Temple Boy — Heidi Cullinan

Series: The Etsey Series; Previous Book: The Seventh Veil

Though he's lived his whole life in a monastery, temple boy Aurel doesn't believe in God -- not until he wakes up knowing with stone-cold certainty God is dead. Then yet another god appears and he tells Aurel he's a god too, and that it's up to him to save the world.

Now giant stone beasts are running him down at mass, witches are dropping out of the sky, and a sad, headless man named Charles whispers to Aurel in his dreams. It isn't until a band of vengeful women warriors drag him into the desert and introduce Aurel to a lover of his own that he realizes how much not just his life but the lives of others are at stake. Whatever he does with his newfound power, be it taking Charles's place or finding a way to restore him to Timothy's side, he'll have to do it soon, because the man who had Charles killed is looking for Aurel too. But while Aurel has always taken refuge in being a simple temple boy, he quickly learns all the power in the universe isn't worth anything unless he also believes in himself and his lover.

Publisher's Note: This book contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations that some readers may find objectionable: anal play/intercourse, dubious consent, menage (m/f/m with m/m content), rape, same sex practices (m/m, f/f), strong violence. Readers with a history of rape or sexual abuse may find elements of this story disturbing.