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 world was on fire, and no one could save me but him.Newly homeless after being forced to abandon their camp by a group of violent cultists, Claire, John, and Kimmy set off on a long, dangerous journey to the one place that they might find safety: the Valley... moreThe world was on fire, and no one could save me but him.Newly homeless after being forced to abandon their camp by a group of violent cultists, Claire, John, and Kimmy set off on a long, dangerous journey to the one place that they might find safety: the Valley.Pursued by the cultists and menaced by raiders and other hazards of the Wasteland, their journey is abruptly cut short when Kimmy is mortally wounded, and the only hope left is also the worst option: a trip back to the ruins of the Cave, the one place where life-saving medicine might still exist. To obtain it, however, they must navigate the compound that the cult now calls home and face the rising threat of its shadowy leader and his twisted obsession with Claire.As John and Claire traverse a violent, unforgiving post-apocalyptic landscape, the bond between them only deepens, and the fierce passion between them burns brightly. Her desperation for a home and family she can call her own is matched only by John’s determination to protect the woman he loves from a world that seems hellbent on stealing her away from him.The Outsider is the second book in The Wastelander Series and is the direct sequel to The Wastelander. Like the first book, it is a steamy post-apocalyptic romance that follows John Madigan and Claire Ainsley as they work to build a life together in a post-apocalyptic world. It features tropes like touch her and die, forced proximity, rescue romance, opposites attract, and forbidden love. Please note: this book ends on a significant cliffhanger. less