Review for A Hero Rising

Blurb:

After watching his love leave on a colony ship, James Wilfred must save those left behind from a planetary apocalypse. Their salvation lies in an unfinished ship tucked away in a secret government base, and only James can break in and pilot him and his people to freedom on a nearby space station.

Skye O’Connor’s boyfriend never returns after his gang attempts an assassination of the Governor, and the State Building is destroyed. Worse, crazed moonshiners addicted to the chemical Morpheus have stormed the city, and she must find a safe place for her and her boyfriend’s daughter. When a heroic man saves her, Skye asks to accompany him on his quest to find the last colony ship left on Earth.

As the city falls around them, James and Skye must work together to build a new future, all the while rediscovering their ability to love, before the apocalypse claims them both.

My review:

The Earth is breathing her last few breathes, and everyone must flee or die on the surface. Yet even in the chaos, there is still a glimmer of hope and love. James Wilfred just watched his love fly off into the stars, but he's determined to help those left behind to safety. He begins a mission to find an old colony ship to take his people to a new home on the moon. Fighting his way through the city, he saves Skye and the little girl under her care. With nowhere left to go, they join him on his search. The city is crawling with feral drug addicts called moonshiners and nothing seems to be in their favor. James and Skye refuse to give up. They cannot fail the hundreds of people depending on them nor can they abandon the spark of love growing between them.

A Hero Rising is action from start to finish. Aubrie Dionne paints a vivid picture of a civilization about to collapse in on itself. It's dark, gritty, and frighteningly possible. Humans are fleeing the planet in gigantic colony ships. Those remaining will be left to die in the nuclear aftermath or in the rotting hands of the moonshiners. It's a gripping, fast-paced plot. James is a strong and admirable character. You'll find yourself cheering him on from the beginning. Skye is a survivor. She lived a hard life, but her heart remains pure. Both James and Skye have lost someone, but they somehow find their hearts can still go on with each other. The most fascinating part of the book was the terrifying moonshiners. Monsters and moon myths. The drug, Morpheus, turns addicts into stuff of nightmares. It's great science-fiction romance with a nice dose of horror.

A Hero Rising by Aubrie Dionne is now available on Amazon, B&N, and Entangled Publishing.

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