In SciFi Romance, we often see two lovers uniting to save the world, but in Bitter Harvest by Kim Knox, love (or at least sex) may well be the end of the world. In this dark look at the future, a nano-virus has decimated Earth’s human population. The virus is the world’s scariest sexually transmitted disease. Anyone infected becomes part of a hive and is compelled to carry out the work of spreading the virus.

Lieutenant Robert Sutton is immune to the virus, but it is little consolation when he has had to watch the world around him crumble. His small group of survivors can’t possibly hold out much longer and that is when Nicholas Rider arrives. He is the first man they have met who was infected and overcame the virus. He isn’t unchanged, but he has his free will and he doesn’t seem to be contagious. Because of his immunity, Sutton is in on questioning Rider. The chemistry between these two men is explosive. Their intense attraction leaps off the page and their individual vulnerabilities drag the reader into this frightening world and the tenuous relationship that gives this novella a powerful beating heart. I don’t want to spoil it too much but I will say there is a lot riding on the relationship between these two men and Knox takes the art of anticipation to new levels in this story.

I also loved the time and thought given to the cultural shift that has taken place in the survivor camps. And the creepiness of the hives and the resulting changes to the infected humans. It is all immensely creative and engaging. Loved the setting too. This particular group is hanging out in the Tower of London. How cool!

Highly recommended for fans of post-apocalyptic romance.

Genre: Post-apocalyptic Romance

Primary format: e-book

Publisher: Carina Press

Publication date: March 2012