Seraph28

Oh Christian!....what have you done? This chapter hits hard ..knowing what lays ahead. I have a feeling it's going to go downhill from now on.

Do you reckon he is a Virgo?...😄

You better be thinking of a sequel to this in the future otherwise will make a plea to the Literary gods😄🤣.... That being said ..this was beautiful ...the sacrifice ,the love story it's all poignant ...Kael and Xander kicked ass... What I like most personally is that their love is strong even though it's separated by worlds ...I like to believe those two lads will eventually find their way to each other .. Til next time...

It's always bitter sweet whenever a story comes to an end ...Josh's tale comes to a break for now and it has been a wonderful journey reading it... I like that it ends on a high note and will certainly be looking forward to the next book..I left this chapter however feeling sorry for Greg Kincaid...He begins the chapter weary and he ends in a not so good place ..Being caught in an Inextricable Dilemma...where he has to lie to his family to protect the country...That's a nasty place to be in. That being said ..I liked how you incorporated family,national security and imminent danger in this chapter ..That ending left me feeling chilly...testament to your writing .

I have gone back and read it..I admit Macchiavellian was not the right word..it's a little too dark for what Alexander did...but then re-read this ...and what you mentioned in your comment clicked . His actions were both protective(for Lyn's sake) and self-preservative for himself. Thank you!

That bad, huh?..he does have a way of rubbing someone indeed... that's why I hinted that even a trained professional(psychologist) would not know where to start with Brad.

This chapter was everything and more for me... That part, the one of Joel and Davin..that was rom-com movie magic...I could not help remembering a scene from Broke back Mountain when Jack's character tells Ennis that he wished he knew how to quit Ennis...These two lads are just something else. Seeing them fumble their way to love has been a delight . What with mean harpies in @Krista's works ..There is always a mother figure who is always in the way of happiness...Looking down their nose at the heroes...Francine rubbed me the wrong way ..No wonder Celia had to put distance between them.... Lorraine ...you lass!...I cackled reading that, when she wrongfully assumed Roy and Joel are a thing ...that was comedy magic right there..hihi...Now I find myself hoping that Roy also gets to know that Joel is gay. If someone had told me at the beginning of the story that Colt would become one of my favourites ,I would have laughed ..That lad is full of surprises indeed. Explains his perpetual state of angst...He is artistic and angst is tool of the trade for artists. It was nice seeing the two brothers finally get together...I got the impression Cody is a precocious and sensitive lad from reading this chapter..Maybe it was just me!...We definitely not talking about the big brother...I think his frontal cortex is not well developed😄 My most beautiful moment was Celia and Trace claiming Joel as their son..as part of the family...It gets even more when Colt later claims him as his adopted brother too...I swear felt a tear drop 🤭. Can't wait for the next chapter to drop soon enough...Thank You!

Hmm...where to begin today.. First...I would like to give kudos to @Laura S. Fox for successfully writing a loose 'adaptation' of a modern gay version that combines Jane Austen's work(Pride and Prejudice, Persuasion)...She would be so proud😉.. Second ..I am calling out @Cane23 and @LeeSA for being right about Brad...that bloke is complex..eh. That being said.. this chapter was explosive as hell..Truth bombs were detonating like there was no tomorrow...I concur with @Cane23's assessment .What transpired in this chapter would not have happened had these fellas really been candid with each other from the beginning. I have been on the Alexander wagon from the beginning but even I have to admit he was shady as hell in how he handled it...That was so Macchiavellian..you know the whole all is fair in love and war. The silver lining for me is that at least he comes out of this chapter as a character who is not infallible.. When was reading Alexander before, he seemed like those OP comic characters. To read this chapter and discover that he is just as flawed as others makes him all the more relatable. I don't even know where to start with Brad in this chapter..All I can say is that a Psychologist would have a field day when it comes to him...the self-victimisation, the provocation ,the violence and the casual mean behaviour he displays here is something else . Then there is Lyn, who @LeeSA rightly calls out for always being 'late to the party' when it comes to realisation. I could not help but feel sorry for him in this chapter. His knack for evasion comes to bite him in this chapter.... That being said..as a reader a chapter like this makes for poignant reading. Good thing the next Future chapter drops in a few days .

That was nice..really nice that Zal had reunited with an old friend ...I can imagine Zal is beating himself over the treachery of Renn....I wonder how he would feel when he finds out about Ragart!

If I remember well ..one family is both racist and homophobic...

This chapter was teeming with foreboding ..lots of it ...Reading it makes the prologue all the more heart wrenching!. It's painful to read knowing this beautiful couple will fall apart.. Thank you!..

You have captured it perfectly ...though we will have to endure restlessness until next Tuesday...That is when we shall get to have a front view of the aftermath of this truth bomb detonations😂

Death...so much death indeed... I like the brand of cliff hangers in this one @vanalas... Psycho undead Ambrose sounds like the pompous bully that is fabric of every society.. That being said...things are going to be more intense and bloodier ...Ambrose's undead ass needs to be kicked into oblivion..! Thank you!

And the house is literally coming down on those blokes😂

I can relate too...I have read this chapter 5 times so far...and each time I reel from the last half of it...the truth bombs that detonated in that half alone are enough to cause a literary Armageddon 😂

There is a reason it was simplified for us, simple minded folks...You know the whole 'Truth is bitter ' 😉

I don't have words to describe how to feel after reading this chapter..It was that superb...Lots of information in this chapter... Thank you!

Thank you!

We begin the new year with an action charged chapter...This chapter served everything...the emotional stakes, the action and the 'good feels'..😉 Thank you!

I think this is the first time I have read a short story and been sad and happy at the same time. Sad that it is ending so soon and yet happy that it is ending the way it is. The journey of these two young lads has been an interesting read .

From your comment , this has to be the most personal chapter to you.. you have captured the symptoms well...I always wondered why Brad has trouble with words and why Lyn was doing his assignments for him....I suspected he had some form of Neurodivergence in him..

It's nice to read about the changes these two lads have undergone....Fidel is confident and less aggressive...Ulises is now living his truth and is happy, no more putting on a facade to fit in.

The Hayes men seem to be floundering...Arthur,Aiden,Joseph and Nathan are all being weird....that closing scene of the chapter though feels me with joy and trepidation in equal measure..It is because If there is anything I have learnt in reading @vanalas's works over the years that each time our protagonists tried to play dirty against their enemies, it always ended up making things dangerously worse for our protagonists.

Me too...but am sure @vanalas got this covered ..I like to believe it would be contrary to that whole conversation with Dean at the beginning of the chapter .

My choice of title for this chapter is .'Lynton Calloway is ruffled'..This week's chapter finds out protagonist ruffled..and am not just talking about his hair mind you.. For someone who is used to order, of having things be in the way he wants them to be..the situation of Brad/Luke/Bella has thrown him off his trajectory and we get to have prime seat and watch our Lyn flounder. I find myself asking...what does Little Luke even want at all?haha.. The burgeoning relationship between Alexander and Lyn is such a a delight to read..These two blokes are different and yet compliment each other in such a good way...and it's just at the infant stage of their relationship! I do not know if am the only one but I find myself looking forward to knowing what really went down to cause a rift for 8 years.. The brief hint of it in this chapter by Alexander and Lyn here means it was a really big fight .. Thank you!...Looking forward to more.