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Veterans, Vol. 2: Nothing to Lose
Nothing to Lose - Mechele Armstrong
Every weekend, former army man, Richard Rollins watches his new neighbors throw their decadent sex parties without feeling anything. All he does is watch, just as the neighbors do. The past has numbed his emotions, save one. Guilt. Until one night, Niki waves to him.
Niki and Bryan are intrigued by the man, who watches them, more than the people screwing in front of them. Their parties have become boring. So, they decide to find out just who this man is. Their way. With vibrators and remotes and lube. And each step takes them closer to knowing Richard and wanting to know more.
Suddenly under the aroused attention of his neighbors, Rich thinks it's a game, but plays along. Putting the control of their sexual exploits in his hand tempts Rich more than anything else has in a long time.
But when self-reproach seeps back into Rich about his past from when he served in Afghanistan and Iraq, Niki and Bryan will have convince him he has nothing to lose and everything to gain by falling in love.
For the Love of the Corps - Bobby Michaels
Mike learned a lot from the Corps, not least of all that he was gay. He fell in love with his boot camp best buddy Scott, and Scott loved him right back. But then Scott went and got himself killed in Afghanistan, and Mike wanted to die along with him.
Instead, he got wounded and had to drag his ass back to his unit so he could try again. Then he made platoon sergeant and had his hands full keeping his unit together. It was enough, something to do, and then he met platoon lieutenant Paul and fell in love again.
And this time they got out. But with the war on in Iraq, it's an open question how long they stay that way.
Every weekend, former army man, Richard Rollins watches his new neighbors throw their decadent sex parties without feeling anything. All he does is watch, just as the neighbors do. The past has numbed his emotions, save one. Guilt. Until one night, Niki waves to him.
Niki and Bryan are intrigued by the man, who watches them, more than the people screwing in front of them. Their parties have become boring. So, they decide to find out just who this man is. Their way. With vibrators and remotes and lube. And each step takes them closer to knowing Richard and wanting to know more.
Suddenly under the aroused attention of his neighbors, Rich thinks it's a game, but plays along. Putting the control of their sexual exploits in his hand tempts Rich more than anything else has in a long time.
But when self-reproach seeps back into Rich about his past from when he served in Afghanistan and Iraq, Niki and Bryan will have convince him he has nothing to lose and everything to gain by falling in love.
For the Love of the Corps - Bobby Michaels
Mike learned a lot from the Corps, not least of all that he was gay. He fell in love with his boot camp best buddy Scott, and Scott loved him right back. But then Scott went and got himself killed in Afghanistan, and Mike wanted to die along with him.
Instead, he got wounded and had to drag his ass back to his unit so he could try again. Then he made platoon sergeant and had his hands full keeping his unit together. It was enough, something to do, and then he met platoon lieutenant Paul and fell in love again.
And this time they got out. But with the war on in Iraq, it's an open question how long they stay that way.
287 pages, Paperback
First published November 13, 2007
About the author
Mechele Armstrong
41 books53 followersGrowing up, I had a vivid imagination with lots of imaginary playmates and stuffed animals to keep me company. I even had crayon box adventures where the colors had a kingdom and tales to tell. And who says pink is a girl color? In my world, he was a prince.
From the time I could form my letters, this translated into fanciful writings from poems on eye shadow (I was six) to a story about an Island world I created with animals and people. Writing was something I always did.
But it never clicked. I drifted in and out of genres, mystery, animal stories, thrillers, toying with it, playing at it. I would finish some projects and store them away. It never occurred to me that this pastime could be my life's passion if I let it. Until my world collided with rediscovery.
As a teenager, I devoured books, especially romances but drifted out of the genre as an adult. On a weekend trip to the beach, I read four romance novels. I had a flash of inspiration. I could write these! Romance was where my heart lay. Within six weeks I had written my first romance novel.
I went back and revamped a thriller that I had written a few years before, making it a romance. And I became serious about my craft, trying to soak in all I could about writing. I began to write on a roleplay loop and the practice has been invaluable. I've cut my teeth there and learned what works in writing and what doesn't. And I've finally accepted who I am. A storyteller at heart, be it tales told to my children, an erotic piece about lovers or about a vampire looking for love.
So come with me and take a journey where, just like in my crayon box, things aren't always what they seem.
From the time I could form my letters, this translated into fanciful writings from poems on eye shadow (I was six) to a story about an Island world I created with animals and people. Writing was something I always did.
