'After': Close to Home

Trick of the Light #1.6

by Abigail Hunter

'After' is a three part snapshot of scenes from Luca and Thorn's life together and a look at the way they grow together. Close to Home is set four months after Afterglow and focuses on the first time Luca visits Thorn's flat. All profits made for this book will be donated to the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association. 'After' is the sequel to Afterglow, and the books must be read in order to fully enjoy each one. Any other books in the Trick of the Light series can be read as standalones. It is an MM novella containing explicit scenes and is recommended for readers 18+

59 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 16, 2024

About the author

Born and raised in Scotland, Abigail has always been surrounded by green hills, forests, and fairy stories. First a gardener, then a carpenter, and now an author, she writes steamy stories about passionate and heartfelt characters who always get their happily ever afters.

Reviews

[Ash · Rating 5 out of 5]

"𝙸'𝚖 𝚜𝚘 𝚏𝚞𝚌𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚌𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚍 ‘𝚋𝚘𝚢𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍’ 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑. 𝙸 𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚞𝚢 𝚑𝚒𝚖 𝚊 𝚗𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚊𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚜𝚊𝚢𝚜 ‘𝙻𝚞𝚌𝚊’𝚜 𝚋𝚘𝚢𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍’ 𝚜𝚘 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢 𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚕𝚎 𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚍 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠𝚜 𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚊𝚕 𝚑𝚎 𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚖𝚎."

•Ｍｙ　Ｔｈｏｕｇｈｔｓ•
Shut the front door. This was cute as HECK. This is a follow-up short story to Afterglow and takes place 4 months after Thorn and Luca's spicy after hours teaching moment. Thorn invites Luca to his house for the first time and the swoon is real!

Thorn is still just so adorable. I want to squeeze the heck out of him. Plus he has a pet tortoise named Josephine?! Stop it right tf now. I love him.

Luca definitely makes up for making me want to flick him in the forehead in Afterglow. He's still a little cocky but he is equally as smitten and needy for his boyfriend which makes me want to squeeze the heck out of him too.

I adored this little glimpse into their relationship and can't wait for the next one 😍.

[DLB2572 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet & Spicy

This is such a cute follow up to Afterglow. I liked that we get this glimpse at how things are progressing for Luca and Thorn.

I received an ARC and this is my unbiased opinion

[Cal D · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED Afterglow, the story that showcased the start of Thorn and Luca’s love. This continuation of their story was perfection. This was 63 pages of pure happiness, sweetness, and spice. These two characters are just the sweetest things together. 🥹

Thorn is overly shy, so sweet, and eager to please in the most adorable way. Watching him prepare his home for Luca’s first visit was so wholesome… until it wasn’t. 🥵

Luca is still grappling with his feelings, but he’s much less of an a-hole and so much more understanding and patient in this novella.

My only criticism of this novella is that there isn’t more of it! I’m so excited to see more Thorn and Luca soon!

Thanks so much to Abigail Hunter for the ARC of this book!

[ash-reads-romance · Rating 5 out of 5]

Abigail is a SMUT WIZARD. Like this is a beautiful day in the life snapshot of Luca and Thorn discussing their big feelings and getting SAUCY in the kitchen and Abigail masterfully cooks us up some filet mignon smut, only the best here--sensual, soft, romantic... You'll feel like you were wined and dined at the finest restaurant in OTown!

[Brittany Posey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!! I wanted more of Thorn's and Luca's story, and Abigail Hunter came in clutch.

Short read, but it gave me what I was hoping for the couple from the start. Absolutely loved every page.

[DeniReadsMostlyMM · Rating 4 out of 5]

***ARC Review***

This is my honest and voluntary review for the ARC I received.

This novella takes place four months after the events of Afterglow. We get a glimpse into Thorn and Luca’s relationship as Thorn invites Luca to his flat for the first time.

This story is really cute. It’s sweet and it’s spicy. It really is a lovely read. Thorn is so thoughtful and the absolute sweetest. I wanted to both fist pump and hug him when we meet Josephine. I love how thoughtful Thorn is while trying to surprise Luca with dinner. I adored how close Luca wants to be to Thorn, yet tries to give him space if he thinks he needs it.

