Title: After The Storm
Series: Survivors Of The New Dawn
Author: Grace Hamilton
Publisher: Relay Publishing
Genre: Post Apocalyptic, Disaster, Survival
Release Date: 12th August 2026
BLURB
As the world falls apart, one woman must do whatever it takes to protect her family…
Fleeing a devastated California, Claire and her family secure passage aboard a ferry bound for the safe haven of Seattle, Washington. But conditions on the boat are little better than the chaos they are running from. Desperate souls, dwindling supplies, and over-zealous National Guard troops form a powder keg that threatens to ignite in violence at any moment.
But heavy handed soldiers are nothing compared to the danger lurking in the shadows. Hired by the wealthy and ruthless Hartley family, the sinister mercenary known as The Architect has one retrieve Lydia and her unborn child and return them to the family.
When a raging storm separates the group, Claire fears the worst for Lydia. Because if the Hartley’s manage to get their claws on her, she may truly be out of reach.
And this time, there will be no escape…
REVIEW
The cover depicts a man and a woman with a dog. The man and woman are likely to be Alejandro and Claire with Dusty the dog but the man & woman could easily be Bobby and Sophia with one of the dogs Dusty or Willow. The cover fits well with the rest of the series and makes you want to learn more about the book.
After The Storm picks up right where After The Escape left off. Rob, Sandra, Alejandro, Claire, Lydia, Bobby, Sophia and the two dogs Dusty & Willow made it onto a ferry bound for 'a better place' a safe haven in Seattle Washington. Whiskey, his son Sam (who initially betrayed Lydia to a Hartley tracker) and Sam's son Micah. Also on board the ferry is Eddie the man with the gift of the gab who had befriended Claires group on the road promising them passage on the the ferry when he was unable to follow through he disappeared but they spot him on the ferry. They don't care they're together as a family, the Hartleys haven't git Lydia, Bobby may be badly injured but he is fit and they'll nurse him back to health.
What should be a fairly straightforward journey soon becomes more complicated, a man on board was separated from his family and he demands the ferry turn around whilst waving his gun about, a shot is fired and Bea the National Guard Officer in charge of navigating the ferry is shot. The other National Guard Officer Sergeant Douglas initially has the man taken and locked away but later brings him on deck, to make an example of him and throws him overboard much to the shock of the other passengers. It seems Sergeant Douglas's answer to anyone who doesn't agree with him is to throw them overboard!! Claire later finds out Sergeant Douglas has a list of names, people he thinks he needs to watch, that are troublemakers. Claires whole family is on the list but top of the list is Rob!! They all via to keep their heads down and mouths shut until they get to Seattle. The ferry runs into trouble and when Alejo steps forward to offer his help & welding experience to try to repair some of the damaged sections of ferry, he puts a further target on his and his families back with Sergeant Douglas. The ferry has to fend off pirates/wreckers intent on taking anything useful on the ferry for themselves as well as extreme weather conditions. In all the chaos Lydia goes missing, she was last seen with Eddie who was bragging about finding the pregnant Lydia somewhere comfortable to rest. What he actually does is deliver Lydia to 'The Assistant' the deadliest, most determined and last one of Hartleys staff to be on Lydias trail. He repents in the last moment trying to free Lydia but he is no march for The Assistant. The Assistant gets off the now rapidly failing ferry taking Lydia with her, she has a rendezvous point to make with the Hartleys. Amidst the chaos Rob and Sergeant Douglas have an altercation ending with Rob hitting the Sergeant. Later just when Rob thinks the punch has been forgotten he is marched out in front of the Sergeant who promptly pushes Rob who is still hurting from old injuries overboard, Bobby refuses to be held back and jumps overboards to help his grandad. With the ferry floundering and at imminent danger from wreckers. The family group is initially fractured with them each having to fend fir themselves and get to shore as best they can.
Eventually they regroup and are on the trail of The Assistant and Lydia. They have to take on the biggest mission they have ever done. With Intel gathered from a Pastor and an ex Juno Hill, Hartley employee a smaller compact group sets off after Lydia leaving Sandra, Sam and Micah with new acquaintance Marty.
After The Storm really is action packed from the beginning on the ferry, to fighting nature in the form the storm on the ferry then later in the form of a large territorial Elk, to the final stand off which has the Hartleys in a panic room with Lydia deep within an armed compound.
As in all battles there are losses and we do lose a main character....and tes that characters final moments had me teary eyed!
Of course I loved all the main characters Rob, Sandra, Alejandro, Claire, Lydia, Bobby, Sophia, Sam and Micah.
I also immediately liked the Pastor and Marty.
I loved the growth of teenaged Bobby being taken care of by his grandad to the young man taking care of his grandad when needed. I enjoyed seeing his good friendship with Sophia turn to love. Sophia had been a scared young girl who grew in confidence with her new found family. A young girl who had been prevented from seeing some of the real harshness of the world but when it came down to it Sophia took him with her rifle and meant business if someone was messing with her new family. Whilst others may have fallen apart or shied away from what had to be done, Sophia just got on with it, played her part in the larger plan to rescue Lydia.
I quite like the Hartleys Dr too, she withheld a sensitive piece of information from the Hartleys in an effort to keep Lydia and her unborn baby safe.
It was really sad to say goodbye to some of the characters particularly a much loved character but the death kept the book realistic, in such a harsh world not everyone was going to survive.
My immediate thoughts upon finishing After The Storm wew that I was sorry the journey had ended, that the characters I had grown to love had come to an end if their story.
Summing up great ending to a series that was action packed the whole way through. I can't wait to see what coming next from this author.
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