Hot, cerebral, and relentlessly vivid.
Char’s ambitious, genre-blending novel fuses science fiction, fantasy, and M/M romance into a high-stakes narrative driven by obsession, secrecy, and desire. Set primarily in South Africa’s Cradle of Mankind, the story follows Draxton Dubois, a brilliant, hyper-focused speleologist convinced that the Rising Star Cave System hides a door to another reality. His quest places him at odds—and ultimately in orbit—with Kellan Kilroy, a university professor whose family has guarded the truth about the door for centuries.
The relationship between Draxton and Kellan anchors the story. Draxton’s uncompromising focus and neurodivergent way of moving through the world meet Kellan’s cautious, protective nature, producing a slow-burn romance defined by hesitation, longing, and restraint. Char treats Draxton’s level-one autism as an integral part of his character—informative, lived-in, and never reductive. The worldbuilding is expansive. The narrative features Titans, dragons, interdimensional travel, ancient civilizations, and systemic oppression. Char does not shy away from violence or moral complexity, particularly as rescue missions and liberation efforts reveal the cost of secrecy and power.
Readers seeking speculative romance with epic stakes and morally complex characters won’t want to miss it.
Pub date October 13, 2025
ISBN 979-8269719887
Price $21.32 (USD)Paperback, $5.91 Kindle edition