Strength Unleashed: Startup

Monster Girl Gym, Book 1

By: Ajax Lygan

Narrated by: Autumn Ivy, Andrew Blast

Dreams come true for those willing to seize them.

Tommy was at the top of his game. He was dating the hottest women on campus, set a world record in weightlifting, and had more fame than he knew what to do with. But all that came to a crashing halt once he graduated from his university. Piece by piece, his success faded into the corporate grind.

But a chance for a new beginning comes around when a phone call from his father urges him to head back to his hometown. Presented with an opportunity to help the family business, Tommy agrees to take it over on one condition—he wants to convert it into a gym.

Yet a full renovation and equipment is more than he can afford. Without the funds and right credentials, the only one willing to lend him enough capital is a crossroads demon. The price if he misses a payment? His soul.

With Eden’s debt collectors eyeing his every move, Tommy will need to surround himself with the team he needs to seize his dreams.

Strength Unleashed: Startup is a wholesome, slice-of-life urban fantasy story with unconventional relationships.

©2023 Ajax Lygan (P)2023 Ajax Lygan

Pretty good start for the series

I’m definitely interested to see where this story goes especially with how it ended and with the other girls that seem interested in Tommy.

The overall story was pretty enjoyable it was nice listening to something ordinaryish where the world wasn’t at stake or something else dire like that. All the characters were portrayed really well I especially like Tommy he is a pretty chill dude for the most part and all the girls so far are unique none of them really blend together or come off as just a slight different flavor of each other, I absolutely love Tommy’s dad.

The voice cast was absolutely superb Autumn nailed it and Andrew pun intended blasted it out of the park.

Can’t wait for more

Honestly had a lot more life in slice of life than I was expecting and I really enjoyed it. I wish we had more time with Ellie though I really enjoyed her.

Slow burn in a unique setting

Never thought I'd read about romance and weightlifters in the same book but here we are. It's a surprisingly good story. It's starts out fairly slow and I think we're over the half way mark before we actually get to the gym stuff so there's a lot of setup. I'm not sure if that's a good idea for the pacing but the characters are fun and interesting so it's nice to see them unfold as the book progresses. I'm not a fan of "wait I can explain" plot points/conflicts and this book had a major one although it got resolved over a few chapters so at least it wasn't dragged out. There's a lot to like and the premise was refreshing. The early slow pacing and the aforementioned conflict setup are the primary reasons for me subtracting a star.

The narrators were new to me and I feel that they delivered. There was a stretch where it sounded like the male narrator was sort of slurring the words for a bit which made sense because of a plot point involving blood loss but it continued for a while after it was resolved which I'm not sure if it was intentional, a mistake or him not doing a better take. I enjoy a good blooper reel but I think they should generally be of the fun sort. I don't think anyone wants to listen to the VA cough and spit up phlegm. That should have been deleted.
The female narrator got to stretch her legs a lot more (as is the nature of harem books) and she did an excellent job. All the women were distinct and engaging. The male narrator actually did sound like a weightlifter to me and I'm not sure if it was an intentional casting but it worked out well. He did well with the male characters.

Bit of a slow burn

I'd categorize this story as a slice of life/business building fantasy novel. Very unique in concept. It's a bit of a slow burn as it focuses a lot on the life elements and the particulars of building the business at the beginning and the challenges therein. Honestly unexpected, but I don't mind for such a new take on this mix of genres and tropes. There are some seeds of a harem that have been planted, but it's not the kind where he meets the girl and suddenly is in bed with them (though that happens once). It focuses a bit more on the complexities of everyone's feelings and managing those relationships, which I love for a dose of reality you don't often see in these kinds of novels.

great series

loved how descriptive the world was, the cat girl is kind of a bad guy. both narrators performed excellent! Great ranges on voices! Loved ALL the characters going to read again....and be on Pins and needs for the next story in this series

Bodybuilding made easy…

…to understand. It was waaay more interesting than I thought. I’m (obviously) not into the bodybuilding gym-types but I now have mad more respect for them. This was informative AND endearing in parts. I liked it a lot and will definitely get book 2. The narrators were great and I’d never heard them before so I went in skeptical. Great work!

love the story!

love the story! gonna listen to it again! I really love it! would recommend it!

Didn't think I would like a gym story

This book centers around working out which I dont much haha. I am not a lifter but the story is great and the narration is crisp. The real show stealer though is the female voice narration. Different characters with distinct voices and accents. I will be looking forward to more stories by the author and more narration by this team.

Need the next.

Great story awesome support characters. The dad is the greatest support character of all time. That being said if you have a lacking/challenging relationship with your father this one may feel a bit more somber. Made me want to be this way for my kids more so than before though.

A slice of life that has some "real" moments

I feel like with slice of life books, they tend to be overall just positive and wholesome, with very few worries if any, so this novel brings a fresh breath of air to this genre in a way that feels more realistic and relatable to what is an everyday life.

It weaves in some supernatural and fantasy elements that lends a since room for disbelief to feel right while maintaining an engaging story with loveable characters.

The performance is also really top notch! The boxes really made me love so many characters especially Alana and Tommy's Dad.