Two years after a Coronal Mass Ejection strikes Earth - killing billions and destroying all vestiges of modern technological life - Dr. Riley Poole struggles to keep her family and career together as she continues the desperate search for her missing daughter, Julia.
When Riley gets news that Julia is alive in an internment camp on hostile soil, she abandons her post with a field medical unit and races to Juliaâs rescue. When old enemies resurface, she runs into more trouble than she can handle. With the help of old friends and new, she regains hope of rescuing Julia before the bad guys win.
Two years after a Coronal Mass Ejection strikes Earth - killing billions and destroying all vestiges of modern technological life - Dr. Riley Poole struggles to keep her family and career together as she continues the desperate search for her missing daughter, Julia.
When Riley gets news that Julia is alive in an internment camp on hostile soil, she abandons her post with a field medical unit and races to Juliaâs rescue. When old enemies resurface, she runs into more trouble than she can handle. With the help of old friends and new, she regains hope of rescuing Julia before the bad guys win.
Dr. Riley Poole hesitated before pushing her shoulder against the operating room door. She was about to perform emergency surgery on her seventh patient in twelve hours. Bone weary, she wouldnât have dared operate under such conditions back when the world was sane. But working under challenging situations was the norm in her life since a global Coronal Mass Ejection struck Earth, killing millions and destroying all vestiges of modern technological life.
Riley was the only orthopedic surgeon qualified to perform such a challenging surgery within a hundred miles of Colorado Springs. The patient would lose his leg if she didnât operate. That outcome would drastically reduce his chances of survival in their resource-starved world, and she couldnât in good conscience resign him to that fate. She took a breath and made her way into the OR.
The man lying on the table was young. Twenty at most. He needed surgery to repair his left femur, where a round from an M-16 rifle had shattered the bone. It had probably been fired by an enemy soldier who was just as young, if not younger. The cause of the wound didnât matter. Riley just wanted to know how much longer the violence would go on.
The United States had split into two countries that were fighting a bitter civil war. The US was ruled by Vice President turned dictator, Aileen Kearns. Like hundreds of despots before her, lust for power was her driving force. Any declared concern for the welfare of her citizens was nothing more than political posturing, which sheâd repeatedly proved in her short tenure.
Riley and most of her family lived across the border in the newly formed Western States of America, led by President Lamonte Purnell. He was a wise and benevolent leader, determined to uphold a democratic system of government for the betterment of all his citizens. Everything he stood for directly opposed the power-hungry and self-absorbed Kearns.
The war had dragged on for more than a year, far longer than early predictions. Isnât this always the way in wartime? Riley thought, then asked her equally exhausted anesthesiologist to read off the patientâs vitals. Satisfied with his report, she nodded to her surgical nurse and said, âLetâs get this started.â
As she pressed the scalpel blade into the young manâs flesh, the memory of another surgery two years earlier flashed unbidden into her mind. Her oldest daughter, Julia, had been shot in the thigh just weeks after the CME disaster. As Riley worked on her current patient, footage looped in her brain of kneeling over Julia in the dark woods, desperately fighting to save her leg and young life. She couldnât have pulled it off without Coop, a world-renowned thoracic surgeon and the man who later became her husband. Theyâd only had access to the most rudimentary instruments and supplies and no anesthesia, but by no minor miracle, Julia and her leg had survived the ordeal.
The resident assisting Riley cleared his throat and said, âYouâre quiet today, Dr. Poole. Is there a problem?â
Riley glanced at him, then smiled behind her surgical mask. She usually kept chatter going during her surgeries to cut the tension, but she didnât have the energy that day.
âNo problem, Sam, and Iâve told you to call me Riley,â she said, aiming to sound more upbeat than she felt. âIâm just keeping my mind focused. This is going to be a long, complicated repair.â
âArenât they all these days?â her nurse asked.
Sam nodded. âYouâve got that right, Jana. And where do all these boys come from? Barely enough humans exist to keep civilization functioning without sending these kids off to die in a war.â
Since the fighting began, Riley had pieced together more bodies than she dared count, but they kept coming. If the two sides didnât stop killing each other, no one would be left alive to populate either country.
