Live or die, stay or go, the choice is meant to be easy… I can either board an alien spaceship with my fellow criminals or rot in prison on a dying Earth.The spacecraft’s captain, a handsome alien who looks remarkably human, has been visiting me in my dreams for over a year. He has given me the companionship I need during my time locked up in solitary confinement and the way he holds me in the … the way he holds me in the dark makes me forget the Earth is on the brink of extinction.
In the midst of another ice age, humanity will be wiped out soon, but the alien spacecraft gives hundreds of us another option. If I get on that ship, I have a chance at surviving.
And I’m a survivor.
Only a deadly disease is spreading among the aliens and has already wiped out three-quarters of their population. It appears to be a virus, but as the aliens continue dying despite all precautions, I begin to wonder if the disease is something else.
How do I keep the man I’ve fallen in love with safe?
And if he dies, along with the rest of his alien race, how will us humans manage a ship filled with unknown technology?
But if the disease also wipes out the humans on board, none of this will even matter.
Read this romantic apocalyptic alien adventure today!
Books in the Earth’s Only Hope Series:
Connecting (Prequel)
Departing (Book 1)
Surviving (Book 2): Pre-order today!
Returning (Book 3): Coming Feb/Mar 2020
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“Departing” Is An Another Great Installment In A Promising Series!
You’ll Want to Remember the Name Joynell Schultz, as Her Work Shouldn’t Be Missed!
WoW! If you haven’t Read anything from this Amazingly Talented Author, then you Really NEED to give Joynell a Chance. I Grow More & MORE impressed with Her Work, as I Read each Consecutive Book, & TRUST Me when I say that, THAT Doesn’t happen often!
As Earth is Dying a Space Ship lands…
And the Alien Race offers some of the Humans a WAY to Survive…
But it’ll mean “Departing” Earth, their HOME, their Families…
And leav’n IT ALL behind!
But by “Departing” Earth… They’ll have a Chance to live,
Which those that STAY may NOT for MUCH longer…
Unless Something Changes on Earth!
Sooo a group of Convicts are given the opportunity to GO…
And She’s Only taken after She’s nearly beaten to death!
As the Trip progresses, They learn “Departing” Earth is MORE of an Adventure than they planned for,
Cuz it’s gonna be one crazy Ride across the Galaxy!
I rarely give Coveted 5 STAR ratings; they’re saved for Books/Items that Outshine, Outclass, & Outperform their competition… They’ve gotta give me something MORE! Joynell Schultz’s won that Distinction for “Departing!” Kudos, Ms. Schultz, for your Stellar work!!!!
I was granted, via B00|{$P®0UT, an ARC of Joynell Schultz’s “Departing: A Thrilling Romantic Apocalyptic Series with Aliens (Earth’s Only Hope Book 1).” I recommend this book to others based upon its own merits. All opinions expressed within this review are uniquely my own & freely given!
Until next time… Happy Reading!
Wow! This was an unputdownable story! It gripped me from the beginning right through to the end! Nothing is as it seems and no one is perfect. Does love conquer all or will survival instincts have the last say?
Even though this is Book 1, there is a prequel novella called Connecting in the Rogue Skies collection. It’s also a good story with different main characters who get mentioned in Departing. There was a good stopping point in both the prequel and first book, but the adventures have only just begun! I can’t wait to read further!
I received an ARC. This is my honest and voluntary review.
Departing by Joynell Schultz is a wonderful story to read. This is book number one in this wonderful start to a brand new series that I have fallen in love with from the first page. I highly recommend this story to everyone who loves reading about Sci-Fi romance stories.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This is a departure for Joy to write in a sci-fi vein but she handled it beautifully! This book is all about second chances as convicts are sent to space with aliens to try and find a planet that humans can inhabit due to the earth entering a ice age.
It’s a new start for the convicts if they take it. The suspense builds throughout the book and both sides need to accept each other.
To me this book sums up our struggles in this life. We can let disillusionment and betrayal poison our minds that we think nothing but revenge or we can put it behind us and start anew. Aside from aliens it is the world we live in today.
Joy’s books are uplifting though some scenes can cause one to wonder at the pain one can subject another to. Unfortunately this is something that happens on a daily basis it seems.
