I'm a tad bit late on joining fun that are the Rebecca Zanetti books, but the ones that I have read I've thoroughly enjoyed, so when I heard that she was starting up a new series with a post apocalyptic / dystopian bent I knew I would be keeping an eye out for it. The novella, Scorpius Rising in the On The Hunt anthology, cranked up my interest in the series and I have to say that I really enjoyed Mercury Striking. It was filled with characters that you get attached to, great plot twists and a fully realized world that I could see myself being apart of, that is if I survived the Scorpius Syndrome. 
 I have to say that I was surprised that the first book would be focusing on Lynne because of what she had been through in the novella. I honestly thought she'd be more of a secondary character for awhile, considering the situation we last saw Lynne in, but after I started reading the book it made perfect sense to start with Lynne. Her intelligence is undeniable and that combined with her determination makes her a force to be reckoned with. 
 Jax Mercury is a man who has chosen to stand alone, even with those he trusts to watch his back he keeps himself apart, which turns him into something of an enigma amongst those he has sworn to protect. His rules with a proverbial iron fist and yet, despite it all, he does care. He does have a heart. It's simply been hardened thanks to all that life has thrown at him. 
 I like the way that their relationship starts and progresses because it totally fits within the situation that they find themselves in. There is interest and attraction, but no insta love anywhere and though neither truly trusts the other, with good reason, they give in to the need of a physical connection. From there they try to not get attached but life, fate, karma takes over and they start to see beyond the walls that they've had to construct. 
 The writing was engaging and the world that has been created is quite believable and scary. My only issue was pacing, but I'm chalking it up to it being the first in series and the author wanted to give us a clear, unadulterated picture of what state it's in. There were quite a few things I didn't see coming, and some that fell into the WTF category, but all of the twists and turns were woven together really well and had me wanting to see how things would turn out. The secondary characters were all well written and I'm totally invested in seeing what fate aka Ms. Zanetti has in store for them. If you haven't read the novella, Scorpius Rising, I highly suggest that you do. Ms. Zanettie does a great job at getting the reader caught up as to how everything went down, but I think that it will give you a more detailed understanding of the particulars of it all. 
 The Bottom Line: Great start to a new series and I can't wait to see what happens next! 
 ~ ARC provided by Kensington Books - Zebra via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review ~