CincyKris

I hope Dottie will also have a date with the devil!

Well we know for sure who the Assassin is! Unless Bix learns to read soon, Tawni is both our titular leads. Can't say I feel sorry for the Royal soldiers.

I’m not on any of the socials either, and there are a surprising number of my middle aged coworkers who are not either. I suppose if I had my own business it would be different, but I can happily ignore them. I’m not sure the land issue is time sensitive, since our crew have no plans to leave.

I agree with @drsawzall. I can't see why they'd send a warship to go after Bix if her story is accurate. Something is not adding up. I hope Tawni doesn't get hurt when the truth comes out.

Who needs a moat or castle walls when you have a poisonous garden!?

So Tawni could be both the librarian and the assassin.

Hmm, I assumed that Bix was the princess, but I forgot both the title and the fact that Bix is illiterate. If Tawni is the librarian, then that makes Bix the assassin?

I was wondering when the drama and tension were going to invade this sweet romance. I'm looking forward to their journey.

I also wondered at the tech mention in the first poem. 18 years is not such a long time, I would expect a lot of knowledge of pre-plague technology to still be around, even with most middle aged and older people gone.

They are very sweet together, and balanced. Tawni needs some wildness and fun and Bix needs a little calming, someone who might prevent her from adding to her scar collection.

This was great ending! I was so happy the Timmy take-down was public! The guys are set up for a great summer break, then a senior year at the top of the teen heap. What a change from hiding out in the library to start the story.

I think that Sinjin/Madam Woo must have a very intriguing backstory. Maybe a prequel novella?

Bix is so effusive and outgoing, it's no wonder she's made so many acquaintances so quickly.

I like the start, and the female leads do not put me off. I love post-apocolyptic, but I always wonder at the little things that seem out of place. The hair pin? This is out of date now. I wondered about what island this might be. I couldn't easily identify a tropical island (palm trees were mentioned) with alphabetical street names, but Manhattan's Alphabet City came up. Is this a future in which Manhattan is now tropical?

Hmmm, if Stoker were able to get his watch back, and Hugo could remove Dottie from the timelines could they prevent the mechs from ever being sent ahead? But then the mechs are intrinsic to Stoker getting captured and getting the aggregate. That sounds like a ...... paradox!

It's been obvious that Max has needed a keeper, Tara has been that person since Max retired. I think that eventually, Roman will ween Max of that need, rather than take over the role. As I often do in stories with bad parents, I also wondered @FanLit why Max's mom allowed his dad to treat Max with such coldness. I understand his military stoicism, but he apparently treated Sam with warmth. I would imagine there were some heated discussions, but sometimes we have to overlook serious shortcomings in our loved ones. She certainly made up for her spouse's lack of affection with her own unconditional love. I'm guessing that Max contrasted his teen years with Sam's, and felt his cold dad was a hell of a lot better than an abusive one. He did, and still does, internalize his vulnerability while projecting a hard shell of invulnerability. I actually made a homemade pizza with brie and caramelized pears, it was delicious. But pineapple with Italian red sauce, it's a hard no for me! Maybe with a spicy, not too sweet barbecue sauce? Or just blended with coconut and rum!

Growing pains is the phrase that came to my mind, but I would say it is more growing adjustments. Anytime you add a new member to a household, it changes the dynamics. But the guys are adding 2 new habitants and redefining a relationship. I think they're doing great.

I have to admit that I'm kinda hoping for some Timmy take-down drama. This was an encouraging, relationship building chapter. The only complaint I have is that JJ is aghast at cold pizza but perfectly ok with instant coffee!

I had the same thought about Jamie’s dad. Still can’t reconcile this Adam with adult Adam.

Oh my! Another sneaky murder, but no clue as to the identity of the serial killer. Also, I predict that Kilroy will end up in trouble over his uncle's surgical tools. How much do you want to bet their is blood residue matching Guillotine on that bone saw? Perhaps Kilroy needs a nanny cam installed inside his home.

Does Gray's comment at the end mean that Bas will be at the show in Southwold? Will we have a much anticipated Bas/Dawn meeting? In my head, Aimee looked like a young Garcia from Criminal Minds.

After the last two chapters it's easy to forget that this started as a story about a man living in a fantasy world in isolation. Adam is such a happy kid, with a good loving family, and Jamie as his boyfriend! We made some guesses based on the prologue that have turned out to not be true. In Adam’s mind, high school wasn’t just a starting point; it was the trembling foundation. He remembered the electric jolt when his hand touched his. He remembered the paralyzing weight in his chest, the words "I like you" dying on his tongue during that endless, humid summer before university was to start choked by fear – fear of rejection, fear of the unknown, fear of what it meant to feel that way. That silence became the architect of his phantom world. We now know that Adam did actually say "I like you", and Jamie said it back. They were boyfriends.

This was a heavy chapter, I can understand why you had so much trouble writing it. But the result was amazing. Raw, sad, angry, hurt, but triumphant because you survived it. Thank you for sharing it with us.

Max might seem sexually out of control to some of his friends, co-workers, and family (especially his father), but the string of one-night stands is just a cover, a very controlled way to protect his heart from getting broken. Of course, it did get broken by Sam. But it needed to get broken. Max couldn't make that jump off the cliff without Sam ending their romance. Not that Max is ready to jump yet, but he will get there. Sam's and Roman's back and forth snark is insidious and addictive. These two men need to be challenged.

I love Bridge more every chapter. It seems both men had lousy parents who didn't give a damn about them. But Frost lost his brother (and only close friend?) during puberty, and doesn't seem to have had his own "Bridge". That seems to be the difference between private and introspective for one and completely closed off to personal relationships for the other.