Agents of Winter

Arthur and Martin have settled into a quiet life, orbiting each other both on the job and off. Still in recovery from his last devastating mission, Martin is adjusting to his new reality as a permanent desk jockey at the Agency while Arthur is adjusting to his deep feelings for Martin. He's not even sure what to put on the Agency's dreaded form B-837, the "relationship form". Are they dating? "Involved"? In a committed "something"? The winter holidays interrupt their routines with the annual threat of annual obligatory trips for both of them. At first, old habits rise up to conspire to keep them separated until after the new year, but Martin derails both their plans when he asks Arthur to join him for a week in New York City. He's still haunted by the ghosts of his childhood, but is he ready to face a new future with Arthur? He knows there is only one way to find out, despite his understated anxiety. Arthur arrives in New York City ready to play tourist, but instead finds himself unexpectedly and deeply entwined in the mysteries of Martin's past. Through a risky confrontation with the underground art world to a secret, heavily guarded storage unit, to sharing the quiet joy of impromptu cooking lessons, Martin and Arthur get to know each other on a deeper level than they ever have before. Together they confront the hardest and scariest mission they've ever faced: learning what it means, and how it feels, to fall in love. In this sequel to the acclaimed His Quiet Agent, Ada Maria Soto once again brings to life the complex and deeply moving stories of Martin and Arthur as they face new challenges as well as ghosts from their pasts. Heat level: zero.