Tag: Aaron Ryan

Monthly Features – August

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Dissonance: Volume Zero: Revelation by Aaron Ryan

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

Synopsis:  One day, they silently drifted down through our skies. We thought they were angelic messengers. We were wrong.

They arrived by the hundreds of thousands on June 6th, 2026. The aliens silently drifted down from the sky, hovering fifty feet above us for three long, tense months at a geostationary orbit, taking up positions around the world. No one knew why they came…what they wanted…or why they wouldn’t just go away.

Then, the unthinkable happened. They suddenly came to life…and hunted us down. We ended up calling them gorgons – after the mythical creature Medusa – because if we locked eyes with them, it was all over, and they could telepathically paralyze us with just one look. Once immobilized, they could consume us at their leisure, leaving us to feel every excruciating bite. There was no escape, no hiding from their relentless pursuit. Our only defense was to run.

By the end of 2026, eighty-five percent of mankind had been killed off. The alien invasion turned Planet Earth into a ghost town, with the few survivors eking out an existence in the shadows. Andrew Shipley is one such survivor thrust into an extraordinary nightmare of post-apocalyptic proportions. As chaos erupts, hope dwindles for Andrew and his wife and three small children. Will they make it? Or will the gorgons get them too?

Summary: Overall, this was arguably my favorite so far in the series perhaps because of the light that it sheds on the events that take place in the rest of the series. I found myself laughing at some parts and with tears in my eyes at others. Ryan does an excellent job at evoking emotion and keeping readers engaged throughout this book. If you are a fan of science fiction, dystopian worlds, aliens, action, adventure, thrills, and reading about what it means to be human, then this book could be for you.

See the full review here: Dissonance: Volume Zero: Revelation
Purchase here

 

Post Traumatic Growth by Jesse Hewitt

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

Synopsis: This book is an account of the journey following encounters of trauma and taking steps towards personal growth. I served in the Canadian Armed Forces for 12 years, with 5 years serving as a Close Protection Operator undertaking multiple operations in high-conflict environments – both domestically and overseas. Having completed there missions, I witnessed first-hand the damages of war and having experienced the consequences of combat.

This is a tale of a torment and tribulation but is also the story of reparation and recovery. A story of surviving trauma and overcoming the wounds war inflicted upon my mind. Within this book, you will read about these traumas. Personal crises and living in a state of mind that is unwell will be shared. The approach to conquering my personal mental health struggles was multi-faceted, and details of this journey will be disclosed in order to hopefully empower others to take the first steps in their own recovery. Things such as various treatment styles, inter-personal connections and the accidental introduction to Equine Therapy were all supports to becoming a healthier me.

It is my hope that through sharing the intricacies of what I faced and how I committed to treatment to find meaning, purpose, and strength once again, will help others rediscover their own fortitude, resilience, and resolve as they endeavor into the emotional trenches of recovery and emerge healthier, happier, and having taken their own steps towards Post Traumatic Growth.

Summary: Overall, if you are interested in inspiring, real life stories about overcoming mental health challenges especially as it relates to PTSD, depression, substance abuse disorders, and eating disorders, then this book could be for you. 

See the full review here: Post Traumatic Growth
Purchase here

 

The Voided Man by Anthony Dean

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

Synopsis: There are great deserts in space. Matter is not spread evenly. On average it balances out in all directions, but some regions are not average. For every dense cluster of galaxies in one place, there is a tremendous void somewhere else. There are no galaxies within the voids, no stars, no planets, and no moons. Scientists have theorized that anyone at the center of such an empty space would see only darkness in every direction. Even the brightest objects, they say, would be too far distant to be visible to the naked eye.

I got a chance to test that theory firsthand. I am the most distant exile in human history.

My name is Prisoner Number One. This is my story.

Summary: Overall, I went into this almost completely blind and was pleasantly surprised with this one. This is a great example of going outside of your comfort zone and managing to find some diamonds in the rough. I would recommend this to anyone who is a fan of quirky science fiction stories that feature romance and touch on what it means to be human. 

See the full review here: The Voided Man
Purchase here

 

The Gemini Project by Ian Moran

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

Synopsis: Jan Ericson spends his days on the campus of the Corpo Academy participating in sports and playing games. The Academy has never formally taught Jan, or any of its 42 students, to read or write. Jan looks forward to moving to New London, where he will live with his father and start his career. That day will be his 18th birthday after a celebration known as the renaissance.

Dr. William Osler works at the Academy and considers himself an amateur philosopher and would-be comedian. He befriends Jan and sees the boy’s keen desire to learn. Quietly in the background, the doctor teaches his student to read. Dr. Osler knows that the 17-year-old boy will die, the same way his older brother died, in less than two weeks. However, addicted to a designer drug, the doctor is constantly high as he tries to fight his own demons.

Tre Ericson is Jan’s father. He sees his son four times a year but feels no love for him. While desperately trying to please his father, Jan discovers a tunnel that runs under the school. The tunnel contains a dark secret, which initiates a chain of events that might save Jan’s life!

