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Ask, Tell

(Ask, Tell #1)

E.J. Noyes (Goodreads Author),

Abby Craden (Narrator)

4.41 · Rating details · 1,212 ratings · 169 reviews

Where can you turn when you’re caught in a crossfire of war and passion?

Captain Sabine Fleischer is a skilled and dedicated U.S. Army surgeon deployed to a combat hospital in Afghanistan. She is also one of the thousands of troops who are forced to serve in silence because of the military’s anti-gay policy of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT).”

Usually driven and focused, ...more

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Audible Audio, 9 pages

Published June 11th 2019 by Tantor Audio (first published January 15th 2017)

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· 1,212 ratings · 169 reviews

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Jan 31, 2017 Lex Kent rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: f-f-action-romance, military-or-vet, f-f-bella-romance, medical-romance, 2017-favorites, age-gap

Second Read Nov 10, 2018: Anyone who knows me knows I don’t reread books often. Actually this is my first reread of 2018. I can only reread a book that I truly love and one that sticks with me and doesn’t want to let go. And this happens to be the perfect description for this book Ask, Tell. This is the best military romance I have ever read and one of my favorite medical romances period. If I could give this book more than 5 stars I would. Being almost two years since I read this I was Second Read Nov 10, 2018: Anyone who knows me knows I don’t reread books often. Actually this is my first reread of 2018. I can only reread a book that I truly love and one that sticks with me and doesn’t want to let go. And this happens to be the perfect description for this book Ask, Tell. This is the best military romance I have ever read and one of my favorite medical romances period. If I could give this book more than 5 stars I would. Being almost two years since I read this I was wondering would it hold up to my strong memories? I’m happy to say that yes, I loved this just as much the second time around. The sequel to this book, titled Ask Me Again, is coming out in a few days. I can’t wait! If you have yet to give this book a chance, now is the perfect time to read this. This is a debut book for Noyes and still one of my all-time favorites.

Original review: I am a sucker for military and cops & docs type books. So to have a book that covers two of those, surgeons in the army, yes please! This book absolutely lived up to my expectations. I really enjoyed it. In fact, I think it is one of the better medical military books I have read.

This book takes place a few years before Don't Ask, Don't Tell, was repealed. DADT, was put in place to make things less discriminatory for gays and lesbians, but it was like putting a band-aid over a bullet wound. It still kept people in fear of being found out and being discharged, especially if they were caught "in the act". This is a first person story told through the eyes of Sabine, a surgeon who is a Captain in the Army. Sabine, has had a crush on her boss, Colonel Rebecca Keane, since they met. When Sabine starts noticing signs her feelings might be mutual, she doesn't know what to do. Is there a chance at a relationship, or will the Army's policy stop them before it can happen?

This appears to be Noyes' debut book, and I'm floored by that. This was really well written for a debut, heck it's really well written period. Noyes must have done a ton of research. This book was very realistic and well done. I do have to mention, there is some very graphic scenes. They are surgeons in Afghanistan, so this book is bloody and gory in parts. But it was not over done. It was believable and you felt like you were right there while it was happening.

Both main characters were very likeable, especially Sabine, whose headspace we are in the whole time. The thoughts and feelings of Sabine were very realistic, especially in a scene when she is sleep deprived. It was very well written.

I also enjoyed the romance. The chemistry is obvious, and there was some good intimate scenes. The relationship might have moved a little quickly, but considering everything else going on, I get it, so I didn't mind.

There is more I would love to talk about, but I don't want to spoil anything by accident. I read this book in one setting, and my only disappointment is that I would have liked the book to be longer. Noyes, has made it to my must read author list. I absolutely recommend this, and hope others enjoy it as much as I did.

An ARC was given to me by Bella, for a honest review ...more

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Nov 07, 2019 Diane Wallace rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Impressive read!
....so intense with so much more

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Mar 25, 2017 Ted rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Having served both before and during DADT, I can tell you it was a terrifying time to identify as anything other than straight in the military. This book is a really good look at what it was like during that time. I very much enjoyed it. An epilogue would have been icing on the cake, but shrug. I'll live.

