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Maritime Men (Maritime Men #1)

by Janey Chapel (Goodreads Author)

3.68 of 5 stars 3.68 · rating details · 341 ratings · 42 reviews

SEAL candidates Cooper Fitch and Eli Jones are cut off from the outside world and pushed to their physical and mental limits by the demands of the Navy's elite training program. Their reliance on each other takes an unexpected turn after Hell Week, the most grueling stretch of basic conditioning, when Cooper and Eli surrender to passion fueled by fatigue, horniness, and al...more

ebook, 63 pages

Published August 2009 by Dreamspinner Press

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Apr 17, 2012 Laura rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

All hands on deck! This quick, sexy read sailed right in and stole my heart!

Cooper Fitch and Eli Jones, two Navy SEAL candidates trying to survive the rigorous and hellish training program, find themselves drawn to each other for strength, understanding, laughs, and much more. In an atmosphere fueled by guts and glory, alcohol, and getting laid, can Eli and Cooper find something solid to hold on to and keep them afloat?

Eli and Cooper felt very real to me. I could see these guys and feel what ma...more

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Sep 10, 2012 Lenore rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: m-m, military, short, 2012, friends-to-lovers, meh, reviewed-by-yours-truly

I got mixed signals from this short story. It was like the author couldn't make up her mind about the characters. Were they gay? Were they bisexual? Were they heterosexuals engaging in homosexual sex? Did one of them fall in love? Did both? Were they just friends with benefits? Was that a HFN in the end? Was it not?
Too many questions. Too few answers.
2.5 stars.

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Jun 25, 2012 Emily Moore rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: gay, ebook

Cooper Fitch and Eli Jones are going through one of the most demanding and grueling programs, SEAL training. It pushes people to their limits, both physically and mentally, and forming strong connections to fellow teammates is a necessity in order to survive. The bond between Cooper and Eli is quite strong, and takes a sudden turn one night when the men release some pent up stress after Hell Week. That encounter marks the beginning of a very personal relationship between them, one that provides...more Cooper Fitch and Eli Jones are going through one of the most demanding and grueling programs, SEAL training. It pushes people to their limits, both physically and mentally, and forming strong connections to fellow teammates is a necessity in order to survive. The bond between Cooper and Eli is quite strong, and takes a sudden turn one night when the men release some pent up stress after Hell Week. That encounter marks the beginning of a very personal relationship between them, one that provides the anchor and support they both need to make it through training in one piece.

What I appreciated most about this tale is that it is realistic. In this day and age, with the existence of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” this is not a tale of out and proud military men, and rightfully so. It sticks to reality, and both men hide the physical relationship they share. As Navy SEALs this is a given, and although there is mention that one of their team members has figured out what is going on, it isn’t a blanket acceptance from everyone. Despite whether readers agree or disagree with the current policies adopted by the military, when writing a contemporary story it is necessary to abide by these realities and Chapel does that extremely well.

Although there is a physical relationship between the two men, it is never made clear whether either Eli or Cooper is gay. We know that Cooper has often spent time with women, and in fact likes women quite a bit, and that Eli draws the attention of both men and women but due to being quite picky rarely goes home with a girl. We also know that Eli and Cooper spend the majority of their time together, in the most stressful of situations, and under that stress and pressure they find a bit of solace and a deepening friendship with one another. The story isn’t focused on angst or worry about being involved with one another, nor is an attempt made to clarify their relationship. I found this to be refreshing, and perfectly in line with a story about two enlisted men.

The story is very well written and the characters well developed. The story jumps forward with each section, following the men from just after Hell Week to the end of their training when they are officially Navy SEALs. The connection between the two men is quite strong, and only continues to grow. There is no “neatly tied with a bow” conclusion, which might disappoint some readers that require a “rode off into the sunset together” type of romantic ending, but for me what we are given fits the story beautiful. There is no concrete answer of what will happen for these men in the future, but we know that they share a connection that will always be there, whether they are together or not. If you enjoy stories about military men, you will definitely want to pick up this quick and wonderful read. Once you do, you won’t want to put it down. I’m definitely going to be looking for the next story from Chapel.

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Oct 21, 2010 Shell rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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3.5 Stars

Have you ever met someone and immediately clicked? I know I have. I think sometimes there are people that walk into our lives, even in real life and though we may have only really known them for a few weeks or a few months, it feels as if they've been in our lives for many years. That seemed to be how it was for the two protagonists of this story. Maybe it was the intense stress they felt during the rigorous training they were undergoing or the amount they had to rely on one another to...more 3.5 Stars

Have you ever met someone and immediately clicked? I know I have. I think sometimes there are people that walk into our lives, even in real life and though we may have only really known them for a few weeks or a few months, it feels as if they've been in our lives for many years. That seemed to be how it was for the two protagonists of this story. Maybe it was the intense stress they felt during the rigorous training they were undergoing or the amount they had to rely on one another to pull through. Whatever it was, Eli Jones and Cooper Fitch formed a strong and loyal bond after knowing one another just a few short weeks and it was a bond that quite suddenly and unexpectedly developed into something more than friendship.

