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Tuesday, January 26, 2021

Additional Scene From X MY HEART, a SciFi Romance Novel by Linda Mooney

This year on my blog date, I will be presenting ALL NEW CONTENT from some of my previously released books. This content will be available on my website, where you can download it and read for FREE. If there is a particular book or series you'd love an extra "tidbit" of, just put it in the comment section below!

This month, I'm offering up this additional scene from X MY HEART, a sci-fi romance novel.

~ ~ ~
It's been twenty-seven months since Earth last saw any of the Medusa ships or the aliens who created them. During that time, humanity remained hidden in their underground bunkers, fearful of returning to the surface. Terrified that the creatures might return.

But after so long, the world's population has decided it's time to emerge, to rebuild, and to hope again. And as that news is imparted to Sergeant Gretchen Twoey and her misshapen, alien-created husband, Sergeant Leif Stoddard, they also get word of two possibilities they'd prayed might someday happen, but never dared to dream they’d come true.

Link

Monday, January 25, 2021

HERE BE NEWS for Monday, January 25, 2021


                            


Monday, January 25, 2021 

Welcome to HERE BE NEWS, where each monday we bring you all the latest from the fantasy romance authors at Here Be Magic:



Tuesday, January 19, 2021: Author Angela Campbell pens a heartwarming tale about a feral cat, and the lessons she learned from him in Writing Lessons Learned from a Cat Named Hughey.


Thursday, January 21, 2021Do You Judge a Book by the Cover? Author Maureen Bonatch wants to know. Check out her post and decide which of her covers you prefer. 

Thursday, January 21, 2021

Do You Judge a Book by the Cover?

By Maureen Bonatch 

          Scruff considering working on his novel                                           

I admit it. I don’t like to think of my fiction books as a business. Like many authors, I often refer to my stories as my ‘book babies’. I talk about my characters like they’re real people in my life. I cherish my covers like a priceless painting. 

My most recent release, Till Death, a short psychological thriller, was my first attempt at self-publishing so I’ve been busy learning all the things, including getting to a gorgeous cover. Author and cover artist, Alison Hendrickson, made a wonderful cover. I thought it represented the story well, here’s the cover and blurb: 



 Honor, obey...or slay. To protect an innocent man, a dutiful wife challenges her vengeful husband…with disastrous results. 

 Gina believes that mirrors hold bits of the soul, a rabbit's foot brings good luck, and that marriage vows are until death. But most of all, she’s blindly followed her husband Rick’s philosophy. Nasty men get one chance to convert from their abusive ways —or suffer the consequences they bring upon themselves. 

 But when she meets George, Gina begins to question everything Rick has led her to believe about men. Now Rick has George lined up to be the next man to be redeemed. Will black widow Gina honor and obey and weave her web around George, or will she become the next victim? 


I felt that the heart on the cover was symbolic to my protagonist’s struggle with desiring a healthy loving relationship even though she didn't quite understanding what that means, as well as her role in luring the what she considers a nasty man

 But as I continued to learn all the things (between writing, and self-publishing, I think I will always be learning all the things) I started to play with creating Amazon Ads. I quickly learned that advertising through Amazon wasn’t going to happen with this cover. 

 It was felt that my beautiful cover had ‘excessive gore or violence’ and therefore I couldn’t create ads for Amazon with this cover. 

Keep in mind that this story is one of 13 other authors featuring murder, mystery and mayhem and revolving around Friday the 13th. A date considered ominous or unlucky by many, and also known for some frightful films. 

So despite adoring my first cover, my books had to be more than just what I loved, but also what readers expected and loved. That meant it was back to the drawing board for a new cover for Till Death that would still capture the ‘heart’ of the story but wouldn’t be tagged for appearing too violent. 

My cover artist came through once again, and here’s the updated cover for Till Death. 


 But like both my babies at home, it’s hard for me not to love both covers. 


 Do You Judge a Book By Its Cover?



Author Bio:
 Maureen Bonatch grew up in small town Pennsylvania and her love of the four seasons—hockey, biking, sweat pants and hibernation—keeps her there. While immersed in writing or reading paranormal romance and fantasy, she survives on caffeine, wine, music, and laughter. A feisty Shih Tzu keeps her in line. 

Find Maureen on her website, Facebook & Twitter Be the first to know about Maureen’s book sales and new releases by following her on BookBubAmazon and/or signing up for her newsletter

Tuesday, January 19, 2021

Writing lessons learned from a cat named Hughey

Whew, it has been a rough year (2020), hasn't it? How is everyone holding up?

