BOOKS ‘n COZY SPOTS BOOK REVIEWS – The Marine by John Simpson and Robert Cummings -

 

 

5~ Stars
 
THE MARINE, by JOHN SIMPSON and ROBERT CUMMINGS

Contemporary / Military-Romance / M-M

 

{ARC provided by publisher for honest review}

 

Reviewed by Jaycee ~ for Books ‘N Cozy Spots Book Reviews, www.Talon-ps.com

 

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Two young men, David Stauffer and Matthew Kendricks, meet while processing into the Marine Corps for Basic Training.  David is immediately attracted to the red haired, Matthew. As their training begins, David pursues Matthew to find out if the attraction is mutual.  To his great pleasure, David learns that his attentions are not unwelcomed, but rather feared. Matthew, unlike David isn’t as comfortable with his fellow trainees finding out he’s gay.

As training progresses David proves himself to be superior to the other trainees. As a reward, he is given   a short, on post leave and is allowed to take Matthew with him. This allows them a chance to explore each other’s bodies, rather than just glimpses in the showers.

From that moment the spark between the two burns hot and sets the stage for what is to come. When training ends, questions about their futures arise. Both men are forced to make decisions that will impact their futures, and potentially out them to the entire Marine Corps. 

 

-Pending release-

 

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Of late, there are some exceptional romances by male authors, or at least they are finally getting due notice.   Because let’s face it, we women have a tendency to be a tad elitist when it comes to “our” genre, as though we alone have a lock on it.   Wrong!   Witness: “The Marine”, by John Simpson and Robert Cummings. 

“The Marine” is short, but on length only.   In fact, the lives of USMC recruits-to-Privates, David Stauffer and Matthew Kendricks, span a great deal of time in some 76 pages.  Yet in those 76 pages, Messrs Simpson and Cummings manage to do what most women can’t (sorry fellow ladies, but you know it’s true…):  they get to the point.  They do so with little-to-no undue angst yet with a mighty heart, and a truly warm and wonderful story unfolds in a full and fulfilling read.

 

David and Matthew’s character backgrounds, which could not be more opposite, are succinctly delivered in a minimum of narrative, leaving the reader to simply be in each moment of their subsequent journey; both as individuals and as heart-mates.  And while I was expecting at least a modicum of horror and hate, instead what is primarily a really exquisite love story in a military setting, unfolded quite without major obstacle and culminated in as perfect a HEA as any fiction/romance reader can hope for.

Now lest you think it was all warm and fuzzy on this journey, I can say there is enough real life happening, to be experienced and to be overcome, to more than satisfy both reader-genders.  But, in “The Marine” I appreciated the straightforward delivery.  It was, refreshingly, not in the least convoluted while being truthfully matter-of-fact.   Ah, the workings of the male mind!  

And while I’m not a spoiler-reviewer, I do have to go a bit girly, and jump up and down for the hit-it-out-of-the-park ending…Or maybe just fist-pump…Ok, just open a beer and squat in front of the game.  

Ooo-rah!

 

 

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THE MARINE also received the following ratings:

 

 

ROMANCE FACTOR ~ 5 Hearts

    

 

 

HEAT FACTOR ~ 4 Flames

 

 

 

BONUS FACTOR ~ Boot Camp Journey

 

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                           ~ Inspirational