Cruel Bloom: A Dark Post-Apocalyptic Romance

By Krista Drake

In the Purple Basin, flowers grow in irradiated kill zones. Their petals are both currency and medicine. Oh, and the price of harvesting them is measured in bodies.

I've spent two years running solo extractions into the deepest zones... the ones that keep leaching the color from my eyes and the sense from my head. My faction needs what I bring back. Nobody asks what it costs me to get it.

So when our leader brokers a deal with the enemy and tells me I'll be running a joint extraction into unmapped territory, I don't get a vote. That's bad enough. But then I find out they've paired me with a man I've spent two years hating across the trade routes.

Riddle is loud. He's cruel. And his mouth is a weapon he never stops firing.

When the adrenaline from nearly dying crashes into the worst decision of my life, I find out his mouth is just as precise on my body as it is in a fight. Every filthy word proves he's been studying me and cataloging every weakness.

Riddle has made it excruciatingly clear what I am to him: something to pin down, take apart, and walk away from when the extraction's over. But not his equal. Never that.

We'll see.

--

For readers who love:
- He falls first
- Rivals to lovers
- Kink that does emotional work
- Forced proximity in a kill zone
- Post-apocalyptic romance that doesn't soften the apocalypse

Cruel Bloom is a standalone dark post-apocalyptic romance with a guaranteed HEA, written in first person POV. Heat level: scorching. This is Book 1 of The Petal Trade series. Each book follows a different couple.

Perfect for fans of Rebecca Quinn and Laura Thalassa.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0GSZCTWCM
• ISBN13: 9798252576671
• Release Date: March 2026
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 206 Pages
• Weight: 0.46 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.0" x 8.0"