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While Trout is not the instigator, he will be just as guilty as Doug if he follows through with the plan--perhaps more so, as Trout would play the active role in the plot. Of course, Trout might play along for a while (peer pressure can be a terrible thing), never planning to follow through, but that approach would lead to greater complications down the road. That the plan is more than a joke is suggested by June and Doug phoning each other all week in their machinations to delude grandma, going so far as having Marisse play the role of Wendy. As Trout says, "So you got the whole production team assembled?" If it is a joke, it's a bad one, and I would ordinarily be concerned that someone is going to get hurt. However, Brian himself states that the piece is light-hearted, so I take it on faith that they'll all live happily ever after, with lots of hilarity on the way! Ultimately, the outcome will depend on Trout's moral compass, and I hope he makes the right decisions. (If he's not a good boy, Santa will leave him coal instead of a Blondie! )

Fascinating story. The twist from completing a ceremony for the dead to the saving of a life was unexpected but heartfelt. The two boys have a clear spiritual connection despite their different backgrounds (the rescue could not have occurred without it), and I hope that their relationship is explored further in the sequel (hint hint, nudge nudge 😉).

Hi, Trout, your grandma will give you a mansion in the Hamptons if you get married? Please tell her that grandkids are extra. (Negotiate, man, negotiate!) Doug, I like your ability to ignore reality: You enter Trout onto a heterosexual dating site, and when he objects on the grounds of being gay, you say, “Oh tish. A technicality. No one needs to know.” I want what your drinking! OK, Trout, so all you need to do for the prize is marry a girl named Wendy within two months. You could be truthful to a female friend about ripping off grandma and make a business deal to get married, or you can be a total jerk and hoodwink a sweet, unsuspecting girl (make her fall in love with you) in order to get married and rip off grandma. Actually, either way, you sound like jerk (though fooling a bride would make you an even bigger jerk). Be a man, and confess to grandma before it's too late. Instead of a mansion, you'll wind up in the dog house, but at least your integrity will be intact. (Woof!) Hey, Blondie-with-stubble, consider reading books that don't rhyme with ovary. (I mean, really!) So, you're reading about a loveless marriage while Trout considers a loveless marriage. Heavy, and slightly preachy, but in a good way; and you still look worth a one-night stand! Welcome back, Brian, we missed you!

Drew has proven his worth once again by suggesting Jeff as Amara's temporary bodyguard (we'll see just how "temporary," depending on whether Jeff falls for the kids and vice versa!). Additionally, Drew and Jeff together will make a phenomenal security team, as they trust and respect each other completely, and they'll both set a great example for the kids. I don't think it a coincidence that the chapter ends with Amara grinning.

I'm adopting Ash, Seth, and Kyle! 😍 As for Star Trek, you had to be there (it blew everything that came before it out of the water!) Good thing the lights went out after the feast was ready (I love candle light anyway--so romantic...). And Happy Thanksgiving to all! 😊

I hope that Kieran's increasing use of "magic" does not result in backlash from the elves: He was meant to blend in with humans--to be human--and he has instead been linked to the "Great Ones" in view of his extraordinary abilities; and those abilities seem to be growing. I wonder if the elves will try to straitjacket Kieran's abilities in addition to their attempts to destroy his gayness. (Can they erase memories? They can at least suppress them, as Kieran and Mr B. cannot remember their past lives, but it would be tragic for the entire party to lose their memories, or for Woorawa to be re-blinded, to preserve the elves' secrets.) Alternatively, I wonder if Kieran will become so powerful that he can escape control of the elves entirely--perhaps retrieving his memories along the way--in which case he and his human allies might even challenge the elves at some point. So many possibilities!!! More, please. 😍

I tried opening an online bookstore, but my day job (much less fun than the books) got busy enough that I was ultimately forced to close it. I'll try again when I retire, but for the time being, I'll indulge in Josh envy. 😊 Christopher may usually play church music, but he obviously knows enough popular pieces to draw an audience. He also seems like a patient teacher. And another date looming at the piano bar! 😍

I couldn't survive without wheels on my luggage, but an old-fashioned portmanteau does give a taste of Christopher's character. The piano bar sounds like a great place for Josh and Chistopher to "sound" each other out. 😊

