The Storm

Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both. - Benjamin Franklin

Veronica is just trying to remember what happened to her on November 3, 2020. She'd helped out at a polling place during the day, then was supposed to head down to the county elections office to canvass the mail-in ballots. The last thing anyone knows is that she was found unconscious in her own car, in her own neighborhood. The handsome police officer who responded to her incident that evening, Peter Maslanka, tries to help her jog her memory of that night. Meanwhile, the new President wastes no time in issuing executive orders that continue to choke the liberties of the American public, all in the name of "safety."

Safety from what? Initially from a virus. But then the President targets any group that doesn't - or can't - precisely adhere to his directives, and orders that they be branded. Veronica's sister Meg is in one of these groups.

Veronica and her family struggle to uphold their dignity and fight for their beliefs, but it seems as if coordinated efforts to subdue them are coming from every angle. She learns that Evil appears with a smile and a catchy tune, and soon, everything she knows is impacted by the President's orders, including her budding relationship with Peter. Will there be an end to the tyranny? And can love take hold when so much is stacked against it?

The Storm is the second book in The Branded Series. The social fear and persecution that the Dejak family endured in The Calm persists, and the family must step through their previous political slumber to push back against tyranny and stand up for what is right.