Wastelander Series by E.S. Luck

Born after the era of cell phones, drive-thrus, and shopping malls, Isla McNeil isn't one to complain about her life in that hidden settlement they call the Valley. Perhaps the last safe place for hundreds of kilometres, she's lived there all her life alongside her grandparents, two siblings, and her childhood best friend, Noah Harding—-a massive, bearded mountain of taciturn muscle who thinks and listens more than he speaks. At least, that's how most people see him.. moreBorn after the era of cell phones, drive-thrus, and shopping malls, Isla McNeil isn't one to complain about her life in that hidden settlement they call the Valley. Perhaps the last safe place for hundreds of kilometres, she's lived there all her life alongside her grandparents, two siblings, and her childhood best friend, Noah Harding—-a massive, bearded mountain of taciturn muscle who thinks and listens more than he speaks. At least, that's how most people see him...except for Isla, who looks past his facade of quiet to the surprisingly gentle man underneath.Isla and Noah have been inseparable since they were young, but things change once Isla begins dating the most eligible bachelor in their small community, John Madigan. Dreaming of the perfect husband, home, and children, Isla is eager to settle down and build the life she wants with the hot, popular guy she's always fantasized about, hardly noticing that the closer she moves to John, the further away she moves from Noah.But her hopes for the future are dashed, and a night of unforgettable passion with her childhood friend has Isla rethinking everything she thought she knew about herself and the man who may have been holding a torch for her all along.Island is a post-apocalyptic romance novella that takes place in the world of The Wastelander. Although this story can be read as a standalone and has a HEA, it also serves as a prequel to The Wastelander, book 1 of my novel-length post-apocalyptic romance series (Island takes place 4 years prior). Two of the characters featured in this story (John and Kimmy) also appear in The Wastelander as main characters. less

The only way to survive the darkness is to become its mistress, darling.Thirty years after the apocalypse, Asha Agarwal lives in a secure, walled compound created to protect the world’s most powerful from those who live outside—the Wastelanders. After she survives an attack that destroys her home, she soon learns that the Wasteland is every bit as unforgiving as she was taught... moreThe only way to survive the darkness is to become its mistress, darling.Thirty years after the apocalypse, Asha Agarwal lives in a secure, walled compound created to protect the world’s most powerful from those who live outside—the Wastelanders. After she survives an attack that destroys her home, she soon learns that the Wasteland is every bit as unforgiving as she was taught.After she and her best friend run afoul of a group of bloodthirsty cannibals, Asha finds herself alone and stranded in a world she has no skills to navigate, with nary a rugged Prince Charming in sight. Instead, she’s kidnapped and put up for auction at a notorious slave market as an unusually beautiful prize. To avoid being sold into slavery, Asha strikes a bargain with Cade, a lethal gang member with shady be his woman, and gain his protection against the rest of the gang, including its cruel leader, Angel.But Angel has other plans for her—pain and torture chief among them. As Cade struggles to protect her from the brutal lifestyle she’s unwittingly fallen into, and a deal with the devil rocks the fragile trust between them, Asha soon learns that the price for her escape might just be the one thing she has her soul.Darkness I Become is a standalone post-apocalyptic dark romance that stars one of the supporting characters from The Wastelander Series. You do not need to read The Wastelander to enjoy it, but readers of that series will have a richer, more complete experience. Please note that this book is a dark romance, and as such, it features even darker themes than the original series. Review content notes carefully. less