Yes, Alex, you have issues. Unfortunately, you also have Aron. While your observation that Carter should look for other, presumably unmarried, men would seem to have validity, you forget that this is a holy war (including sort-of angels) to free Aron from you, not simply a husband grab on Carter's part. (Speaking of which, where has Aron's personal guardian angel been hiding? 🤗) Carter, you already have conversations with your brain. Are you sure you that you also need a serious talk with your leg? (Talk to your brain about it!) Wow, Carter, you called Aron a “hot gay guy,“ and Aron said that “your ass is way too yummy for a straight dude.” How you respond will set the tone for your relationship with Aron for the rest of your life! What do you mean, “Yummy how?” And now you want a family with Aron? Hate to say it, but you got the dog even before the husband! Until Aron is free, you can't make your move; and Aron won't believe you if you reveal Alex’ infidelity, while Alex will never tell. It would take a third party--possibly a spurned lover--to open Aron's eyes. Oh, hi, Simon! Fancy Carter running into you this morning. Now, where are those guardian angels when you need them?

At least Rulf still cares enough about Esthor to make sure he's safe. If Esthor wants the King's dagger, he will have to seek out Olivia, but then again, how could he possibly know? If he refuses to meet with Olivia until after he regains his eyesight, then he has created a "catch-22" situation and may never find the dagger! (So, Esthor, if you want to avoid some wild goose chases, now would be a great time to become altruistic and agree to help her out!)

I hope that Rulf comes round, though it will take his heart some time to catch up with his head. 😪

Great to hear that Nathan has fully recovered! As for Mac putting him in a hospital gown, it was all in the line of duty. 😉 (She could have asked one of the boys for help.... 😁) So, Kelly is a saboteur! Is she the only one? What are her motives? Is she getting active orders even now from outside the fortress (despite Alex' view to the contrary), or has she been acting on orders received before the mountain retreat was sealed? While I understand Noah's view that she should be left free but under observation, I side with Nathan: Lock her up after a thorough strip search (including a fine-tooth-comb search of her possessions) and look for some sodium pentothal amongst the medical supplies. Remember that she is a traitor in a war against humanity, and her ultimate punishment could even be the death penalty. Hopefully, now that Tobi has been exonerated, Alex can rebuild his friendships with both Tobi and Mac.

An audiophilic love story with betting: Not a typical romance, but I love it! (I side with Seth, but my brother-in-law considers me a philistine. )

Alex and Jase are lucky to have such a good friendship, whether or not it leads to something more. Further, Alex is lucky to have a mom who is gay friendly, and she is nice enough to have offered Jase a safety net. Amos' sibling would probably be in his 90s by now, if still living, and would have made peace with his brother's death a long time ago. The items were buried as a gesture of love, but they are by no means sacred and can now be used to help other boys achieve their dreams--a much better use than moldering in the ground.

Rory is making headway with Ilaria: By telling him to clean the car vents, she has given her approval for him to pursue his friendship with Milan. (I suspect that he will have the cleanest vents on the continent!) However, she has also suggested that the Takeda family is likely to move away in three years, which is an alarming, but not an immediate, threat. Ah, the mysteries begin to mount! Who is the mysterious blood donor? Whose voice does Rory almost identify talking to Kiyo over the phone? Who is Nisin, and what is his relationship with Kiyo (could he be the strange wolf alluded to a chapter or two back)? We need more answers! Uh oh, the council is convening, so Rory has run out of time. Further, are those 15 wolves on the security team hiding in the woods to guarantee his attendance? (Seems like an awful lot of wolves to deliver an invitation.) Is June tendering a summons or executing an arrest?

My only point here is that grabbing Amara's wrist (and pushing up his sleeve) represents, at least to me, an invasion of Amara's personal space, even though it was noted that Drew "would have been aware that in this situation Amara wasn't up to having someone invade his personal space, even if it was Drew." I have no hesitation in accepting your explanation as to why the sleeve had been pushed back only partially. I surrender! 🤗

"There was a long, tense silence, during which Amara trembled and Drew ground his teeth. Eventually, he leaned back, releasing Amara’s wrist." That said, I defer to the author's interpretation.

Amara is not the one who pushed up the long sleeve: "Drew slid back the sleeve of the kimono" and exposed Amara's bruising the previous night. It is difficult for me to believe that Drew, a trained observer, would fail to note all the bruising present or that he would perform only a partial examination, hence his surprise the next morning when he saw "a lot more bruising" than what he had observed initially. Amara did not reveal the bruising to Drew; rather, he signaled that there was a problem with his arm by rubbing it, bringing the situation to Drew's attention and resulting in Drew's decision to examine Amara's arm (and as I mentioned above, I can't believe that Drew was anything less than thorough. Further, there is no statement in the text that the long sleeve was only partially drawn up at the time of that examination). So, did Amara manipulate Drew into performing the exam by rubbing his arm, or was the gesture truly inadvertant?

