GATED by Amy Christine Parker

Lyla and her parents started life over when they joined the Community.  Recruited by the group's leader, Pioneer, after the disappearance of their older daughter,  Lyla's parents hoped to find peace in the gated neighborhood located in a rural area outside the city.  Losing her sister completely changed Lyla's parents and left her with overwhelming feelings of guilt.

Recently, promised to a young man in the Community, Lyla is preparing for what Pioneer predicts will be the end of the world.  She was happy to be betrothed to someone she considers to be her best friend.  It will certainly make living in the Silo for the next five years a bit easier.  According to Pioneer, there are only a few months left before the world outside their inner circle will be destroyed requiring their chosen few to enter the underground safety of the Silo where they will remain until it is deemed safe by the Brethren to return to the surface.

All is well until a visitor from the outside comes to the Community.  His name is Cody, and Lyla is asked by Pioneer to give the young man a tour while he has a meeting with Cody's father.  Lyla is immediately drawn to the handsome young man, and it appears that he feels the same.  After he leaves, she is barely able to focus on the tasks required to prepare for the coming Armageddon.  Will she have a chance to see Cody again before the world ends?  Why did meeting and talking with him lead to so many questions about Pioneer and his belief that only those in the Community were chosen to survive the mass destruction?

GATED by Amy Christine Parker is an intense tale of a cult-like group convinced by a persuasive leader that their isolated life will guarantee their survival.  Readers will learn to just what extent Pioneer's power and mind control will influence Lyla's parents and friends.  I will definitely be picking up a copy of ASTRAY, the sequel in the GATED series.