Dr. John NYC

Constantine’s key role in the murder attempts was not surprising. The question remains if his father is, too — & of course what non-family member(s) are also involved. Shirley’s father (Commander Steele?) is one of the ones who has always been on my list of suspects although I can’t figure out why. (I certainly hope Shirley is not involved as a deep mole. It would seriously hurt Logan.) On͏e good thing: Logan and León are definitely moving forward despite the number of topics they are still avoiding.

I’m withholding judgment on Mr. Cohen for now. He’s dealing with two brilliant but unseasoned young men with whom he cannot/will not provide the complete picture, who must nonetheless make life changing decisions, and who must decide quickly. I , too, want to know who is/are pulling the strings, but even more importantly, I want to know WHY. Considering he only knows Jimbo (and Mason?) from indirect sources, the WHY will greatly influence my assessment of whether Mr. Cohen could have handled the discussion better. At least, Yonatan asked lots of the critical questions and got answers or assurances coming answers that satisfied Yonatan sufficiently to make the decision. One prediction based on the life plan laid out for them: their future involves recovering art stolen from Jewish people over the past centuries.

So sweet to see their interactions & the results: “... found himself with an armful of wriggling man and his face being covered in kisses...” I suspect Carl’s estimate of Tristan’s level could still be an underestimation. Time and @Caz Pedroso will tell.

What @CaJu & @drpaladin said. There’s at least one mystery still to resolve: why was the Captain so reluctant to have a relationship with Kohen — unless I missed that resolution somewhere. Well done — but not done, I hope — @Cia!!!

So glad Tristan & Carl are talking — now that the claiming is over. I am particularly interested to learn more about mages and mage levels in this universe. Can’t wait to see what the retesting will show! Thanks, @Caz Pedroso!!

But did he know what the assignment was when he chose to go away? That detail was ambiguous, at least to me. Furthermore, it is not yet clear to me that Logan fully understands his own reasons for some of his actions, and the same holds true for Leon. Nor is it surprising: 6 months was not enough time for them to understand the complexities of each other’s lives, especially considering the gulf between their classes Regardless, I agree that Logan & Leon need to talk to each other. Maybe they could retreat to Logan’s house on the beach — for Leon’s safety, of course. I think they need that connection to nature that first brought them together.

Not to be too repetitive after my post for the previous chapter, but Level 2 mage??? I do not remember any details about the Mage Levels in this universe, but the tone around Tristan’s use of Level 2 makes me wonder who did the testing and what ulterior motives they had. Of course, being underestimated may give a surprise advantage to Kitryn & Simon’s growing extended family. Love this story @Caz Pedroso, but sometimes I need to skip a week or so to get a more substantial mouthful at the next feeding. 😉

Tristan certainly has a major problem with self-esteem because he has already shown himself quite capable, resourceful, and compassionate since his arrival. Some authority figure(s) must have inculcated this sense of worthlessness over a substantial period of time. Now, let’s get this attack dealt with so Tristan and Carl can resume their talk!😜

So many questions and from all sides: 1. What kind of club has Petr mentioned—twice now? 2. Who are the insider(s) collaborating (colluding?) with Isaak? Dax was handpicked by the Queen, but does she really know him? At least he gave Leon & Logan a few minutes together. 3. Why can’t Logan have been with Leon? I thought it was because the Queen would have objected to Leon being gay, but she doesn’t seem to have a problem with that situation. Could she be that open on the gay issue but would be bothered because Logan is a commoner? Lots more connections needed, but that situation is one of the intriguing aspects of @lilansui‘s stories. Thanjs! PS: who is Ren, the one who had Ligan’s Phone?

I don't recall John seeing through Opie’s glamour from the first time I read the story, but it certainly struck me this time. (I wonder if Kyle can, too. They are identical twins, or are they fraternal?) Maybe he can be the successor for Jonas? Spot on observations, @Cannd, and I share your wistfulness about the story being almost over. Thanks, @comicfan, for an engaging, sweet (in all the right ways), heartwarming story!

With the multi-chapter buildup you’ve devoted to the blind date, it must be a good one, n’est-ce pas?

Jenny has good taste in choosing clothes, but that skill doesn’t always translate well to matchmaking. Time will tell... Personally, I have strange hopes that Opie or one of his special clients might be possibilities for a HEA love interest I think Jonas needs someone non-traditional. Great to see the tenor of Jonas’ job emerging, @comicfan. Can’t wait to see the first real order and what Opie can do to fulfill it.

