I was outside taking a reading break while waiting for a Papageno mask to dry and the redbud tree overhead dropped a few leaves on my iPad. One of those perfect moments.
Cyndy Aleo released THE FOREST’S SON as serialized novel, and I clawed the walls for each installment. The tease:

HIDDEN FOR TWO CENTURIES. HIS TRIBE WANTS HIM DEAD. HIS BEST FRIEND WANTS HIS HEART.
Two things differentiate Vance Welburn from the rest of his college classmates: his loyal to the point of social suicide female best friend and forgetting everything including his own name approximately once a month.
Each time Vance loses his memory, his best friend Donovan grows more frustrated. Then they both discover the secret Vance has been keeping even from himself: He’s part of a legendary tribe of women said to live in the forests of Poland. They kill all male children. And he and his mother have been on the run for nearly 200 years.
Before they know it, Vance and Donovan are fighting for their lives against this tribe most believe is mythological. Realizing their feelings go deeper than friendship leaves him with a choice: Donovan or destiny?

I loved loved loved this book. I wanted illustrations by Brian Froud, and a movie by Guillermo del Toro ala Pan’s Labyrinth.
Cyndy has since collected the sections and published them as a single book. Here are my goofy reviews per installment:

Unknowing: A gorgeous opening- it’s like walking into a forgotten myth and discovering you have deeper roots than you thought. It’s a little sexy, and a little dangerous, and I can’t wait to read the rest.
Awakening: I love the way this is unfolding; Vance is fascinating, and I really like Donovan’s voice. I’d forgotten how fun it is to read serialized stories.
Supplanting: Edge of my seat–so much tension and I don’t want to leave spoilers but lots of action twists that I didn’t see coming-
Leaving: This section ran in fifth gear for me, angsty and gorgeous and sexy!
Ending: So good. I wanted more, a second helping, an invitation to the next party, but there’s closure and icing on the cake.

Find it on amazon here.