I know a lot of you have been writing, and others have been reading a lot more. Me? I've been rescuing cats.

For those who don't know me, hi, I'm Angela, a crazy cat lady slash paranormal romantic suspense author. I've been volunteering for the last few years with a small cat rescue organization in South Carolina, and I am now on the board of directors and knee-deep in cat rescue. I was laid off in March 2020 and am still unemployed (need a technical writer, journalist, or marketing person? Call me! Honestly, need anything? Call me. I'm lonely.). To fill my suddenly free time, I started fostering during the pandemic. I have fostered probably 20 to 25 kittens and cats since March. I really should hang a sign out that just declares me the Crazy Cat House. 

Today I thought I'd tell you about Hughey. What does a cat named Hughey have to do with writing or reading? Bear with me. 

My friend and I met Hughey this summer when he suddenly showed up at a cat colony we manage. This means we've trapped, spayed or neutered, and vaccinated feral cats that live outdoors in a group. Cats, contrary to public belief, are social creatures who enjoy each other's company. Hughey was very skittish and limping, and it took us a few days to trap this newcomer. 

When we took him to the vet, fearing he'd been hit by a car, we were told his injury was an old one. "I would say, based on the break and damage, it was caused by a golf club, possibly a baseball bat, or similar object," the vet said. He believed someone had intentionally beat this poor cat. Worse, Hughey's hip had been broken and healed improperly. The vet did not feel surgery would help as it would be too rough a recovery, and expensive. Especially for a feral cat we originally planned to re-release to our colony.

He recommended that I keep Hughey confined so that his leg/hip could further heal since it did have a lot of inflammation. "My guess is he's reinjured it recently and it could use a rest." Six weeks confinement, he said.

So, we had him neutered and vaccinated, and Hughey became another foster. 

Hughey was not happy about this either.

If you've ever worked with feral cats, you understand when I tell you I feared for my life at feeding time. Hughey would lunge and spit at me and take vicious swipes anytime I neared his crate — one sized for a large dog. He got me good a few times, and I bled for days. It was clear he wasn't adoptable.

I began searching for a feral cat sanctuary for Hughey. Everyone was full. No takers. We started advertising for a farm where Hughey could live as a barn cat. Not ideal, but it was a better solution than returning him to the streets with a bum leg. Again, no replies. 

I feared I would be stuck with Hughey and moved his crate into my bonus room/office when the weather turned cold and he could no longer stay in my garage. A few weeks or so passed and I noticed something. 

Hughey watched me with blatant curiosity while I worked on freelance jobs and writing. He also stopped trying to kill me when I approached his cage. Let me pet him if I did it slowly. I was still afraid of letting him out because he still took swipes at me every now and then, and I can be a wimp when it comes to pain.

One night, not too long ago, I felt bad for poor Hughey and decided to test him. It had definitely been more than 6 weeks, and the poor cat has been confined for months. I could empathize since I have barely left my house all year. Maybe he needed to stretch. So, I opened his crate and went back to my desk.

Hughey watched me for a few minutes and then slowly crept out of his crate. 

To my surprise, he came over to me immediately, and while still a little skittish, he let me pet him.

In only days, Hughey turned into a lap cat, jumping into my lap and demanding pets while I worked. I introduced him to some of my other fosters, and he has made quick friends with two of them. I call them the three amigos. They do everything together now. 

Point is, Hughey had a rough start in life, got lost for a while, and didn't trust anyone, but he got a second chance and realized it. While it might have been scary for a while, he let himself trust again, and now, he is almost ready for adoption. My hope is that Hughey will find a home with someone who will love on him and give him the attention he deserves. 

Hughey will always have a slight limp. It will always be a reminder that he overcame something awful in his life, but you know what? It doesn't seem to bother him one bit when he runs and plays with his kitty friends.

In a way, I was like Hughey. Ready to give up and hate the world and everyone in it after 2020. I considered turning my back on writing, the one thing I've always wanted to do. But you know what? I think I'll give it a shot again and make it my resolution to write more of the content I want to write, and read, and not just what people pay me to write. 

So if you're like me and you've been struggling with your writing, don't be so hard on yourself. Most of all, don't give up.

Hughey didn't. Neither should we.


