finding himself in the predicament of trying to determine just that!

I've never read any of Rebecca Zanetti's books before, so I wasn't sure what I was getting into. I am in love! The characters are well-developed. The plot is well-thought out. The world building was thorough enough that I could escape reality for bit and not be pulled out. It was one of those books where I lost sleep because I stayed up to read. Highly recommend!

Overall Rating: 4.25 Rockin’ ★★★★

The world needs a hero and our heroine needs a protector, but what they both received was Jax Mercury, a beautiful scarred, damaged man that is not afraid to take control. The world is in chaos, a bacterium has infected the population with a ninety-nine percent death rate and those that survive are never the same. Some become serial killers and others appear normal but become carriers of the bacterium. Rebecca Zanetti creates a post-apocalyptic world where no one is safe and life on earth is forever changed in her latest release, Mercury Striking. This is the first book in a new series, The Scorpius Syndrome and gives the reader a look at a world infected by a fluke invader from space. This is Lynne and Jax's fight to survive in this harsh environment, while nurturing their feelings for one another.

Jax Mercury lost everything that meant anything to him. Jax lost his humanity to the Scorpius bacteria, his brother to his old gang, his only friend in Afghanistan to a bomb and now his heart to a hunted woman that he doesn’t know if he can save. He is the leader of a ragtag group of survivors and they depend on him to protect them from the Rippers and scavengers that now roam this new world. When the woman that is held responsible for the outbreak finds him and ask for sanctuary, he is torn between his desire for her and his duty to the people he has sworn to lead. Lynne Harmony is a conundrum and she will either be the savior of his group or its destruction, she is hope.

She is being pursued by a force that wants to destroy her and keep her from solving the problem of finding a vaccine for the Scorpius Syndrome. Her only hope is to find someone strong enough to protect her while she searches for the key to unlocking the bacterium and can help heal those infected. Jax Mercury is her only hope, but when she meets the man he is not what she had expected. He is everything that a man should be, strong, beautiful, a protector and sexy in a way few men are! Her quest just became more difficult if it means leaving this man behind. Hope is once again revived in her blue heart!

I am an avid fan of Rebecca Zanetti and read her books as soon as they are published. Her vivid imagination and creativity always takes me on a whirlwind adventure as I turn the pages of her books. Each character is thoughtfully fleshed out to become more that than just a name. The storyline is action packed, filled with steamy sexual tension that heat the pages. Once again I have an excellent addition to my library from the very talented Ms. Zanetti.