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Feb 04, 2017 Gaby LezReviewBooks rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Review of Ask, tell by EJ Noyes

This is a beautiful love story between two US army doctors (one higher ranked than the other) in times of the Don't ask don't tell policy. Written in first person and in present tense, it takes a couple of chapters to get used to but, despite the potential problems of this stylistic choice, the author pulls it off perfectly. This book goes beyond the typical lesbian romance, it has suspense, action, angst and there is even place for social and political criticism. ...more

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Feb 04, 2018 Rosi rated it really liked it · review of another edition

It's always difficult for me to rate books like this, because once I finish them I'm left with a bitter aftertaste. Books in homophobic environments, wether the family or at work, always demand that the protagonists renounce some personal option to move forward in a loving relationship. And this leaves me sad and spoils other positive aspects that the book may have for me.

In this case it has been like that, although the story is interesting, the characters are attractive and the situations ...more

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Jul 12, 2017 lov2laf rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: own, lesbian-or-f-f, age-gap-romance, love-leads-in-their-30s, boss-employee, military, friends-to-lovers, slow-burn, own-amazon, action

Everything about this book is superbly well done.

All of the characters are great, the military life is accurate, the chemistry between Sabine and Rebecca is excellent, dialogue is perfect, pacing is just right...and, in a super rare instance in lesfic, there is a good amount of drama that is actually realistic without becoming melodramatic.

Despite any intensity this book has, there is a light-hearted quality laced throughout it, too, due to the humorous banter between the deep friendships and ...more

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Jun 20, 2019 Farah rated it it was amazing

Shelves: we-go-together-like-a-wink-and-a, mfeo, cry-me-a-river, ff-amore, it-s-getting-hot-in-here, career-day, i-call-dibs

" War, what is it good for?
Absolutely nothing "

The only person / party who should be making money from death is The Undertaker (should not be confused with Mark William Calaway)

According to Goodreads, there are 127 reviews written for Ask, Tell. Almost everyone either:
z. loved it.
y. captivated by it.
x. wanted Sabine / Rebecca / Jana in their lives.
w. declared Ms.Noyes, a freaking genius.
v. hated one of the most horrible and inhuman policy ever created and implemented to these brave individuals ...more

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Oct 05, 2017 Jem rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Ask, Tell is about a lesbian surgeon's experience in Afghanistan in a combat hospital, in the dark days of "don't ask, don't tell", as she balances duty, friendships and forbidden love in a stifling and hostile environment. It's a very authentic portrayal that's rich in details, raw emotions and the visceral horrors of war.

Even more powerful is the protagonists' forbidden love story, which, while incredibly sexy, doesn’t get as much attention as I was expecting. (I don't mean the sex, because Ask, Tell is about a lesbian surgeon's experience in Afghanistan in a combat hospital, in the dark days of "don't ask, don't tell", as she balances duty, friendships and forbidden love in a stifling and hostile environment. It's a very authentic portrayal that's rich in details, raw emotions and the visceral horrors of war.

Even more powerful is the protagonists' forbidden love story, which, while incredibly sexy, doesn’t get as much attention as I was expecting. (I don't mean the sex, because those were some of the hottest ever written! I meant the two women's scenes were few and far between--and these two sizzled everytime they as much as lock eyes at each other.) Falling for the boss. Or the subordinate, and a same-sex one at that, can pretty much guarantee at least a dishonorable discharge in the military. I was expecting perhaps more fireworks, more troubles and hence, more angst, along these lines. But these two ladies are the epitome of professionalism at work, so it was all just (view spoiler)

Also, the pacing feels rather uneven. The book starts and proceeds at a very deliberate pace, and then rushes to end it. It felt like time was dilated for the first 90% of the book, and compressed for the last 10%. Did the author run up against some publisher page limit?

While the first person POV gave us amazing insight into the main character, it also limited our understanding and appreciation of her lover, who, being the higher ranked officer of the two, had far more to lose than the MC. For someone who's career military, and with her professional experience, confidence, and cachet, she seemed a little too well adjusted at the end to her (view spoiler)

I think this is one case where an epilogue would have been perfect for the reader to get better closure with the characters.

4.45 stars ...more

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Feb 05, 2017 Tiff rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: doctors-nurses-medical, loves-the-boss, 2018-reads, she-is-so-gifted, she-is-in-a-relationship-already, 4-stars, the-secrets-we-keep, older-women, injured, ex-was-cheater

When you see a book get rave reviews, over an over again, you rush to read it right. Shoulda, coulda, woulda! I have had this book on my list of to-reads for months now, why the delay, I am not sure, but I am so glad I finally read this one. It was an amazing way to get 2018 started.

