A Wilderness Within by Emma Castle – a Review

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Description:
The world he knows and loves is gone…

Lincoln Atwood survived the contagion that wiped out the nine tenths of humanity. As the last survivor in a secret government bunker and a Delta Force soldier, he knows that the other survivors are scared, angry and dangerous, just like him. After weeks alone with the mummified bodies of his colleagues, he escapes the bunker. But the world outside has changed. Among the empty cities and crumbling ruins of civilization, he loses himself to the wilderness in his soul. When he sees Caroline, a fellow survivor, she is vision of light in a world gone dark. He wants to help her, but she won’t trust him, when there’s danger around every corner. How can he convince her that fate has brought them together?

She will not go quietly into the night…

Caroline Kelly survived hell when she escaped quarantined Chicago in search of her family after the outbreak. But it’s not as easy to travel from Illinois to Missouri with the world gone dark in the space of three months. The last she thing she needs is to get captured by a muscled, bearded mountain man who looks and acts like a damn super soldier. When it’s clear she can’t escape him, she finds herself becoming fascinated with the brooding, intense man who knows how to survive. He makes her heart race and blood pound. When tragedy strikes, Caroline realizes she might have a plan to save the world, but she’ll need Lincoln’s help. Can she trust Lincoln not only with humanity’s future, but also her heart?

Review:

A Wilderness Within by Emma Castle is the 2^nd book in her Unlikely Heroes series. This story revolves around a contagion that kills the majority of the world.  Only those immune to the disease have survived, and very few have any hope, as everyone is out for themselves.

We meet Lincoln Atwood, our hero and a Delta Force soldier, who protected the President, as well as other politicians and soldiers, in a bunker; until he was the last one left.  Lincoln travels alone in this dark dystopian world, trusting no one; until he comes across a woman who is also surviving alone. 

Caroline Kelly, our heroine, was the lone survivor at the first airport where the disease was rampant, unable to leave until everyone died, as she escaped.  Caroline is desperate to travel to find her family and pray they survived.  When a bearded hunk of man approaches her, Caroline tries to escape, but gets hurt and the man (Lincoln) carries her to safety.  Caroline trusts no one, and fears for her life.

In a short time, Caroline will first become friends with Lincoln, and eventually an unlikely romance begins, with each now trusting each other and helping to find survivors who want to join and help find a cure. Lincoln recognizes that Caroline makes him believe there is hope out there, and together they will move forward in this bleak dark journey.

What follows is an intriguing and very well written storyline that was not only exciting, but also a story of tragedy and survival.  Lincoln and Caroline were fantastic characters, and despite the circumstances, they managed to find a way to fall in love and give each other the inspiration that there is a future for them together.  In a short time, we became invested in Lincoln and Caroline, their strength and determination and I loved them together.   Along the way they will come across survivors both good and bad, but it will be Caroline’s persistence in using media to convince other survivors to come together and find the cure.

A Wilderness Within was an emotional and gripping journey in a world destroyed by a horrific pandemic.  It is a story of survival, and the fears of family, loss, destruction and the ability to believe in hope for the future. It is also a story of love that will survive.  I do not want to give spoilers, as you really need to read this fantastic story. Emma Castle has written a wonderful, intense and emotional story that is not only believable, but inspirational, with a nice HEA.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy supplied for Review