He promised to protect her. But what happens when the hunter becomes the prey?
Welcome to Shadow Ridge, where LONGMIRE meets JERICHO.
From USA Today Best-selling author Lisa Harris comes an epic series where the survival of Shadow Ridge depends on learning how to fight crime all over again.
In today’s world, law enforcement agencies across the country rely on forensic tools, DNA testing, and crime labs. But what if that technology was suddenly no longer available? No one in the small, west Texas town of Shadow Ridge knows what took down the power grid, or when it’s going to be back up, but everyone knows exactly where they were the moment it went down. And now, with no electricity, no internet, and no modern technology, the men and women responsible for keeping the town safe are going to have to learn how to fight crime all over again.
Deputized by his father in the isolated town of Shadow Ridge, Levi McQuaid is caught up in a missing persons case that has the potential to destroy everything he holds dear. Levi McQuaid searches for the sister of an old friend, Ava Reece, but the situation takes a deadly turn when the search leads them on a dangerous trek across the west Texas desert. The devastating truth proves much worse than they’d imagined. And now that they know the truth. . .getting out alive might be impossible.
LISA HARRIS is a Christy Award finalist for Blood Ransom, Vendetta, and Port of Origin, Christy Award winner for Dangerous Passage, and the winner of the Best Inspirational Suspense Novel for 2011 (Blood Covenant) and 2015 (Vendetta) from Romantic Times.
She has fifty novels and novellas in print. She and her family work as missionaries in southern Africa. Lisa loves hanging out with her family, cooking different ethnic dishes, photography, and heading into the African bush on safari. Visit Lisa’s website to learn more.
Loving this "technology and modern day conveniences are gone" series! So interesting to think about how we would function in this primitive environment. For example, the thought of drawing sketches of villains and crime scenes to help solve crimes seems daunting. Everyone in the community has a skill they can contribute to the success of Shadow Ridge.
In Hunted, main character Ava is analytical and enjoys reading. She is not much of a cook. I can relate to her on all three of those! Just when she thinks she has nothing to offer in her current environment, her skills are a key contributor to solving a crime.
Great cast of characters and look forward to seeing what's next for Shadow Ridge.
For me, sometimes the second book in a series lags in the action department but not so with Hunted. I definitely liked the plotline in this one more than the first one. Very enjoyable.
Another great story about how characters who were used to modern day technology - electricity, microwaves, cars - had to face day to day life with the power grid down. And if it is not a challenge to learn how to hunt, and cook food over the fire, the characters face the added challenges of fighting bandits and solving murders.
And then there is a group out there who targets vulnerable kids during this time, luring them and pulling them into a trafficking ring.
For me, all the challenges the characters had to face was realistic and suspenseful. This story flowed easy with enough events going on that made me want to keep reading - I read the first half in one day and if I had more time, I would have read this story in one sitting.
I enjoyed the relationship development between Levi and Ava and the lesson that both Faith and Fear has a voice and it is your decision which one you will listen to.
I'm enjoying this story and looking forward to book three - there is a lot of missing characters and I need to know what happened to them.
*I received a complimentary copy from the publisher. All opinions expressed are my own.*
Loving this very memorable Fallout series. It's currently -11 where I live. I am thinking I would really fail at living off the grid. I can't imagine our modern world with no electricity, no internet, and no current level of technology. I would miss having any electricity, the most, and all that goes with that, heat, appliances, as well as the communication and technology.
Hunted by author Lisa Harris is #2 in the Fallout series and I am really enjoying and intrigued by this story! These lawmen cannot rely on present-day forensic tools, communication, and even gas for their cars. They live in a small town in Texas and have access to horses. It's like the wild west only taking place now.
Ava, came to town for Christmas just before the grid went down (they call it the Quake), to see her Mom and sister Josie. "The instant the grid went down, everything in her world changed." There was no going back to her job until power and technology is operational again. Ava is a cryptographer for her job where she encrypted outgoing information and decrypted incoming information. Now she had to grow her own food, raise her own chickens, and live off the grid. "There was no streaming. No YouTube videos. No distractions." Sadly their mom passes away and Ava is now responsible for her sister.
Ava's friend from high school Deputy Levi McQuaid stops in to check on Ava & her sister frequently, and teaches Ava how to shoot a bow & arrow. He is encouraging and a good friend. They have the type of friendship where they can pick right up where they left off, with humor and a sweet cameraderie. Levi, too had come for a visit to his family and hadn't planned on staying when he is suddenly left without a choice, deputized, and working in law enforcement with his brother.
What a difficult adjustment to this new lifestyle for everyone, and how long will it last? And crimes have to be solved without the benefit of technology. "The Quake had suddenly thrust them back a century before much of forensic science had existed."
