Rating: 3 Stars 

Publisher: NineStar Press

Genre:  Gay Romance

Tags: Dystopian Future Earth

Length: 97 Pages 

Reviewer: Kazza

Purchase At:  amazon, NineStar Press

Synopsis: 

The end of the world as they knew it had come and gone, and the remnants of mankind struggle to survive in a barren landscape. Twenty-three-year-old Finn sets out on a desperate mission to scavenge for the much-needed medicine to help his sister. He knows better than to trust anyone, but when a total stranger saves him from a vicious gang, the unexpected act of kindness rekindles Finn’s lost faith in humanity.

The tentative friendship with his rescuer, Spencer, gradually turns into something more, and for the first time in years, Finn lets himself yearn for joy and hope in the dead of nuclear winter—right until Spencer goes missing.

They say love is the greatest power of all, but it seems it would take nothing short of a miracle to overcome the dangers that threaten to destroy Finn’s only chance for happiness and the lives of his loved ones.

Review: 

Finn is in the city looking for medical supplies at the local hospital. All that’s left behind is some gauze that’s fallen behind furniture. Siobhan, Finn’s sister, is an asthmatic and has a bad infection and their antibiotic supply is tight. While Finn’s searching he hears voices, something you never want to hear when in a dystopian world. Sure enough, Finn is threatened by some looters. When all seems like it isn’t going to end well for him, a man with a gun comes to his rescue, scaring the group off, but they don’t leave without letting him know they’re not happy about his  territorial ideas.

Spencer is the man with the gun, and after bad weather sets in, he also offers his place for Finn to stay. Finn figures Spencer wants something in return but he doesn’t have a lot of options as he can’t get back to the burbs in the current storm. What he isn’t prepared for is the kindness Spencer offers.

I can’t write much about the book as there isn’t anything monumental that occurs and it isn’t very long. While the author builds a bit of a world, I didn’t know what had happened to make it as it was. I didn’t know anyone’s particular backstory, outside of the fact that both Finn and Siobhan were at university before whatever it was that happened. I don’t know Spencer’s history or (initially) why Spencer would want to leave a relatively comfy set-up to help Finn get back home. I mean, I do, he fancies Finn, but, you know, why from a logical standpoint. I’m generally looking for more detail than this novella offered. It concentrated more on a romance than the world or the events leading into where these characters were now.

The blurb claims the tentative friendship with his rescuer, Spencer, gradually turns into something more… There is nothing ‘gradual’ about this relationship. The love in this book is mega insta-love. Within hours they care and within a few more hours they’re literally in love. They don’t say it at first, but they do within a few days, after Spencer goes back to his place in the city to get his things because he’s moving in with Finn and Siobhan. After an event.

If you’re looking for a mostly nice dystopian/nearer or distant-future world, one more about a quick romance, Frost offers the reader a change of pace. Spencer is nice. Fin and Siobhan are nice. They all support one anther and all’s well that ends well. In principal I liked that these decent people found one another and created a little family. While Frost wasn’t quite what I was expecting, it’s still pleasant reading nonetheless. 3 Stars!