âThe US has us outnumbered three-to-one, but weâre holding our own,â Riley said. âMaybe it will be enough to convince Kearns to admit defeat soon. With the world population so decimated, they canât afford the losses any more than we can.â
Jana watched her for a moment before saying, âI still havenât gotten used to us-versus-them. It just used to be us, then without warning, catastrophe. My grandparents live in Oklahoma, but I canât even get a message from them. Iâm not even sure if they survived the CME. Itâs insane.â
âJana,â Sam said sharply.
Riley glanced up and caught him rolling his eyes in her direction. She knew Sam was afraid Janaâs comment had offended her, but she understood. Julia had been missing somewhere on the US side of the border for nearly two years without Riley having a word from her. She blamed herself for that. Driven by the hope of learning the fate of her two younger children, sheâd insisted on leaving Julia in Virginia while she and Coop made the treacherous trek to Colorado Springs. Even though sheâd made the best decision under the circumstances, she couldnât help second-guessing herself, which had caused countless sleepless nights.
For over a year, their friend, Conrad Elliot, a military intelligence specialist, had used covert assets at his disposal to locate Julia. Heâd gleaned occasional bits of intel and learned she was being held in an internment camp with other members of Rileyâs extended family, but Conrad had failed to nail down the location. Even though the trail had grown cold, Riley hadnât given up hope that Julia was alive.
âItâs fine, Sam,â she said, finally. âJana has a right to express her feelings. The CME and war are causing suffering across the board.â
âThanks for saying that, Riley, but I am sorry,â Jana said, keeping her eyes lowered. âIâm sure theyâll bring Julia home to you soon.â
Before Riley could respond, a rush of blood flooded the surgical cavity. Distracted by their conversation and her thoughts of Julia, sheâd nicked an artery.
âPressureâs dropping, Doctor,â the anesthesiologist said.
Riley refocused all her attention on the patient. There would be time to berate herself over Julia later. She had to close off the bleeder or lose the young man.
âSuction,â she said, keeping her voice even.
Sam lowered the aspirator into the field and vacuumed the blood to give Riley an unobstructed view of the artery. She spotted the cut and clamped it.
After waiting for several seconds to verify that the bleeding had stopped, she said, âPressure.â
âRising,â the anesthesiologist said, without taking his eyes from the monitor.
Riley asked Jana for sutures to repair the cut. As she threaded the needle through the vessel, the room went dark. Riley froze while waiting for the backup generator to hum to life. She was relieved to hear the respirator and other machines still operating on their portable batteries.
âDamn, not again,â Sam said. âThatâs the third time the powerâs gone out today.â
Loss of power was a common occurrence in post-CME life, but knowing that didnât make it easier to cope with during a delicate surgery. The hospital ran on solar power that was reasonably reliable but not a hundred percent. The hospitalâs operating rooms and other vital areas had backup solar generators to prevent loss of life, but they hadnât kicked in yet.
âJana, please find Coop and ask him whatâs happening,â Riley said.
âYes, Doctor,â the nurse said as she hurried from the room.
Riley felt panic churn in her gut when the lights hadnât come on after another five minutes, and Jana hadnât returned. The power outage stirred other memories of the day the CME hit. Riley shook off her fear and snapped back into surgeon mode.
âSam, get to Coop and tell him we need portable lights ASAP. Then, find out where Jana wandered off to.â As the words left her mouth, the lights blinked on, making her flinch. âNever mind. Back to work.â
Jana came in thirty seconds later and pulled on a fresh pair of gloves. âSorry, Riley. I was looking for Dr. Cooper but couldnât find him. A guy from maintenance told me the power would be on in a minute, so I headed back here.â
âDonât apologize,â Riley said without looking up from her work. âYou were following my orders. Did he tell you what happened?â
Jana shook her head and stepped into place at the table. Riley was disappointed at not knowing why the backup generator had failed to come on. But unfortunately, sheâd have to wait until after surgery to get the detailed story. Coop was Chief Medical Officer and acting Chief Administrator. Heâd worked wonders getting the hospital functioning as well as it did. She trusted heâd have the problem rectified by the time she tied off the final stitch.
