A Post-Apocalyptic Thriller (The SHTF Series Book 1)

Hate Olivia, but can't love everyone. Over all great read for this type of books. Not a I'm a prepper and know everything, more of a learning and realization everything isnt perfect and going to go your way book.

As another reviewer commented the cover caught my attention and the content satisfied me fully. A nice twist to the prepper genre involving female characters rather than a bunch of Rambo's. Reading this book with what's in the news right now makes it even better.

As the author states in the Forward, an event of massive proportions is coming. It will arrive. It is just a matter of when. Reading FIGHT LIKE A MAN provides good insight as to what to expect - and get you thinking what to do to prepare.

High recommendation.

I expected a more feminine approach to a shtf event. This book was anything but that. A very approachable scenario, based on all aspects of shtf survival. Straightforward and deliberate. Now I have to wait on book two! BRING IT!

Akers might be well advised that invoking Trump's name is a less than stellar approach to developing a dedicated following of her works. I read fictional novels for pleasure rather than to be ambushed by an author's political beliefs far contrary to my own. It is safe to say that concern for the future of our nation and support of the second amendment are not exclusive to or dependent upon one political party.

This eye-opener book is about a prepper, Grayson, who thought he was prepared, until the lights go out everywhere. No Power. No gas. No water. While he’s getting the house ready for his family, they’re on their way home from out of town. I recognize Jake and Grayson from the other series, and still love Jake, and all the new characters, Puck, Tucker and Nick. Can’t wait to see what happens with Puck. A great story of survival at home and on the road, good prepping tips on getting water when there is none, and a good reminder to all preppers on what they should have done before the shtf. With this thing with Korea looming over us, this was a real eye-opener and a great story.
This is not an EMP story but an event that is very similar and could really happen. If you’ve been listening to the news, it has been threatened over and over.

Shallow characters. An author who has to profess her political agenda as approving of The Donald. Myself, as others, did not appreciate you interjecting your politics. Won't bother with the second one -- almost didn't buy this one because of the title, "Fight Like A Man"???? Give me a break. And the explanation for the title was lame.

Grayson Rowan has tried his best to prepare himself and his extended family for almost any disaster situation. While he is home alone the SHTF when the grid goes down. His wife & her sisters are on a girls’ vacation. His daughter is away at college, and his brothers-in-law are scattered as well. The biggest questions are do they remember their training and will they all make it back to Grayson’s?

Akers first novel in The SHTF Series, Fight Like a Man: A Post-Apocalyptic Thriller, follows the journey the family member must make to try and get home while Grayson puts their survival plan into action at the homestead. Each path contains its own set of obstacles, some requiring life or death struggles. No one is spared the harsh reality of this new world with its new rules and the worst of mankind.

The depth of character development and variety is amazing. Some are so real you want to slap some sense into them. The trials and tribulation are such that your heart aches along with them. There is nonstop action making it a fast read. It is not a standalone book as there is a cliffhanger ending.

I truly enjoyed this book and look forward the rest of the series.

5 out of 5 stars.

Lots of good SHTF books out there, but this isn’t one of them. The characters half heartedly trained and educated themselves as preppers, and it shows. Even the male leader is incompetent and useless. Apparently he can’t function without his even more useless wife. The most redeeming quality the book has to offer is that it is a good example of poor planning and lack of follow through. Think Tobacco Road meets Lights Out.

It had some interesting prepper tips and details, and wasn't badly written--the typos and grammar problems mentioned in earlier reviews have mostly all been fixed. The characters weren't, with a couple exceptions, unlikable. It was overall an "okay" post-apocalyptic story, but it did have some issues.

I know the title is "Fight Like a Man," but the amount of times this was said, primarily by women to themselves, was a bit grating and even silly over time. There's a lot of gratuitously crude and graphic scenes. The main character makes juvenile jokes, guffawing at them, and in the next moment talks about a character who's a child in a man's body. A bit of unnoticed irony there.

