Book One: Elliott "Beyond the Night is breath-taking action, spine-tingling suspense and heart-breaking emotion wrapped up in a world so believable you'll find yourself questioning reality. Joss Ware makes the end of the world sexy!" – USA Today Best-selling Author Kathryn Smith A man with no future... A woman with a past If they are to survive in this dark new world, Jade and Elliott must work together to fight the forces that takes them beyond danger. Beyond desire.
"That was a big-ass snake," Jade said, trying to keep her own breathing under control. Elliott was very close to her, and the torch made everything soft and muted. Deep breath. "A big-ass snake?" he said, his eyes crinkling at the corners. They were dark and penetrating in the flickering light. "Yeah. I don't like snakes, so when I say thank you, I really mean it." Elliott gave a light laugh as their eyes caught. "You and Indiana Jones." Then he frowned, looking back at her. "Do you even know who that is?" "Of course I know who Indiana Jones is. Who doesn't?" In the flickering torchlight, she could see Elliott raise his brows as if in surprise, then lowered them. "I guess if people're watching Jason Bourne, they're also watching Raiders of the Lost Ark. Glad to know that at least some pop culture survived." Then he frowned, looking at the shirt wadded up in his hand. "This is the third shirt I've ruined in the three days since I've met you. Considering the fact that I've only got two more, I'm not sure that's a very good track record." He cast a quick look at her, a flash of humor in his eyes. Then, holding the ruined shirt, he started sloshing through the water. Jade allowed him to lead--in case there were any more big-ass snakes--and lifted the torch high as she watched for a sign of rippling water. "You need to take better care of your shirts, then," she said archly, giving him the same sidelong look. "I don't see how you can blame me for the zombies and a snake attack. What happened to the third shirt?" "I got some blood on it," he said. Just then they came to the elbow turn around which came a dim glow of light. When they finally reached the entrance, Elliott took her arm and helped her keep balanced as she climbed up and out the crude steps. At the top, they found themselves in a wide cement culvert that opened from the side of a small hill. Grass and trees covered the ground, with bits of concrete showing in patches where nature hadn't quite overtaken man's footprint. Buildings long abandoned and destroyed stood in uneven rows, with jagged brick half-walls covered by vines and moss, windows broken and bushes sprouting. Trees and bushes abounded. Birds sang, and the distant whinny of a horse reached her ears. A common scene to someone like Jade, who often ventured out from Envy's protective walls. They emerged into the sunshine, which was welcome and warm after the dank of the tunnel. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust, and when they stopped watering, she noticed that Elliott was staring about him as if he'd never seen such a sight. "It's funny," he murmured as if to himself, smoothing the toe of his boot over a small cement area. Jade moved closer. "What is?" He shook his head, looking down at her with a sort of bleakness in his eyes. That anguish again. "I always expected it'd be like the Thunderdome. Empty, arid, cold...a wasteland. But it's not. It's...green and overgrown. Sort of wild. Not what I would have expected." Before she could reply, his mood changed abruptly. "So now we have to find a horse," he said, looking around again, but with a sharper gaze trained toward the horizon. "That'll be easy," she told him. "The mustangs run wild all over the hills out here." "And catch one." She shrugged. "I have a way with horses." 
TOP PICK! "Looking for an exciting new take on a post-apocalyptic world? Then you're in for a real treat with the launch of Ware's fresh and original series. Utilizing a variety of disparate elements, including zombies, the author thrusts her time-traveling heroes into a bleak and dangerous world. Ware does an excellent job weaving in tantalizing clues as to the cause of the world-ravaging disaster. Both readers and characters are in for a wild ride!" – Romantic Times BookClub "Ware's time-travel tale is dark, dangerous, and deliciously sexy as she packs her wildly inventive plot with plenty of clever twists and pop-culture-inspired turns guaranteed to keep readers tuned in until the second installment." – Booklist "Ware creates a convincing and chaotic world, complete with ocean, elephants and tigers on the Nevada terrain..." – Publishers Weekly |
