Disclosure: I received this book to review. The links in this post are my affiliate links; the opinions shared here are 100% mine.

I don’t read a lot of books by independent authors. It’s not that I don’t value the effort that those books require, because I certainly appreciate the determination it takes to take that step. It’s just that there are soooo many indie authors who want/need/ask for a review that there’s just no way to be diplomatic about saying no. I’ve stuck with my regular publisher contacts and went on my merry way. When Courtney Farrell asked if I’d like to review BAIT, I thought about saying no. The cover didn’t wow me (it was a different cover than what is pictured on Amazon) and we all know how the cover affects me. Then I read the synopsis and thought, hey, it sounds pretty interesting. So I gave it a shot. I took the Bait.

So you should know….once you read this book, there’s no going back. It’s a little too close to home in some respects. With all the media buzz about ebola and crazy paralyzing-viruses and such, I’m even more germophobic than normal. Reading about species-jumping pox viruses? Sheesh! When the pox jumped to the rats, it nearly did me in. The memory of BAIT still gives me the heebie-jeebies days after I finished it!

It’s just impossible not to like Jack. She’s a tough girl with a soft inside. She’s determined to care for her entourage of skinny little boys because there aren’t enough women to be maternal figures anymore. The thing is, Jack doesn’t even realize how much SHE needs a maternal figure. My heart just reached out to her as she explored her feminine side. I don’t feel like I can put this on my bookshelf because of the mature topics that are mentioned in the book. For example, women are exploited and abused due to their sheer rarity.  There is a fair amount of profanity as well as graphic sex scenes.  Although that’s probably a realistic result of global demise, it’s not something I want to put in a 6th grade mind. Otherwise, BAIT really has a cool sci-fi vibe that has potential to be the next big thing.