First published 1986
Nicholas Dal sits in his empty apartment, another bottle of vodka within reach. The college student inherited his family's empathic abilities, feeling every emotion from the people around him. Strong feelings trigger seizures, so he lives in isolation and drowns his gift in alcohol. But his family carries secrets from their Russian past, and now someone is hunting for him. Nicholas fears they want to harm him or worse. Then Jack enters his life. The young woman breaks through his carefully constructed barriers. Nicholas finds himself torn between his growing love for her and the safety of his solitude. Getting close to Jack means risking seizures, madness, and exposure to whoever seeks him. Nicholas must choose whether to embrace love and vulnerability or retreat into the numbing protection of his isolated existence.
Genres: romance, fantasy, contemporary, paranormal
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: Russia, United States
Period: 21st-century
208 pages · Hardcover · Atlantic Monthly Press, Boston
Content warnings: mental-illness, substance-abuse