When it is family or even people you think are good friends, I think there is often a deep-seated hope they will behave reasonably, even if you rationally consider it unlikely they will react well. In the case of Jonas, I think his (mis)interpretation of his sperm donor’s comments were heavily influenced by this hope that his remaining family would respond as family should. Alas, the response was even worse than Jonas had imagined. Glad that your tasty morsel is May’s read, @comicfan so I have a good excuse to re-read it. I’m also glad I had read this story previously so I know things will eventually improve for Jonas. He is such a sweetheart!

Amen to what @Valkyrie said. It is a weird and wonderful story, and I also agree with the comment by @Zenobia. I just hope there IS some type of sequel, even if it's a short story spinoff.

I think you summed it up when Charles lets Caleb get out of the truck to go talk to Wren and says: Charles grinned and put on his ballcap. "But you got something more important to do." Not sure how many chapters will be required, but my guess it will be after Wren goes to California to deal with his loose ends. Gotta maintain that tension build.

I don't completely agree that Caleb managed to put things right. To me, he patched up the critical rift so that they can start working together, but he did it in a way ("No more… no more of what happened. Okay?") that Wren interpreted it as "No touching." instead of what I think Caleb meant, i.e., "No kissing/gay stuff." The result will likely be a patched but unclean wound that will fester because those boys grew up touching in friendly, brotherly ways. Already, Caleb touched Wren without even thinking because it was the natural way they have interacted for so long. My hope is that the festering of that wound will have to be 'lanced' sooner rather than later, resulting in a clarified, more tenable set of ground rules, but I suspect it will take more to get Caleb to overcome his self-loathing--understandable considering his situation but not conducive to a mentally healthy life. Of course, just my thinking... for what it's worth.

I continue to wonder about what really happened to Adam, Wren’s father. I was half-expecting Papaw to have shared some insight in the safety deposit box, but I guess he didn’t know—or didn’t say, at least. I still have suspicions about the “evil uncles” having had something to do with Adam’s unexplained, abrupt, and puzzling disappearance.

Your descriptions certainly stirred up some memories from childhood. Having grown up in West Virginia, a lot of the scenes could have come from there. Even though we didn’t farm, some of my mom’s cousins did, but it was more like Papaw’s style than the style of the “evil uncles.” I feel sad that Wren seems to have kept his being gay away from everyone, especially Papaw. I expect Rachel and perhaps even Papaw suspected. He might have been surprised. After I took my husband home the first time, everyone pretty much considered him part of the family. Nothing specific was ever said by much of the more extended family, but actions spoke louder than words. Now, when will the loose ends of Travis & Mr. Branson show up, and how long before Caleb & Wren come queer, errrr, clear about their desires. Hmmmm... Thanks for sharing, @Wayne Gray! Took a couple of tries to get through the first chapters of Wren being a dick, but I’m glad I did.

My sense is that Freska may have similar feelings of connection to Danie. Whether this connection has a romantic, erotic, sexual component—on either side—only time & @Cia can tell us. Personally, I hope so because the hopeless romantic in me wants everyone to have the someone(s) they need to be complete.

I love how you showed Mason, the self-acknowledged nerd, grow in heart, mind, and spirit from reading Greek mythology, The Persian Boy, The Frontrunner, and Fancy Dancer to a confident young man having his own Alexander/coach/priest. It brought tears to my eyes, just like when they killed Billy. I’m looking forward to reading what comes next! Well-done, @Mac Rountree

For chapter 2, you knew it couldn’t be that easy... It does seem that our protagonist has some inner demons of his own about homoerotic encounters that might be starting to resurface since Annabelle died.

With some “Priscilla, Queen of the Desert” mixed in — with precisely the right amount, just like Albert would have made it. 😉

Jae is not just doing it to understand Dan better, I my opinion. He also recognizes that Justine is still family in the back of Dan’s mind AND thus Justine is a potential problem they will have to confront. Family is also integral to Jae so connecting with Justine as family is how he can help and protect Dan — and their relationship. Of course, I’m not the author, so my musings are just that.

Finally, a little sanity on both parts. Too many chapters left for it to last, but at least they have s brief respite—& with luck, they have learned something to help with the next obstacle... PLEASE!!

I love these two characters, both with hearts so big that they cannot seem to stop hurting each other. Despite my love for them, I really want to smack Dan for not treating Jae like an adult. He even admitted it to himself when remembering how trying to carry all the problems drove him and Justine to where they are now — but then he appeared to forget his own insight. I do understand how he wants to protect the one he loves, but the loved one needs to want that kind of loving protection for it to work. And Jae: when will he learn that turning everything into “end of the world” drama only makes Dan feel like he has to keep more of the problems from him? Arghhh, relationships can be so difficult! , @lilansui