There’s not enough peppermint schnapps to save me from what’s coming. In less than a year, my brother and I will freeze to death, unless we starve first. Experts have created biodomes, built tunnels, and rationed food and fuel to make the end more tolerable, for a bit.When Lon of planet Kaipra contacts me, claiming he has the key to our survival, I have to listen. He’ll help humans survive the … help humans survive the ice age, but at the ultimate cost—I must agree to leave my brother, my friends, and the entire planet I call home to travel across the galaxy with him.
Can I trust him?
What are his plans with me?
And do I even have a choice?
You’ll keep turning the pages of this apocalyptic alien novel, because it’s filled with action, adventure, and an across-the-galaxy romance.
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Books in the series:
Books in the Earth’s Only Hope Series:
Connecting (Prequel)
Departing (Book 1)
Surviving (Book 2)
Returning (Book 3): Coming Feb/Mar 2020
Note: Connecting was previously published in the Rogue Skies Boxed Set.
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Connecting was an interesting romance, a refreshing take on the alien romance trope.
When the entire Earth enters an ice age in a year’s time, there won’t be enough food or energy to sustain life. People have resigned themselves that the end of the world is almost upon them, and they will starve/freeze to death.
Until 20-year-old Jana is contacted telepathically by an alien named Lon. He claims that he can save Earth provided he receives something in exchange….Jana herself. She has no idea if his intentions are good, what he looks like–and going with him to who-knows-where means leaving her beloved 11-year-old brother and elderly grandmother (her parents were killed in a domestic terrorist attack).
Connecting is an interesting story, and it kept me guessing. Author Joynell Schultz threw out a red herring, which I totally fell for.
My one pet peeve with this story is that I wish the heroine had been older. The dystopian/post-apocalyptic genre leans toward YA/New Adult, but he person making the “save the world” decision should have been older. Although Jana generally acts mature, she IS still young, and as a result of her youth, a couple of times she said some ridiculous stuff.
For example: she was attending college online to become an engineer when her school shut down. When she has opportunity to visit some biodomes, she said, “working on such a project had been my life long focus, and now, my chest constricted with the realization that I’d never have the opportunity.” Life long focus? She’s 20! How long could she have been focused? Two years?
Or this:
“I had been alone for too long, and the thought of having a companion like Lon, who seemed to care about me, was what brought me warmth every time we communicated.”
Alone too long? Again, she’s 20. Most people don’t meet their spouses/partner by age 20. And she wasn’t alone! She had her grandmother and her brother AND there was bartender she’d dated who liked her a lot.
You can’t talk about having a life-long dream unless you’re at least 30. And that would be the minimum.
But, that’s just my gripe. It IS a great story, and I highly recommend the book.
This is a great story by Joy! Imagine earth’s only hope to survive is convicts to accompany aliens to try and find another planet where humans can survive. The kicker is of course the convicts are expendable so if something happens to them no big loss really except people on earth will freeze to death.
It’s an imaginary journey only a talented author like Joy could undertake and make it sooo believable!
I recommend this book to both young adult and adult readers of all ages for no one is to old to not enjoy a trip that is literally “out of this world”!!
This is the first book in a new series by Joy but I feel it will be a hit with readers of all ages who enjoy a good sci-fi story!
Why not come along for the ride as aliens and humans take off for the stars on a quest to save both species from oblivion!
Connecting” is a significant departure from the fantasy-based sweet paranormal romances that I best know Joynell Schultz for, but it is clear from the reading that Joynell Schultz can write in other genres than paranormal romance. This novella combines first contact, alien romance and a soon-to-be-apocalyptic world to produce a surprisingly sweet new-romance growing-up story that questions what it means to be human, to be morally strong, to be in love while fighting addiction and despair. “Connecting” is very different from Joynell Schultz’s usual work, but it appeals to those who want a deeper, more thought-provoking read than her usual. If you enjoyed the movie “Interstellar”, you ought to enjoy this read.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
A family-friendly apocalyptic tale of the coming sub-zero ice age and the only possible chance for survival. I read an ARC and this voluntary review is my own opinion.
Loved this book. A true sci-fi adventure. Hope there will be more about Jena and Lon and more stories to follow. This book is well worth your time, read it and you will agree.
Connecting by Joynell Schultz is a science-fiction/paranormal romance about a human named Jana who is trying to save Earth and ends up connecting with an alien in outer space. The story keeps a good pace and there are different relationships that Jana has to process how to handle. It’s her love for her younger brother that keeps her going. She has to be strong and keeps a brave face in a very trying time. One of her vices is turning to alcohol to numb her feelings. I’m a volunteer at a drug and alcohol rehab in South Africa and I think the author did a brilliant job with this aspect of the story. I don’t want to give too much away. One or two things that I thought were going to be weak points in the story turned out not to be, and there’s an interesting twist at the end. This is the prequel to Departing, which I also thoroughly enjoyed.
As with everything I’ve read by this author, I absolutely loved it and had a terribly difficult time putting it aside when I should have been going to sleep! It sucked me right in from the start; I immediately felt like I knew the characters and the world they lived in; I was invested in the outcomes of the plot and actively cared about the futures of the characters. I felt like I could empathize with both Jana and Lon – understanding their histories and the reality of what they were currently facing in this story. I had no trouble rooting for them, individually and as a couple. I am so happy about the way this chapter of Jana and Lon’s story has been wrapped up and I’m hopeful for Earth. Though I know Ms. Schultz has some twists and turns in store for us going forward, I’m excited to see what will happen with our planet and with Jana, Lon, Newton, Lila, … even with the president and the secret service agents.
Truly, I love everything I’ve read by Ms. Schultz and I’m constantly impressed by her creativity; she is somehow able to span multiple genres with unique plots and detailed world-building that consistently draw me in and keep me engrossed until the very end. In this case, this is a prequel to what I believe will be a trilogy; I am already completely hooked and can barely wait for the next installment!
One stand out story!
Really interesting in this is that the Alien is more humane than the humans.
Intense connections and separations between friends, family and beloveds – and lethal and obvious restrictions on resources- not as subtle as in contemporary times.
unique and uniquely appearing story, I read it on Kindle Unlimited. I also received an advance copy from Booksprout.
Loving it!
A Thought-Provoking Read
In a day and age where this sort of thing is ever-increasingly becoming a possibility, this book speaks of the what-ifs that become reality. The world as we know it is quickly coming to an end. What would you do to try to save the ones you love? A very nice intro to something people are already pondering. Great read!