Captain Sabine Fleischer is an Army surgeon currently deployed in Afghanistan. Her days are filled desperately trying to save the wounded men and women that are serving in the war. When we meet Sabine she is ...more

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Feb 25, 2017 Luce rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: job-military-ex-military, romance, location-outside-us, action-adventure, 5-plus-stars, 2017-read, re-read-again-and-again, job-doc-nurse-emt-pt, infidelity, 2017-favorites

4.75 stars rounded up to 5 stars

Excellent book! And a first time author at that.
Sabine is an army Captain and a surgeon, stationed in Afghanistan near the end of the Don't Ask, Don't Tell (DADT). This story is written in the first person - in Sabine's headspace. I haven't read many first person books - I'm not sure if it's because it's hard to do well or if it's just plain hard to do. Nevertheless, Noyes does it well and overall I liked it. Noyes really captures how I imagine it would be at a ...more

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Feb 07, 2017 Netty rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: great-characters, chemistry, great-sex, page-turner, romance, favourites, exciting, dogs-bollocks, entertaining, fanfuckingtastic

The best book I've read this year so far, it's what us British call the dogs bollocks!

Still fucking brilliant the second time around ...more

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Dec 30, 2017 Tere rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites

Audiobook update

Captain Sabine Fleischer is an Army surgeon serving under the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t tell’ (DADT) policy. Things are stale and disconnected from her girlfriend of nine years but nonetheless, Sab is taken aback when Victoria breaks up with her over a letter while Sab is deployed in Afghanistan. This sends her into a tailspin while only able to confide on her best friend because of DADT. While trying to cope with the loss, Lieutenant Colonel Rebecca Keane, her unit supervisor and Audiobook update

Captain Sabine Fleischer is an Army surgeon serving under the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t tell’ (DADT) policy. Things are stale and disconnected from her girlfriend of nine years but nonetheless, Sab is taken aback when Victoria breaks up with her over a letter while Sab is deployed in Afghanistan. This sends her into a tailspin while only able to confide on her best friend because of DADT. While trying to cope with the loss, Lieutenant Colonel Rebecca Keane, her unit supervisor and platonic crush since meeting a few years back, seems to be interested in Sabine’s wellbeing. Caught in between grief, wanting and rules and regulations, Sabine must keep her feelings buried. That is, until an opportunity arises while on leave in the States and opens the door to an entire new dilemma.

‘Ask, Tell’ was the debut novel by Ms Noyes. And what a debut it was! Narrated expertly from Sabine’s first person POV, the connection the reader makes with the character is powerful. I will credit this author with my love of first person POV. I have never experienced such a link with a character, no doubt due to the range of emotions she endures throughout the length of this book. What the author now refers as ‘The Incident’, was truly moving and left me in tears.

The characters in the book are well developed, a great feat since only seen through Sabine’s eyes. Rebecca is sweet and devoted, and I easily became her cheerleader and champion. Best friend’s Mitch and Amy are just adorable and quirky. Same with Sab’s sister Jana, whose banter with Sabine is endearing and funny. The settings are well described and for the dessert, the imagery left me tasting the dust and feeling the dryness. I could have been an spectator during the unit’s flag football games!

This time around (ok so I’ve read this book a couple, ok a few times), after waiting and waiting, I was able to listen to this story. It so happens that one of my favorite narrators, Abby Craden, was tasked with reading this one. I will admit that Sabine’s voice was a little on the raspy side for my liking, but the first person narration was in a much more soothing voice so I did not mind. It also helps to know that is how Ms Noyes envisioned it. Another very good narration by Ms Craden.

Overall a great story and in my opinion, a must read for lesfic fans. 5+ stars ...more

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Feb 15, 2017 Agirlcandream rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 1st-person, medical, all-time-favourites, military

*Reread in to get full value out of her new release, Ask Me Again. Loved this book the second time through as much as I did the first. *

What a terrific read. I love military/medical dramas when they are done well and Ask,Tell hits all the high notes for me. First person is my least favourite point of view but seeing and feeling the events and emotions Sabine experiences makes the reader feel like they are right there, boots on the ground in a war zone. You can't help but admire her self effacing ...more

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Jul 28, 2017 Marilyn rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: must-read, owned, romance, lgbt, military, all-time-favorite

I really enjoyed this book. What a terrific debut novel. I am actually going to immediately re-read it, which is something I rarely do. I just can't leave these two characters behind just yet.