But it never clicked. I drifted in and out of genres, mystery, animal stories, thrillers, toying with it, playing at it. I would finish some projects and store them away. It never occurred to me that this pastime could be my life's passion if I let it. Until my world collided with rediscovery.
As a teenager, I devoured books, especially romances but drifted out of the genre as an adult. On a weekend trip to the beach, I read four romance novels. I had a flash of inspiration. I could write these! Romance was where my heart lay. Within six weeks I had written my first romance novel.
I went back and revamped a thriller that I had written a few years before, making it a romance. And I became serious about my craft, trying to soak in all I could about writing. I began to write on a roleplay loop and the practice has been invaluable. I've cut my teeth there and learned what works in writing and what doesn't. And I've finally accepted who I am. A storyteller at heart, be it tales told to my children, an erotic piece about lovers or about a vampire looking for love.
So come with me and take a journey where, just like in my crayon box, things aren't always what they seem.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
November 1, 2012
Not flawless, but I enjoyed both stories
Warning: This review might contain what some people consider SPOILERS.
"Nothing to Lose" by Mechele Armstrong - 7/10
PROS:
- Some very hot sex if you're into m/f/m.
- One GREAT scene involving a cat and mouse game with remote-controlled vibrators.
- All three partners are giving and selfless with the others, not just in bed, but emotionally as well.
CONS:
- Didn't believe at the end that the three characters were "forever" together. I don't read a lot of ménage fiction, and the reason is that I want each person in a relationship to be as into his partner(s) as the other(s) are into him. The one ménage book I've read that I really enjoyed was 911 by Chris Owen because I felt that each of the three characters loved the other two equally; I didn't feel (although some other readers of that book did) that any one of the guys was left out. In Nothing to Lose, however, I felt that two of the characters just sort of allowed the other into their lives but that they were devoted to each other first and foremost.
- Slightly forced internal conflict in one of the characters. When the reason for his emotional standoffishness is revealed, I didn't think, "Oh, NOW I get it." Granted, I've never experienced what has him all tied in knots, so I'm probably being a bit harsh here.
- There's an intense, passionate sex scene about three-quarters of the way through the book that is HOT and HEAVY, but then the sex scene after it falls flat.
"For the Love of the Corps" by Bobby Michaels - 6/10
PROS:
- I love reading about masculine military guys falling for each other, especially since the American "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy makes it necessary for them to hide their feelings until their desire just can't be contained and comes bursting out.
- Lots of sex scenes that are loving, graphic, and...strangely, educational. I actually learned something I didn't know about uncircumcised bodies, which I'm completely unfamiliar with. And I had to look one thing up on Urban Dictionary.
- Good depiction of one man's fortune in having two different relationships (not simultaneously) with unique men, each of which is as loving as the other, but in different ways.
CONS:
- Little puzzled/disappointed by the amount of time spent on each phase of the narrator's story. Having read the synopsis, I thought the majority of the book would cover the relationship with Paul, who helps Mike to get over the death of his first love and move on with his life. But almost the first half of the novella covers his relationship with Scott--from their meeting through five years together. This isn't a problem in itself, but Michaels spends so much time developing the relationship between Scott and Mike that the emotional aftermath of Scott's death should be examined in detail, and it's not. It's brushed over in a couple of chapters, and then Paul is on the scene and things pick up with him.
- Quite a bit of telling as opposed to showing. Example: "The desert we had trained in was in the States and was nothing like the desert in Egypt." This is interesting to me; I've seen deserts in the States, but I've never been to Egypt. HOW are they different? The landscape? The culture? The weather? There are also some instances in which the text is needlessly repetitive: "I knew what I needed to do was to go home and see my mom, but I didn't want to do anything without Scott. 'I need to go home and see my mother. I know she wants me to come home, but I don't want to go anywhere without you.'" These sentences occur back to back. Very similar to John Simpson's writing style (same author, perhaps?).
- Unrealistic timeline with one of the relationships. I understand that some couples fall in love before ever touching each other, and I find that very romantic, especially since the resulting love scenes are tender and giving and passionate (another huge PRO here). All the great stuff sex scenes should have, in my opinion. But these two guys take a BIG step VERY soon after having admitted to each other their feelings and having had sex for the first time.