Ava is asked a wise question that serves her later in the story when things get dangerous. "Whose voice are you listening to? God's or fear's? We don't think about it that way, but fear has a voice." "God will meet us in our place of struggle, but we have to listen to him." Josie finds herself is in a terrible situation and she remembers their father's words that "the antidote to fear is trust."
I really enjoyed this engaging page-turner! I highly recommend the Fallout Series, and Hunted by Lisa Harris. Thank you to the author for allowing me to read an early copy. All opinions are my own!
Hunted is the second book in the Fallout Series. This book featured Levi and Ava. Ava's sister has been taken by sex traffickers and the hunt is on to find her. This is another action packed story by the author and I look forward to the next book in the series.
*I was given a copy by the author. This is my honest opinion.
"Whose voice are you listening to? God's or fear's?" (p 119)
That question echoes throughout this gripping frantic suspense novel -- especially from the heroine's point of view. And I am so there with her! The world building in this semi-apocalyptic story is eerily plausible. The author has done a great job of thinking scenarios through and the isolated small town of Shadow Ridge makes for a great backdrop for all the action and angst.
I should point out here that Hunted is the second book in the Fallout series, but I dived into it first with barely a hiccup. Harris does a great job of making sure a new-to-the-series reader doesn't feel lost as she re-introduces characters and previous situations.
I definitely got the feeling that I missed out on some things and there might have been a few book one spoiler-y bits that I'm not fully aware of yet. However, that didn't ruin this read for me but I absolutely for sure and for certain plan on reading Survival asap. Oh, and there's a prequel, The Last Day, which sounds really good too.
The best friends to more romance takes a back seat to the suspense though it does resolve in a happily-ever-after by the end of the book. Loved the unique twist with the suspense -- taking law enforcement back decades before all the technology tools played a key roll in crime solving. It's kind of like the Wild West in the 21st century.
Levi McQuaid grew up wanting to leave Shadow Ridge. But then the Quake happened and they fell off the grid. His small west Texas town somehow seems even more back country now. He and his brother Jace are now the law for their little community but the needs seem to keep growing. When Levi's best friend's sister goes missing they aren't sure they have the manpower to launch a proper hunt. Ava Solomon is doing everything she can to be her little sister's caretaker while also trying to figure out just how to survive off the land. She feels bad that Josie doesn't get to be a carefree teenager but she doesn't know what to do differently. After a fight between the sisters, Josie goes missing and Ava is beside herself with fear and worry. From there the story takes off. Lisa Harris captivates readers with this second installment of the Fallout series. As she takes us on a journey of the unexpected in this small west Texas trouble-ridden town Harris weaves in the wonder of the, sometimes deadly, landscape with it's desert, mountains, and the multipurposes of cacti. I enjoy seeing this dimension become a character all it's own. The challenges of living off the land in the midst of a blackout are intriguing and not too hard to imagine after surviving covid shutdowns. I like learning more about the McQuaid family, their history in Shadow Ridge, and their journeys with faith. I especially enjoyed Ava's discovery she's been listening to the wrong voice - fear's, rather than God's. I'm excited for this series to continue to unfold. As I reach the end of one book I anxiously await the the next. Thank you, Lisa Harris, for the opportunity to review this story. All opinions are my own.
3.5 stars "Fear and anxiety had come knocking, twisting their tentacles around her heart until she felt as if she couldn't breathe.. Like she was hanging on the edge of a cliff with no safety net below."
Little did she know, it was going to get worse.
Ava Solomon, like everyone else in the small Texas town of Shadow Ridge was trapped within a time warp; no electricity meant no communication with the outside world, and it had been like that for months. Unfortunately criminals weren't deterred by disasters, and sure enough . . . .. . they went on the move. Law enforcement officers like Levi McQuaid found themselves working with rudimentary tools at best, and malfunctioning equipment at worst.
The sort of danger skirting the edges of Shadow Ridge was about to get very personal for Ava. . . . . and equally frustrating for Levi; their friendship of many years was cautiously heading in a new direction . . . if they could only survive the "hunt".
Another great romantic suspense novel by Lisa Harris! This is the 2nd book in the Fallout series. While the story itself stands alone, the series does build a bit, so I believe this series is best read in order. Taking place in a modern day setting, but with the grid down, this series showcases a town that is trying to keep the peace and stay alive without the use of modern technology - including forensic technology for the police department. This one was a bit more intense and covered the sensitive topic of human trafficking, but did so in a gracious way. I enjoyed getting to "meet" some more people of Shadow Ridge and see additional survival methods. It was also interesting to see how traffickers would potentially handle this type of scenario and was a bit frightening. This was a pretty quick read and was enjoyable, though I hope we never experience these issues. I would recommend to fans of romantic suspense!