Angela Campbell is the author of the psychic detective series, a paranormal romantic suspense series featuring ghosts, sexy psychics, haunted houses, serial killers ... and cats and dogs. Learn more about her books at www.angelacampbellonline.com. She also tweets way more than she should about her foster cats. Follow her on Twitter at @angelacampbel.

Monday, January 18, 2021

HERE BE NEWS for Monday January 18, 2021


                            


Monday, January 18, 2021 

Welcome to HERE BE NEWS, where each monday we bring you all the latest from the fantasy romance authors at Here Be Magic:



                       

~ ~ ~

NEW RELEASE

NIGHTSWEPT
Fantasy/Paranormal/Time Travel Romance
by Linda Mooney
Word Count: 35.5K
$2.99 e

It's said a witch without a familiar is considered lost, but a warlock without a familiar is deemed soulless.

Yordan Squires has a rather lonely existence. As a warlock capable of time travel, he’d resigned himself to a life of solitude long ago. When he finds someone possessing the magicks like himself, she could be the answer to his loneliness. But it’s too dangerous and selfish of him to ask her to accompany him on his travels.  

Ravenelle is a sprite, or so she’s told. She doesn’t know what she is or how she has powers, but when she finds someone who does know, she doesn’t want him to go away. Despite her healing abilities and invisibility, she’s ashamed of the life she has been forced into. Cold and hungry, she’s had no choice but to sell herself, and now she’s in grave danger from the man who owns her.  

Yordan vows to protect his Ravenelle. As perilous as his travels are, she would be safer with him than fending for herself. But sometimes trouble follows, no matter where or when you end up.  

Separately they are special. Together they are unstoppable.

Warning! Contains changeable coins, a tiny hourglass, a horse barn, invisibility, fight or flight, rocky food, differing norms, and a man who learns what it's like to finally discover the other half of his soul.

Excerpt and Buy Links



Tuesday, January 12, 2021Author Ruth Casie introduces us to a fascinating, if little known, holiday in The Feast of Fabulous Wild Men Day!


Tuesday, January 12, 2021

The Feast of Fabulous Wild Men Day

 


I enjoy sharing posts about weird and funny holidays on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. Without the family with us this holiday, I decided to plan my 2021 Social Media Calendar. I found some fun days, but the one that struck was the one for today, The Feast of Fabulous Wild Men Day. I did the obligatory research…

Gena Kaufman wrote in Glamour… “It sounds like it was invented by an all-male revue in Vegas to attract bachelorette parties.” Like Gena, I could not find much about it. We both came to the same conclusion—enjoy feasting your eyes on hot guys!

I dug deeper. I didn’t find any record of how or why this holiday began. Some websites suggest the day was promoted by the greeting card industry. I also found recognition of the holiday on calendar sites and personal blogs. One site confirmed they could not find any congressional records or presidential proclamations.

 How to celebrate.

Many of the blogs and sites I found had suggestions for celebrating the holiday:

  • What them at work (if you’re not quarantined)
  • At a bar (if you can find any that are open and serving in doors)
  • Walk the mall (you can see where this is going)

On Facebook you can find a plethora of posts featuring swoon-worthy ‘book boyfriends,’ shirtless (or partially shirtless) men on book covers, and much more. Don’t get me wrong. I have a few on my books.

 

  
   

 But what exactly is a wild man, and a fabulous one at that?  I went to the website Checkiday, created by Seth Westphal whose goal is to have the most complete holiday listing with details of each holiday.  Seth seemed to be as stymied as me. “As far as we can tell, it is a day for feasting one’s eyes on hunky, good-looking men—men who are both fabulous, …classy and refined, and wild …unrestrained, rugged and free.”

 How I’ll Celebrate!

I can look at book covers or enjoy the men in my life by feasting on the most fabulous men I know... my husband, my son, and my son-in-law!









Monday, January 11, 2021

HERE BE NEWS for Monday January 11, 2021


                            


Monday, January 11, 2021 

Welcome to HERE BE NEWS, where each monday we bring you all the latest from the fantasy romance authors at Here Be Magic:




Tuesday, January 5, 2021: Author PG Forte plays Holiday Catch-Up with last minute sales and freebies.

Thursday, January 7, 2021: Author Nicole Luiken discusses her WiP plan for 2021.



Now Available as an Audiobook!

