The life Cora knew is gone, and she struggles to fit in her new home and life.

Jocale is a romance in a dystopian/post-apocalyptic setting. I hope you all been enjoying my blogs, please feel free to comment on my post or click on my PayPal tab and donate money to me to ensure, support, and motivate me to keep writing a post for all of you to read. 

Cora Horton was born to serve Eden. She’s one of the hundreds of women created for that purpose, and after four years of grueling training as one of the elite Jocale soldiers, she intends to serve Eden well when she joins the military of the parent community of Meridian. But a new assignment near the end of her training changes everything for Cora. She shifts from a warrior gifted with empathic abilities to the promised wife of a Meridian general overnight, robbing her of all she has worked for. 

Silas Abernathy is the Commissioner of the Alliance Community of Spero and the leader of the hunting party that rescues Cora after she makes a daring escape from Meridian. He is strong, commanding, and committed to his responsibilities, which include raising his siblings after the deaths of his parents. But Silas can’t deny his attraction to Cora for long. She’s tough, independent, and determined, all qualities that jointly frustrate and arouse him.

Cora Horton was bred to serve Eden at fourteen the girls are assigned to one of three groups, those who will breed, some who will receive training in how to become wives or mistresses for the men of Meridian. Cora is chosen to become a soldier. After almost completing her four years of training in the elite Jocale unit, a squad of soldiers gifted with empathic abilities. Cora is removed and told to report to Sardonyx house, unhappy at this turn of events, but with no choice but to follow orders. Cora now finds herself on a crash course in becoming a wife. One of Meridian's generals has spotted Cora and wants to marry her. Upon arrival in Meridian Cora meets General McCord, they marry immediately. He hands her over to his manservant, to escort her to his home. But when they arrive a strange woman attacks the general's man and helps Cora escape.

Another girl called Sidley is to leave with Cora. After a difficult journey, they eventually leave Meridian's borders. But being attacked by a group of men. Cora fights back but knows she cannot win against so many. But they are suddenly rescued by another group, injured Cora and Sidley are cared for by these other men. Their leader Silas Abernathy is the commissioner for Spero, which is part of the alliance. The alliance is made up of various communities. Who live side by side, working and trading with one another. A completely different life to the one Cora has known. As Cora adjusts to her new life, she and Silas are attracted to one another, but Silas cannot make room for any personal relationships in his life he has too many responsibilities. Silas has to support and take care of his ailing grandmother and his younger brothers and sister. She starts out helping in the kitchen preparing food but her real calling of course is to be a soldier.

Silas eventually lets her spar and train with the male soldiers and soon enough over time he grants her the right to command her own group of soldiers the swordsman. His teams work harder than the rest and respect her the most. She drives her men to be the best. A few men in the village vie for her attention and affection they are attracted to this girl from Eden, but she only has eyes for Silas. Cora goes to Litchfield several times with Silas and a few without him for supplies. She meets Liliane a woman who sings in a bar who sleeps with Silas once and still wants him. Cora also has an audience with the council telling them all about Eden and Meridian. One asks her about Jocale but she pretends not to know anything about it. Jocale is extra training the soldiers get that allows them to read people's emotions and have visions. Cora tells Silas of her decision to use her training as a soldier to help free the women of Eden so that they do not have to be forced to serve the people of Meridian and be able to live normal lives like she is now able to do. Cora's friend Sid who escapes Meridian with her learns to adapt to her new life as well and gets the attention of a few guys too. She ends up dating a farmer named Andy who she falls in love with.

Silas has to leave Spero for a while to do some undercover work in Muskogee to see if they are working with Meridian. He is gone for over a month and Cora gets upset and angry and misses him like crazy because she has to fall in love with this man. She gets so overwhelmed that when she goes with Heath to Litchfield to get supplies she allows him to kiss her even though she has no romantic feelings for him. She also started teaching a few women in the village how to fight so they don't feel so helpless. While he is gone Spero gets attacked and 11 people die in the village die including one woman named Claire. Silas fights very hard to keep his feelings for Cora in check, but it is hard for him since is already falling for her. 

Finally, Silas shows up as the fight is over and kills the leader of the group but doesn't speak to Cora for awhile. Heath comes up to Cora and proposes marriage, but she tells him no and runs away to her house. Silas finds her in the shed one day and takes advantage of her and they have sex but after it, he ignores him and tries to keep his distance not wanting to get more attached to her. Cora calls him out on it one day saying he broke her heart and she can't take his yo-yo emotions toward her being hot one minute and cold the next. Silas says he can't have a normal relationship with her because he busy with other responsibilities and he says all women want to get married and have kids, but since Cora never had an option for that before she says she does not want to be married and own by a man. Andy asks Sid to marry him soon after the attack and she says yes and she thinks she is pregnant.

Silas is not happy to hear that Cora has started training women without his approval, but soon he realized they exhausted their recruit pool of healthy young men and agree to take on some women. He takes Cora to the annual Grand Ball where she meets and dances with all the other Alliance commissioners. Cora tells Silas she scared because her period is late and she might be pregnant, and he says he loves her and not to be scared that it will be okay. After Silas leaves for a trip to Litchfield.
Several events happen after that night back in Spero. 

Cora and Sid get kidnapped by the Muskogee commissioner Philip Tracer to take them back to Meridian for the reward placed on their heads. Silas and his friends are able to rescue them after trailing the group for a few days and she kills Tracer. She asks Silas not to kill Will one of Tracer men because he was helping the girls and he finally remembers him from Muskogee. Silas realizes how he almost lost her and wants her in his life more than ever, but neither of them knows about relationships and how to balance it with their other duties to the village and the alliance. But they finally decide they might want to get married and have kids after all just not too soon. Cora and Sid talk about how they still fear scared and having a hard time dealing with what happened to them.

Silas later finds out she has to go to Litchfield to vote on to remove Muskogee out of the Alliance and he decides to give the job of Commissioner to John Barton because he can't handle that job along with being the commander of their military. He also tells her some important news about the Alliance having people undercover in Meridian and he was able to find out the names of her parents Henry and Alana Ruby. Then Cora found out some secret news from Silas's grandmother Ruthie. She tells Cora that she use to live in Eden and is a jocale too and Cora relays that information to Silas and felt betrayed by Ruthie, but she did it to protect herself and her family. The book ends with Silas saying "You're a part of me now. I always thought I was stronger alone, but I've never felt stronger than I do with you. I know we can do anything together."

I really liked this book it was different than some of the other dystopian books I have read. The whole concept of Eden was fascinating but totally wrong to treat girls like they are property of the state and tell them what they can and can't do and have no say so in their lives. Forcing girls to marry a man has gone on in the world for 1,000s of years I think in this day and age there is totally no need for that kind of treatment to women. This book intrigued me and made me think outside the box on some things. But, also this book was a bit vague about certain things like why were the people of Eden and Meridian separate from Alliance what let up to these divisions, and what truly is the Alliance. I hope to read the next book if there is another one to continue the journey.