***
Riley was running on her last drop of adrenaline when she left the surgical unit six hours later. She was confident her patient would make a complete recovery, even if his soldering days were over. Her hope was the war would end before he finished his post-surgical rehab, so returning to the fight wouldnât be a temptation. Almost getting his leg shot off should have been enough to cure him of that, but Riley knew the drive of the fighting spirit in these boys. Either way, his would be one more young life saved from war. There were plenty of other dangers lurking in their post CME world, but with luck and common sense, he would live a long, productive life.
Riley made her way to the hospital quarters she and Coop shared on their four-day-on, three-day-off work stints. The twenty-mile trek from her parentâs farm where they lived to Colorado Springs took nine hours each way on horseback, so they bunked at the hospital for their shifts. Travel by motor vehicle of any kind had become a luxury of the past. Their access to cars had been limited in the early days after the CME. Later, travel by horse or bike became the norm. They spotted the rare electric car charged on solar power units, but those were the exception. Discovering more convenient, modern modes of travel was number one on the worldâs priority list.
Rileyâs life revolved around riding to and from the hospital, performing surgery, then repeating the process. The routine left little time to spend with her three youngest children, but she had no choice. Her skills were in high demand, and she couldnât ignore that responsibility. Not that she wanted to. She was honored and humbled to be called Doctor and contribute to saving and bettering life. But that entailed sacrificing time with her family. She continued to hope the situation would be temporary and that they could all move to a house in town soon. Her fourteen-month-old son, Xav, was growing up fast but hardly knew his parents.
When Riley reached their quarters, she was disappointed that Coop wasnât waiting for her in the bed. He was most likely still dealing with the power-loss problem. She took advantage of the alone time to take a long, hot shower. It was the one luxury she allowed herself. Using valuable and limited power to heat the water wasnât the only extravagance. The other was getting the water that flowed from the showerhead.
Their proximity to the Rockies allowed for a sustainable water source. Engineers had figured out how to garner enough solar energy to distribute it throughout the city, but they were still struggling with the problem of ensuring the water was potable. The water pouring over her was clean enough for bathing but not drinking. All water for sanitary uses had to be boiled or treated with purifiers. Under Coopâs persistence and his position of authority on the city council, those same engineers had rigged a treatment apparatus solely for hospital use. Regional water treatment was likely years in the future.
The glorious, warm water reminded Riley of how much sheâd taken for granted in her old life. Sure, the power had gone out during severe storms on occasion, but no one ever doubted that it would come back on in those situations. Water pipes would burst, or power lines could get knocked down by falling tree branches, but those instances were only inconveniences. Living for two years with cold, tainted water running from the bathroom and kitchen faucets was a different story. She just tried to be grateful they didnât have to carry it from the well into the house.
She stepped out of her shower sanctuary and dried off before pulling her nightgown over her head. As she teased a brush through her curly red hair, she glanced through the mirror to the calendar hanging on the wall behind her. Emily had made it for her as a Christmas gift. Coop must have hung that morning after she left for her shift.
The sad face drawn with red marker on that dayâs date caught her eye. Emily must have added the face before giving it to her. Riley set her brush on the counter and went to get a closer look. She hadnât realized what day it was until she saw the drawing on the calendar. It was so simple, but the sight of it twisted Rileyâs heart into a knot.