I'M NOT EHRYNN ROSE

Paranormal, Urban Fantasy Romance
by Linda Mooney
Word Count: 38.2K
$2.99 e / $9.99 p / $14.95 a


Narrated by Daniela Acitelli
Length: 4 hrs, 17 min
Hear a Sample

The body was not hers, and there was the possibility her life could be in jeopardy.

Not feeling well, Nadia Logermeyer, a twenty-eight-year-old dental assistant living in New York City, lies down to rest, only to wake up in the hospital...in Houston, Texas. In someone else's body. With someone else's name. And with someone else's husband.

She has no idea how or why she's now Ehrynn Rose, or why Ehrynn tried to take her own life. All she knows is that as soon as she's able, she needs to return to NYC to find out what happened to her own body. 

But that's not the worst of it. She's falling in love with Nash Rose, Ehrynn's husband. Unfortunately, the couple are in the midst of a sticky divorce, and her claims of a body switch are only making things more complicated.

She's not Ehrynn Rose, but it's quickly getting to the point where she'd give anything to be her. It isn't until she discovers the real reason why she tried to commit suicide that she realizes the danger isn't over yet.

Warning! Contains a prenuptial agreement, a monkey-shaped birthmark, visits to pawn shops, high-end fashions, long-distance revenge, a pink Bentley, and an incredible circumstance that threatens a new-found love. 

Excerpt and Buy Links

Saturday, January 9, 2021

Bring It Back(List) - I'M NOT EHRYNN ROSE by Linda Mooney

Now Available as an Audiobook!

I'M NOT EHRYNN ROSE

Paranormal, Urban Fantasy Romance
by Linda Mooney
Word Count: 38.2K
$2.99 e / $9.99 p / $14.95 a



Narrated by Daniela Acitelli
Length: 4 hrs, 17 min
Hear a Sample

The body was not hers, and there was the possibility her life could be in jeopardy.

Not feeling well, Nadia Logermeyer, a twenty-eight-year-old dental assistant living in New York City, lies down to rest, only to wake up in the hospital...in Houston, Texas. In someone else's body. With someone else's name. And with someone else's husband.

She has no idea how or why she's now Ehrynn Rose, or why Ehrynn tried to take her own life. All she knows is that as soon as she's able, she needs to return to NYC to find out what happened to her own body. 

But that's not the worst of it. She's falling in love with Nash Rose, Ehrynn's husband. Unfortunately, the couple are in the midst of a sticky divorce, and her claims of a body switch are only making things more complicated.

She's not Ehrynn Rose, but it's quickly getting to the point where she'd give anything to be her. It isn't until she discovers the real reason why she tried to commit suicide that she realizes the danger isn't over yet.

Warning! Contains a prenuptial agreement, a monkey-shaped birthmark, visits to pawn shops, high-end fashions, long-distance revenge, a pink Bentley, and an incredible circumstance that threatens a new-found love. 

Excerpt and Buy Links

Thursday, January 7, 2021

Scheduling the New Year

 

The last two years I started January 1st with a brand-new shiny project. This year I’m only a third of the way through revisions of my current WiP (By Glamour Deceived, a paranormal romance, in case you’re curious). Nor am I under deadline. However, the power of the New Year hype/hope is such that I feel a certain pressure to draw up a writing schedule complete with spreadsheets and bar graphs. Or at least make some loose plans? Goals?

Yeah, let’s go with goals.

I’d like to be done my current revisions by April. Maybe if I find some ambition I’ll even make up a pretty pie chart of chapters to colour in my bullet journal. Or a spreadsheet. Maybe.

Then I’ll probably turn my eyes back to Replacing the Princess, a YA fantasy series that’s been my main project for the last two years. Book one is fairly polished, but, as I wrote the first draft of book two this fall, I became aware of a number of tweaks needed. That should hopefully only take a few weeks. Still, let’s be generous and say that takes care of May.

After that, my plans get much vaguer. I could do a second draft of Replacing the Princess, book two. More likely, by then I will be sick of revising and want to do some drafting. The problem is, I get new ideas with a much greater frequency than I have the time to write them. Today, if I had to pick the next “idea” to write it would either be Ghost Cinderella or Little House in the Jurassic, both of which I have an extensive set of notes for. But six months from now, it may very well be that a new idea has come knocking at my door, or I’ll decide to write Mage in a Coma, book three in my planned paranormal romance series. First drafts usually take me about two to three months, so that’s June to August taken care of.

That still leaves four months of the year unscheduled.

