A Harmony Ink Press Title

Sequel to The Touchstone

Superpowered teen Sam, and his boyfriend, Harry, are already struggling to navigate being gifted in a normal world, and their problems are about to get deadlier.

Their oldest enemy, Caleb Reed, will stop at nothing to capture Sam and force him to use his abilities for Reed’s benefit. Though their team of friends and allies steps up to watch their backs, Reed sneaks past their defenses time and time again, leading Sam to wonder if one of their own has betrayed them.

When Reed threatens the life of a friend, Sam is forced to make the most difficult decision of his life—one with consequences he can’t even imagine.

First thing’s first: Do not read this book until you’ve read the first in the series. The two are intertwined to the point where you have to know what’s going on first to see what got us to this oh-so-amazing place.

When I did the review for The Touchstone, I said, “I know a lot of people think of YA books as something they wouldn’t normally read. Me? I enjoy the hell out of them. This one? Blew me the heck away!”

Well, book two ratcheted up that feeling by a magnitude of order. Everything I loved about book one was here; especially Harry and Sam, who are so freaking adorable together. Just look at the cover and you can see how cute they are.

Anyway, back to the review. This book had all the feels in it. Happiness gave way to sadness, then sadness to hurt, and finally to comfort. I will warn you going in that this book has some intense moments, so if you’re giving it to a young person, be aware they should tend to the more mature side.

This world MC Lee created is spellbinding. The characters are vibrant and real, and their plights are far more than regular teen angst. See, these kids have powers. Well, super powers, if we’re going to be accurate. In book one we discovered that Sam Riley is a Touchstone. He’s gifted with the ability to take on other powers as his own. It’s a heady thing, but it’s also one his boyfriend Harry helps keep under control.

Only…

See, in this world, there are bad people. In this book the main back guy is Caleb Reed, a nasty piece of work, who holds no morals. He seems to think the ends–whatever they are–justify the means. He’s not above hurting children if it gets him what he wants. And this time, Caleb isn’t alone. He’s creating his own little army to fight for him…right? Or is there a more sinister purpose as to why he’s gathering these gifted kids? And what does it have to do with Harry and Sam? And what, exactly, is the link between the boys? They’ve always been best friends (Harry flew for the first time to save Sam), but it’s grown into something deeper, more solid.

But if that’s the case, why is Sammy having the dreams? The one where he…oh, no, that would be telling. Let’s just say I didn’t see it coming and let it go at that.

I urge those of you who like a well-written story to check out this series. I’m hopeful if it does well, MC Lee can be convinced to write a book three, because I still have questions that need answers.

(For those worried about sexual content, it is gently referenced, but not shown on page.)