Rabid Heart

I've not read anything by Jeremy Wagner until now, and I'll definitely be on the lookout for more of his work! This book was so fun, and with not knowing much of what to expect going into it, it kept throwing random things at me that I LOVED! (No Spoilers!)

There are certain stories in literature that make the reader's heart swell. Usually those stories of true love defying the odds, growth in the spirits of the couple, and making the reader root for them through this journey. There are countless novels that fall into this category, and "Rabid Heart" is a new addition to this canon. The story follows Rhonda and Brad, a couple on the verge of marriage when the zombie apocalypse tore them apart. Rhonda is surviving in relative luxury while Brad is a zombie. Fate brought them back together during one of Rhonda's supply runs, and the heart wants what the heart wants, even if the heart of the man of your dreams is decaying and dead. Zombie literature of any type insists that the reader suspend belief. People are always on a road trip of some sort, people are all great at shooting zombies in the head, ammo is in endless supply until the hero kills about 100 zombies then they are magically out, and if it is not time for the hero to die, then they will find some sort of creative way out of the situation, usually with another person showing up with perfect timing. "Rabid Heart" is not an exception to this rule, and even it falls into some of these traps, there is still a new twist to the tale. Even with the violence and threatening violence toward women and children, this is a great story with a good main character. Rhonda is the heroine and genuine good person in the middle of this story. Even though she is young, she understands that Brad is who she is supposed to be with, regardless of his current state. The only thing that I wish is that Brad would have protected her a little bit more and their relationship was more defined post zombificiation. As it is, the characters are great, the action is great, the gore and violence is great, and it is a fun novel to read. I enjoyed it a lot.

I enjoyed reading this book, the horror element was perfect and I really liked the concept. The characters were well written and overall I enjoyed reading it.

Rabid Heart is a story of two young kids from the heartland who were on the run together after a harrowing experience. Brad and Rhonda were star-crossed ladies vets like Romeo and Juliet or the woman who married Frankenstein. After all, there's nothing like the zombie apocalypse to test the bonds of loyalty and affection. Reminiscent of the great horror novels of the Seventies, Rabid Heart is a fun, fast read guaranteed to entertain.