And, for those who hate politics injected into their fiction, be warned: there's a lot politics in this book, with one part that's unintentionally funny considering recent events, where the author insists that Trump has been excessively hard core with the Russian president. Even a Trump non-hater would find that ironical today. (In fact, though I was interested in the author's explanations for why his main character voted for Trump and even went so far as to pressure his whole family into voting for Trump, I got a sort of "Clap for Tinkerbell" vibe from his repeated assertions that the country was better off with Trump. Probably because he followed every single one of these cheerleading comments with "if only Trump wouldn't..." riders.)

But the biggest problem with this book is *SPOILERS* the way that the author puts in fake cliffhangers. Again and again we're supposed to believe something terrible has happened to a main character. He cuts away from the scene "suspensefully" but when he gets back to them we find out the character who is supposedly in deadly danger is perfectly fine. *END OF SPOILERS*

Plus, the prologue tells us outright on the first page of the book that a main character dies which sort of wrecked the entire book. As soon as I realized he was spoiling the entire series with the Prologue I skipped it. I'd advise everyone to skip it--prologues are rarely useful, and in this case it actively undermines all of the suspense, killing the "thriller" title right out of the starting gate.

The book ends on a cliffhanger to get you to buy the next book, but considering how all of his cliffhangers have gone up to this point, I had a "meh" reaction to it and wasn't hooked.

All that said, it's a fairly typical end of the world/prepper book, and if you enjoy those as a rule you'll probably enjoy this one, more or less.

This story gets a FIVE STAR FROM ME!!!!! There is fear,frustration,love, deep affection,and above all PREPERATION!!!!!!!
Poor old Ozzie just acts like any Dog would. He loves his Mistress, his Master, Puck and GRASIE. Puck is a Mentally Challenged young man, left alone with the mysterious Jenny, when Man-mAde disappeared. He meets Grayson when attacked by a trio of gangbangers, Greyson runs them off and brings Puck to his farm.
We meet next the three sisters, Gabby, twin sister Olivia, and younger sister EMMA. These three are on a "girls weekend" when the world goes Mallory. They try to get the 299 miles back home and run into a screwball named Larry,three bikers and an oriental girl named Me I(a one armed young woman who is a drug addict), Edith and Elmer an older couple living near Greysons farm.
We also have Gabbys husband Jake, and Emma's husband and son (Dusty(Greysons brother) and Rickey Emma's son.
Many adventures and perilous times befall ALL of them
Suitable for adolescents and mature adults!!!A damned good Read!!!

As usual in an independent book a couple of typos or perhaps screw ups with th the store conversation. That said I felt it started a bit slow. But it did come together and was a good tale. The ending left me hanging so I got book number two much better.
Here is the thing.I read a lot of books on my Kindle Unlimited account if I like them the month following I will purchase those that I really like.
This series is one of those.
Support those writers you enjoy that is if you want them to keep writing.
Akers has put a lot of time in this series. Really good prepper information giving names, sources, and how the items work.
Perhaps more importantly that one needs to use these tools, information, and techniques first so you will be proficient and prepared should the need ever come about..
I just finished book two and am giving it the full five stars.

Despite a compelling and interesting story I was forced to rate this work two stars due to its horrendous editing, spelling, and grammar. The writer can clearly TELL a story but that's a much different animal from writing one. The narrative was frought with too many colloqialisms and cliches to be overlooked. The editing left many sentences without words crucial to their coherence and poor grammar often ruined the flow and pace one attempts to maintain while reading. The author should definitely fire whomever she had entrusted these tasks to.

A great new Post APoc series that does not disappoint!

Somethings happened, and the SHTF. An extended prepper family has found themselves separated. and this is the story story of how the get back together. Its a a GREAT setup for a story! Yes, there is a lot going on, but I'm guessing TEOTWAWKI isn't going to be neat and tidy. I really enjoy the sisters in this book and can't wait to read more about them.

I especially enjoy the politics of the book- it explains how many people these days feel about the state of the US without being preachy. I find myself wanting to quote the book to some people.

Looking forward to the next book in the series.

