The Deviant Future Collection #1

Books One to Three

By: Eve Langlais

Narrated by: Heather Costa

In a Deviant Future, the world has been reshaped. Humanity has been changed. Yet despite it all, one thing does survive - love.

Three previously published novels that take place in a post-apocalyptic future, where civilization has had to adapt to survive, and some mutations have granted magical powers. A dystopian society has evolved, ruled by an elite class that is about to experience a shift in power.

Toxic Dust: Laura knows nothing of the world outside the domes other than it is deadly. Everything she knows is upended when the marauder who kidnaps not only shows her how to survive he makes her want a forbidden thing called love.

Wasteland Treasure: New Earth isn't a kind or gentle place, so Gunner isn't entirely surprised when a freak windstorm leaves him blinded in a strange place. The problem is he's not alone.

Twisted Metal Heart: Riella has a special skill when it comes to working with metal, and Titan knows she mustn't fall in the wrong hands. Especially since she might hold the key to bringing down a corrupt queen.

Contains mature themes.

©2019, 2020 Eve Langlais (P)2021 Tantor

such a great omnibus !!!!!

loved the stories, good balance of romance and action. loved the genre. 💗💗 great books.

Marvelous!

Bravo! I was pleasantly surprised with this set of stories as the theme is a common one. It is definitely a bonus to have the first three books in the boxset as it was easy to go from one to the next keeping continuity with the characters.

The narrator had a pleasant voice that easily transitioned between the characters giving them distinctive voices.

I highly recommend this author and narrator, Bravo ladies.😀

Deviant does NOT refer to the naughty bits

This author is usually good for pulpy, campy paranormal romances, high on humor and naughty bits (see the Kodiak Point series). This series is sadly light on those things, however it instead provides some entertaining world building on a post-apocalyptic Earth. It reminds me of the 80s cartoon Thundar The Barbarian, with weird magics, mutated creatures, and the remnants of humanity broken into clans, some MadMax primitive and others seeking to science their way to supremacy.

There are a lot of cool features of the world and people, but each story is too short to do much other than speed thru at a very surface level. Come at this for the fantasy rather than any credible science-fiction. The sex was tame, although it gets spicier with each book, especially in the next book 4-6 collection.
It also would have benefited from duet narration for sexier male voices or, at minimum, someone with greater range to differentiate the six couples’s voices. The series is best heard in order because the characters are introduced with overlapping stories and teasers for the next book at the end of each.
There isn’t really a series arc, however, as these are all about the HEA for one couple per book.

If I spent a credit on each book, I’d feel cheated on both the romance and the dystopian fantasy end.
As part of Audible Plus (or in the collection of books 1-3), this was an entertaining enough series.

Book 1: Toxic Dust: Laura and Axel
“I will always come for you!”
That repeated phrase brought me Last of the Mohican vibes, especially with Axel of the wasteland finding an HEA with sheltered Laura. It’s needed for the story, but Laura’s naïveté made her a bit of a wet noodle.

Book 2: Wasteland Treasure: Sofia and Gunner
“I should’ve brought the cup.”
Another book that starts slow, with Gunner swept up by a dust-nado and dropped into a lost land without his eyesight. The first half is just Gunner, Sofia, and Kitty, plus repeated skirmishes with armored bad guys who (a) appear, (b) leer, and then (c) are dispatched easy-peezy. Honestly, it felt like lazy writing from an author who’s usually better at writing pulpy good times. The second half was much improved, both by the addition of other people and by a more complex plot that ties into a series arc.

Book 3: Twisted Metal Heart: Riella and Titan
“Could be your next body is a vacuum.”
I liked this couple best so far, mainly because Riella is a force to be reckoned with. Titan is the weaker link, especially when he spends so much time pouting about her getting one (or two or three) over on him and not needing rescue. The villains also continue to be one-note caricatures, fit only to bring couple together, and easily dispatched without suspense. Good thing there’s more humor in this installment, courtesy of a crusty machine. The sex is also a tad spicier, but still on the tame end.

I loved book three

hated heroine from second book. she made me want to pull my hair out in frustration 😫. However the hero from book three saved the day.

loved it up to the 3rd book

Titan is completely unlikable
Hes bitter and pouty and I kept wishing something better for the heroine.

Fun

Better than I though it old be, a well thought out world with good characters

Loved the whole collection

The first one was a little hard to take, but it gave a lot of the backgrounds and a lot of the scenery and environment. The second and third one, just made you love the original initial characters. The third one was felt a little short because it went back in history on some of the things we already knew. But on to the next collection 🤗

Heather Costa ruins audiobooks! Read it if you can find it!

The narration takes a point off performance and story, but as one cannot give -1 ⭐️ consider it no stars. People with teeny-tiny, wee, short, inadequate, vocal cords should never voice male characters. Her female characters are at the free or $50/hr finished product level and the male characters are lawn gnomes…or Lollipop Kids.

After the first 3 chapters, when narration usually improves past the sample to the editor, this didn’t improve and one can’t review until further along. I let it play to write this and went to read them.

With a hit or miss author (she writes too much mediocre material, it’s too bad it’s the way of writing…if authors don’t get a Harry Potter the first terrible attempt, they go for quantity), this one lands solidly mediocre (that’s good for her). However, seeing as this is one of her better series, why use one of the worst narrators on my list. Costa and one other are on the ban list, I listen until I know if I want to read it.