Active Duty

by Neil S. Plakcy (Editor)

These fierce stories of love on the front lines grab and hold readers’ attention as they travel the world with these soldier on Active Duty . In the wake of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and the Defense of Marriage Act getting repealed, Neil Plakcy brings the two issues together into heart-pounding vignettes of men in action who put their lives on the line to protect and serve. The heat of battle only amps up the level of excitement knowing that this tryst might be the last. These heroic hunks fight for love and honor and will have readers begging for their next debriefing!

Genres: M M Romance, Gay Erotica, Fiction, LGBT, Anthologies

213 pages, Paperback

First published June 10, 2014

About the author

I have been a voracious reader all my life, mostly in mystery, romance, and science fiction/fantasy, though a college degree in English did push a lot of literary works into my list of favorites.

Quick note: sign up for my newsletter at plakcy.substack.com to get free prologues, epilogues and short stories.

I began writing seriously in high school after an inspiring assignment with A Separate Peace by John Knowles. I didn't know I was gay then, but I knew I was longing for an emotional connection with a best friend. That desire shows up across my writing, from romance to mystery to adventure. I am lucky to have found my special person, and I want to inspire readers to make those connections, to one person or a found family.

It took getting an MFA in creative writing to kick-start my career. That's where I honed my technical skills and began to understand what kind of storyteller I am.

I remember reading Freddie the Detective about a very smart pig inspired by Sherlock Holmes. I’ve always believed that dogs make the best detectives. They notice what humans miss — a faint scent, a subtle shift in body language, the hidden treat in your pocket. That belief inspired my Golden Retriever Mysteries, where Rochester helps his human, Steve Levitan, nose out the truth.

My passion is telling stories where community, loyalty, and sometimes love solve problems just as much as clues do. Whether it’s a cozy mystery in Bucks County, a thriller on the streets of Miami, or a romance unfolding under the Mediterranean sun, I want readers to feel the heartbeat of the place and the people.

I write because stories helped me feel less alone growing up, and now I want to give readers that same feeling: a companion, a puzzle, and maybe a laugh.

When I’m not writing, I’m probably walking one of my own goldens, teaching writing, or daydreaming about my next story.
Since then I've written dozens of books, won a couple of treasured awards, and enjoyed the support of readers.

Every place I’ve lived has made its way into my fiction: the rolling hills of Bucks County, the neon heat of Miami, the beaches of Hawaii, the cobbled streets of Europe. I love exploring how communities work — from a café where dogs guide healing, to a fraternity house in South Beach, to a police unit in Honolulu.

My goal is simple: to write stories that feel grounded in real people and real places, but with enough twists, romance, or danger to keep you turning pages late into the night.

I hope you'll visit my website, where you can sign up for my occasional newsletter, and also follow my author page on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/neil.plakcy.

Reviews

[Ro · Rating 3 out of 5]

Before you read this book make sure you notice the front cover states “Gay Military Erotic Romance”, mainly because this book focuses much more on the erotica than the romance in the majority of the stories. The language definitely leans towards the crude (and sometimes just eye rolling) and the sex tends to be rough and dirty. That being said, there are some gems in this book. As always with anthologies, some stories resonant more with me than others.

Weekend Leave – Shane Allison Rated 4 Loved it. Literally a weekend leave for Tareek (and his ten-incher) and Rashawn. The end, yes, Romantic.

Letter From Home – Jay Starre Rated 2 Couldn’t handle the descriptive language of spit here. Keith gets a “Dear John” letter from his boyfriend just in time to make a move on fellow solder Abe. There’s a lot of spit.

Do Ask, Do Tell – Julian Mark Rated 3. This one is erotica for sure, with some creative sex and some phrasing I liked. “I squeezed his dick. He caressed my undershorts. Love, army style”

Marine Guard – Dirk Strong Rated 4 Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell has been repealed and there is a Marine eager to celebrate this. Lucas (the Marine) and his man, Aaron, share their first public kiss and it provides a little sweet amongst the sexy. Again with this one, I loved the ending.

So, Then – Emily Moreton Rated 3.5 This one ends up being a menage and I’m hoping it’s the start of something for these guys. It’s sexy and not quite a HFN.

Liberty – Dominic Santi Rated 4 Set in the future, two soldiers trying to make a baby with a surrogate. I liked this story a lot, it seemed more romantic even with the very hot sex. And mama bear, who wants grandchildren? She’s the best!!

A Voice in the Dark – Neil Plakcy Rated 3. Two POWs thrown together and they end up sexing and escaping. Though the sex made me think, “what????”, this seemed like a complete story, not just sex.