She heard the door as Coop came in. Without turning from the calendar, she said, âDo you know what day this is?â
âSeventh of January. Why?â
âIt was two years ago today.â
Coop came up behind her and tenderly laid his hands on her shoulders. He was quiet for a moment before saying, âHowâs that possible? It feels like only two months ago in some ways.â
When Riley turned to face him, he pulled her into his arms. Resting her head on his chest, she said, âFeels more like ten years to me. Think of all weâve been through. Julia getting shot, me leaving her behind, and her getting locked up in one of Kearnsâ monstrous camps. There was our time as hostages in Bransonâs compound. Losing Dad last year. Hannah and Brooks before that. The thousands of others who died. If those things werenât bad enough, thereâs this damned civil war dragging on forever. So much death. So much loss.â
Coop stepped in front of her and said, âLook at me.â She raised her eyes to his, waiting for the lecture she knew was coming. âI wonât downplay the tragedy or loss, but youâre overlooking the miracles. You and I meeting at the medical conference in DC and falling in love, smack in the middle of the apocalypse. Getting married and bringing our Xav into the world. We survived that nightmare field trip across the country and arrived home to find Jared and Emily alive and thriving. I know being separated from Julia is a constant black cloud over our lives, but Conrad will find her. He gave his word. I trust him.â
âIâm not giving up hope, but seeing Emilyâs drawing to mark the second anniversary of the CME blindsided me.â She stepped away and wrapped a throw around her shoulders. âThanks for hanging the calendar. It was such a thoughtful Christmas gift from Emily. She worked so hard designing and printing it.â
Coop kissed Rileyâs cheek before sinking onto the bed and kicking off his shoes. âThat girl never ceases to amaze, much like her mother.â
Riley walked back to the bathroom and picked up her brush, once again grateful for Coopâs knack of keeping her from sinking into the darkness. âI can reconstruct a shattered leg,â she said over her shoulder, âbut I never could have gotten the computer and printer working the way Emily did. Of course, the computerâs limited without the internet, but Iâll take what I can get. Itâs a relief not having to write my patient notes out by hand anymore. My penmanship is so bad even I canât decipher the records most of the time.â
Coop let out a laugh. âNo argument from me. Just proves you were destined to be a doctor. Howâd your last surgery go?â
Riley dropped onto the bed next to him. âLong, but successful, despite the lights going out at a crucial moment. Why didnât the auxiliary generators kick in?â
Without turning to face her, he said, âBecause someone came in and dismantled them.â
âWhat do you mean, dismantled?â
âAfter the morning maintenance check, someone broke into the generator room and stripped the units for parts. I hate to even think it, but it looks like an inside job, probably to trade the parts on the black market. Security is interviewing everyone on duty who has access to that area.â
Riley sat up and crossed her legs, shocked by Coopâs news. Sheâd assumed it was a mechanical failure. âThatâs sickening. How could anyone who works here stoop so low? If my patient had died in the middle of that surgery because of the power loss, it would have been murder.â
Coop propped himself against the wall at the head of the bed and closed his eyes. âIâve been thinking the same thing since we discovered the theft. We were lucky not to lose any patients. If we donât catch the thief, I donât know where weâll procure replacement parts. It took superhuman effort to get those generators operational. With these incessant snowstorms lowering main power generation, we could be in serious trouble. Remind me again why I agreed to run this hospital.â
Riley moved closer and wrapped her arms around him. âBecause you are the perfect man for the job.â
âI was the only man for the job.â
âThatâs not true. They would have found someone if youâd said no, but you didnât. Taking on this Herculean task makes you a hero in my eyes. Youâll get this problem resolved just like you always do.â
Coop brushed a lock of hair from her face and kissed her. âI couldnât manage without you by my side. I hate to tell you this, but I canât go back to the farm with you and Dashay tomorrow. I have to stay and fix this, no matter how long it takes. Will you two be all right on your own?â
âWeâve done this a hundred times. Weâll be fine as long as we donât get stuck in a snowdrift. This may be the worst time for me to ask this, but I was hoping to take a week off. Iâve been pushing myself hard. I donât want to get burned out, and I need time with the kids. We only took two days at Christmas, and weâve hardly seen them since then.â
Riley held her breath when he hesitated to answer. She didnât like adding to his burdens, but she knew her limits and that sheâd reached them.
