Jolie du Pre

The third book in the “Benton” series by Jolie du Pré continues the adventures of Jennifer Benton and her friends, as they are trying to survive the zombie apocalypse. Moving from one place to another, hoping for some safety, is not how Jennifer envisioned her life, but she has no choice. Mark led their group to his family’s Texas ranch, but when they find it destroyed, they realize that the only choice they have is to look for a new shelter. Maybe they’ll be luckier next time. The show more fact that Jennifer and Mark are expecting a baby doesn’t help at all. They are happy together, and they truly want the best for their unborn child, but Jennifer is still not sure if a baby would be a curse or a blessing during the apocalypse.

Once again, Jolie du Pré proves she is a brilliant author when it comes to character development, building suspense, and creating action scenes that will leave readers gasping for air. New characters are introduced, and each of them plays an important role in Jennifer’s life, who has lost so many friends along the way. Mark befriends Todd, a survivor who convinces them to fly with him to his wealthy family’s home in Oklahoma. Jennifer and Mark both know there’s nothing left for them at Mark’s ranch, so they eventually accept. After all, what better choice do they have? What they don’t expect is for Todd’s house to be far worse than the zombies outside. Surprises seem to be waiting for them around every corner, and most of them are certainly not pleasant. They’ve been careful and took care of each other so far, but now Jennifer and Mark are even more aware failure is not an option. They will do whatever it takes to protect their child.

The third book in this amazing zombie series is just as exciting as the first two. Fast-paced action, a complex plot, characters readers can easily relate to – “Benton” has all the necessary ingredients to become a bestseller. Jennifer is one of the most powerful and determined heroines of the genre, and readers will root for her and hope she and her baby will find a way to survive the tragedy. Mark proves to be an amazing boyfriend, who is ready to sacrifice his own life to keep Jennifer and their child safe. Jolie du Pré’s writing is so good that readers will feel the tension, and fear for the lives of their favorite characters.

The third book in the “Benton” series will keep fans of zombie novels glued to its pages. They will have no time to breathe or think of anything else outside Jolie du Pré’s world. show less

ABR's original Benton 2 audiobook review and many others can be found at Audiobook Reviewer.

Benton: A zombie Novel Volume Two is a continuation of the Benton series written by Jolie Du Pre, and narrated by Angie Hickman.

If you’re just joining us now, the Benton books follow the main character Jennifer Benton; daughter of a survivalist who joins a ragtag group of teenagers who are heading south to Texas to find safety. Book two picks up with them heading in that direction and dealing with show more all the drama that comes with the end of the world via zombies, and being teenagers.

I enjoyed book one even with its YA feel and book two follows the same premise and design. The main characters Jennifer and her love interest Mark are the sole focus of the story, and to take that sentiment even further, their relationship becomes the central facet of the whole story. To be clear, this is a story less about the undead and survival, and more about falling in love and having sex in the apocalypse.

Some of the love scenes and sexual interactions felt more adult than YA to me, though a mature teenager would fare well with Du Pre’s writing. The action scenes are short and described simply, though with more dynamic wording than in the first book. I thought this was an improvement over the first title, and kudos for that.

Jennifer and Mark’s characters receive some solid development part two. The evolve into more real and believable people, and that makes the story feel more genuine. Tertiary characters felt thin in this entry, including the ‘threat’ to the relationship that is the core of the story.

I was disappointed in the length of the title. In audio it’s less than two hours long and on paper it’s 120-odd pages. This is at most a novella and really a short story and reads like the second part of a serial blog. That’s not criticism, it’s just a reflection of the story’s size. And, as you’d imagine with a serial story design and feel, the ending of Benton part two is fairly abrupt, and is absolutely a cliffhanger. If you’re invested in the story by this point, you won’t want to stop here. You’ll have to move on to the third installment.

Angie Hickman continues her narration well, bouncing between the different characters with ease and skill, making the story easy to follow. Her pace and cadence is pleasing and I’ll definitely listen to her other titles.

Overall I felt that the Benton series solidified its flavor solidly into the teenage romance genre with this installment, and if you’re into that kind of series, this is sure to entertain you. I personally prefer a more adult feel to my apocalypse, with a bit less sex so I’ll leave this title for the kids, and find something a bit more in that vein.

Audiobook provided for review by the author. show less

Set in modern-day small town Illinois, Jennifer Benton must first escape her house. Everyone she knows, including her family, have turned into zombies. She’s been holed up in her room for weeks, with her zombie mother right outside waiting for something living to cross her path. But escape she does and a chance encounter puts her in a closed garage with 7 other folks. Now, they must make a plan for the future as supplies won’t last forever, especially with winter coming on.

This is show more another fun addition to the zombie genre. Jennifer Benton is easy to connect with and isn’t a silly lass. In fact, she is quite practical and willing to add to her list of skills, zombie killing being at the top. She’s in her early 20s, so she’s past the silly teen stage yet still young enough to know how tender and encompassing love (or lust) can be. And with the handsome Mark around, there is definitely temptation.

While this book does has a romantic plot line to it, there is so much more going on. Primarily, it is a survival story. Can Benton trust everyone in their little group? Probably not, much to everyone’s woe. Then there are the roving bands of other humans to consider. And those pesky zombies. Since many of their group are locals, killing zombies is a bit emotionally draining as they were once friends or family. I am glad the author explored that aspect of it.

There is one sex scene and it is sweet. However, we’re shown how the man will be pleased, and only told how the woman was pleased after the fact. I would have liked a little more equality there as media in general tends to shy away from the female orgasm. I think we all know that more humans would benefit from some instructive fiction in how to obtain a female orgasm.

Overall, this was a great addition to the survival genre with focus on human interactions and trust. It steered away from the gory horror of zombies that many zombies books focus on.

Narration: Angie Hickman was a good choice for Jennifer Benton. She had a young woman’s voice but didn’t sound like a teen. Hickman also had distinct voices for both male and female characters. show less

It’s hard to imagine that zombies will ever lose popularity. Fans of YA/post-apocalyptic novels can never get enough of these horrible, mindless monsters, and good authors always find something new and unique to add to the genre. This is what Jolie du Pré managed in her newest novel, “Benton”. The first book in a series, “Benton” introduces the readers to a chaotic world where zombies have destroyed almost everything and are constantly growing in number.

Jennifer saw her parents show more die, but she didn’t have time to mourn them because she was too busy trying to escape the zombies. Once she is out of her house, she realizes that the town is overrun and she has nowhere to go. She is lucky to meet seven other young survivors who seem to have a plan: they are heading to Texas, where they hope to find shelter at a ranch. Mark is the one leading them. He believes that his family’s ranch may be their only chance at survival.

Soon, something more than friendship starts developing between Jennifer and Mark. Left alone in this world, Jennifer feels the need to trust the handsome and witty Mark with both her life and her heart. But the journey to Texas is dangerous, and there are great chances that they might not live long enough to act on what they feel for each other. The only way to reach their destination is to fight the zombies and kill as many as possible, as they are unable to avoid them.

Jolie du Pré is an incredible storyteller who knows how to build the suspense. Readers will turn the pages as fast as they can to find out what happens next, because “Benton” is one of those books that are very hard to put down. The plot is complex and intriguing, and the characters are very well developed. Readers will root for Jennifer from page one. She is a determined young woman who is ready to do whatever it takes to stay alive. It’s easy to relate to both her and Mark, and readers will want to see them together if they ever reach a safe place.

Find it on Amazon. show less