Bleeding Hearts 1. Killian Kendall Series

Bleeding Hearts is a really beautiful story.  It seems to have almost everything in 131,550 words.  Killian is a teenager who befriends the new kid in school who turns out to be openly gay and gets bullied and abused and ultimately murdered for it.  But Killian finds out he is (and has been) gay and is torn between his old friend Asher and a new friend Jake.  And then there is Gilly, who is Asher's ex and Jake's sister.  And it is chaos as all this coming of age and teenaged angst and who's doing who craziness happens.  All in the shadow of an unsolved murder with a murderer the police don't seem to want to find but who keeps trying to get Killian alone.  Add to this an abusive father and husband, a family you'll swear are cousins to the Munsters, a psychic who seems pretty "right-on", a ghost who visits Killian in his dreams, a murderous Halloween party, and .....  Yes, it is a very full story.  And it has wonderful characters, many of whom you will love instantly, some it takes a while to grow to love, and some you will dislike immediately while some will become increasingly unpleasant.  Who did it?  The journey to the answer is a "long and winding road" that you will find spell-binding, I-can't-put-it-down intriguing, and full of the warmth of true love and true family whether its a family of origin or a family of choice.  @empath has given us a story full of greatly drawn characters, plot twists and turns reminiscent of a roller coaster, and surrounding it all, a world in which love is sorely tested by hate but is not defeated.  I can't wait to read the other stories in this series.  You owe it to yourself to take this fun and exciting journey with Killian and his friends.  Be sure you take your heart medication and grab a box of tissues before you start!

A tale of becoming, wrapped in a mystery. Of becoming aware, of becoming accepting, and of becoming the person you were meant to be. An exceptional cast of characters, both lovable and frightening, navigate their way through this outwardly straightforward tale that hides multiple layers of meaning beneath, with a climax that will leave you gasping for more. 

Hmm. Maybe I should have said that a little differently?

A great tale, well-told, that should go on the 'to read' list of anyone who enjoys mysteries with a heart and a soul. I can't recommend this one more highly.

I'm glad I started this after it was completely published, or I would have been constantly on edge waiting for the next chapter.  This is an engaging story, more of a "Who's doing it" rather than a "Who done it."

I'd recommend trying to skip over the trigger warnings if you are feeling comfortable with the content you've already read as they do foreshadow events (as they are intended to do).  This is an often suspenseful murder mystery with adult content and themes.  I found the mature content very tastefully done, no more difficult to read than it needed to be, but graphic enough to hold me in the edge.

I very much look forward to reading more about Killian and the crew as he both comes of age and presumably explores the 'gifts' he's been given.

Thank you @Josh Aterovis, for sharing this engaging tale.  You've gained a fan!

Riveting from start to finish, this tale of murder is so much more than merely catching the culprit. 

A quite large cast of characters, many of whom @Josh Aterovis paints warts and all, ensuring they are believable. Not for the faint hearted, there are a handful of truly despicable characters, one of whom is insane, and understandably so. It is not often one expects to be moved by the plight of a murderer, but in this tale I was. 

With painstaking attention to detail, the murder, what caused it, and its aftermath, are all very well explained.

Exceptionally well written and very entertaining.