Hmmm. Perhaps by then I’ll be ready to revise the second Replacing the Princess book. The process usually takes about six months. So that means 2022 will likely begin mid-project, too. Oh, well.

Most likely of all, my schedule will go hopelessly awry sometime after April. Just like today's to do list went awry when I suddenly remembered I had a blog due tomorrow...

Tuesday, January 5, 2021

Holiday Catch-up

 I know a lot of people hate the pre-holiday buildup--shopping, mailing, wrapping, baking, planning, decorating, traveling (ookay, maybe not that so much, this year, but in general!) STRESSING. And I get that. But, for me, all of that is balanced by the FUN of it all. The music, the lights, the decorations, the anticipation, the cookies, the drinks. 

Yeah. I needed A LOT of those this year. But now it's over (well, almost, tonight is Twelfth Night, after all, and we still have Epiphany coming up, but still!) and, no matter how you look at it, taking down a tree is just never going to be as much fun as putting one up.

Not that I'm able to do that yet. We're watching our grandson while his parents get a much needed break, and NOTHING is getting put away until he goes home even though the CLUTTER is starting to get to me. 

So, since I can't get any actual house cleaning done, I'm playing catch-up online. 

My Holiday Book Sale will run 'til the end of the week. After that, Finders Keepers, Iron and Oak all go back to their everyday prices.

My FREE For the Holidays Web Page is going away until next year as well. If you'd like to read "Counting On Christmas" sometime THIS year, now's your last chance. 

The Nine Naughty Novelists are closing up shop within the next week or so, so this is your last chance to get Nine Nights in New Orleans EVER.

BUT...

If you're a member of my FB Readers Group The Crone's Nest, I have two holiday presents for you. Okay, one's, technically, still in the works, but ANY DAY NOW. 

Join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheCronesNest

The first present is the NEWLY COMPLETED Prologue to the upcoming Winter Hearts series (which I'm calling Winter of Our Discontent). 

October 1870 

 As the world mourns the loss of brilliant inventor Dr. Charles Winter (known affectionately to his friends as the professor) most remain unaware of the great technical advances he had made in the areas of cloning, artificial intelligence and mechanical life-forms. Sadly, this ignorance of so much of his most far-reaching and astonishing work extends even to the professor's own family, which includes his four adult children, the product of his marriage to the late Millicent Pearson Winter. 

 The younger Winters are quirky and independent, dedicated to social justice, rational science and intellectual achievement. Inculcated from earliest childhood with their mother's Quaker beliefs and their father's dedication to progress, the four siblings are tireless in their pursuit of whatever personal goals they happen to set for themselves. 

 At the time of their father's death, the siblings had yet to discover the fact that their supposed half-sister, Ophelia, was not the result of their father's infidelity as they'd long supposed. This ignorance precipitated a crisis for Ophelia, as is documented in the series prequel, This Winter Heart.


My second gift is Winter World of Love, which is a sequel to This Winter Heart. That's the one that's late. But it's definitely coming soon! And if you want it, join the club...in a manner of speaking. lol!

December 1871 

 Just one short year ago, Ophelia Leonides returned to New Texacali hoping to reconcile with her husband. And, for a while, it seemed that most, if not all, her dreams were coming true. But as the holiday season approaches, Ophelia can’t help but notice that Dario has begun to brood. He says it has nothing to do with her, but trust, once lost, is hard to regain. 

 Dario is frustrated by his inability to give Ophelia the life he knows she deserves. Now, as old ghosts from his past draw close, and the bright future he’s promised his wife grows increasingly dim, he’s on the brink of making a last, desperate gamble--one that might destroy everything they've been hoping to achieve.

I'm having so much fun with this series. I hope you'll join me as the Winter Hearts journey continues!

Monday, January 4, 2021

HERE BE NEWS for Monday January 4, 2021


                            


Monday, January 4, 2021 

Welcome to HERE BE NEWS, where each monday we bring you all the latest from the fantasy romance authors at Here Be Magic:


WISHING YOU A HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM EVERYONE HERE AT HERE BE MAGIC!



Tuesday December 29, 2020: Read COLD FAIRY MOON--New Year's Eve flash fiction from Linda Mooney.



Finders Keepers by PG Forte

Sometimes finding what you want is the easy part

 Caleb is a bionic soldier with little-to-no memory of his past. Aldo's an undercover cop who's searching for the man who got away. Then there's Sally, an ER physician who used to be married to Aldo's late partner, Davis. Sally's just looking for a reason to keep on getting up every day. 

