The Devil You Know: A Mercenary Librarians Novel

Hmm, a remarkably tame book from two of the raunchiest writers in town. To recap, post-apocalypse the US has degenerated. TechCorps have started up food and power production and now run the US, but they regulate it carefully so that there are the haves living in luxury in high-rise condos and the have-nots living a hand-to-mouth existence on the ground. The Mercenary Librarians are on a mission to maintain literacy and basic standards by saving and scanning books, films, and games from their base in Atlanta. In this way they can help others to repair machinery as well as enrich their souls aka Information Brokers. But the librarians are each in their own way also escapees from TechCorps genetic experiments. Maya has been bred/genetically engineered to have a perfect memory and act as a Data Courier for one of TechCorps senior management who was also secretly plotting revolution. When her boss is murdered Maya takes the opportunity to fake her own death and create a new life with the librarians. Maya has been taught to believe that too much stimulation will cause her brain to overload and so she leads a very insular life. In the first book The Silver Devils, a group of elite genetically enhanced soldiers, were sent to infiltrate and ultimately betray the librarians but instead have joined forces as the head librarian Nina fell in love with the leaders of the Silver Devils, Knox. Grey is one of the super soldiers, a cold-blooded sniper. The implant in his brain is slowly decaying and he knows he is dying. Grey and Maya are fascinated by each other, each believing they are alone in their feelings. Then the group uncover an unpleasant group who are selling genetically-enhanced children on the black market. But as they race to save a group of children they could be falling into a bigger trap. I liked this but I didn't love it. It was a bit too warm and cuddly TBH. No graphic violence or kink, slow and gentle without much of the Mad Max vibes I got from the first book and definitely not in the same category as the Gideon's Riders series.