âMy gut reaction was to say no, which may be coming from a selfish place. I keep it together much better when youâre here. But take your break. Iâll send for Cameron Andres to come down from Denver. He owes me after that week I filled in for him in November.â
Riley let out her breath. âThanks, Babe. I wouldnât have argued if you said no, but Iâm glad you didnât.â She reached up and pulled Coop down next to her. âIf this is our last night together, weâd better make it count.â
âDonât you want to eat first?â
She kissed him with a hunger that surprised her in her exhausted state. âWhat do you think?â
***
Riley found her friend Dashay Robinson stamping her feet to keep warm near the hospitalâs makeshift stables the following morning. Riley first met Dashay when they were both hostages in a compound in Virginia. Dashay worked as a nurse in the infirmary and helped Riley treat Juliaâs gunshot wound. They got separated for a time but stumbled upon each other months later outside Charleston, West Virginia.
Dashay had lost her entire family in the aftermath of the CME, and there was nothing to keep her in the East, so she traveled to Colorado with Riley and Coop. Riley was thrilled when Dashay made her home with them. Sheâd become like a sister to Riley and had been an enormous help when Xav was born. Coop considered her a vital asset at the hospital and had just promoted her to head of the nursing staff. Riley was happy for her friend but missed Dashay assisting in her surgeries.
Dashay waved Riley over when she saw her trudging towards her through the five feet of powdery snow covering the ground. The sky was cloudless, but the temperature was in the lower teens. The post-CME winters had been brutal, and without the aid of snowplows or blowers, keeping roads and walkways clear was a constant battle. Riley often wondered if the altered weather patterns were similar to what theyâd been a hundred years earlier. She hoped rather than believed the changes were temporary. Their friend, Dr. Adrian Landry, a solar physicist, speculated that the industrial collapse had played a significant role in the drastic climate changes. It could take a decade or more for the surviving humans to know for sure.
Riley made her way to Dashay, who waited with their horses saddled and ready to go. Rileyâs faithful horse, Biscuit, greeted her with a whinny of welcome. Riley reached up and patted his neck in return. She and that dapple-gray gelding had traveled across the bulk of the country through hellish conditions, and she couldnât imagine life without him. After climbing into the saddle, she nudged him forward with a squeeze of her knees. As much as Riley loved Biscuit, she would have given anything to travel home in a cozy, heated car.
Dashay rode her horse, Xena, up beside Riley and got her into pace with Biscuit. Dashay wore a ski mask and was so bundled in her scarf and hood that all Riley could see of her face were her glittering dark brown eyes.
âYou in there somewhere?â Riley called to her in the stillness.
Dashay jumped, then pulled the mask away from her mouth and flashed her brilliant smile. âJust trying to keep my lips from freezing off. I donât know how you can tolerate this cold without something over your face.â
Riley grinned and said, âIâm used to it from growing up in Colorado.â
Dashay shook her head. âWe got snow in northern Virginia, but not nonsense like this. Who in their right mind would have settled here?â
Riley laughed. âYou did.â
âMomentary insanity. I should have kept heading west until I hit the California coast. I could be lounging on a glorious beach right now, getting a deeper glow on my already gorgeous brown skin.â
A cluster of snowflakes stuck to Rileyâs goggles, so she brushed them away with her gloved hand. âI doubt itâs warm enough for tanning, even in southern California, but that does sound glorious. Letâs grab the kids when we get home and ditch this frozen madness.â
âNot sure Coop would appreciate you whisking the kids a thousand miles away, but otherwise, no argument from me. We could introduce Xav to the Pacific Ocean.â
âWhat about Conrad?â
Dashay avoided making eye contact as she answered. âIâd need to think before I answer that minefield of a question. He leaves me all the time, so what could he say? Feels like we hardly ever see each other lately.â
âHe leaves you for his work. Itâs not out of choice. You know heâd rather be with you.â
Dashay shrugged. âWould he?â
âDid something happen between the two of you?â
âNo. Nothing. Thatâs the problem. Itâs always good fun when weâre together, but our relationship has never progressed past the fun. To be honest, I donât think about Conrad much when heâs gone these days.â
Dashayâs admission surprised Riley. No one who saw Dashay and Conrad together could doubt their physical spark, but Riley had always assumed their relationship went deeper. After more than a year together, it should have. She thought of Nico Mendez, the army medic held at the compound with them. He and Dashay had been together when they reunited with Coop and her. Tragically, after Nico was attacked by a bear, they had to leave him behind at a hospital in Charleston, West Virginia, to stay ahead of the war. It tore Dashay up to go on without him. Heâd planned to catch up once he was recovered, but they never saw him again.
