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Ashley's Tale #3
The Initiation: Ashley's Tale Book 3
It's been two years since Ashley was abducted and thrust into a horrifying ordeal that changed her life for good. In the aftermath, her world fell apart; any sense of connection with friends and family were severed by Jake’s legacy. She sees the world through his eyes now—a filter of dark strength, power, and violence. As a social pariah, after desperately struggling for months to find a place where she could belong, Ashley decides there’s only one option left to her … She must go back to Jake.
232 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 21, 2018
1 person is currently reading
42 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
February 17, 2021
“All things are subject to interpretation. Whichever interpretation prevails at a given time is a function of power and not truth.” - Friedrich Nietzsche
Wow. What a ride!
4.5 crazy-ass stars.
The Initiation was a fantastic conclusion to the Ashley's Tale series. If these books don't have you seriously questioning your morals...nothing will. I didn't know whether to love or hate these characters. Mike Duke did an amazing job of straddling that gray line between the starkest of whites and the very darkest onyx.
This was an incredibly fast-paced, compelling read, and a world I was always interested in diving back into. And that conclusion...talk about action-packed. I suspected something like that for the big final scene, but I genuinely enjoyed the way everything came full circle. It was quite cleverly done.
I wouldn't be doing my part if I didn't mention the animal death scene. Again, I just skipped over that part, as I was warned ahead of time.
If you're looking for an action-packed, one-of-a-kind, morally ambiguous trilogy, I highly recommend this series.
Available now!
Many thanks to Mike Duke for my review copy.
Wow. What a ride!
4.5 crazy-ass stars.
The Initiation was a fantastic conclusion to the Ashley's Tale series. If these books don't have you seriously questioning your morals...nothing will. I didn't know whether to love or hate these characters. Mike Duke did an amazing job of straddling that gray line between the starkest of whites and the very darkest onyx.
This was an incredibly fast-paced, compelling read, and a world I was always interested in diving back into. And that conclusion...talk about action-packed. I suspected something like that for the big final scene, but I genuinely enjoyed the way everything came full circle. It was quite cleverly done.
I wouldn't be doing my part if I didn't mention the animal death scene. Again, I just skipped over that part, as I was warned ahead of time.
If you're looking for an action-packed, one-of-a-kind, morally ambiguous trilogy, I highly recommend this series.
Available now!
Many thanks to Mike Duke for my review copy.
June 19, 2022
The Initiation: Ashley's Tale Book 3 was pretty much what I expected. Book 1 detailed Ashley's experiences, and then book 2 detailed Jake's history. With this third book, Jake and Ashley are together with a few other women and form a group to continue Jake's important work.
I feel like it ended the only way it could end. The histories of who these people are and what they've done is a lot to handle, but Mike Duke was able to infuse those histories with empathy and feeling and that's what made this book so good.
At certain points in the tale, the group seemed more of a cult than a group of people out to help others. I loved the psychological insights as a whole as well as the insights into each of the characters.
Mike Duke was kind enough to join Horror Aficionados during the entire month of June and I think I can speak for everyone that joined us in saying that he is an interesting man and he can write one hell of a story!
I highly recommend the Ashley's Tale series!
*I bought this book with my hard earned cash.*
I feel like it ended the only way it could end. The histories of who these people are and what they've done is a lot to handle, but Mike Duke was able to infuse those histories with empathy and feeling and that's what made this book so good.
At certain points in the tale, the group seemed more of a cult than a group of people out to help others. I loved the psychological insights as a whole as well as the insights into each of the characters.
Mike Duke was kind enough to join Horror Aficionados during the entire month of June and I think I can speak for everyone that joined us in saying that he is an interesting man and he can write one hell of a story!
I highly recommend the Ashley's Tale series!
*I bought this book with my hard earned cash.*
March 21, 2019
I have to say, I really REALLY like Ashley! We got to see her story in the first book of this trilogy and then we got a little break to learn more about Jake in the second installment. Now we are caught back up in the present day and Ashley is trying to re-integrate back into society after her time with Jake and after she has changed completely as a person due to that. When she decides to go BACK to Jake and the other girls, I was shocked! I am glad it happened, but I honestly can't say what I would do if I were in that case. They continue with "the program" and then one girl starts to make things a little difficult for them. And then Jake's past comes back to bite him in the butt! A truly great and shocking story and trilogy full of twists and turns. 5 stars!
November 25, 2019
What a fantastic conclusion to the Ashley's Tale trilogy. Mike Duke knows how to take an abduction story and completely turn it on it's heels. I didn't know what I was in for; was this a vigilante story? Mike Duke kept me guessing all the way. I appreciated how the second book, Making Jake, gave us background info into one of the main characters. This third book was thrilling to say the least, the pacing was spot on, characters were very well developed and the story was well written with a great plot. I am sure you will love this trilogy as I did!
November 26, 2022
This book was given to me, by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Mike Duke finishes the trilogy with a bang and it honestly left me wanting more from these characters. This book used the trope “woman fights back” so well and it’s honestly become one of my favorite book trilogies in recent times. From the way Ashley is handled over the series to the way Jake and her have a twisted relationship of sorts it just all forms such a great story with an engaging storyline. Not to mention Mike’s writing makes it very easy to follow. In this one, we see the story expanded when new people come into play and how they’re handled was very interesting. No spoilers here, but the ending is a bloodbath!
Thanks for the great story, Mike!
Mike Duke finishes the trilogy with a bang and it honestly left me wanting more from these characters. This book used the trope “woman fights back” so well and it’s honestly become one of my favorite book trilogies in recent times. From the way Ashley is handled over the series to the way Jake and her have a twisted relationship of sorts it just all forms such a great story with an engaging storyline. Not to mention Mike’s writing makes it very easy to follow. In this one, we see the story expanded when new people come into play and how they’re handled was very interesting. No spoilers here, but the ending is a bloodbath!
