Colm McKenna has led a guarded life. Gifted with a wintry soul and a photographer's eye, he can stop time as easily as he freezes water, or call down cold north winds. He thinks he is alone and unique in the world. Then, seemingly by accident, he meets handsome writer Aidan Gallagher, his opposite, a young man who quickens Colm's heart as magically as he heats the air.
In this lighthearted and contemporary, gay romantic fantasy, can two male witches whose passion reincarnates century after century, find a way to express their love for each other again? Can this enchanting pair finally succeed after so many lifetimes?
The Rest of Our Lives, a 2010 Lambda Literary Award Finalist, is a lighthearted romantic fantasy about the repeatedly reincarnating relationship between ice-blue-eyed, time-stopping, cold weather witch Colm McKenna and hyper-sexy, psychokinetic, hot weather witch Aidan Gallagher. According to Norse legend, the universe came forth from the collision of the energies of fire and frost. One can’t exist without the other, and all of creation is dependent upon the delicate balance between the two.
Just as spontaneously combustible Aidan begins to rock frost-flinging Colm’s world with a magical big bang of a romance, the pair learns that they’ve been playing in each other’s back yards for at least a couple of illennia. Aidan becomes increasingly hot for clues about the lessons their karmic connection can teach them, while Colm feels increasingly like a snowball in hell, wondering if multiple incarnations where he’s repeatedly abandoned by his enchanting fireball of a boyfriend, may be one or two bites more than he’s able to chew.
Excerpt
"Suddenly I had the sensation of spinning through time, like I was on some kind of runaway carousel. I saw all our faces from each lifetime and all the places we'd been together, whirling past me, every detail reappearing then blurring out of sight . . . the magic . . . the mystery . . . the history . . . They were all things we'd had before. He'd had me before, and it hadn't been enough. With all those choices . . . all those epic opportunities . . . I hadn't been enough. It was all too much."
Professional Reviews
A Perfect Book for the Summer!
If you are looking an entertaining, light read to toss into your tote bag for a trip to the beach or weekend at a lakeside cottage, look no further. The Rest of Our Lives is the perfect summer novel. Like a bowl of lime sherbet on a hot summer day, the story is sweet, but with a bit of a tang, refreshing in your mouth and it melts on your tongue. What more could anyone ask for?
I've always loved stories where a character has magical powers and doesn't know or understand his/her capabilities, but over the course of the story comes to understand what it means. This is the case for Colm McKenna, an elemental witch who has the ability to slow things down and cool things off when the need arises. Colm has known about his abilities for quite awhile--he would, in high school, freeze the quarterback in the locker room so he could spend time studying his finer attributes--but he always thought he was the only one in the world like this: a freak.
Enter Aidan Gallagher who proceeds to open the hidden world of witches to Colm, teaching him, mentoring him, and yes, loving him, too. It would seem to be the perfect happy ever after for both of them except that Colm discovers he and Aidan have been crossing paths for millennia--and it didn't always work out so well for Colm. This gives him pause--he's had his heart broken dozens of times by Aidan in various lives--does he want to risk it again?
The writing is fresh and funny--I chuckled out loud many times while reading the book. Aidan and Colm are a beguiling couple and I was rooting for them to work it out, even in the midst of Colm's existential crisis. If there's a weakness it is that some of the supporting characters are sort of cartoonish--I didn't particularly care for Dr. Nike--but it's easy enough to breeze past them to stay with the heart of the story.
I read this on my Kindle and while individual pages were properly formatted, there were many blank pages (five or six, usually) before every chapter. Odd. There was also, unfortunately, no way to navigate easily throughout the book, ie, no clickable links to each of the chapters. While not a deal breaker, these are nice features that I hope the publisher will consider adding in a revised edition.
On the other hand, one thing the publisher did perfectly: the cover. I love it! It totally captures the essence of the story and it's pretty, too.
This is author Dan Stone's debut novel and it certainly is a magnificient start. I look forward to reading more of his writing and I sincerely hope that Aidan and Colm will magically reappear in the pages of another book, sooner, rather than later, since I don't feel like waiting for another lifetime to read more of their ethereal escapades.