It leaves a positive message though at the end of the first book in this series that if people will care enough they can make a difference!
I recommend this work to everyone who loves a thrilling page turning story! The plot is wonderfully thought out and the main characters shine through even though people are from different races. It’s hard to trust if that trust has been destroyed but it’s then that ones humanity comes to the surface irregardless whether you are an alien or a human.
Allow a full day for this intergalactic mystery and romance which starts off with Skylar Sorabella in solitary confinement. I had an ARC from Bookfunnel and this voluntary review is my own opinion.
A great exciting read filled with twists and turns and had me on the edge of my seat! A well written romantic apocalyptic alien adventure, fast paced and full of mystery!
Well written in a New Genre for this Author
This book is quite different from others by this author. The story surprised me several times, which I enjoy inv a story.
I received a free review copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Touches you emotionally with the characters. Can’t wait to read more.
This story is surprisingly in depth and the action is intense. The only problem with this story is I don’t like the humans in this story, including the heroine. The problem is they are all criminals that only care about themselves. The aliens are looking for a new home and the planet they seek is rumored to have their enemies aboard. They are using the humans because the weapon their enemy holds won’t effect human hearing. The plot is excellent, but I felt the author could have soften the relationship between the alien doctor and our heroine.
This is a story about how two people in dire situations find each other. The author has done a fantastic job with both world and character building. This is a brilliant story and I’m looking forward to book 2
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
A fast paced story the brought all the elements of a good science fiction story together. The main characters are well crafted and draw you into their dilemma. One living on a dying planet and the other looking for a place to call home for his people. You will enjoy the world building that was invoked in the story. A good and entertaining story.
Departing picks up from the prequel, Connecting, as the first book in the Earth’s Only Hope series. The story goes into the main male and female characters and how they learn to live and cope with one another in a struggle for survival. After Earth has lost all hope of surviving an Ice Age, some prisoners are allowed to go in exchange for helping Earth once the aliens are assured of survival themselves. A complicated mix of events that brings humans and aliens together in a fight for their lives. Excellent world and character building. The author has really pulled out all stops on this series! Well done!
Departing by Joynell Schultz is the first book in the Earth’s Only Hope series. In this book, Skylar is a prisoner in one of the few remaining prisons on planet Earth that is slowly freezing. Skylar sits in solitary confinement hiding from another prisoner who has threatened to kill her while the population of Earth expects the entire planet to freeze within less than a year. As she is in solitary she dreams of a man who comes to her only when she is asleep. Hope for survival comes when aliens come to Earth and offer to help humankind if they can get some humans to volunteer to go into space with them to help them with their plans to colonize another planet. Earth’s president offers the aliens the help they requested in the form of any prisoners who volunteer to go with the aliens. This is how Skylar volunteers for the mission and ends up on an alien spaceship bound far from Earth. This is the beginning of how one women prisoner named Skylar changes the lives of both the humans and aliens with the choices she makes. This book is an a fast paced story that is full of suspense and mystery. It also contains a surprising romance that builds between Skylar and one of the aliens. I really loved the strong willed main character Skylar and how she never gives up always working to turn every situation in her favor so that she can survive. If you are looking for a great book that is exciting with lots of twists and turns than this book is for you. Departing is an exciting space adventure with lots of mystery, suspense, and romance.
Betrayals and loyalties are very tangled in this series. A band of prisoners might turn out to be the next link in the chain to save Earth, or at least its inhabitants.
So many of those imprisoned we’re behind bars for theft of food or hoarding supplies. Some went to extremes to gain and hold onto what they thought they needed for survival.
What friendships, loves and loyalties might win the day – or lose it all?
Powerful KU read!
I received an advance copy from Booksprout. I read this book on Kindle Unlimited. I have read most of the recent books from this author on Kindle and Kindle Unlimited.
The guard Tate woke Skylar up to tell her she was getting out today! But all he meant was that she was getting out after a month of solitary to go back to her regular cell. She even got a new roommate – but it was Julia who woke screaming every night and ruined Skylar’s sleep, and it was dreams that gave her hope. Tate was the nicest of the guards, told her jokes and treated her fairly, so she hated the violence she was going to be using. Earth’s sun was dying, and they only had 6 months until it was all over for everyone.
