The Apothecary The Londo Chronicles, Book 1
Paranormal, Dystopian, Vampire, Romance
Lucky Publishing
January 4, 2020
392
In five short days, Joanna Wilder’s wayward sister will marry a government-selected groom and cease to be Joanna’s responsibility. At last! But things don’t go according to plan. Joanna’s sister vanishes, a riot rocks Londo, and Joanna attracts the attention of a powerful Overseer. The last thing Joanna wants is to attract attention—if she has any hope of saving her sister.
Step back to an alternate Victorian London during a nuclear winter, where humans are governed by mysterious Overseers, citizens are repressed with rations and curfews and no one dares venture out at night.
…Until one woman discovers the ghastly secret behind human survival and decides she’s had enough.
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Reviewed by Linda Tonis
Member of the Paranormal Romance Guild Review Team
2506 and we have finally destroyed our world now Londo City a horrible place run by Overseers (Vampires) is just about all that is left. Humans live in poverty, alcohol is forbidden, sex without going through the Marriage Machine is forbidden, books, newspapers are non-existent and there is no free will.
Living in Londo City are two sisters Joanna Wilder and her younger sister Eva who she has been raising since the death of their parents. It will be only five days before Eva will enter the Marriage Machine and Joanna will finally be free to live her own life. Eva is the one all men look at while Joanna is always living in the shadows. Twenty-eight and destined never to marry or have children her entire life revolved around Eva a young girl who is very ungrateful and very unlikeable and yet Joanna never leaves her.
Then everything in Joanna’s world crashes, Eva is pregnant by her boyfriend Aiden who has chosen to join his friends in a rebellion against the Overseers rather than run away with her and their unborn child. If it is discovered that Eva is pregnant and unwed then she faces death and the only way out is for Joanna to take her place when the guards come for her. It is only Gabriel Stone the brother of the leader of the Overseers Silas who comes to her rescue. When Eva didn’t arrive on her usual train and the train was reported to have gone off the tracks Joanna put all thoughts of her own safety in the background and ran to help. It was there that Gabriel first saw her and became involved in not only her life but Aiden and Eva’s as well.
Joanna has no idea that Gabriel is a vampire in fact none of the humans in Londo City are aware of the fact that vampires are running things but a near death experience would educate Joanna to the way things are changing her life forever. Gabriel is determined to protect Joanna and do anything necessary to keep her alive but that means protecting her sister as well and Eva is not one that does what she is told.
There is so much going on this this story, so many characters, riots, betrayals and a world that reminded me of Nazi Germany. Through everything Joanna stands strong and Gabriel stands right behind her. Little by little people and vampires alike are beginning to question the leadership of Londo City and there is no doubt things will escalate. My first instinct was to reveal what is happening since I sometimes have to control my excitement and my desire to share that excitement but I did. Although the book ended with a cliffhanger because so many issues are unresolved and as much as I hate that every once in a while a series catches my attention and even a cliffhanger can’t make me angry.
I highly recommend this book and what is the beginning of an amazing series.