 This holiday season, chance will bring them together and give them an opportunity to help one another find what they each want most. But every gift comes with a price. And keeping what they've found once they've found it? Yeah, that's gonna be the hard part.


EXCERPT:


The dull thud of explosions filtered into Aldo’s brain, rousing him from sleep. “Fireworks,” he mumbled, watching the colored embers stream through the starry sky outside his window. They meant something, he supposed. He couldn’t remember what. 

“Yeah. They just started,” a soft voice murmured beside him. “Happy New Year.” 

New Year’s. Right. Aldo turned his head to find the source of the voice. Kyle was sitting up in bed, reclining against the pillows. Aldo allowed himself a moment to drink in the sight. It was a miracle that Kyle was alive, a miracle that he was sitting here at Aldo’s side. Beyond those simple facts, however, lay a twisted jumble of thoughts and emotions. How the fuck were they ever going to make this work? The wistful look on Kyle’s face did not inspire Aldo with a lot of confidence in that regard. The rest of the package, all that delectable man flesh, certainly inspired a lot of other things, but confidence, no. 

“So,” he said, not bothering to sit up himself, not bothering to pull Kyle down into another long kiss the way he wanted to either. A kiss would be nice, but it could lead to either more sex—also nice—or to another argument. That would be significantly less nice and would leave Aldo feeling stupid for having started it. “Where do we go from here?” 

“I don’t know.” Kyle looked tired. Even his amazing eyes looked worn—especially in the too-young face—and a lot less amazing now that Aldo knew the true cost of them. He felt an urgent need to reach out to Kyle, to touch him, not just to reassure himself that he was really here, but to somehow erase all the damage that had been done to him in the name of science. Yeah, Kyle had changed, all right, but they were all surface changes. They didn’t touch the heart of the man…and Aldo could not decide if that was bad or good. He felt the usual brew of guilt and grief and anger churning inside. He’d failed Kyle. They’d failed each other. And they were probably going to do so again.

Saturday, January 2, 2021

Bring It t Back(List) Finders Keepers by PG Forte

 

Finders Keepers

Sometimes finding what you want is the easy part

 Caleb is a bionic soldier with little-to-no memory of his past. Aldo's an undercover cop who's searching for the man who got away. Then there's Sally, an ER physician who used to be married to Aldo's late partner, Davis. Sally's just looking for a reason to keep on getting up every day. 

 This holiday season, chance will bring them together and give them an opportunity to help one another find what they each want most. But every gift comes with a price. And keeping what they've found once they've found it? Yeah, that's gonna be the hard part.


EXCERPT:


The dull thud of explosions filtered into Aldo’s brain, rousing him from sleep. “Fireworks,” he mumbled, watching the colored embers stream through the starry sky outside his window. They meant something, he supposed. He couldn’t remember what. 

“Yeah. They just started,” a soft voice murmured beside him. “Happy New Year.” 

New Year’s. Right. Aldo turned his head to find the source of the voice. Kyle was sitting up in bed, reclining against the pillows. Aldo allowed himself a moment to drink in the sight. It was a miracle that Kyle was alive, a miracle that he was sitting here at Aldo’s side. Beyond those simple facts, however, lay a twisted jumble of thoughts and emotions. How the fuck were they ever going to make this work? The wistful look on Kyle’s face did not inspire Aldo with a lot of confidence in that regard. The rest of the package, all that delectable man flesh, certainly inspired a lot of other things, but confidence, no. 

“So,” he said, not bothering to sit up himself, not bothering to pull Kyle down into another long kiss the way he wanted to either. A kiss would be nice, but it could lead to either more sex—also nice—or to another argument. That would be significantly less nice and would leave Aldo feeling stupid for having started it. “Where do we go from here?” 

“I don’t know.” Kyle looked tired. Even his amazing eyes looked worn—especially in the too-young face—and a lot less amazing now that Aldo knew the true cost of them. He felt an urgent need to reach out to Kyle, to touch him, not just to reassure himself that he was really here, but to somehow erase all the damage that had been done to him in the name of science. Yeah, Kyle had changed, all right, but they were all surface changes. They didn’t touch the heart of the man…and Aldo could not decide if that was bad or good. He felt the usual brew of guilt and grief and anger churning inside. He’d failed Kyle. They’d failed each other. And they were probably going to do so again.