Luca is still extremely confident (and Thorn is still shy), but it’s clear that he’s just as besotted with Thorn as Thorn is with him. I love how they’re both on the same wavelength about revealing their big feeling(s), and it came out in a really endearing way. This novella is really special.

I’m looking forward to the next peek at their lives and relationship in the future.

[mm_spice_reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a follow up novella in the "After" world, and this one was the best mixture of sweet and spicy. Thorn has invited Luca to his flat for the first time and both are very anxious for this date. We are Thorn's absolute obsession (but in the cutest way) for Luca. It's very obvious that Thorn has complete devotion to Luca, but he still shows some hesitation, nervous that he'll scare Luca away. We also get a small glimpse into Luca's nervousness at their relationship. They share the steamiest encounter in Thorn's kitchen. I love how the author is able to portray their fears, their love, their intimacy in such a short story. Be prepared for kitten oven mitts, aprons, and the sexiest pair of glasses.

[Ashley -Goldstarreads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely adore Thorn. He is the cutest, sweetest, most awkward guy ever, but it totally works. I love his blushing and his awkwardness. I love how much he loves and cares for Luca and pushes himself outside of his comfort zone. Watching Thorn be happy is just amazing. Luca, I love how playful he is, how he takes charge and how much he loves Thorn in return and just wants to get to know him and love him. These two are so sweet together. I loved seeing where these two are and a glimpse inside their relationship. It was well written and made me feel all warm and fuzzy.

[Bexbookrex · Rating 5 out of 5]

After: Close to Home by Abigail Hunter is a delightful continuation of Thorn & Luca's story (from Afterglow). We get a little peek into their lives 4 months later. It's a sweet & steamy novella! They are so cute; still learning about each other; both scared to show their true selves, but too in love not to. Great book! Can't wait for the next one!
Romance - ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Steam - 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Humor - 🤣🤣🤣
Angst - 😭😭
Writing - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute short story that continue with Thorn and Luca's relationship. Seeing how vulnerable Thorn is through this story is right in line with how he was in the first book. Seeing how much growth he has in such a short story is wonderful. I cannot wait to read more about them.

[Tamara Fruge · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this peek into the future of two adorable characters. I enjoyed seeing how their relationship has developed and where they are and where they are headed. I really enjoyed this and it is one of those reads you totally can see reading again for the feels it gives you.

[Linda Carter · Rating 5 out of 5]

book review

I love Luca and thorn. They’re absolutely imperfectly perfect. And oh the miscommunication between the two of them! But they eventually get to where they need to be together <3

[Gina Burkart · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fast paced snapshot of Luca and Thorn's life together. This was an explosive read. These two are amazing couple and hope to get more of them.

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice little short story.

[Sammy Standing · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a short and adorable read, I absolutely adored Afterglow and I was so excited to revisit these characters. I was not disappointed. I absolutely loved this so much, and I could not get enough.

[Jennifer Carter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Luca and thorn. They’re absolutely imperfectly perfect. And oh the miscommunication between the two of them! But they eventually get to where they need to be together <3

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

“You are so fucking sexy, you know that, right? I seriously can’t get enough of you.”
“Then don’t try.”
“I don’t want to. Ever.”


Set in London, England—four months after the events of Afterglow.

While Thorn has remained in London for work, Luca has been working overseas—mostly Europe and Asia.

Dual POV is great here. Their voices are unique and distinctive.

Thorn, through his POVs as well as through Luca’s, is better than ever. And Luca’s growth is such a welcome sight.

Relationship looks awesome on these two men. Two world-famous models making it work. Together. Such an unlikely couple, and completely compelling.

Thorn’s love of plants. Josephine the tortoise. Thorn cooking Luca’s favorite meal. Thorn in glasses.

Further learning of love languages. Each guy trying to find the “right way” to say the L-word. Knowing how to push each other’s…buttons.

Thorn may have missed something while tidying up…

Fantastic intimacy. And beautiful ending. This is the five-star book this couple has deserved from the beginning.


“I love you so fucking much and I can’t stand it. I can’t fucking deal with how good you are, Thorn. I don’t deserve you.”
“You deserve everything.”