Update: I liked it even more the second time through. And I'm so impressed with her characters. Love them.

It was lovely to read this again. Definitely goes on my all-time favorites list with the sequel.

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May 28, 2017 Pippa D rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: lesbian-romances, lesbian-fiction

4.5 stars

Captain Sabine Fleischer is a general surgeon in the US Army working in a combat zone in Afghanistan. Dealing with the daily trauma that comes through her operating theatre, Sabine is clever, quick and funny. On her second rotation, she's an old hand, knows the game and plays it well.

Her best friend Mitch is also a surgeon in the same unit. Everyone suspects they're a pair, not knowing that it's safer for them to see that, as both Mitch and Sabine are homosexual. Set during the time of 4.5 stars

Captain Sabine Fleischer is a general surgeon in the US Army working in a combat zone in Afghanistan. Dealing with the daily trauma that comes through her operating theatre, Sabine is clever, quick and funny. On her second rotation, she's an old hand, knows the game and plays it well.

Her best friend Mitch is also a surgeon in the same unit. Everyone suspects they're a pair, not knowing that it's safer for them to see that, as both Mitch and Sabine are homosexual. Set during the time of the policy, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" (DADT), Mitch and Sabine hide in plane sight, always careful not to reveal the truth and be forced from the Army.

Their boss is the enigmatic, and meticulous, surgeon Colonel Rebecca Keane. She runs the surgical unit with precision expected from a career soldier. However, subtle cracks in the facade start showing when Sabine is around.

The constant separation from her long-term partner back home is causing difficulties, and Sabine knows that their relationship is suffering and isn't sure it can be saved. So when she starts to suspect that her crush on Rebecca is reciprocated, things start heating up. However the war, and the Army, is going to get in the way.

This was a cleverly written work. Noyes has managed to describe life in a surgical unit in a combat zone well, without it being too traumatising to the audience. She's also grappled with the difficulties of living with the DADT policy, without it crushing the story.

What was so unexpected was that it is written in the first person. It is really rare to read a romance, let alone something which has elements of a thriller in it from that perspective. It was captivating as a result.

Sabine is really well drawn as the main character. Rebecca is less well drawn as the story is told from Sabine's perspective, but I still had a good sense of who she was by the end of the book. It was probably less than I wanted to know about her character though, and this could have been built up a little.

What Noyes handles really well is the difficulty of knowing when to add in detail, and when to skip over chunks of time that is less interesting. She's managed this really well, without the story ever feeling episodic. I won't tell you the precise details of some of the examples of this because it will spoil the story for those of you wanting to read it for the first time.

It was as fascinating look at life in the army during this time, and life as a surgeon on the front lines. ...more

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Feb 25, 2019 Linda rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: doctors-nurses-and-medics, mc-in-their-thirties, femme-femme, my-solid-five-star-read, ladies-in-uniform, mc-in-their-forties, my-reread-favourite-books

Fascinating and educational read - at least for me who have no knowledge of the DADT policy in the US army (or even from where I am!)

Story was told in Sabine’s POV. Would have been more interesting if we get to read Rebecca’s thoughts/POV as well. Plot was well paced and many issues were laid out; infidelity, PTSD, same-sex relationship within the military.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Ask, Tell and look forward to reading Ask Me Again. Highly recommended

5 ...more

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Jun 18, 2019 Sandra Andersson rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: lgbtqa, lesbian-romance, read-in-2019, favorites, wishlist, 5-stars, 250-350-pages, listened-to-the-audio

I think this book broke me. I was literally crying for like an hour straight.

This is a beautiful yet heartbreaking story. Noyes writing is beautiful. I was as always put off when I read there's infidelity involved in this novel, I usually try to stay away from those sorts of stories. Thankfully though it isn't between the main love interests but in one of their past relationships.

The whole novel was beautiful written, the only thing that seemed off to me was how quickly and smoothly Sabine and ...more

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Apr 06, 2017 Alexis rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: all-time-favorites, cops-detectives-military, audiobook, lesfic, doctors-medical-nurses, heartwrenching-tissues-required, slow-burn, ptsd-anxiety-panic-attacks, 2017-favorites

What a fantastic debut novel!

I absolutely loved this book. I read it more than a month ago and never got around to reviewing it considering I was dealing with a heavily sprained ankle at the time.
Perhaps when I re-read this (because I definitely will) I will add more details to this review but for now I will just keep it simple, you need to read this!

