Run Fight

Zane combines the clunky first two books of her postapocalyptic, erotic survivalist romance trilogy into a single volume, inexplicably omitting the third. In “Run,” prepper Alexis connects with ex-soldier Blake while escaping zombie-infested New Orleans. Impressed with each other, they steal a boat, meet up with Blake’s colleagues at a private security firm to head to an island compound that the company owns, and become lovers. In “Fight,” the routines of life on S-Island leave room for sophomoric relationship angst. Alexis takes up with Blake’s best friend, Zack, after Blake leaves to rescue his ex-wife, Clara, from Houston. Blake’s return creates an awkward love triangle, and Clara seems determined to get Blake back or destroy Alexis trying. Though Zane loads her stories with explicit sex and detailed gore, none of it packs a punch. The youth of her characters manifests in naïveté but not intensity; sexual marathons seem strangely relaxed given the zombies at the door, and high-risk supply runs feel like spattery grocery shopping. The post-Katrina New Orleans setting offers little more than geography, and cliffhangers at the end of each installment create a lack of closure rather than anticipation. [em](BookLife) [/em]