Review: Countdown by Michelle Rowen

Countdown by Michelle Rowen
Publisher: Harlequin Teen Australia
Publication date: October 1st, 2013
Number of pages: 325 pgs
Format: Paperback
Purchase: Amazon | The Book Depository | Bookworld Australia


2 pawns thrown into a brutal underground reality game. 

Kira Jordan survived her family's murder and months on plague-devastated city streets with hard-won savvy and a low-level psi ability. She figures she can handle anything. Until she wakes up in a barren room, chained next to the notorious Rogan Ellis.

1 reason Kira will never, ever trust Rogan. Even though both their lives depend on it.

Their every move is controlled and televised for a vicious exclusive audience. And as Kira's psi skill unexpectedly grows and Rogan's secrets prove evermore deadly, Kira's only chance of survival is to risk trusting him as much as her instincts. Even if that means running head-on into the one trap she can't escape.

Game Over.

Kira Jordan lives in a world where most of earth has been wiped out due to a virus killing 60% of the population. Those that did survive left and moved on to other places, and the cities became abandonded with barely no life left. A special place was then opened up with the best kind of life possible. You could have the perfect life, but only if you are chosen, or have enough money or/and connections to be able to get there.
This is something Kira has always wanted, but never has yet to be able to achieve. After her family was murdered a few years ago, and instead of being forced into foster care, she has chosen life on the streets. She has to use her looks to get what she wants, whatever they may be, and it worked... until one day, she woke up in a cell beside infamous Rogan Ellis.

The two of them find themselves in the middle of a do or die game. To get from one level to another, and if you manage to succeed and win, you just may get something you have always craved for.
In order to win, Kira knows she has to trust Rogan enough to help them survive throughout the levels, with the clock ticking down, it's now or never.

I really loved Kira. She had street smarts after being alone for so long. She has learned to be able to take care of herself after the deaths of her parents. She is rough, resourceful, yet honest, caring and vulnerable. She is also human, so she tends to get scared and not as brave on the inside as she may claim, and while that might be a flaw, I just think it's only natural and makes her human.
The things she had to go through ---  I'm not sure if I could have survived it, but she did. She has never given up no matter how much the past few years has taken a toll.

Rogan I also liked from the get go.  He has those bad boy looks with secrets hidden away. He also has been through many things over the past few years. While he may come from a rich family, not everything is as it seems at first, especially when you begin to understand him fully.
Rogan is just as broken, as been through just as much as Kira, and the two of them make a great pair, together and separate.
I loved seeing them interact. There is some chemistry between them that is noticable instantly, but Kira doesn't trust him, not properly at first, and with good reason. But even there are things either of them don't quite understand in the beginning.
Secrets come to light, layers get pulled back and reveal so much about Rogan, and also about Kira that just make them even more great characters.

Countdown is a suspenseful and exciting story, I couldn't turn the pages fast enough to see what was going to happen next.
With a mystery, family values, secrets and twist, this was a fabulous story.
I loved every part of this book. One of my favourite reads this year.  I urge you to pick this up and check it out for yourself.

This is a stand alone, but it was also sad to say goodbye to these two characters.

Thanks to Harlequin Australia for allowing me this book for an honest review.

5 Stars