This is the first “prepper” Book I have ever Read...I’m used to reading apocalyptic books where the bad guys are dead monsters not just evil people and there’s more running and screaming and hiding... not so much hanging at the farm or in the neighborhood so “ prepping”would not have matter much. This story was so realistic! It was actually more frightening because this scenario could so easily happen. This book was very well written and the characters were very believable, some even quite annoying. After reading this story I feel like I need to take this “prepping” business more serious! I am so not prepared for a prolonged power outage! I need a Bug Out Bag ASAP!! Good read!

I've read apocalyptic/post-apocalyptic fiction for years and recently had Lisa Aker's books suggested to me. I gave Fight Like A Man a try and was impressed with the quality of this self-published book. Lisa has characters that display the human flaws you would typically see in people during a TEOTWAWKO situation. In other words, the characters are believable. The story flows quickly and there is plenty of action. She provides just the right amount of detail without overdoing the details to the point of boredom (you know what I'm talking about with the gun details in some books). The first book ended at a natural place with a bit of a cliffhanger. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.

Enjoyed the book and reading about the characters. I read books as an escape from the harsh reality of the crappy political climate we live in. Please refrain from trying to interject your political views into your books. Why alienate your readers? I could care less about who you support in the political process, leave your political views elsewhere..it’s a shame, because I really enjoy your writing.

Enjoyed the story.....but I did come to the realization that said he best laid plans as a prepper can go right out the window when the situation occurs.

Don't always enjoy hearing President bashing but after all was said and done, did enjoy this paragraph. After reluctantly voting for the outrageously non-political Trump, just to do his part to keep Hillary out of office, he was shocked to actually see the man keeping his promises and getting things done, if you could look past his unpolished rhetoric, immature tweets and personal attacks on his own staff and the media. If the left could look past it, they might see he really did seem to be making America better—against all odds." Thank you for writing that.

Time to start on "Shoot like a Girl".

Nothing seems to work out for these folks! For me to enjoy reading post-apocalypse fiction, there needs to be some success - especially when one is a diehard prepper! The author has promise, but, please, can you add some successes?!

** Review of Audio Format **

Gracen has prepped over the years and thinks he has everything ready to go when the SHTF. The only thing he didn't count on is that no one would be with him when it happened. The wives are on a girls' trip to the Florida coast, his daughter is at college, his brothers are in town. They all have their bug out bags and should make it home in no time if they leave as soon as they realize this is real. He's trained them all, right? He just has to get everything going and wait for them at the homestead.

There are some real moments in this listen. There are also some really great tips for someone who isn't into prepping and doesn't know what to do when things go bad. The list of items in the bug out bags was something I haven't seen before and would be extremely helpful, filling up all available containers and draining your pipes is another. Cooking everything in your refrigerator and freezer, having a compass, and a small water filtration device. Turning all electical appliances to off or unplugging them. All of these things are common sense but no one thinks of them. They just wait for the lights to come back on.

I liked how the women in this story were as prepared as the men (except Olivia who was irritating beyond belief) and sometimes more so. For a hardcore prepper, I would have thought Gracen would have a CB setup to communicate with his family. That was a little disappointing but forgiveable. I would also have thought he would have checked that his reluctant prepper wife had brought the bug out bags he had carefully prepared for all the wives. I was also disappointed that it took sooooo long for everyone to realize this was real and get moving towards the homestead. Denial is not an attractive trait in a prepper.

Having said all that, the story was plotted well and flowed between the different characters and their situations well. My only true disappointment was that the ending did not wrap up the story very well and seemed rushed, with not all story lines concluded in a satisfactory way. Would I read a second book? Most definitely. But when you're writing a series the ending of each book should resolve the current section of the story.

The narration by Kevin Pierce was fantastic, as always. His voice is tailor made for this genre. He doesn't try for the female voices and yet weaves the tale in a way that you know who each character is each time they speak. His voice in general is so sublime that I could listen to it for days on end. And do every chance I get. He is one of my favorite narrators and has not disappointed me yet.