Is Amara playing Drew? While in the kitchen, Drew notes something odd about Amara: "Oh, the bruises. I'm surprised, Amara. There are a lot more than you showed me last night." Did Amara embellish the bruising? Did he completely fake the bruising? As Ben himself queries, "Have you seen me lay one finger on the boy?" When Drew accuses Ben of "threatening behavior, assault, physical abuse of a minor...," Ben denies it, saying "Never happened, mate." While Ben is a thoroughly nasty piece of work, clearly in need of being fired, did Amara stage events to force his dismissal? If so, he merits an Oscar for his performance, and I can't make up my mind whether Amara is a traumatized victim or a consummate manipulator--or maybe both.

In Shusterman's "Unwind" series, children are broken down ("unwound") into component parts; but in an audacious experiment, a "human" boy is completely assembled from these components. Thus, the components were "born" but the "boy" was made. In Danie's case, even Kohen is baffled and ask, "Were you born or made?" Danie doesn't know--Cia adroitly, and perhaps wisely, begs the question--but the point is moot: he functions as a self aware artificial intelligence, irrespective of his origins. Interestingly, he has subroutines and programming--some of which is even hidden from himself (that he was programmed to think that evil isn't real is ominous). My biggest concern at this time is that Danie may turn out to be a plant--may have allowed itself to be stolen--to sabotage our heroes from the inside. (Freska may liaise with Danie, but can she uncover the truth if it is hidden from Danie itself?) Regardless, l'm sure that Danie's true purpose will become clear in time.

This chapter highlights how Artie has blossomed since joining Adam's household and how open he's become to new experiences (excepting, of course, for his inexplicable aversion to fish sushi 🤗). He's surrounded by love and friendship, but I can't help remembering that the evil grandparents are still out there waiting to destroy his new life. The chapter was sweet, but the suspense (waiting for the ax to fall) is killing me!

Who says that the hotel made a mistake by putting Josh and Gavin into the same hotel room? Clint is sneaky!

One of the better stories of geek love that I have come across! Yay for Seth and Asher! (Also, kudos for mentioning The Wish by Gee Whillikers on AwesomeDude, as it's one of my favorite stories.)

So, Alex, I love the summary: “Aron expects me to top, Simon tries to drag me to some … leather bars, I have an Instagram account, I’m posing for stupid lingerie, and, did I forget something? Oh, sure! I have a sex tape?!” Jealous? OK, Alex, so you were “not exactly” in Carter's body while Carter was in yours: So what was it like while you were a donkey? (Oops, sorry, you're still a donkey.) Alex, did I say you were a donkey? I meant a pig, marrying Aron because you were bored and because your research showed that he was loaded. (Oink.) So, Alex, you admit--in so many words--that you don't love Aron, that your strategy (learned from mommy dearest) is to keep him unhappy, and that you refuse to give him up because he's your property. You are one sick dude. (Oink, oink!) Carter, you don't deny you want Aron? Now you're making progress! And you're willing to go to war with Alex more for Aron's sake than for your own? A classic battle of good vs evil! Next thing you know, you'll be communing with the angels! Oh, hi, Mark! Didn't see you there for a second. So Carter can keep his memories of Aron as long as he forgoes memories of the accident? Isn't that sort of silly? Yes, He moves in mysterious ways and you're only the messenger, but really? How about giving Carter advice on how to defeat the resident evil and win the boy? Oh, you brought a dog instead. Okaayyy…. Well, Carter, you've got Taz and a sort-of angel in your corner, and Aron believes in you. It's time to make your move. (Now that I'm back from vacation, I'll be watching with baited breath for your battle with the Queen of Stone Hearts!)

I love that the kids understand the need for comfort and normalcy--whether enjoying a "lazy day," decorating for Christmas, drinking hot chocolate with mint, or making sure that no one's birthday is forgotten. I love that both Tobi and Noah show irritation when Kelly flirts with Alex. (We knew that Tobi was interested in Alex, but along with the birthday hug, this is the first real tell-tale that Noah is interested in Alex. Well, that and his digging into Alex's relationship with Mac.) I also love that, in the midst of a "happy" chapter, the author makes sure we remember that a saboteur is on the loose.