Esprit de Corps

It’s the middle of World War 1 and the Allies are fighting the Germans for supremacy in the skies. The book opens when our flyboy hero, Captain Bat Bryant, accidentally kills Orton, a mechanic on his team who was attempting to blackmail him. Unfortunately there was a witness to the incident, Cowboy Cooper, another flying ace, who demanded his own forfeit from Bat for keeping quiet and getting rid of the body. Two days later Cowboy moved in for the “kill” and Bat never had a chance against someone as sexually experienced as Cowboy who, it appeared,  had had his eye on Bat for a while. Bat is still shell shocked, heartbroken and grief  stricken because the man with whom he was in love, Gene, another Aviator, had just been shot down and he was finding it difficult to say goodbye even though he knew that his own chances of surviving the war were slim and none.

 When Lieutenant Commander Gabriel Conlan sees Rene Dubois for the first time as he steps on to Île Dorée, a small Polynesian island owned by Rene, the sensuality of the Frenchman is overwhelming and he wants him. Gabe is gay but he has never had an affair with another man — he always took his sex in dark alleys since he could not afford to be open about his sexual orientation. Homosexuality was more than frowned on in the Armed Forces; he could lose his commission and be dishonourably discharged. For him sex was just that …. sex, until he met Rene who demanded more.

 

It was the best  time in Gabe’s life but when duty called he left, fully intending to forget Rene ever existed even though by then he had fallen in love. But fate has a way of changing plans …..

 

 It was wartime, there was danger everywhere, 2 years after the bombing of Pearl Harbour the Japanese were still waging war with the US and its allies, death could happen at any time in new skirmishes, and in the middle of all the intrigue, negotiations and firefights — love bloomed.

 

This is the author’s first M/M story and it’s a terrific debut. Samantha Kane is familiar to many readers through her Brothers In Arms series which are M/M/F menages, but Islands represents a new sub genre for her and I hope that she will write many more M/M books if this one is any indication of her excellent storytelling; her fans and readers unfamiliar with her work alike will love Islands. Here there is only one romance which is between two men, Rene and Gabe, both of whom are very powerful protagonists. Rene was formerly a member of the French Foreign Legion and Gabriel is every bit the Lieutenant Commander of the US Navy Seabees, and they test each other’s intelligence and grit every step of the way.

 

 

Samantha Kane knows how to write great characters and in this book not only are the two protagonists three dimensional, but the supporting cast as well. There is also a complex plot to go along with this wonderful love story, certainly enough to satisfy my plot loving heart! The author gives the reader a story of great breadth in a historical setting and I can now understand why she has such loyal fans.

The full review of Islands can be found here

The Review 

Mike, who narrates the story, is a gay man who lives for the weekend just waiting for the guys to show up. He lets us in as he unabashedly goes trolling for fresh meat and his choice of steak is Marine T-Bone.

Here’s an excerpt from the beginning of the story which paints a picture that no reviewer could ever hope to capture

The Swinging Sixties. To some, that conjures up images of The Haight in all its flower power glory, before the lilies festered. To others, it was Greenwich Village and that heady period leading up to the events at Stonewall; or the love-ins in Griffith Park.

For me, it was The Strip. Sunset Boulevard. Not the Norma Desmond Boulevard, of flame red Maseratis and grand hotels and pink mansions with heart-shaped swimming pools, but the hurdy-gurdy strip of once-elegant-now-sleazy clubs, discount record stores and gay bars.

And Marines. Scores of them, hundreds of them, flocking there every weekend from Camp Pendleton down the road, strolling about wide-eyed in twosomes, three-four-and-moresomes. And some of them alone. On the prowl. Happily, because these were the ones a gay man like me looked for.

This was the era of the Vietnam war.

Victor J. Banis tells a poignant tale about love and war and the horrible effects of war but there is a lot of humour in his prose as well.. This wonderful story was redolent with the smell of pot and the sights and sounds of the sixties and the taste of mint juleps on Kentucky Derby Day which no one really drank. The love story was unexpected but beautifully done, and I was moved by the way he made these men so vulnerable and human yet brave, at a time when life was not worth very much because everyone knew that once you shipped out there was a good chance that you wouldn’t be back.

Every time I read a story by this author I’m struck by his writing skill and brilliant characterizations, and in this book that was barely 50 pages he gives the readers not just a slice of life but the whole pie. You will love Mike’s story and I think the ending will move you as it did me.

The full review of Coming Home can be found here

BIG DIEHL by George Seaton (Iraq – present day) 4.50 stars out of 5

The Blurb

Big Diehl understood his nature, early-on. Raised as a cowkid on a ranch in northeastern Colorado, Diehl yearned for something more, something encompassing the truth of himself. He became a soldier. Served honorably in Iraq. Found precious love along the way. Yearned to return to Wyoming where his future awaited, where an unfinished reckoning beckoned.

The Review

Before he enlisted, Big Diehl lived in Laramie most of  his life and had never really been anywhere except Colorado and Wyoming. His first name was actually Big – I guess his parents didn’t care enough to give him a real name.  His dream was to move far away from the tin house in Laramie, being dirt poor, and leave his no-good father behind. He also wanted to do something noble with his life which he felt was worthless.

This story really moved me as  Big grew up from a scared kid of 18 to a man of 24 who lived through some of the most terrifying moments in his life with one objective – to serve his country. In the book I relived September 11 when the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and other US monuments were destroyed by terrorists. What was amazing was that 8 years have gone by since September 11, 2001, and the hell that was and still is the Iraq war was so real I could taste it in Big Diehl.

The author George Seaton created characters that were three dimensional, the story was well plotted, and the 6 years Big was in the army just seemed to fly by. This story was one of the saddest but most compelling in the anthology because it was present day, but it was also very uplifting. I really liked the prose and dialogue in Big Diehl which were crisp and fresh and did a great job of illustrating life in the Forces. I was sorry when the story ended because I felt that there was so much more that Big could have accomplished, and you will fall in love with him as I did.

Because Big was gay, “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” was very much a part of his story, and the few liaisons that he had while he served were conducted off the base in secret. Although he railed against them personally he  knew there was nothing he could do since regulations were the military, and sometimes you just have to play the hand you’re dealt.

Big Diehl is part of the Esprit de Corps anthology and the full review can be found here. Definitely recommended!

This is a wonderful anthology of the men who served their countries in four different periods of history from WW I to the present day and I think any reader who likes military stories, (and even if you don’t) , will want to get this book because all of the stories are so well written. The emotions are palpable and you will fall in love with the protagonists and secondary characters brought to life by these writers. Most anthologies can’t boast that every story is a “must read,” but this one can. Highly recommended.