I typically gravitate towards longer books but I might not have been able to handle a longer one this time. The action was fast and intense. With the lawmen being at a disadvantage due to the grid being down and modern technology being almost non-existent, an initial reaction to the crimes taking place was that the situation was impossible. In addition, the crimes committed were too despicable to dwell on for a full-length book. Harris did a superb job of including enough for the reader to understand the urgency of finding the evil people before others suffered at their hands. Levi and Ava have been close friends since high school, even when they were living and working away from their hometown. Now the young sister of Ava is missing and they team up to find her. Grab the book and read it to see what other discoveries are made. I received an advance copy of this book from the author. This is my honest review. All opinions are strictly my own. #FalloutSeries #LisaHarris #Hunted #romanticsuspense
Lisa Harris� Fallout Series continues with Hunted and it’s another excellent story! The past and present collide when the grid goes down. Levi McQuaid, law enforcement officer, and Ava Solomon, cryptanalyst, work together to help solve the disappearances of young girls in their town of Shadow Ridge. Without the technology used today to help solve crime, finding answers is challenging. This book grabs your attention from the first chapter and holds on. Hunted is well balanced with edge of your seat action, suspense, romance and faith. I highly recommend this story! I received an ARC from the publisher/author with no requirement to write a good review. The opinion stated is mine alone.
Best friends since high school, Levi McQuaid and Ava Solomon left Shadow Ridge to pursue their education and careers. Both happened to be in town on that fateful day when everything went down.
It is now Day 296, and Levi is helping his brother, Jace, maintain order in the community as a deputy, and Ava is trying to keep her teenage sister, Josie, fed and safe. After Josie goes missing, Levi and Ava set out across the West Texas desert to find her.
Hunted, Book 2 of Fallout, is a fast-paced, easy-to-read story. Lisa Harris continues to tell about the lives of the McQuaid clan, focusing this time on Levi. The author delivers a tale of family, hope, and love. I enjoyed Levi and Ava's sweet and innocent realization that their friendship had become something more.
I received a free Kindle copy of this book. I volunteered to read it and write a review. I also received a paperback edition.
The second book in this intriguing series is just as mesmerizing as the first one, as the lawmen of the small town of Shadow Ridge have to track and find human traffickers before they get away with some of the town’s teen girls. The action is intense and the pacing is fast and heart-pounding. The characters are totally fleshed out and make it easy to imagine what you would do in a similar situation. No way to communicate, no internet or phone. Just wits, courage and faith. What a tremendous testimony to God’s provision this series is and I’m already looking forward to the next one. I purchased a copy of this book from Amazon. All opinions expressed are my own.
The grid is still down and the town of Shadow Ridge is surviving one day at a time. Unfortunately they have a new problem that is bigger than what they have been dealing with. Girls from the town have been disappearing, a few have turned up dead and the others have just vanished along with a few adults who have gone out to find them.Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý One of the girls missing is Josie, she and her older sister, Ava, have been taking care of each other ever since their Mom passed away months before. For the most part they get along well, but like all teens Josie wants to be able to venture out with her friends.ÌýÌý Ìý Ìý Ìý ÌýAva had to tell Josie about the girls that have shown up dead and the ones still missing and told her she was not allowed out (specifically at night). So after a fight with Ava, Josie decided to go out anyway ( she snuck out).ÌýÌý Ìý Ìý Ìý The next day Ava realized that Josie went out the night before and had not come home, she immediately went in search for Levi McQuaid, one of the McQuaid siblings helping to keep the town in order. He and his brother Jace are the only law enforcement in town aside from the ones who have been deputized. She and Levi have been friends, just friends as they both are quick to tell you, since they were kids. She found him and launched into the story of what happened between her and Josie and he promised her they would find her and the other girls. He knew a promise was not something he should have made but he believed it at the time he said it.ÌýÌý Ìý Ìý Ìý ÌýLevi allows Ava to help where she can in the search but he also makes sure she has enough rest as well. They both pray throughout the search and know that with God is the only way they will survive this latest nightmare.Ìý Thank you Lisa Harris for allowing me to participate as an early reader. Loving this series and look forward to what comes next.
Set in Shadow Ridge, Texas as the community struggles to adapt to the loss of their power grid and modern technology as well as gangs like the Buffalo Riders roaming the countryside after a Quake, Lisa Harris’s second book “Hunted� opens with the dead body of a girl found on Diego Chavez’s ranch, and the sister of Levi McQuaid’s friend Ava Solomon found missing after attending a party. Searching for Ava’s sister, Levi and Jace McQuaid enlist the tracking skills of their recuperating father only to face danger in the desert as they draw closer to the truth behind the abduction of the missing girls.
