ARC Review: After Sundown by Linda Howard, Linda Jones

“This was an enjoyable read, but not one that really captured by imagination.”
~ Under the Covers

When the electric grid goes down, plunging the world in to chaos, painfully shy Sela Gordon somehow finds herself the leader of the people in her small town. With the world having to go back to a world pre-electricity Sela needs to find a way for everyone to survive. There is one man who can help; ex-military man Ben Jernigan. Ben is in self-imposed exile and has no desire to help the people around him. Except perhaps Sela. She is the only one who has ever tempted him back to society. Now with the world dark, Ben’s skills may be all that keeps the town descending into chaos.

Life is pretty strange at the moment, with COVID-19 putting everyone in self-isolation there is an almost post apocalyptic feel in the air. Which, may explain my craving for post-apocalyptic romances. With a romance, you’re guaranteed a HEA, and with the world drenched in uncertainty, the promise of a happy ending is extremely seductive. However, as much as I was craving a book with the post-apocalyptic trope, After Sundown didn’t quite hit the spot.

For me, this book was much too slow. Despite the big event – the electrical grid going down – the plot didn’t really have anything diving it forward. The characters just meandered through the book, surviving the first few months as the world goes to hell. This sounds exciting, but the reality was much more mundane, how to get food, what to do with gasoline and how to keep the house heated. Which, I admit are very important and probably exactly what people should talk about in these situations. However, it didn’t make for an exciting read.

My favourite part of this book was the developing romance between Sela and Ben, the attraction between them was built really well. Although nothing really ever happens between until towards the end of the book, the build up to the explosion was expertly done. The sexual tension between them was delicious. However, it still wasn’t quite enough to sustain my interest for the whole book.

This was an enjoyable read, but not one that really captured by imagination. It was too slow and not enough really happened to make it a compelling page turner.

What did you think of our review?
Let us know your thoughts in the comment box below!