Overall comments: I've read other books that had better writing than these two novellas. But I really enjoyed the stories themselves. I liked all of the characters, and I never could get them out of my head while I was in the middle of reading their stories. I think overall this is a good read.
Warning: This review might contain what some people consider SPOILERS.
"Nothing to Lose" by Mechele Armstrong - 7/10
PROS:
- Some very hot sex if you're into m/f/m.
- One GREAT scene involving a cat and mouse game with remote-controlled vibrators.
- All three partners are giving and selfless with the others, not just in bed, but emotionally as well.
CONS:
- Didn't believe at the end that the three characters were "forever" together. I don't read a lot of ménage fiction, and the reason is that I want each person in a relationship to be as into his partner(s) as the other(s) are into him. The one ménage book I've read that I really enjoyed was 911 by Chris Owen because I felt that each of the three characters loved the other two equally; I didn't feel (although some other readers of that book did) that any one of the guys was left out. In Nothing to Lose, however, I felt that two of the characters just sort of allowed the other into their lives but that they were devoted to each other first and foremost.
- Slightly forced internal conflict in one of the characters. When the reason for his emotional standoffishness is revealed, I didn't think, "Oh, NOW I get it." Granted, I've never experienced what has him all tied in knots, so I'm probably being a bit harsh here.
- There's an intense, passionate sex scene about three-quarters of the way through the book that is HOT and HEAVY, but then the sex scene after it falls flat.
"For the Love of the Corps" by Bobby Michaels - 6/10
PROS:
- I love reading about masculine military guys falling for each other, especially since the American "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy makes it necessary for them to hide their feelings until their desire just can't be contained and comes bursting out.
- Lots of sex scenes that are loving, graphic, and...strangely, educational. I actually learned something I didn't know about uncircumcised bodies, which I'm completely unfamiliar with. And I had to look one thing up on Urban Dictionary.
- Good depiction of one man's fortune in having two different relationships (not simultaneously) with unique men, each of which is as loving as the other, but in different ways.
CONS:
- Little puzzled/disappointed by the amount of time spent on each phase of the narrator's story. Having read the synopsis, I thought the majority of the book would cover the relationship with Paul, who helps Mike to get over the death of his first love and move on with his life. But almost the first half of the novella covers his relationship with Scott--from their meeting through five years together. This isn't a problem in itself, but Michaels spends so much time developing the relationship between Scott and Mike that the emotional aftermath of Scott's death should be examined in detail, and it's not. It's brushed over in a couple of chapters, and then Paul is on the scene and things pick up with him.
- Quite a bit of telling as opposed to showing. Example: "The desert we had trained in was in the States and was nothing like the desert in Egypt." This is interesting to me; I've seen deserts in the States, but I've never been to Egypt. HOW are they different? The landscape? The culture? The weather? There are also some instances in which the text is needlessly repetitive: "I knew what I needed to do was to go home and see my mom, but I didn't want to do anything without Scott. 'I need to go home and see my mother. I know she wants me to come home, but I don't want to go anywhere without you.'" These sentences occur back to back. Very similar to John Simpson's writing style (same author, perhaps?).
- Unrealistic timeline with one of the relationships. I understand that some couples fall in love before ever touching each other, and I find that very romantic, especially since the resulting love scenes are tender and giving and passionate (another huge PRO here). All the great stuff sex scenes should have, in my opinion. But these two guys take a BIG step VERY soon after having admitted to each other their feelings and having had sex for the first time.
Overall comments: I've read other books that had better writing than these two novellas. But I really enjoyed the stories themselves. I liked all of the characters, and I never could get them out of my head while I was in the middle of reading their stories. I think overall this is a good read.
December 2, 2008
4 stars for Nothing to Lose, 2.5 for Love of the Corps. The story was good, but the language was crude (okay, I know these are men, and they're in the military, but it still knocks me out of the story when I see it). I've never read a strictly m/m story before but have read m/m sex in menage books, so I don't think that was the problem, but some of the descriptions and phrasings here again seemed crude, maybe that's it. Is the author male? (Bobby is transgender nowadays...)
Loved the voyeur/swinging tale by Armstrong. Love brooding heroes. Will definitely look for more of her books!
Loved the voyeur/swinging tale by Armstrong. Love brooding heroes. Will definitely look for more of her books!
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October 23, 2008Veterans 2: Nothing to Lose (Veterans) by Mechele Armstrong (2008)
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews