I'm Lauren from Shooting Stars Mag, a blog that focuses not only on books, but music and more. I decided to use Bleeding Hearts as my review because I enjoyed it a lot, especially the companion novel, Reap the Whirlwind. Anyway, thanks Kristi for allowing me to post something for your Guest Reviewer posts!
You can find us here: http://www.shootingstarsmag.blogspot.com/
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Bleeding HeartsBy: Josh Aterovis
Review by: Lauren
www.myspace.com/joshaterovis
Killian Kendall has always been a little on the outside, even with his group of so-called friends. But when the new kid, Seth, arrives, Killian sees just how excluded a person can become. Seth is openly gay, which makes the other students quietly shun him or even make fun of him outright. The two boys end up helping each other, with Killian becoming the only person to really befriend Seth and Seth helping Killian see who he really is, which is gay just like Seth.
Soon after Killian begins to see himself clearer and begin accepting that it’s true, Seth is killed in what is called an accidental mugging, with Killian being stabbed in the process. However, Killian doesn’t believe this is true, and neither does Seth’s father, Adam.
When Killian is kicked out of the house by his father, who doesn’t approve of him being gay, Killian goes to live with Adam and the two end up forming a close father/son bond. Killian continues his search of trying to find out exactly who killed Seth, while still trying to deal with being gay.
As the school year goes on, Killian deals with many hardships when it comes to relationships, but everything begins to fall into place. And as for the killer, before anything becomes clear on that front, more people are killed then just Seth.
Bleeding Hearts is the first book in the Killian Kendall mysteries, and I am definitely looking forward to reading more from Aterovis. Killian was a well-rounded character that I really felt I got to know as I read the book. The other characters had equal page-time and even the most minor people were greatly described, making everything that much more realistic.
Killian’s sexuality was dealt with very nicely, showing the many obstacles and problems you may face when dealing with coming out and just any relationship in general. The mystery made the book even better, allowing for this to not just be a coming-of-age tale, but also a book you can enjoy on a whole other level.
I definitely recommend this novel and I hope it receives the recognition it deserves!
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Thanks Lauren for yet another great guest review!
Check back next week for another guest reviewer! Would you like to review a book and be a guest? Email me at e-mail for more information.