Tate took her to the lunch area, while she dreaded every second, hoping she would not see Cheyenne who had fractured her skull previously and told her next time she would kill her. Not only was Cheyenne there, but Tate took her to a table near her. So Skylar attacked Tate in order to go back to solitary – and by the time she got out, maybe the world would have ended.
Now she could go back to her dreams, where she joined her love in the dark and traced his labyrinth tattoos on his shoulder. He loved her unconditionally. Although they never talked, putting their palms together they shared pieces of each other’s life. He was kind, determined, loyal, put the interests of others above himself, yet was filled with an inner strength. They only slept close to each other and experienced parts of each one’s life, but it never went further than that. Her cell door opened and a new female guard entered, startling her awake. Her guard told her about aliens who had landed, and offered to bring the TV so she could use her one hour TV time to get the news. But when she watched, she saw a man in a strange black military uniform that showed off a tattoo on his shoulder that she knew intimately! It was the same labyrinth, except it was gray instead of glowing orange. The freckles on his face and arms matched the ones she had seen in her love’s memory-sharing in her dreams! Her guard said he was the alien ship’s Captain Xaan of planet Vainov! Could her year-long imaginary dream relationship that gave her hope actually be REAL? But locked in prison, she had no way to find that out.
Finally, a week later, a press conference let her listen to his voice for the first time. He said they were crossing this galaxy to the next, but when a deadly virus spread around the ship, killing many crew and passengers, they ran low on resources. They hoped Earth would have supplies, but had been unaware of Earth’s grave situation. They were asking for 400 volunteers to join them heading to a new planet, then they would get what they needed to help Earth’s situation.
When Xaan joined her in her dreams 3 days later, she begged him to come get her and take her with him. But she felt his refusal! However, when her guard brought lunch to her, she said the U.S. President decided to send prisoners to help with the alien ships rather than risk volunteers. Would Skylar be chosen? Or would Xaan refuse to take her and risk her dying of the disease killing his people on the ship?
This was a wonderful story of a relationship that developed in dreams, away from the harsh reality of what was happening to the world outside. The story line was so well done, unfolding all the problems Skylar had to deal with yet the hope her alien gave her that she was loved. Their future is very uncertain. Will the aliens keep their promises of help? Will Skylar get her wish to join Xaan on the ship? And will the humans be safe from the unknown disease? Grab your copy and see if Skylar and Xaan will survive – and maybe find a future together?
Everything else by Joynell Schultz that I have read have been fantasy romances – paranormal, urban, epic. This is the first of a series of science fiction romances that she has written and I can definitely say that the charm and sweetness of her fantasy based romances have been successfully translated into the sci-fi genre, though with notably darker and deeper themes. Still, the author still creates captivating characters with intriguing personal flaws that interact in distinctly recognizable and relatable ways in settings that enhance her stories. Definitely a great read for young adults who like Robert Heinlein, Lester Del Rey and Honor Raconteur.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
WOW! I really thought this book was going to feature Jana and Lon from the prequel, Connecting, so I was surprised to start with a whole new cast of characters – so different in their histories from those in the prequel, yet with many of the same challenges and, of course, the same world issues. It never ceases to amaze me how Ms. Schultz is able to bring such imagination and creativity to her stories; to expand upon her worlds and develop such complex characters!
As with everything I have read by Ms. Schultz, in the Earth’s Only Hope series, she has developed a set of wonderful characters who are relatable, engaging and endearing. I love Skylar and Quaade; I love how they are imperfect and real and facing challenges and struggles – both internally and externally. On Earth, Skylar has found herself in prison, potentially living out her final days there, what with the progression of the freezing temperatures and the conflict with her fellow inmates. On his ship, after fleeing his dead planet, Quaade finds himself facing a possibly truncated lifespan due to the virus plaguing his people as they search for a new planet that would be compatible for them. Despite these grim circumstances, they find each other and manage to offer support and comfort… and to enable each other to grow and become who they are meant to be.
And, of course, there’s no shortage of world-building, drama and mystery – Ms. Schultz has an amazing way of blending genres and combining elements to create wonderful, fully engrossing stories. My only struggle now is waiting for the next installment – as so often is the case, I just can’t wait patiently for the next part! I SSSOOOO want to know what is going to happen!