Thanks for the great story, Mike!
March 16, 2019
HOLY CRAP! What a ride!
The final instillation of this trilogy is basically when everything comes to a head and it completely blew my mind.
**Possible minor spoilers ahead!**
This book starts off with Ashley finally feeling like she found a place where she belonged. After trying to reintegrate back into society after her time with Jake, she realized that she just didn't fit in anymore. Jake had changed her and her perspective on life and the people in it. So, she goes back to the one place she knows she will fit in.
Everything starts out perfectly. The other girls welcome her back with open arms, as does Jake, and they quickly start to become her family. They show her the process in how they select the girls they feel need to be 'helped' and she helps them grab another. Almost immediately, she knows something is off with this girl, but she keeps her mouth shut out of fear of upsetting her new family. Then, naturally, Jake's past comes to like and crap hits the proverbial fan and all hell breaks loose.
Never, in my life, have I finished a trilogy this fast. But I just couldn't seem to put it down. These books keep you on the edge of your seat, they make you think, and holy crap do they speak to you on some sort of deep and messed up level. This final installment really tied everything together and completely blew me away at the same time.
AMAZING Trilogy! 5 out of 5 stars!
The final instillation of this trilogy is basically when everything comes to a head and it completely blew my mind.
**Possible minor spoilers ahead!**
This book starts off with Ashley finally feeling like she found a place where she belonged. After trying to reintegrate back into society after her time with Jake, she realized that she just didn't fit in anymore. Jake had changed her and her perspective on life and the people in it. So, she goes back to the one place she knows she will fit in.
Everything starts out perfectly. The other girls welcome her back with open arms, as does Jake, and they quickly start to become her family. They show her the process in how they select the girls they feel need to be 'helped' and she helps them grab another. Almost immediately, she knows something is off with this girl, but she keeps her mouth shut out of fear of upsetting her new family. Then, naturally, Jake's past comes to like and crap hits the proverbial fan and all hell breaks loose.
Never, in my life, have I finished a trilogy this fast. But I just couldn't seem to put it down. These books keep you on the edge of your seat, they make you think, and holy crap do they speak to you on some sort of deep and messed up level. This final installment really tied everything together and completely blew me away at the same time.
AMAZING Trilogy! 5 out of 5 stars!
August 31, 2018
Suspenseful
Ashley returns to Jake and the girls where as she feels like she doesn't fit in society any more since she has been "rehabilitated".
She is out to the test if she really does fit in with the family with an "initiation"
Ashley learns how Jake and the girls investigate into a new girl and the steps they go through to abduct her. She gets the background of each girl from her new family of how they were chosen and what they had to endure in the past.
The new girl they abduct, Brittany, has a lot more trouble that was going on in her life that the girls didn't know about. This caused a lot of confusion and made the "program" more difficult.
Towards the end of the book, I was completely surprised of how things start to unravel for Jake. You can't always keep the past secrets from others as they always come back at you.
I really enjoyed reading this book. It kept me intrigued and wanting more even when the book ended. I wasn't expecting a lot of the events that took place. I liked the concept of how the girls and Jake are a family working together to help other women that have had horrible things happen to them.
I was happy to get this book gifted to me from Mike Duke and everything that I have written on this review was on my own accord and my own feelings of how I perceived the book. Thank you Mike for sharing this book.
Ashley returns to Jake and the girls where as she feels like she doesn't fit in society any more since she has been "rehabilitated".
She is out to the test if she really does fit in with the family with an "initiation"
Ashley learns how Jake and the girls investigate into a new girl and the steps they go through to abduct her. She gets the background of each girl from her new family of how they were chosen and what they had to endure in the past.
The new girl they abduct, Brittany, has a lot more trouble that was going on in her life that the girls didn't know about. This caused a lot of confusion and made the "program" more difficult.
Towards the end of the book, I was completely surprised of how things start to unravel for Jake. You can't always keep the past secrets from others as they always come back at you.
I really enjoyed reading this book. It kept me intrigued and wanting more even when the book ended. I wasn't expecting a lot of the events that took place. I liked the concept of how the girls and Jake are a family working together to help other women that have had horrible things happen to them.
I was happy to get this book gifted to me from Mike Duke and everything that I have written on this review was on my own accord and my own feelings of how I perceived the book. Thank you Mike for sharing this book.
September 1, 2019
Perfect way to sum up the trilogy. Despite all their flaws, I fell in love with every character and was so invested into their stories/backgrounds.
I was totally consumed by this book and genuinely had no idea how it would end!
If you loved the first two books, definitely pick this one up!!
I was totally consumed by this book and genuinely had no idea how it would end!
If you loved the first two books, definitely pick this one up!!
October 23, 2019
When I thought that Ashley’s Tale couldn’t get any more engrossing, Mike Duke slapped me in the face with The Initiation. I had no idea what I was getting into when I started this series and was left guessing until the very end! The characters are well structured and the dialogue for each character (both internal and external) matches that structure spot on so that you have no doubt as to who each character is and how they will play into the story later on. The storyline itself leaves you wanting to read all night and drop your plans during the day, which, I nearly did.
All in all Ashley’s Tale is a powerful non-stop thrill ride, with a well written plot, and perfectly developed characters. Fantastic job Mr. Duke! I look forward to reading more from you in the future!
All in all Ashley’s Tale is a powerful non-stop thrill ride, with a well written plot, and perfectly developed characters. Fantastic job Mr. Duke! I look forward to reading more from you in the future!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews