Eight Days: Childhood friends start a long-distance romance but need a holiday miracle for a happy ending. In Another Life: Shiloh will find the strength to confront his fears and build a life worth fighting for with the help of EMT Travis.
IN ANOTHER LIFE
At age eighteen, Shiloh Raben is tired. He no longer has the energy to deal with mean classmates, inner doubt, and fear of familial rejection, so he takes a razor to his wrist. When he wakes up in the hospital, Shiloh meets Travis Kahn, the EMT who saved him and didn’t leave his side.
Travis is handsome, smart, and funny—the type of guy Shiloh would never be brave enough to approach. But his near-death experience has an unusual side effect: the life that flashed before his eyes wasn’t the one he had already lived, but rather the one he could live. With visions of a future by Travis’s side, Shiloh will find the strength to confront his fears and build a life worth fighting for.
EIGHT DAYS
Childhood family friends, Maccabe Fried and Josh Segal have always gotten along despite having nothing in common. Maccabe is an athlete with dreams of playing professional baseball. Josh is an aspiring architect with dreams of being with Maccabe. Despite all odds, both dreams come true.
Maccabe and Josh fall into a long-distance romance, which is everything Josh thought he wanted. But after years of hiding from the world, Josh wants to bring their relationship into the open. When Maccabe refuses, Josh is faced with a tough decision: stay with the man he loves or live the life he deserves. No matter the choice, somebody’s bound to get hurt. Thankfully, in the season of miracles, there’s always hope for a happy ending.
Shiloh, Age 18
You know how they say when you’re about to die your whole life flashes before your eyes? Well, as it turns out, it’s true. But it’s not like what you think. At least, for me it wasn’t. Because the life I saw as I lay in the bathtub taking my last breath wasn’t the one I had lived during the eighteen years I’d been on this earth. Instead, the life I saw was the one I would be missing for the next eighteen.
Funny how I had wanted to die for years, had been gathering the courage to do it, and then when the moment was finally upon me and I felt the last bit of life drain from my body, well, that was when I realized there had been something to live for all along. Or maybe I should say someone.
Me.
Chapter 1
Shiloh,…
From the incredible prologue to the very last page, I was completely and totally captivated by In Another Life. Great characterization and stellar writing are hallmarks of a Cardeno C. story, but it is the very unique concept that makes this novella such an amazing experience. ... Shiloh and Travis are exceptionally well-developed characters and I absolutely adored both of them. ... In Another Life is a beautifully written novella that delivers a powerful message of hope and love. It is never gloomy or depressing and Cardeno C. deftly blends reality with a hint of fantasy and the resulting story is compelling, thought-provoking and heartwarming.
What can I say? I loved it. ... A story of fate, faith in the unknown and letting go of demons past, In Another Life is everything I have come to expect from a Cardeno C story. The characters were adorable, interesting and relatable. The emotions each one portrayed jumped off the page to impart the most impact in the reader and the chemistry was sizzling hot. I enjoyed each interaction, each funny moment and all of the emotional ones. The yearning, the trust and the love that the story invoked in me were the sentiments that make this such a heart-warming and touching holiday read for me. But most of all, what made this story so perfect, was the sense of rightness that the story drew from me.
Only Cardeno C. can have my eyes welling up with tears at the prologue. The freaking prologue! What would my choices have been if I'd gotten the opportunity to see my future flash before my eyes? ... Hands down I think Shiloh and Travis have some of the best chemistry I've ever seen. And not just sexual chemistry. They banter back and forth, the teasing and verbal wit is wonderful. Of course, their sexual chemistry is off the charts, too. ... I just know that I completely fell in love with both these characters and their story. Thank you, Cardeno, for giving me another beautiful story to read and cherish.
There are not many books that can get to me in so few pages, it takes a very talented author to make 80 pages feel like 300. This is a very creative twist to It's a Wonderful Life and I enjoyed the unique timeline shifts in the story. Shiloh and Travis are two very likeable characters and it didn't take me long to become invested in their lives. This will be a holiday story that I will read every year if for no other reason than to remind myself how important the choices we make in life are to so many people. If you like your holiday stories short and beautifully emotional than In Another Life should be in your library!