I read the first line of the book description for Empowereds and was immediately intrigued:
She’s hiding her family’s deadly secret. He’s hunting for the truth—and her.
Empowereds is a New Adult romantic thriller set in a dystopian future version of the USA, after World War III. I’m a big fan of dystopian fiction and have been since I was a teenager.
My one reservation based on reading the book description was how the author was going to manage to bring in a romance between Charity and Enzo, given he is trying to find the Empowered in their small group.
I needn’t have feared.
The marriage set-up was great. Charity knows from the get-go that she and Enzo will end up married, but Enzo doesn’t know that. In fact, he’s been warned away from Charity by her older brothers (who also know Charity and Enzo will end up married … but can’t help themselves. Typical older brothers!).
I loved the whole story, especially the relationship between Charity and Enzo, and between Charity, Enzo and the rest of Charity’s family. I loved their banter, the witty one-liners. I loved the worldbuilding, with the added extras such as the truth serum adding suspense to an already fast-paced plot.
Empowereds isn’t classified as Christian fiction, but the characters do attend a weekly service, and while there is no on-the-page swearing or sex, it has more kissing than the typical Christian romance.
This is Janette Rallison’s first venture into what she describes as adult post-apocalyptic dystopian romantic suspense, and I hope it’s not her last (not least because I really want to know what happens next for Charity and Enzo).
Recommended for fans of dystopian thrillers from authors such as Kristen Young.
About Janette Rallison
USA Today, bestselling author, Janette Rallison/ CJ Hill writes books because writing is much more fun than cleaning bathrooms. Her avoidance of housework has led her to write 30 novels that have sold over 1,000,000 print copies and have been on many reading and state lists. Her books are fantasy, sci-fi, and romantic comedy because hey, there is enough angst in real life, but there’s a drastic shortage of humor, romance and hot guys who fight dragons. She lives in Chandler, Arizona with her husband, kids, and enough cats to classify her as eccentric.
Find Janette Rallison online at:
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About Empowereds
She’s hiding her family’s deadly secret. He’s hunting for the truth—and her.
Twenty-one-year-old Charity Huntington has spent her life in hiding, dodging a government that hunts down Empowereds—those with forbidden abilities. Her father is one of the last remaining psychics, and their family lives as harvesters, working in isolation to avoid the authorities.
She knows the rules: keep their family secret, trust no one, and never draw attention.
Charity especially ought to be wary of the new hire, Enzo. The man is tall, dark, and a bit too cocky. He also has a mysterious past and some serious gun skills that don’t match his story.
Of course, knowing the rules and following them are two different things when a guy looks as good as Enzo. She’s in danger in more ways than one.
Enzo Valdez is a government officer tasked with a deadly mission: go undercover, locate the psychic hiding among the harvesters, and eliminate them with extreme prejudice.
But when he meets Charity—captivating, kind, and everything he didn’t expect—his loyalty begins to waver.
Falling for her could mean betraying everything he’s sworn to uphold…but resisting her may be impossible.