âAre you going to say anything to that?â Dashay asked, rousing Riley from her thoughts.
âSorry, I was thinking about Nico. Was your relationship with him like it is with Conrad? It seemed like more than a fly-by-night fling.â
âConradâs more than a fling, but to answer you, no, it wasnât the same with Nico. The trauma we endured in the compound and on the road afterward deepened the bond between us, but it started before that. I was still reeling from the CME and my fiancĂ©âs death when I got to the compound. Nico got me through, and we became close. When my grief lessened, I realized I wanted more than friendship. When I met Conrad and hooked up with him, I thought Iâd have my fun for a few days and never see him again. Imagine my surprise when he showed up at the farm to deliver Biscuit to you. This might sound shallow, but Conrad isâŠconvenient.â
âDo you ever think about Nico?â
Dashay shook her head. âI donât let myself. Heâs gone, Riley. Why should I torture myself?â
Riley saw her point, but it saddened her to see her friend suffering. âMaybe youâll find someone like Coop.â
Dashay gave a hearty laugh. âThere is no one else like Coop.â
Riley smiled. âHe is a rare gem, but you know what I mean. Someone right for you.â
âNot likely. All the good men are fighting the war, taken by someone else, or dead. Look, Iâm not saying I donât have feelings for Conrad. I just donât see him as âthe one.â Is it wrong to stay with him, feeling the way I do?â
Riley had never been in Dashayâs position, so it was an impossible question to answer. She and her first husband, Zach, met in college, and there was instant attraction, but neither was looking for a long-term relationship. Their feelings strengthened over time until she couldnât imagine loving anyone else. After his helicopter was shot down over Afghanistan, the thought of getting involved with another man never occurred to Riley until she met Coop. Her feelings for him came out of the blue like the CME and only grew stronger every day.
âOnly you can answer that,â she finally said. âBut if both of you agree on where your relationship is headed, I donât see the harm. Companionship and affection are vital for survival in this world.â
âIn any world,â Dashay said, then snapped Xenaâs reins to quicken her pace.
Â
Hope Ignites was a thrilling and satisfying end to the Shattered Sunlight trilogy. It was so hard for me to put down, even while working a fulltime job. Having to wake up early in the morning did little to make me put this book down at night and I regretted nothing in the morning, even if I was a bit tired.
One of the major reasons why it was hard for me to put this book down was that I feel like I was connecting to the characters a bit more than I have in the first two books. I felt Riley's frustration. Not only had she not seen her oldest daughter Julia in two years, but then her daughters' rescue mission is put on the back burner. I really felt for her and understood why she left her post, despite what consequences she may have to face upon her return.
I felt Coops' anxiety and resentment towards Riley for leaving without so much as a word to him. He loved Julia and her siblings as much as he loves Xav(Riley and Coops' child). He had gone through very dangerous and traumatizing situations with her from the beginning of the series and she just up and left. You can feel his pain.
Lastly, I felt Julia's hopelessness. She had been in interment camps for the past two years. She had dreams of following in her moms' footsteps in becoming a surgeon. However, with the civil war and how President Kearns treats her citizens and POWs, it seemed pointless to do homework or work towards anything. Her world was falling apart since the CMEs hit and she had no control over what was going on or where she would end up. This broke my heart the most. Thank Goodness that she was able to stay with some of her family members throughout her stay in the internment camps.
E.A. Chance had really outdone herself with Hope Ignites. Although she left no loose ends and it was a satisfying ending to the Shattered Sunlight Trilogy, I'm hoping for maybe a spinoff series. Maybe from Julia or Dashay's perspective. Who knows? From your mouth - or keyboard- to God's ears as they say.