Fast-paced, intensity and suspense continually escalate as more dead bodies are found, as well as with Josie and Aubrey’s escape from the clutches of a human trafficking gang. Yet amid the action there are tender moments with the romance developing between Levi and Ava, as well as Jace’s outreach to his father, the former Sheriff and a tracker whose skill is needed in the search for the missing girls.
Added to the compelling cast of characters are adventurous, fiery spirited and lonely Josie Solomon; her sister the smart, resourceful, caring cryptanalyst Ava; and patient, non-judgmental and funny Levi McQuaid. Keeping you intrigued from beginning to end, the action never stops as the plot moves swiftly and seamlessly to a confrontation near the end and a surprising discovery that Levi and Ava intend to explore further.
Combining mystery, murder, romance and strength of faith, “Hunted� is an intriguing story you can’t put down until finished and I look forward to reading the next chapter in the McQuaid saga.
Hunted is another great addition to the Fallout series by Lisa Harris. I really liked Levi and Ava as characters. Friends to more is one of my favorite tropes and I love when it shows up in my suspense books because it makes the romance so much more believable. Levi and Ava have been friends for years and both went their own way to pursue their education and careers. They just both happened to be back in Shadow Ridge on the day that everything changed and the grid went down. This story centers around a teenage girl who is found murdered and others who have gone missing. Ava's sister is one of the girls that goes missing and Levi and Ava work together to get to the bottom of what appears to be a human trafficking ring. Although it is a sensitive topic, the author handles it well. Obviously what makes this story unique is they have to solve the case without any modern day technology due to the grid still being down. I also appreciate how Lisa Harris incorporates realistic faith elements in her stories. One of my favorite quotes from this story is also a reminder I very much needed and that is "whose voice are you listening to? God's or fear's?
One recurring theme throughout this series is one I think we all need reminded of. We live in such a fast-paced, technology dependent society. Although not by their choice, the people in Shadow Ridge have been forced to enjoy the quiet moments and worry about what is really important. I am looking forward to Frequency, the next book in the series, which releases in May.
Thank you to the author for a copy of this story in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.
The grid is still down and this story gives us the perspective of Levi McQuaid, who with his brother Jace, have taken over leadership of the sheriff's dept in Shadow Ridge from their father, Garrett. Garrett still continues to suffer the double-crushing blow of losing his wife and being shot and is struggling to find his way in this new world.
Levi has been great friends with Ava all their lives. Best friends but the notion of something more neither of them took seriously. But the effects of The Quake has some devastating effects on them both.
There are always the crazies that take advantage of disaster situations and in this story we get to see the impact of one of those particular groups of crazies. This particular group of crazies is involved in trafficking young girls. We get to see first hand the tricks they employ to find and capture innocent girls who are struggling with the boredom of life in the strangeness of this new world. Ava inadvertently gets mixed up in it and that has Levi, Jace and even their father chasing down the culprits.
Like all Harris stories, the pace is quick as the action keeps flowing. I felt the story wrapped up a little too quickly and perhaps a little too conveniently but it's a thoroughly enjoyable story and I'm excited for the next one in the series which I'll dive into immediately.
Weak climax, even worse than the first book in the series. All the anticipated action happens off stage or in narrative gaps. How did Levi get away from five armed men with only a minor wound? We’re not told, much less shown. He just shows up having miraculously escaped. Somehow. How did he find the girls in the dark and confusion? Not told. How does the search party find Our Heroes? Again, they just appear when needed. How do they subdue the bad guys? We don’t see that, it just has already happened when the tiresome repetitive sappy part resumes. Too much unlikely just-in-time stuff happens to be believable. The author doesn’t seem to know how to write action scenes, because she just skips over them at every opportunity. The really good question someone asks of “why kill your bread and butter?� never gets answered. Like in the first book, way too much ink and time is spent on the two main characters asking themselves over and over and over whether they should move on to romance. If anything the second book is lamer than the first. I’m quitting this series now.
Hunted is a thought-provoking and terrifying portrayal of what could happen if the power grid shut down in a large section of the country. In addition to the basic problems of lack of transportation other than horseback, lack of communication, and food rationing, now young women are missing, including the sister of Jace McQaid's dear friend, Ava. One young murder victim has been found, and there is an urgency to find the missing girls before they are trafficked as sex slaves. Jace and Ava have long been friends, but could their friendship develop into something more? And will they survive, when their search for the missing girls turns deadly? While this book is not a cliffhanger, there are still some unanswered questions which I hope will be addressed in the remaining books of this series.
I received an ARC to read and review. This opinion is entirely my own. It is a well-written clean book which I would recommend.
This was a good read. I found it to be interesting and suspenseful with a couple twists and turns. In Shadow Ridge since The Quake the world has taken a turn where everyone must rely on each other and their own wits to survive. There is no internet, so electricity, etc. Everyone must learn how to provide food and keep safe and solve crimes without the use of technology or manpower. Ava is trying to learn how to feed and take care of her teenage sister in Shadow Ridge. Her best friend, Levi, is helping her but he is also one of the local law officers in town. Then a dead body is discovered. As they investigate a group of teenage girls disappear! one of them is Ava's sister! What is going on and where have they taken them? Will they be able to find them using old tracking skills and detecting skills? I received this book as a kindle book free from the author/publisher and was under No obligation to give it a review of any kind.
Though not the first book in this series, Hunted was the first book by Lisa Harris I have read. Focusing on one of the McQuaid siblings, Levi, the story moves forward at an enjoyable pace making it a quick read. A missing person’s case leads Levi and the other members of the Shadow Ridge police to a gang of thieves and human traffickers. The “Quake� may have changed the world, but the cartels continue to do business as usual.
Ava Solomon’s growing attraction to Deputy Levi put to the test when her younger sister, Josie is among the kidnapped girls. As Josie’s only living relative, Ava refuses to give romance any consideration until her sister is found and rescued.
The writing in Hunted is a fine blend of suspense, apocalyptic action, romance, and character development. Clean with Christian themes, Hunted, as the other books in this series, is a great choice if you are looking for romance balanced with a first-rate serving of tension. Recommended.
I really wanted to love this one. I really enjoyed the first book in the series and absolutely love the setting for the novels. However, it felt like the storyline in this novel was very underdeveloped and it wasn’t as well-written. It was disappointing to constantly skip over any details in the action scenes, like suddenly being rescued but without any explanation on how that happened or finishing the scene. I also noticed that Levi took Ava out to see his mare, Danger’s, new foal, but two pages later the mare was named Annie. I liked both Levi and Ava but would have appreciated more character and plot development. I still plan to read at least one more book in the series in hope that the rest will be more like the first.
This series by Lisa Harris is excellent, as usual. Since the grid went down, everything has changed and it's almost like living in the late 1800s. Everybody goes by horseback or wagon, inlancluding the bad guys. This book tells Levi and Ava's story and the dangers encountered when they confront human traffickers. I felt it was cut off too soon but I look forward to the next in the series. The book could have used a good proofreader, for typos, words left out, and words that were probably not addressed in a rewrite. Nevertheless, the plotline and suspense make it a worthy read.
This series is incredibly thought provoking and fascinating! What happens to our world as we know it if the power grid were to be knocked down? If we think that everyone will work together to survive and maybe even thrive, we would be naive. There will always be those that hurt and manipulate, deceive and kill to get ahead. In Hunted, a girl goes missing and Levi McQuaid will help his best friend, Ava find her sister. But that won't be easy when you have no modern technology to help search for her. If you enjoy romantic suspense, this book puts a whole new spin on things!
I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
The author has some very good storylines but fails to adequately finish the story. About the time you get to the climax of the story, she seems to skip over it with a single line and jumps to the end. They are surrounded by bad guys and then they are back home with no explanation of how they were rescued. Characters are brought in to help make the story plausible but then never used. For example the dad and his tracking dog. I read the first book that was similar but gave the author the benefit of the doubt but this one was even worse. Unfortunately I won't be reading any more of this authors' books.
In this second book of the Fallout series, Jace McQuaid and his brother, Levi, are the law and have a pretty good system of justice for Shadow Ridge. But, the human traffickers have also perfected their operation devised a way to capture unsuspecting teenaged girls and avoid detection. Things become very personal when Levi’s best friend Ava’s sister is abducted. Reading how Levi, Jace, and Ava find clues and codes to track down these vile men was exciting and rewarding when they are caught.
I recommend this romantic suspense and mystery to fans of this genre. Each book is a standalone, but you will enjoy the overarching plot if you read the first book.
Loved this second in the Fallout series. This was just as riveting as the first. I did however listen to an audiobook from my library with the ISBN: 9798765043271. I couldn’t find a way to add a different edition so I chose the closest edition available. Anyway I am looking forward to the next in this series. Lisa Harris always keeps me totally captivated by her books and I love the plot for this series where technology is severely affected or nonexistent and the ways the characters learn to adjust and survive.