Pulse Review and Guest Post by L.R. Burkard and a Giveaway!

Posted by abakersp in Contemporary / 18 Comments

Have you ever thought about what would happen if there was a nuclear threat to the area you live in? How would you react? What would you do? I started having an interest in this when I read Vanetta Chapman’s series (in fact I’ll be reading the third book in that series soon). When the opportunity came to try another perspective, I was intrigued. Book three in L.R. Burkard’s series comes out soon, and she’s offered to give us a preview. Yay! First, let me give you my thoughts on book one….

About the Book
Pulse by L.R. Burkard
Purchase Here!

 

Andrea, Lexie and Sarah are just ordinary teens–until a mysterious event causes all electronics to fail. In the dead of winter, there’s no heat, internet, or cell phones—not even a stinking working car. In this chilling Christian YA tale, most of the population doesn’t survive. Pitting faith and grit against a world without power, the girls and their families must beat the odds. But can they find the strength to survive when society collapses and technology fails?

Told in journal-style prose by three 16 year old girls, PULSE takes readers into a heart-pounding future for America, while affirming the power of faith in the darkest of times.

My Perspective

This was such an interesting storyline. It reminded me of the series I am reading by Vannetta Chapman – same kind of theme. And with all that is going on in the world today, you just never know if something like this could truly happen. Books like this really make you take a step back and think about how it would affect your world if it happened today.

I liked seeing how the different families reacted to the same scenario. I believe it mirrored the real world, as not all families are going to react the same, nor have the same faith. I should mention this, however. There are some parts that are hard to read. And by no means am I implying it was because it was poorly written, it was not. It was just hard to see some of the things that happened to these people during this time (sorry, I don’t want to give away any spoilers). Have some tissues and be ready to gasp. My first reaction was that I wished those parts weren’t in the book, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized they were a part of the story. Stories can’t always be sparkles and rainbows and fun. Sometimes there are dark parts, or parts that we don’t agree with. If it were the real world, things like this would have happened and probably much worse, so I respect the author for including them to make the story more realistic.

Overall it was a thought provoking read. If you are looking for a happy-go-lucky story, this is probably not the book for you. But if you have an interest in the dystopian world, I think you should give it a shot. I received a complimentary copy of this book. I was not required to write a favorable review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

 Guest Post from L.R. Burkard!

When my sweet historical romance series was published, I never dreamed my next would be YA/dystopian. What a switch in genres! So, how did I go from one end of the writing spectrum to another? Blame it on an idea that refused to die. I read a headline about how close the earth came to suffering a catastrophic electromagnetic pulse, or EMP, in 2012. We missed the worst effects of a solar flare by a hair (in space terms); but the “what if” factor had been set in motion. What if that flare hadn’t missed us? What if I was a teen raised on electronics–or an adult medically dependent on them–and it all went dead in a matter of seconds? What if the next flare doesn’t miss? PULSE, the first book in my PULSE EFFEX Series, was born. This month, the third installment, DEFIANCE, releases!

Defiance (Pulse Effex #3)

Defiance

Because sometimes resistance just isn’t enough.

In this third installment of the PULSE EFFEX SERIES, foreign soldiers and fellow Americans gone rogue are just the beginning of what Andrea, Lexie and Sarah must face. Beneath the threat of nuclear strikes and guerrilla armies, the girls long for a free country in which to live–and love. Survival means resistance must give way to defiance. But can ordinary teens and their families withstand powerful forces and keep hope alive?

A PEEK INSIDE—(Book Excerpt)

Angel took a handgun out of a side holster and handed it to me. “We’re gonna need you, Sarah.”

“I—I’ve only had a few lessons,” I said, weakly.

“Just aim and shoot when you need to,” she said, quietly. “It’s already chambered. Remember what we taught you—when a bullet’s chambered, it’s ready. Don’t aim it until you’re gonna use it and don’t put your finger on the trigger until you’re gonna shoot.”

“Here they are!” Richard cried.

The gang of marauders appeared, descending upon the cabin with hoots and shouts that made my blood curdle. I took the gun with a sense of unreality. How could this be happening? It couldn’t be, because I, Sarah Weaver, did not take part in real battles! Sarah Weaver was an anxious, fear-filled teenager with enough insecurities for ten girls. I was the one to have panic attacks when alone; the one who’d been taking anti-depressants for two years—until the pulse stopped that.