Aidan and Colm
Dan Stone's "The Rest of Out Lives" is a magical book. It is the story of Colm McKenna who is able to stop time and he is unique. In fact, he thinks that he is alone in the world. He is, by nature, a cold person and guarded. Things change for him when he meets Aiden Gallagher, a young man who steals his heart. There two men are witches, opposites, whose love returns in different centuries and they always seem to find a way to express their love for one another.
This is not at all what I expected when I picked up the book. It is a romantic and heart-warming novel about two men who find each other again century after century and it will absolutely enchant you and put a smile on your face as you read. The characters of Colm and Aiden are extremely well drawn as are the secondary characters. If I had to use one word to describe the book it would be fun. The sex in the book is connected to the plot and the magical atmosphere is just wonderful. There is magic in the world and Dan Stone brings it to us. After all, is love not magic?
Rainbow Reviews
This is a light-hearted and wonderfully charming love story, perfect for a summer afternoon. The contemporary romance with a paranormal twist is filled with witty prose, great one liners, and a cast of fabulous characters. The author’s love of magic is easily translated to the language and writing, leaving a fun and entertaining journey as these lovers from across the ages search for the clues to get it right this time. The sensuality and chemistry fairly sparks between the main characters yet the lack of explicit language and erotica only enhances the appeal of this captivating tale.
The story is about Colm McKenna who has always thought he was a freak, or delusional. He struggles with creating a sense of normalcy to a life he thinks is weird and insane. To this extent, he has an outrageous life coach and a best friend/boss who try to offer him advice and support. When Colm meets Aidan, he sets the tone of their relationship by literally running away. Once the two realize they are a pair of re-incarnated lovers known to each other for well over 2000 years, both men start to look deeper at the relationship and their own needs. Helping, or not helping, matters are a cast of characters from psychics, witches, ghosts, ex-lovers, drag queens, to an entire host of past lives. It’s no wonder the path to eternal love with paranormal powers is rather rocky.
Told in first person from Colm’s point of view, he is clearly the main character and driving force of the narrative. It’s his struggle to discover and understand the power he holds while embarking on this century’s love affair with Aidan. Colm has a delightfully wry and witty sense of humor that is used liberally within the pages. This humor keeps the story light and fun without allowing the drama and angst to overwhelm and bring too much of a somber note to the telling. Several passages are laugh out loud hilarious. Colm’s frustration and confusion over choices and seemingly pre-destined paths can drag on slightly; however, this was an intended result to show his decisions and active choices. Too often in his past, Colm allowed decisions to be made for him and even presently, he admits to wishing someone would tell him what to do. Instead, when Colm finally accepts responsibility and takes action on his own, it’s clear he’s broken his own destructive patterns.
The first person narrative is not wholly successful as Colm is occasionally a weak voice. Added to this is the somewhat problematic character of Aidan who is still very much the same man he has been through the ages. Aidan has always been the one leaving a heart broken Colm in whatever incantation Colm appears from harem girl to alter boy, and although Aidan works hard to break that cycle in modern time his efforts are mysterious and ill-explained. Although Aidan is an energetic, vivacious, and outgoing person, he retains a very hidden personality that is glimpsed through Colm’s photography. Additionally, Aidan has several threads that are dangled for the reader without resolution, such as his ex-lover Daman. However, Aidan’s opposing and entertaining personality fits perfectly to Colm’s.
The cast involved are interesting if not entirely needed. Aidan’s aunt is a great character and helps both men understand their past and present, while her advice is mysterious and confusing. Apparently witches can never just say what they mean, a frustration Colm experiences to no end. Additional characters of Kermit, Dr. Nike, and the drag queens are fun but not wholly necessary and especially Dr. Nike wears a bit as the scenes with her repeat. This theme of only seeing and hearing what each person wants is repeated in both the main characters and the fun supporting cast.
Overall, this is a heartwarming and wonderfully romantic tale with humor, wit, charm, and a thoroughly engaging story. The lighthearted writing and prose weave a captivating love story that you won’t want to put down with a lovely and romantic ending to an eternal love affair. While the story does leave some unanswered questions and fairly begs for a sequel, you won’t be disappointed.
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