Reviewed by Becca
TITLE: Two Divided by Zero
SERIES: Zero Rising #2 (part of Kickass Anthology)
AUTHOR: Jackie Keswick
PUBLISHER: self-published
LENGTH: 174 pages
RELEASE DATE: October 20, 2019
BLURB:
A mistake. A drastic fix. And the person most hurt by Jack’s choice turns out to be… Jack.
Five years after joining the army, Jack is back on civvy street and struggling to find his feet.
He knows he’s made the wrong choice. He knows he needs to move on. But how can he choose a new direction when he feels so lost?
Jack asks advice from friends and strangers, but he won’t find his lifeline until he remembers who he is, what he stands for, and what first Rio and then Gareth have taught him.
REVIEW:
Having read the Power of Zero series, which features Gareth and Jack in later years, it’s nice to come back to see some of the beginning. I knew some of the story from the other series, but this gives you a little more detail into Jack’s background and how he floundered before he ended up with Gareth and where he works now.
When Jack left the military, it’s not that he wanted to. He felt he needed to. And no one told him he had to go, but the guilt of getting his CO Gareth shot, is eating him to his core. And he feels like he let Gareth down, even though he didn’t. He feels like he failed. But now without the military, he’s floundering. He’s restless and edgy. He can’t sleep, which we all know isn’t unusual for him. But it’s becoming too much. To try to stop the restlessness, he took his landlady’s advice and did busy work. Which involved him repainting her place and the main hallway and all kinds of stuff. But it wasn’t until he started working back with Rio on some jobs, that he felt more at peace. School was boring to him but he was seeing it through. But working for a purpose and helping people with that purpose, has finally calmed him down a bit. But until he finally comes to terms with everything and himself, he may flounder for a while longer. He just has to remind himself what he’s learned from his two mentors and what life has really taught him.
Jack’s life has been hell on earth. And with the Power of Zero series, it just seems to get worse and worse. But reading this book, reminded me what he had been through before all that started and how he got to the condition he was in by the time he joined back up with Gareth. It still breaks my heart. I think what gets me every time with Jack, is his lack of faith in himself. And it’s funny because in this book, that comment was made to him. He’s so damn smart and talented, even if it is illegal. The stuff he helps with topples some very bad organizations. The military helped him find a family and gave him more skills he can use in life. But it took a bully and someone working in a church to make him see his own worth. And worthy he is. He pushes himself too hard and too far, but for him, the justice that he’s bringing is what makes the sleepless nights worth the trouble. And that is worth. That is compassion, that is someone with a good set of morals and a good compass. Even when he’s messed up in his own head.
I’ve loved Jack from the minute I read him on the first page. And I haven’t stopped. He’s a very important character to me and I will never stop being happy to read more about him,
RATING: 
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