I held the pistol up with shaky hands. And I knew: This was reality now. This was life, and there was no room for the old Sarah. I could not allow myself to crumple in weakness or fear.

defiance

For a full excerpt from Book One in the series, PULSE: http://www.linoreburkard.com/READER_EXCERPT_PULSE.PDF

Buy Link: http://amzn.to/1JYR0Qg

About the Author

L.R. Burkard

Linore Rose Burkard wrote a trilogy of genuine regency romances for the Christian market before there were any regencies for the Christian market. Published with Harvest House, her books opened the genre for the CBA. She also writes YA Suspense/Apocalyptic fiction as L.R. Burkard. Raised in NYC, Linore graduated magna cum laude from City University with a degree in English Literature. Married with five children, she home-schools her youngest daughter, preferably with coffee in one hand and an iPad in the other. Her latest  PULSE EFFEX SERIES, takes readers into a “chilling future for America while affirming the power of faith in the darkest of times.”

Contact: Linore Burkard.com, LRBurkard.com

Giveaway

Guess what guys? Linore has graciously offered to giveaway any one book in the series to one lucky winner if there are ten comments! Yay! So….please comment with your email (so we can contact you!) in safe mode, and tell us how you think an event like this might affect your daily living. Ready, set, go!!!

 


18 responses to “Pulse Review and Guest Post by L.R. Burkard and a Giveaway!

  1. Elizabeth

    I really enjoy dystopian novels and am happy to learn of this series. These are the type of books I can barely put down! It would be frightening to live in a world without electronics!

    • Hi Elizabeth,
      I agree with you! It would be scary in such a world. That’s what made me write the book. To explore the possibility and show people that life CAN go on–for the prepared.

  2. Sounds interesting. I’m blessed that I have a wood stove in my garage and wood in my lean to for back up heat. I can also cook some things on it. We have access to mountain water and wild game, plus I garden and can. It would be difficult not having a hot shower or access to my family. Thank you for the chance.
    leliamae54(at)aol(dot)com

  3. Lucy, you ARE blessed to have such things. But you hit on two areas that everyone will find difficult–the lack of running hot water, and communication! The lack of communication with the outside world would feel dreadful–mainly because we’re so unused to it. The characters find ways to get around the water issue. But not right away. (More so in Book Two, RESILIENCE.)

  4. Lenora Williams

    I don’t tend to like survival books or movies. This did captivate me and kept me reading instead of watching TV or playing games. Shes correct. Made me think how prepared are we for our life as we know it to end both physically and spiritually.

    • I’m honored that you (like Jessica) gave my books a chance, though they’re not your preferred genre. Thank you. (You would both probably really enjoy my sweet regency series! It starts with BEFORE THE SEASON ENDS.)

  5. Debbie Mitchell

    Linore did a fantastic job with this series. These characters will be with me for a long time. The world is heading in a very dangerous direction and an EMP is highly possible. Along with being a great story, this series also has some handy tips in it….tips we very well may need and use one day. Yes, it’s fiction…..for now.
    Sending hugs to Linore!

  6. I can’t even imagine living in a world in which all order of society collapses and technology, on which we’re so dependent, is down for the count. I know people would take advantage of this to try to survive and forget that God is their only help and Savior.I think many would feel abandoned by God and I don’t ever want to live in a world like this. But that’s why we have books, right? We can just close them anytime we want out of the world within the pages. dhammelef(at)yahoo(dot)com

    • You raise an important point about people feeling abandoned by God, Danielle. It is an issue the characters in the book tackle head on–and most come out in the end with great hope.

    • Danielle,
      You are the winner! (using Random.org) I will send you email address to Linore who will get in contact with you about your prize. Congrats and thanks for stopping by!!

  7. Paula Sanders

    It’s evident that a great amount of research was done when writing this series. I like the balance of two principles: the need for faith in a sovereign God, and the importance of being aware and prepared!

    • Thank you, Paula–this book did require a lot of research. And yes, you mentioned two running threads in the story–trust in God vs. personal responsibility. (We all have to navigate that tightrope, not just those facing a disaster! It’s a balance between trusting God to provide and yet doing our part, which is, being wise with the resources God gives us, isn’t it?) Thanks for coming by!

  8. My daughter loves dystopian books, and I am always on the look-out for Christian authors. I’m thrilled to find this series by Linore Burkard! To think of loosing all electronics and electronic technology and to live like the synopsis described in this series would be hard to imagine. Today’s society has become so dependent on technology that most people would not even know how to cope. It really seems like it would lead to immense chaos. Without the Lord, I don’t know how anyone could survive. It certainly would bring one to consider what is really important in life. Thanks so much for the opportunity of this giveaway!