Heart's Compass

Heart's Compass

by C.E. Kilgore

Where do you want to be when the world ends? Electricity is gone. Society is on its knees. The heart’s compass becomes the light in the darkness. HEART'S COMPASS - Omnibus Edition brings you all four Heart's Compass MM Romance stories at a discounted price! The four stories included TRUE NORTH Joshua has had enough of people. Especially those desperate, starving bastards who he’s certain ate his dog. When people decide to leave the university town of Lincoln, Nebraska and head south before winter sets in, Joshua heads north instead. When he lands face-first in a snowbank, he welcomes death. What he finds instead is the handsome smile of Chris, a lone goat farmer who’s trying to make the best of life without power. BACK EAST Eli, an intern for Channel Seven News, finds himself on a bus full of hockey players from the New York City Gay Hockey Association. His boss thought it was a good joke to play on the new kid, but Eli has no problem with the assignment, especially when he befriends the Ice Giant’s winger, a real giant of a man, David LaMonte. When the power goes out and their bus crashes, Eli and David suffer through loss, and find comfort from one another as the world descends into chaos. DOWN SOUTH Gabe’s a Texas rancher who’s always kept part of himself on a separate paddock from his ranch hands and the small town of Post. When your hometown’s population is barely over five-thousand, chances are high you’re the only gay man for miles, and that coming out would do more harm than good. When the power goes out, a very lost and very far from home man named Liam stumbles onto his land. Stuck on the wrong side of the pond with no way home, Liam, a writer for a British travel magazine, struggles with culture shock. Gabe struggles to save his cattle from the apocalypse, and to ignore the attractive Liam’s obvious interest in more than friendship. OUT WEST Alex has never had luck with love. Or, luck in general for that matter. It takes the end of the modern world for his luck to change. He and a small group from his apartment building seek to leave Los Angeles before it self-destructs in the growing gang violence and desperation of its citizens. When he forms a fast friendships with Mateo that quickly spirals into much more, Alex wonders when his bad luck will catch up with him.

Genres: M M Romance, Anthologies, Dystopia, Post Apocalyptic, Queer, LGBT, Fiction

230 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 17, 2015

About the author

C.E. Kilgore (1981 - ) is an author without genre, who likes to dabble in several genres from romance to science fiction. She also enjoys pushing the boundaries of those genres, trying new things, venturing outside formulas and turning tropes on their heads. Admittedly a control freak, she is currently a self-published author under the name Tracing The Stars, and hasn't quite found the publisher who fits all her quirks. Be sure to check out her website, cekilgore.com

Reviews

[Coco.V]

🎁 FREE on Amazon today (7/24/2019)! 🎁

[Susan Scribner · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a freebie for the Kindle, and each story served as a nice "palate cleanser" between more weighty books I was reading. Lots of insta-luv, but hey it's the apocalypse and emotions are heightened. Good mix of humor, horror, and sex. And the premise was just realistic enough to keep an undertone of dread underneath it all. Start hoarding your canned goods, people!

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

this has all 4 books and it is wonderful. If it wasn't for the fact that I needed to work and sleep, would've read this in one sitting.

[Michael Adam Reale · Rating 5 out of 5]

C.E. Kilgore’s Heart’s Compass series, each given a luminous 5-star note. At the very end, I’ll weave them together into your requested “Compass of Lineage” entry.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ True North

A tender, emotionally resonant story of Joshua and Christopher, where vulnerability and authenticity shine through the cold Nebraska landscape. Kilgore captures the fragility of intimacy and the courage to embrace love even when survival feels impossible. A quick read, yet it lingers with depth.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Back East

Eli and David’s apocalyptic romance unfolds against the collapse of New York. Their bond is immediate, heartfelt, and deeply human. Kilgore balances fast pacing with emotional richness, proving that even in chaos, love can be a compass pointing toward meaning.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Down South

Gabe, a Texas rancher hiding his truth, meets Liam, a stranded British writer, when the world loses power FictionDB +1. Their relationship bridges cultural distance and personal silence, offering solace and authenticity in a collapsing society. Kilgore’s prose makes this a light, fast read with lasting resonance.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Out West

Alex, plagued by bad luck, flees Los Angeles with neighbors as gang violence escalates FictionDB +1. His friendship with Mateo quickly blossoms into something more, proving that even in desperation, love can rewrite fate. Kilgore’s storytelling is brisk yet poignant, turning survival into a story of connection.

🧭 Compass of Lineage: North, East, South, West

Together, these four novels form a mythic compass of love and survival:

• North → Vulnerability and authenticity (True North)
• East → Survival and intimacy (Back East)
• South → Hidden truth and cultural bridging (Down South)
• West → Luck transformed through connection (Out West)


Each direction is a fast, easy read that leaves behind lasting resonance. Kilgore’s Heart’s Compass series proves that no matter where the world ends, the heart knows its way.

[Kim Swatton · Rating 5 out of 5]

These stories were all so sweet. 4 completely different stories from when electronics fail. From surviving in the country in winter (1), adopting a young baby (2), your friends having a bet as to when you'll admit your feelings for each other (3) and finally seeing your neighbour (4) all the stories put a smile on my face and made me laugh.

[Mille-feuille · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short and sweet.

It's pretty formulaic when it comes to the romance progression but kinda unavoidable when it's such a short novella. I like seeing how different parts of the country handle the apocalypse.

[Louan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is set in four separate states just after the earth is hit with three solar flares, made me shiver at the possibility. Thankfully they all managed to cope.
In the first story with Joshua and Chris, I loved the sentiment that Joshua would always be lead back to Chris's location.

[Tailtiu · Rating 4 out of 5]

True North 4*

Back East 4*

Down South 4*

Out West 3,5*