Maya Rising by Melissa Roen is volume two in the Last Call for Caviar series. I would list the genre as a mash of dystopian, science fiction and action/adventure genres. The book continues to follow the character from the first installment in the series, Maya Jade, an American whose journey has now taken her to southern France. Maya and her lover Julian are attempting to stay one step ahead of the global disaster that has overtaken the world. Famine, disease, natural disasters and more are destroying the planet, rendering it a dangerous world, one where people have to fight tooth-and-nail just to survive. Maya and Julian become separated and Maya stops at nothing trying to track him down, no matter what dangerous path she must take.

I thought Maya Rising was an entertaining read. Roen does a nice job describing this new world as well as all the danger and destruction befalling it. I thought Maya was a very likable character, although she was not without flaws. She has had to adapt quickly to this new world in order to survive. Her cushy past lifestyle is but a distant memory and I think she has grown as a character into someone who not only survives but thrives in this new world. Roen also does a good job keeping the action, plot and storyline moving forward; I didn't feel there was a lot of filler or unnecessary information. I would recommend Maya Rising (as well as volume one in the series) to all fans of dystopian, science fiction, action and adventure genre reads!

Melissa Roen’s Maya Rising (Last Call for Caviar) (Volume 2) is a dystopian tale that starts off where the first book ended, with Maya living a pampered lifestyle in the French Riviera. Now Maya is traveling through the French Alps. She’s momentarily reunited with the love of her life, Julian, only to lose contact with him again. To help in her search for Julian, she hires two Frenchmen to guide her through the dangerous maze of militants, slave traders, and warlords. She comes face to face with Abdul, a dark and engaging ex-lover that had always cast a spell over Maya. But Maya is on a mission now, and that mission involves Julian. She’s a different girl from who she was when she started on this journey, and she isn’t about give up just because the world has gone crazy around her.

I really enjoyed Maya Rising. Roen did a fantastic job of creating a scary world that is all too plausible in its reality. Maya is a kick-butt kind of heroine that a lot of readers will get behind, and they will love her cunning and street smarts, and her strong sense of loyalty to friends and family. I just felt like everything was always against her and it made me root for her all the more! I wanted her to get the happiness that she deserved and for things to work out for her. That level of empathy for a character is remarkable and makes me applaud Roen for a fine job of making her characters come to life.