The Gemini Project is must-read coming-of-age novel that deals with a dystopian future and the world of neurology. The story of Jan Ericson will take you to unpredictable places in a battle of life and death

Summary: Overall, I found this to be an intriguing and thought provoking science fiction thriller set in a dystopian world and would recommend to anyone interested in sci-fi, dystopian worlds, thrillers, suspense, mystery, and philosophical dilemmas.

See the full review here: The Gemini Project
Purchase here

 

Claimed by a Cowboy by Melody Carson

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

Synopsis: I HATE SURPRISES.
Even a surprise that comes with designer heels and killer curves.
What I needed at the end of a long day in the saddle was a cold brew – not a hot tempered reporter who was intent on getting on my last nerve.
Worse, Madison was asking too many questions and getting too close to the truth. Too close to me.

My real identity as heir to the billion dollar Rising Star Ranch was at stake, and I had to keep Madison at arms length.

Until that first unforgettable kiss.

Now, I’m wondering how I can, not only keep Madison at Rising Star Ranch, but also protect her and claim her as my own.

Summary: Overall, if you like cowboy romances full of enemies-to-lovers troupes, mystery, suspense, a bit of danger, and a cowboy saving the day, then this book could be for you!

See the full review here: Claimed by a Cowboy
Purchase here

 

 

Review: Dissonance: Volume Zero: Revelation by Aaron Ryan

~ likelystory18 ~ 3 Comments

Synopsis:

One day, they silently drifted down through our skies. We thought they were angelic messengers. We were wrong.

They arrived by the hundreds of thousands on June 6th, 2026. The aliens silently drifted down from the sky, hovering fifty feet above us for three long, tense months at a geostationary orbit, taking up positions around the world. No one knew why they came…what they wanted…or why they wouldn’t just go away.

Then, the unthinkable happened. They suddenly came to life…and hunted us down. We ended up calling them gorgons – after the mythical creature Medusa – because if we locked eyes with them, it was all over, and they could telepathically paralyze us with just one look. Once immobilized, they could consume us at their leisure, leaving us to feel every excruciating bite. There was no escape, no hiding from their relentless pursuit. Our only defense was to run.

By the end of 2026, eighty-five percent of mankind had been killed off. The alien invasion turned Planet Earth into a ghost town, with the few survivors eking out an existence in the shadows. Andrew Shipley is one such survivor thrust into an extraordinary nightmare of post-apocalyptic proportions. As chaos erupts, hope dwindles for Andrew and his wife and three small children. Will they make it? Or will the gorgons get them too?

Favorite Lines:

“We love you higher than the tallest tree…I love you faster than a hummingbird can flap his wings.”

“Dad, was that the Pope?”

“I bet him ten  bucks you were so old you wouldn’t be able to remember any more dad jokes.”

My Opinion:

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

I have read and reviewed Volumes I and II of the Dissonance Alien Invasion Saga and was really excited to read this prequel to see how it all began. This story follows Andrew Shipley, the main character we have been reading about in the rest of the series’ father, and details the start of the invasion 16 years prior to the events that we read about in rest of the series. We get to see how the world was before June 6th, 2026 and what kickstarts mankind’s fight for survival in the years to follow.

This book, and the entire series, can be compared to “Alien meets A Quiet Place” and is told in a unique and creative storytelling voice. Ryan does a great job at painting a world that is entirely realistic and full of events that could happen to us at anytime (assuming life exists outside of Earth). This book is the origin story that answers a lot of questions posed in the rest of the sage: What happened in 2026? How did most of mankind get wiped out? How did our protagonist become who we see later in the series? And much more. We get to see Andrew Shipley’s relationship with his family including Cameron (Jet), who we follow along with in the rest of the series . 

This prequel sheds light on quite a lot of this series and brings new meaning to what takes place in the rest of the series. I found myself engrossed in the story and having a lot of “aha” moments throughout. As with the rest of the series, this book explores the ethical dilemmas and moral costs of survival. It illuminates what it is truly like to be a human being and both the relationships and experiences that make us who we are. 

Summary:

Overall, this was arguably my favorite so far in the series perhaps because of the light that it sheds on the events that take place in the rest of the series. I found myself laughing at some parts and with tears in my eyes at others. Ryan does an excellent job at evoking emotion and keeping readers engaged throughout this book. If you are a fan of science fiction, dystopian worlds, aliens, action, adventure, thrills, and reading about what it means to be human, then this book could be for you. Happy reading!

Check out Dissonance: Volume Zero: Revelation here!

 

Monthly Features – April

~ likelystory18 ~ 2 Comments

The Woman Who Belonged to Stone by A.M. Burke

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

Synopsis: In the lands of Iridium magic teeters on the edge of extinction, each crumbling rune marking a tragic loss. With chaos looming, the king takes one last drastic step: outlawing magic.

Rowan used it as a golden opportunity to secure her family’s prosperity. Claiming the power, her father denied her. But, like a flickering flame, her carefully constructed plans crumble when news of her husband’s oncoming return begins to spread. Suddenly, she finds herself facing a treacherous web of diminished loyalties and a deadly threat that sets sights on her life.