Loved the book!! The characters were so interesting and realistic! They grew in the course of the book.

Unlike other apocalyptic books, this one is so much more realistic! The right supplies don't magically appear, and not everything goes according to plan. In fact, most things don't happen like the characters planned

The characters mirror the variety of reactions to a crisis.

The book also explains, through the story line, some new skills and knowledge that was new to me.

Loved it! I can't wait for the next one!

The two books are interesting reads. Akers does a decent job of getting you into the "feel" of what is going on. I'm hoping she fleshes out the characters a bit in her next book in the series, but they are an entertaining read, and will give you food for thought. The books, like most of the genre, are a bit short, but she is enthusiastic and writes a decent story. I DO recommend them because they ARE food for thought.

I really like the premise of the grid down scenario. However having almost every character be a bumbling fool is not entertaining. For example one would not leave his transport sitting with the keys in it to be stolen after he had already had it nearly stolen already.

The premise of the book was interesting but the execution was off. The characters were all fairly one-dimensional and had to be about the worst preppers on the planet. Olivia was hopeless and the women in general pretty weak. There was a lot of mention of Trump, both good and bad, and while I dislike the man, I felt like using the specific person to blame and extol did not add to the story at all. Just empty politics. This book also started with a scene several months passed the start of the event, but you never get back to that point. And "Fight Like a Man"? Really ?
My problem is that it ended with a big cliffhanger and a couple of unanswered questions so I have to decide if I want to go on to book 2 to find out.

The author had potential but ended up with a cookie cutter prepper book with the worlds worst preppers. These characters are truly fools. Ad in a huge dose of political crap that is unnecessary and way too long you end up with this mess off a book. I'm truly sorry I read it.

Well developed characters, lots of action and sometimes too realistic . I loved this book. Well written and it kept me hooked till the last page. I had never heard of this author but I find myself looking for more books written by her now?

Mrs. Akers is a master story teller! She’s brought back all of our favorite characters from her ‘Let Me Go’ series and put them in the middle of a SHTF situation. Real characters that rise above! Of course some make mistakes along the way, but that only makes them more realistic! Keep the books coming Lisa!

This one seemed so down to earth. The characters are just normal folk, doing the best they can even though they screwed up...and they all did! Every one made poor choices even though they were prepared. The character development moves along quickly. A well written beginning for the series.

Great book and characters. The characters are probably close to what we would see if this were real, from the gung-ho to those in denial, from the prepared to the clueless. Great beginning to a series.

Great book. Much more realistic than some of the PA books where everything goes exactly as the characters had planned. This book shows that even if you're prepared, reality can still bite you. When will the next book be out???!!!

I have read dozens of recent books in this genre, and this is one of the best. The author does a terrific job with character development, and the writing is top notch. I downloaded it on my Kindle before a recent trip and read it before the first day was over. Highly recommend it for anyone interested in books of this type.

This story has the potential to be real. Whether you like it or not, there are many situations where we will not have the support we are all used to. The idea that we should be able to support ourselves as long as possible without outside help, or little assistance is not farfetched.
The characters are the most believable of the many similar stories I have read.

Excellent, fast-paced book that pulls you in from the first chapter. It's based on a Cyber Attack causing a grid down scenario and focuses on a group of people, who all have their own struggles. It's well written, with humor and action entwined within the story.

I just finished this book and really liked it. I don't have the flair for a fancy review about plots, character development, and so on, but I will recommend this book to anyone who likes to read the post-apoc genre. I'm looking forward to jumping into the second book in this series this weekend.

I have read a lot of post-apocalyptic fiction, but barely forced myself to finish this book. I will not continue the series. The characters make sooo many mistakes it is unrealistic. Olivia, for instance. I will not spoil the story for others, but found this book mediocre.

I really enjoyed this book. The characters are engaging. I like that some are weak and some are strong, this is what it's like in real life. I am looking forward to reading the next book in this series.

This is a great story about some very relatable characters (& some irritating ones that are like most people in today's society). LL Akers tells a fun & informative tale. Looking forward to more in this series.