Mad World (Mad World #1)

First love, found family, and zombies.

It’s been seven years since a rabies-like virus decimated the human population. Those who haven’t turned Rabid from the fever are struggling to survive. When Cipher, leader of his band of misfits, encounters a young man digging in his garden in a sunny suburb of South Carolina, he doesn’t know what to make of him. Alone and with all of his limbs intact, the teen seems to be thriving, and yet, there is the matter of the Rabid-like groans emanating from the second-story window.

Joshua doesn’t trust this rag-tag gang of youths who’ve infiltrated his home and nicknamed him “Kitten.” He certainly doesn’t trust the clever, black-eyed killer who’s good with a blade, but he’s tired of waiting for his brother to return home, and he’d rather join this band of scavengers than be left all alone. He’ll journey with them to Atlanta and figure out his next moves from there.

Cipher’s first priority is to protect his found family, which now includes this vexing young man who challenges his authority at every turn. How will he maintain order among his tribe? More importantly, how will he guard his heart?

MAD WORLD is a zombie-esque dystopian for those who crave survivalist stories with a dollop of angst and dash of spice. This new adult MM romance is the first book of a trilogy which will follow the same couple until they reach their hard-won happy ending.

Content warnings for death of a parent; some internalized ableism; violence and gore; young adults in peril, including the recounting and threat of sexual assault; recreational drug and alcohol use; addiction; disordered eating; mention of suicide, overdose, and death of family members; death of an animal (not the cat).