Meanwhile, Noctis Telum, shattered by the prohibition, has spent years painstakingly rebuilding his shattered existence. His magic, once his lifeblood, has been cruelly denied, scattering his loved ones across the realm. Yet, with the unexpected death of his oldest friend and the enigmatic return of Delilah, Noctis must accept it’s time to reclaim his purpose and confront the ghosts of his past.

In a realm teetering on the edge of darkness, where fates intertwine amidst a world deprived of enchantment, the stage is set for redemption, treachery, and unyielding determination. Explore the depths of mysticism and discover the key to unlocking the secrets that could save a fractured world.

Summary: Overall, I am excited to see where this series goes next! If you’re a fan of fantasy, adventure, action, mystery, and magic then this book could be for you.

See the full review here: The Woman Who Belonged to Stone
Purchase here

 

Dissonance: Volume II: Reckoning by Aaron Ryan

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

Synopsis: Sergeant Cameron “Jet” Shipley lost everyone to the gorgons and has lost faith in the integrity of his own Command. But Cameron’s loss didn’t stop there. In a world rife with apocalyptic danger, it has become painfully apparent that humanity is still, even in the very throes of annihilation, at war with itself.

Finding himself a prisoner and eventual outlaw at the hands of those whom he once trusted most, Cameron must put his fate in the hands of his trusted confidants Lieutenant Allison Trudy, Private Liam “Fox” Mayfield, and Sergeant Joseph Bassett once more, endangering their very lives and freedom, as they and others come to his aid to join in the inevitable revolt against those in power who fail to see the truth: power corrupts, even on the very brink of extinction.

Shipley and his team must race against time to find compatriots who share their views, amassing support against the true foe. All the while, they must evade a merciless alien species that will not stop until the earth’s resources are drained dry, reducing it to a barren wasteland. In their quest for truth, they must remember one simple tenet as it pertains to the gorgons:

“One look, and it’s all over.”

Summary: Overall, if you like science fiction, aliens, the battle of good vs. evil, dystopian worlds, action, and adventure, then this book could be for you! 

See the full review here: Dissonance: Volume II: Reckoning
Purchase here

 

Review: Dissonance: Volume II: Reckoning by Aaron Ryan

~ likelystory18 ~ 2 Comments

Synopsis:

Bestselling author Aaron Ryan continues the epic journey begun in Volume I in an increasingly tense post-apocalyptic landscape, set amidst a gritty, attainable future Earth in this alien invasion thriller series.

Sergeant Cameron “Jet” Shipley lost everyone to the gorgons and has lost faith in the integrity of his own Command. But Cameron’s loss didn’t stop there. In a world rife with apocalyptic danger, it has become painfully apparent that humanity is still, even in the very throes of annihilation, at war with itself.

Finding himself a prisoner and eventual outlaw at the hands of those whom he once trusted most, Cameron must put his fate in the hands of his trusted confidants Lieutenant Allison Trudy, Private Liam “Fox” Mayfield, and Sergeant Joseph Bassett once more, endangering their very lives and freedom, as they and others come to his aid to join in the inevitable revolt against those in power who fail to see the truth: power corrupts, even on the very brink of extinction.

Shipley and his team must race against time to find compatriots who share their views, amassing support against the true foe. All the while, they must evade a merciless alien species that will not stop until the earth’s resources are drained dry, reducing it to a barren wasteland. In their quest for truth, they must remember one simple tenet as it pertains to the gorgons:

“One look, and it’s all over.”

Favorite Lines:

“Oh, how I would love to call you something else.”

“My last big conversation with Ally was about justice versus revenge. Was there really any difference?”

“Revenge never leads to receiving. Revenge only ever leads to dead-ends.”

My Opinion:

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

I had the pleasure of reviewing Ryan’s first book in this series Dissonance: Volume I:  Reality and this book picks up where the last left off which is great because it was a plot twist that I needed answers for! Sergeant Cameron “Jet” Shipley finds himself prisoner and outlaw to those he once considered to be his family. He now has to fight for his freedom and against his previously trusted Command to enlighten those that he can of the real truth: that the aliens might not be the worst thing on Earth. There are those that seek power above all and it just so happens that they are entirely  human.

This book continues to carry on a creative and well written story. Just like the first book in this series, I found myself on the edge of my seat and I loved the additional plot aspect that was introduced at the end of the last book – that sometimes humans can be our own worst enemy. So now we have aliens, people corrupt from power, and those that are just trying to survive and usher in a better world for the future. I loved it! This is book two out of three and I am of course excited to see how Ryan wraps it all up in the last book!

I feel that it is my duty to warn readers, without any spoilers, that no one is safe in this series. I should have known after book one but I didn’t take it to heart when I should have. Think Game of Thrones.

Summary:

Overall, if you like science fiction, aliens, the battle of good vs. evil, dystopian worlds, action, and adventure, then this book could be for you! Happy reading!

Dissonance: Volume II: Reckoning