Before Scorpius, Damon Winter had made the SWAT team; now he just wants to survive and save his brothers -- the mercenaries who have banded together. Little does he know, now that the mercenaries are living with Jax Mercury's Vanguard, there will be a WINTER IGNITING and no one will ever expect such an explosion. Because now in Vanguard there is a reason to live.

April Snyder had lost everything to the pandemic but she is still a loving and caring person, she is, however, untrained as a spy and that is what is being asked of her. The Pure (a group with members who have never been infected by the virus) are hiding secrets and she and Damon are going undercover to find those secrets. Funny ... two people who least plan it come away with something totally unexpected.

The Vanguard, Mercenaries and the Pure are all trying to survive a virus that has killed most of the world's population; turned them into insane rippers (picture zombies); or turned them into super-strength psychos who do not have any self-control. No matter what these people have gone through there are still those who will not let them live in peace, they want something or, in one case, someone they have. These people have survived much, and they are not about to just lay down or give in.

WINTER IGNITING is to put it simply a testament to the amazing storytelling talent of author Rebecca Zanetti. She has the ability to pull her readers into the lives and loves of her characters until you believe they are real and you are right there with them. This is, indeed, April and Damon's story but the other characters are there living and working to make the best of this world. They become a couple for the op because neither had ever had the virus and the Pure want her to move into the "safety" of their "church." It is an interesting setup and the interest is there but because of the losses April had endured, she refuses to acknowledge that she just might feel something for him. Her innocence comes through in the beginning but as the story goes along she learns her strength and finds that sometimes fate hands you something that you don't want to do without. Damon is a strong man, a good strategist with a good heart who has also lost family, but as a former cop knows danger can cause broken hearts. The last thing he wants is to cause April any kind of pain.

Their story is good, wild and intriguing but to me it was all the other characters that really made the book. We get to watch all our favorite people who have been melded into this storyline so seamlessly move onto the next steps in this wild world. Jax, who as leader of the Vanguard can be completely stone-cold but when it comes to his people he softens, especially his Lynne; Raze Shadow and his Vinnie; Tace Justice and Sami, Greyson and Maureen, Atticus (who I was worried was killed last book), little Lena (a mute child of mystery) and Marcus and Dr. Penelope.

If you want an intriguing romance, a world gone crazy but with good people learning to live in hope, with action, camaraderie when men stop fighting each other and begin to work together then WINTER IGNITING is what you want. I can't wait for the next Scorpius Syndrome offering!