Sometimes a guy has to do something unexpected to get noticed. Maybe showing up on Mars to surprise the family would do it. But as Hunter Graves steps into the complex where he'll spend a night before he can shuttle to the family compound, an Evacuation Alert sounds - two minutes - they've got two minutes to get everyone out so they can clean out a toxin. Unfortunately, no one knew Hunter was there. No one signed him into the system. That means all the escape pods are full and there isn't one with his name on it. He's stranded. Alone. Left behind and desperate and then Cleo walks in with an air suit and some oxygen and the two of them eye each other and wonder what the truth is.
Trust can be a hard thing to come by and Cleo's life has left her scarred and smart. Hunter's life of privilege and billions of dollars has left him trying to prove himself. Turns out the two of them have eight hours before the whole place blows up. Turns out eight hours can reveal a lot about a person, about a family, about love and being honest with yourself.
These two thought they were up against the system on Mars. Turns out they're up against pieces of the past, greed, ambition and perhaps each other.
Cleo and Hunter are both characters to root for. There's plenty of intrigue and suspense. But the best thing about this book.... the very best thing...is that sometimes the powerful families, the powerful corporations just might have to look at themselves - the way we've always hoped they would - and finally see that human beings are valuable - more valuable than the power to conquer.
The sizzle of the romance is pretty good too! It's always great when you know the explosion is coming!
288 pages 979-8217029013 Ages 13 and up
Keywords: science fiction, dystopian, Mars, futuristic, intrigue, suspense, family secrets, romance, trust, truth, action/adventure, 13 year old, 14 year old, 15 year old, 16 year old, If You Liked illuminae
Recommended by: Barb Langridge, abookandahug.com
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8 HOURS TO STOP AN EXPLOSION...8 HOURS TO FALL IN LOVE. From the New York Times bestselling co-author of Illuminae and Aurora Rising comes a high-stakes, high-chemistry, sci-fi romp about a stowaway girl and the richest boy in the galaxy, racing the clock to outwit a gang of mercenaries.
It’s 2067, and the Graves family has transformed Mars from a lifeless rock into a chaotic patch of settlements. You can buy a one-way ticket to a new life--if you're rich.
Enter Hunter Graves, the handsome, ambitious grandson of the man who settled Mars. With spectacularly bad timing, Hunter arrives at the United Nations base just as an emergency evacuation sends everyone scurrying for safety. Except he’s left behind. Uh-oh.
Also stranded: Cleo, a sharp-tonged stowaway with no intention of dying today, and even less patience for overconfident trust fund boys. But the enemy of your enemy might just help you survive, so here we are.
It turns out the evacuation is just a cover for the mercenaries who come next, and the plan to blow up the base--and every trace of their crime--in eight hours.
Now, Hunter and Cleo have one shot to stop the explosion, escape alive, and deal with the inconvenient fact that they're falling for each other.
The clock is ticking.---from the publisher