Cooper Fitch grew up in a strip club in Nevada, he was an officer before signing up for SEAL Training and there are three things in the world he seemed to like above all else and those were alcohol, his Navy brothers, and women. Eli Jones is more of a mystery, his character is stoic, dependable and the uncontested leader of his crew in training. I wasn't sure, even at the end of this story what Eli's sexuality was really, it's hard to determine since it's told from Cooper's perspective and Eli's character doesn't tend to give much away. For Cooper though, this is a gay-for-you story.

This book begins at the end of Hell Week, during Seal Qualification Training. Eli, Cooper and their crew are being let off for 18 hours of free time and the two men, along with the rest of their crew, head to Ketchum's, a bar not far from Fort Benning. At Ketchum's Cooper picks up a little grad student from one of the universities in the area, and has a romping good time for a few hours, before heading back to the barracks. When he arrives back on base, Eli is still up, he can't sleep and asks Cooper how his night went. Cooper recounts his night in great detail and when Eli goes to the bathroom to use the facilities, Cooper follows. Things change rapidly from there and what ended up being a quick trip to the loo ends intimately between the two. There was little angst or hesitation in the transition from mere comrades to almost lovers, but the men seem quite comfortable with how things transpire and begin a relationship of sorts. The two men wouldn't refer to it as a relationship, there were no sweet words exchanged and they both seemed open to the idea of the other having relations with a woman if he wanted to, but neither do. As the weeks pass and things progress between Cooper and Eli, they become more intimate, stealing moments alone together whenever they can, but their ending in this story is more of a happy for now one. They don't know what the future will bring or how long they'll have together before they're forced to serve in different areas.

I enjoyed this book, it was a pleasant read about friendship, honor and a budding love story between two comrades-in-arms. I look forward to reading Anchors Aweigh, the next book in this series and seeing what will happen between Eli and Cooper next.
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Aug 15, 2009 Jenre rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: m-m, contemporary, romance

I loved Janey's story in the Reflections of Love anthology and so was eager to read this story when I saw it at DSP. The story is told from the viewpoint of Cooper who is training to be a navy SEAL. He's a rough talking, tough military man who loves women and his best friend, fellow trainee Eli. One night Cooper returns from a night out to discover that Eli can't sleep and 'helps him out' by way of jerking him off. This then leads to the men forming a relationship of mostly getting each other of...more

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Sep 30, 2009 Staceyr rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Fan-freaking-tastic! I hope this is the start of a series.

I'm not sure I'd call this short story a "romance"--the main characters certainly never acknowledge their relationship on that level, but it's a fascinating look at the evolution of a relationship between two Navy Seal candidates that, over the course of their training (great action scenes!), expands from serious male-bonding, friendship and loyalty to something physical and certainly meaningful on that don't-ask-don't-tell level of the m...more

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Mar 11, 2010 Erin (PT) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: book-group, erotica, lgbt, romance, series, cops-military

So on the one hand, Janey Chapel is someone I know, someone I've met, someone I admire. On the other hand, the reason I know her, have met her and admire her is, initially, at least, because of her writing.

So reading Maritime Men was just as much a pleasure as I thought it was going to be.

From a writing standpoint, Chapel hits all the right notes: her characters have distinct voices and personality and the tight, terse language of her prose follows and enhances that of her characters and the wo...more So on the one hand, Janey Chapel is someone I know, someone I've met, someone I admire. On the other hand, the reason I know her, have met her and admire her is, initially, at least, because of her writing.

So reading Maritime Men was just as much a pleasure as I thought it was going to be.

From a writing standpoint, Chapel hits all the right notes: her characters have distinct voices and personality and the tight, terse language of her prose follows and enhances that of her characters and the world in which they live. (I feel like I have so much more to say about this, but it's tangential to the actual review) The dialogue reads naturally, sounds real.

As a reader, the chemistry between Eli and Cooper is vivid and hot, but I never feel like it's being spoon-fed to me, it's just there, for me to pick up and feel much more viscerally than if Chapel told me how Meant For Each Other these guys are. In part, this works because she created an existing (platonic) relationship for the two before changing the playing ground between them…but it wouldn't work nearly so well if Chapel wasn't so talented at writing the characters in a way that shows their existing rapport.