If there is one thing this book has taught me it's to be even more thankful to those men and women who serve in their country's military. I ...more

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Oct 30, 2017 Loek Krancher rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Just awesome!

A very moving story about the struggle of the two main characters in probably the most difficult time for them in the military. The author gives a well-written, vivid portrait of their lives, their true feelings and their love. Two women who are dedicated soldiers and who are torn between love and serving their country. A beautiful story of friendship, loyalty, living a lie and loving in secret. I highly recommend this book.

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Feb 19, 2017 Penny rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I love when there's a hype surrounding a new author and, more importantly, when the hype is real.
And the hype about "Ask, Tell" is as real as they come. It really is.

The ending is a bit rushed, but by then I was so comfortable with Sabine's voice and engaged in what was going on that rushing things up didn't bother me as much as it tends to.

Also, I really liked Sabine. Which was essential since this is a first person narrative from her POV. Sabine is a darling

So, if you haven't read it yet, go ...more

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Nov 30, 2018 Paradise Lost rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: f-f

The only reason I haven't given this the 5 stars it deserves is because the military genre isn't my favourite. However, noyes is an awesome writer, anything by her is always a solid gold.

A big shout out to lex Kent for introducing me to her work :)

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Oct 26, 2017 Laure rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: reread

Review left on April 19th 2019 ....

-------------

Since a good friend of mine offered me the paperback of « Ask Me Again » (I still can’t find the words to say « Thank you » properly so, for now, I’ll go with : ). I have no choice, I have to read it, right ?? (yeah, I know ... that’s such a sacrifice … LMAO) … But two years between the reading of a novel and its sequel is a long time gap so I decided to re-read « Ask, Tell » before starting « Ask Me Again »’s reading … I wanted to be reacquainted ...more

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Sep 07, 2018 JulesGP rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

1/22/20: finished audiobook for first time.
ABBY CRADEN. So now I know what the fuss is about. But what really surprised me was how powerful and intense she could be beyond the sexy scenes. Her narration on the Incident nearly pushed me into a real life panic attack. I’m jumping right into her narration of Ask Me Again but I’ll be ready.

Reread on 10/17/19: So glad that I reread this pearl of a book before starting 2 and 3. About 100 Lesfic books under my belt since the original read and I’m in ...more

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May 23, 2018 Alex rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: instant-love, lesbian-romance

I’m not from the United States and I must say I’m not the greatest fan of their need to send military all over the world getting in other countries business, and maybe that’s why the military romance books aren’t my thing, and I usually avoid them. That said, I really liked this book, I could feel the longing between the MCs, even tough the description of the relationship and the actual time of the relationship was so short.

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Jul 21, 2018 Lia A rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I wonder why I've been so put off to read this. Maybe it was because the military part which made me imagine people deserted in desert lol.

But really.

It's fantastic. I should've read this sooner..... Noyes really killing it. I'll consider to re-read her other book too.

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Jan 21, 2017 Margaret rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: l-words

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

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Mar 29, 2017 Jane Shambler rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: army

WOW!

I understand that this is this author's first novel. Well @@? me.... I seriously want more. It's excellent with a capital E. It's told by the main character. It's funny, it's serious, it will make you laugh, cry and seriously frustrated. It's really well written and you will fall in love with all the characters from Bec's to Amy/Liz. Please make your own mind up. But wow. The author puts you right there, so much so you can see it, smell it and feel it. I'd like to know what happens next, so ...more

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Feb 07, 2017 Cristina rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, doc-nurs, age-gap, drama, 2017, military-spies-assassins

I loved this book. This is one of the best stories that I have read so far.

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Feb 05, 2017 Catherine rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I am so very in love with this book! I loved Bec & Sabine they were such a perfect couple.

Noyes just captured the feeling of helplessness that these two felt while trying to forge a future together. It gave me such an appreciation for all LGBT military people during that time. It was something I was aware of but never felt the pain of it the way Noyes brought me in as the story reader.

Only complaint from me is it wasn't long enough. I felt the ending covered a lot in a small space which ...more

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Aug 28, 2017 Arien rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: lesbian-romance, military

Less romance than I'd like but it fits the setting well. Overall a well written book with properly developed main and secondary characters.

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About E.J. Noyes

E.J. Noyes

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E. J. Noyes lives in Australia with her wife, a needy cat, aloof chickens and too many horses. When not indulging in her love of reading and writing, E. J. argues with her hair and pretends to be good at things.