Eleventh Commandment Series by Norah Wilson, Heather Doherty

This is the FIRST of four episodes comprising the full-length dystopian romance novel, The Eleventh Commandment. On the heels of a global epidemic that killed mostly males, a Holy New Order has been ushered in. Thanks to a pharmacological mind-wipe and reprogramming of the populace, females have been subjugated. They serve only as laborers, sex workers, or—for a “lucky” few—breeders. Maree is the Prophet’s concubine, favored for her strong spirit... moreThis is the FIRST of four episodes comprising the full-length dystopian romance novel, The Eleventh Commandment. On the heels of a global epidemic that killed mostly males, a Holy New Order has been ushered in. Thanks to a pharmacological mind-wipe and reprogramming of the populace, females have been subjugated. They serve only as laborers, sex workers, or—for a “lucky” few—breeders. Maree is the Prophet’s concubine, favored for her strong spirit. The injection failed to wipe her mind, a fact she conceals on pain of death. Her 16-year-old sister Zophia was recently identified as a breeder, which means an endless cycle of conceiving, incubating, delivering, and surrendering baby after baby. To spare her sister that fate, Maree strikes what she thinks is a killing blow to the Prophet and escapes with Zophia. They will have to elude not just soldiers, but the roaming bands of Reprobates, violent criminals turned loose from prisons into the wild to discourage such escapes. The Prophet wants the women returned, but has a second agenda—locating Society Three, the rumored safe haven for those who defy the Holy New Order. If it exists, Maree will find it. The Prophet tasks Kallem Marsh, Captain of the First Guard, to follow the women to Society Three before arresting them. When Reprobates threaten the women’s lives, Kallem is forced to reveal himself in order to save them. To carry out his mission, he then must persuade the two that he was cast out by the incensed Prophet, who blamed him for their escape. Maree doesn't trust Kallem an inch, but they’re going to need his help to survive the journey through dangerous terrain. Yet Maree remembers something from “before”, something Kallem does not—a shared desire that once scorched her teenage soul. less

On the heels of a global epidemic, a Holy New Order has arisen, one in which females are subjugated. For Maree Krystek, the pharmaceutical mind-wipe that ushered in the New Order failed, a fact she manages to conceal, but which makes her service as the Prophet’s concubine unendurable. But endure she does—until her sister Zophia is identified as a breeder, a soul-destroying fate of birthing infants, only to surrender them to wet nurses to expedite the next breeding... moreOn the heels of a global epidemic, a Holy New Order has arisen, one in which females are subjugated. For Maree Krystek, the pharmaceutical mind-wipe that ushered in the New Order failed, a fact she manages to conceal, but which makes her service as the Prophet’s concubine unendurable. But endure she does—until her sister Zophia is identified as a breeder, a soul-destroying fate of birthing infants, only to surrender them to wet nurses to expedite the next breeding. Maree escapes with Zophia, but once outside the Compound, they must elude not just soldiers, but the roaming bands of Reprobates, violent criminals loosed into the wild to discourage such escapes. The Prophet wants the women returned to face his wrath, but he also knows that if anyone can locate Society Three, the whispered-about haven for non-believers, it’s Maree. He tasks Kallem Marsh, Captain of the First Guard, to follow the women to the rebel base before apprehending them. When Reprobates menace the women, Kallem intervenes to save them. To salvage his mission, he tells the two he was cast out in disgrace over their escape and has no loyalty to the Prophet. Maree doesn’t trust him an inch, but she knows they’ll need his help to survive the quest for Society Three. Yet Maree remembers something from “before”, something Kallem does not—a shared desire that once scorched her teenage soul. less