Very personally, I like men who act and talk like men (though what that means isn't inelastic)—especially when they're military men—which is what Chapel writes. Their communication is present, without being voluble and overwrought. There's not a lot of brow-clutching or hand-wringing. Cooper (the POV character) doesn't spend a lot of time worrying or speculating about what it all means, where it's all going, whether this is all True Love. By his own words, Cooper's a simple guy with simple wants and that comes across. Though this approach doesn't work for all stories, I felt like it did work here, fitting with the character and the situation (and the scope of the story).

And, though at 48 pages on my Nook, there's not a lot of room for deep plot, the relationship between Eli and Coop fills up the space and time beautifully. I'm glad I already have Anchors Aweigh ready to go on my Nook.(less)

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Mar 02, 2013 Shaniqua Wiggins rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I think I liked this book so much because these characters were refreshingly the guys that went to my high school, grew up a little, and joined the Navy. I knew these guys, their humor, their fear and their tentative connection that blossomed into so much more.

The writing is well-paced and believable. I've come across dialogue in many, many small publishing books that are unbelievable; reminiscent of 18th century Lords of the ton and labeled contemporary. Chapel skipped the guts(pointless page...more

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Apr 09, 2013 Tsumetai rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book was what I expected and yet...it quite wasn´t.
The training they endured was described just as much as was necessary. As I am one of those who loves description of any action in army (and yea, I mean it literally too:D) this book kind of lost some points there for me.
I think the whole book was taken...a little too much short-leashed. I don´t wanna offend anyone but I really think the idea in the book had quite a potential and the potential wasn´t grasped fully to it´s capacity.
And yet...more

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Sep 11, 2011 Bee rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: gay-for-you, kindle, military, passion-erotica, m-m

This is a bit tricky to categorize. It's not a romance as much as it is a bromance...at least not yet, but the story feels so unfinished that it's tricky to tell!

This story is about to navy SEALs - Cooper and Eli that find physical closeness as well as great friendship in each other. In general they both go for women, Coop more than Eli, but then again he was raised by Brothel ladies so that's not much of a surprise. What is a surprise is that they somehow find themselves passing up opportunitie...more

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Jan 01, 2013 Tʀɪsʜᴀ Hᴀʀʀɪɴɢᴛᴏɴ rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: series-with-same-mc-s

This book was not a "romance" as such. It's the start of one for sure, but I am not sure that you could describe this one as a romance. I really loved this book though. And one thing I liked was how Coop and Eli treated the budding relationship. It was not the typical freak out about liking a guy and sleeping with a woman.

Both characters were good. They each had something that I liked about them. And they both sounded really hot. I enjoyed their friendship and then mutual attraction. All in all...more

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Jul 03, 2010 Kate Sherwood rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I love this story. It's got such a great economy to it - every scene, every sentence, every WORD adds to the story, and to the reader's understanding of the attraction between these two men.

I also love the characters - these are tough men training for a very tough job, and that comes through, but we also see that being tough doesn't mean that they're emotionless or insensitive.

I first read it a while ago, and re-read it yesterday; the first time I got caught up in the characters and the story, t...more

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Dec 20, 2009 A. Steele rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Janey Chapel has a talent that exceeds other writers of the romance genre, and I will be enthusiastically awaiting her next publication. In "Maritime Men" she creates two extremely believable and likable characters. Her characters' idioms and her command of dialogue are dead-on, and her use of detail is at times astonishingly credible. She manages to capture both the rigors of training endured by Navy SEALS and the emotions of two men falling for one another in extremely realistic terms. Her wri...more

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Sep 16, 2012 Elizabetta rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: gfy-virgin, milt-spy-fbi-assassin

4.5 stars

I enjoyed this book so very much, short and sweet, such strong story-telling and character building.

Janey Chapel has a way with words that's for sure. Spare, clean and just right. We get a real sense of place and the camaraderie between a small group of Navy SEAL recruits completing their grueling training. We especially get to know Eli and Cooper who help each other through the tough times. The POV is Cooper's who has a wickedly funny inner voice. This seems to be a GFY attraction,...more

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Aug 27, 2009 Janna rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: m-m, men-in-uniform

1.5 stars
I like reading about men in uniform, so I thought this novella (ca. 60 pages in my version) would be full of great characters. The back blurb announced an attraction between two Navy SEALs, which is difficult in the not so gay friendly military world. A story full of potential conflicts, issues and struggles. But none of that was the case in Maritime Men.
I missed that a lot. Janey Chapel didn't give the reader much insight in the thoughts and feelings of her two main characters, Cooper...more

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Mar 12, 2011 Wendy (wluvsbooks) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: career-military, app-stanza, app-kindle, theme-gfy, sex-partner-mm

I loved this story and it left me wanting so much more! I adored Eli and Cooper. They were Navy SEAL training partners and completely devoted to each other (and their team) as a unit. Their devotion turned into more and it was new for both of them. Their coming together was HOT! I had to re-read their first scene together several times because it just struck a chord with me and I wanted it again and again!! I thought the author did a fantastic job of bringing out both strength of character and t...more

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Dec 27, 2010 itmfiddler rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: comfort, ebook, erotica, excellent-folder, fiction, military, m-m, publisher-dreamspinner-press, romance, series, short-stories, ibooks

Excellent book, would have been a 5 star but it was too short and ended abruptly before I was ready, damn it. Sharp dialog, fascinating characters, interesting conflict, the story flowed, I read it start to finish in one sitting and never once even glanced up. This isn't a HEA type of book, or even a HFN, so if you are need that you've come to the wrong place. Perhaps the sequel, Anchors Aweigh, gets there but I haven't read it yet (although it is up next). Also, you'd better enjoy reading about...more

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Mar 09, 2010 Tam rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: m-m

Eli and Cooper are in the same unit training to be Navy Seals. Eli is the defacto leader of the group and manages to get them through the grueling training. One night Cooper helps Eli out with his “frustration” and then they kind of start fooling around and getting closer, not only as friends but lovers and yet they never say they are gay or that they are exclusive. They just kind of let it happen. I REALLY enjoyed these guys. What I particularly liked was while neither had been in a gay relatio...more

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Nov 22, 2010 Writerlibrarian rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: gay_fiction, november_pile, read2010, e-book

A very solid 3 stars. This is more a novella and the opening chapter of a series. I like how Eli and Cooper just clicked and went with the energy and passion that was between them from the start. Both are strong, compelling characters. I'm looking forward to the next chapter of their adventures.

It's one of the books I've acquired to read on my new Kindle.

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Jun 24, 2012 Kaje Harper rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a short, sweet glimpse of two guys finding each other. The emotional connection has already happened. These two men, Cooper and Eli, carried each other and their whole boat crew through SEAL BUD-S training. At the end of that, celebrating the fact that none of them rang out, Cooper does his usual pick-up-the-girl routine, but comes back to find Eli alone. And suddenly there is a facet to their relationship that he never expected.

There's no external plot here, just the intense and intern...more

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Nov 17, 2009 Nichole (Dirty H) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: m-m, 2009

This had the potential to be a 5 star read, had it had, oh, say... a middle and an end?!
It was hot and it was a good story, and then it just ended. For no reason. There was no plot, no arc, no real conflict...
I recommend it because it was an enjoyable read as far as it went, but I definitely felt cheated by the "ending".

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Jun 07, 2012 Td rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: gay-for-you, military-soldiers, light-and-easy

Zero angst, steamy and a hell of a lot more fun than I expected. I'm looking for romance now, I can see it coming, I care! On to Anchors Aweigh immediately! Let's see what happens....

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Apr 27, 2011 Jennie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011-reading-list

So this was in a batch of books I got and I didn't really pay attention to what it was about. Therefore the fact that it was m/m was unexpected to me. And I think this was the first published m/m I ever read, to be honest. But it was the characters that grew on me, and I ended up liking it.

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Nov 26, 2010 Ereader rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I found the characters interesting and engaging. The only issue I have with the book is that it was too short. The ending felt really abrupt to me. I was glad to see there is a sequel as I am curios to see how they are able to sustain their secret relationship.

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Oct 24, 2009 JenMcJ rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mm-mmm-a-few-mmf-too, e-books

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jan 26, 2013 Rjsmommy rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: all-s-fair-in-love

It was OK. Too much sex (I know, when is there ever too much sex?!)without really getting to develop the characters and relationship; maybe because the book was so short. Just didn't strike home for me.

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May 17, 2013 Traci rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

First time with this author. Short read, kept me entertained. Developed the characters well, but if you are looking for serious action, or major plot, not so much in this book, but it is only 63 pages. Worth it to read the next one in the series. Some steamy scenes!

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Mar 25, 2010 Clare rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Bold, exciting, sexy, fascinating men and a glimpse into the military life. Good development of the difficulty of their relationship in that setting. Tight, attractive style, great dialogue.

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Mar 19, 2013 Califg70 rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book was entertaining and engaging. You are brought into the world of two men are lured to each through unwavering trust and friendship. I loved it and hope to see the story continue!

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Sep 06, 2010 Seregil rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A rather good story with interesting details about life in the SEALs (even if they might not be entirely true...). Felt a bit on fast forward, but I suppose it might have been boring otherwise.

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About Janey Chapel

Janey Chapel found a paperback romance in her grandmother's bookcase at the age of eleven, inhaled it in one sitting, and then proceeded to devour thousands of romances in a variety of genres over the course of several decades. Eventually, her husband said, "Stop reading! Start writing!" After a lifetime in the South, Janey now lives in the Northeast with her husband and daughter, where she volunt...more

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Maritime Men (Maritime Men #1)

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