New Dog, Old Tricks – Aaron Micheals Rated 3.5 Doug Evans is a private first class who meets Gideon, an about-to-be soldier while they are both out on a run. Of course, it leads to sex (and I had to smile at the way Doug practices carrying around a lot of weight). It’s more of a “ten days until we go” kind of thing, so I didn’t even consider it a HFN.

Ready Reserve - Logan Zachary Rated 3.5 Army reserves time and Thomas has a new partner, Joe. It’s a little bit of get to know you and then the CPR practice, which I thought was amusing, “…your turn to pump and blow, pump and blow.” It’s sex with a sweet ending.

Soaring – Michael Bracken Rated 4.5 Probably my favorite of the anthology and one of the sweetest. Wedding! This one is sweet and light. I loved that it begins with their wedding, gives insight on their courtship (a bookstore where he’s reading gay mystery anthology, awesome!) and then ends with their honeymoon. It was lovely.

Candy Man – Gregory L Norris Rated 2.5 The lollipop is probably my favorite of this story of two soldier who meet up after time apart.

Semper Fi Wrestlers – Bearmuffin Not rated. First off, just the author’s name, creative. But there’s dub con here on the part of O’Conner and that’s not for me.

Comeuppance – Rob Rosen Not rated – not for me at all.

The Rainbow Kerchief and the Full Moon Jay Starre Rated 2.5 This is a threesome in the barracks. Something about the language, again, just not for me. “Flaming pink column” and “cream-coated pink column” I rolled my eyes but read on, but when I got to “spray of goo” and “spew of nut cream”, well, I had to laugh at it. Just a random picky note on my part – way too many exclamation points.

Recommended for fans of military and M/M erotica who don’t need the romance (and don’t mind some of the rather gooey language!)

[Neil Plakcy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was inspired to put together this anthology by the end of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. I wondered what gay life would be like if soldiers and sailors could serve openly, and I was able to recruit an awesome group of writers to explore that topic.

I am so pleased to see newer novels in which gay men are able to serve their country without hiding. I'm glad that Active Duty was one of the first to celebrate this.

[Brandilyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*

Some of the highlights and lowlights:

Weekend Leave by Shane Allison 3*
A worthy intro to the collection; it sets the tone well. A sweet little insta-love weekend tryst with a promise of more. The sex scenes were a little anti-climactic, but I enjoyed the connection between the MCs

Letter from Home by Jay Starre DNF
I hade to DNF this one. It literally made my stomach roil. The long and drawn-out, and repeated description of just what kinds of “spit” were being used for lube were just s bit too much for me. I also skipped Starre’s second entry in the book. I am not easily “grossed out,” to use the colloquial, but umm yeah. I couldn’t finish this one.

Do Ask, Do Tell by Julian Mark 3.25*
Do Ask, Do Tell was the first “one-handed read” in the collection. This is just a fun time had by the MC and various other military men he encounters along the way. This isn’t a romance; it is just a good filthy time. If you can get past the use of terms like “joy juice,” “boy juice”, and “cum cream” it is an enjoyable read.

Marine Guard by Dirk Strong 4.5*
This is my favorite of the first half of the book. It is a little M/M romance that spans either side of the repeal of DADT. The main characters are attracted to each other, but one is a Marine. As such, they dance around that attraction for a while. One night the Marine simply shows up at the other’s apartment to celebrate the repeal of DADT… naked… in bed… it is clearly the start of something and not just a hot tryst. I will certainly be looking for other titles from Mr. Strong.

So Then by Emily Moreton 3.5*
Another well written entry in the collection. I am not a huge fan of menage, and I don’t know if this was meant to be a one-off or the start of something more for these three, but it was hot enough. I enjoyed the interplay among the three main characters (even out of bed) and the fact that everything was not perfect in or out of bed. If it had been a longer format, I would like to have known a little more about Daniel’s “injury”, but other than that, no major complaints.

Liberty by Dominic Santi 4*
From the first words, I knew there was something different about Liberty from the first 7 entries in the collection. This one is set sometime in the future and focuses on a military couple who are trying to start a family. There is technology that allows them to mix the DNA of two men. It is an interesting premise, and the “Collection” scene was interesting. Again, you have to get past odd terminology like “asslips” it is a decent read.

A Voice in the Dark by Neil Plakcy 3.5*
One of the more complete stories in the collection, A Voice in the Dark pairs two POWs who happen to both be gay. Not being a military person myself, I don’t know how believable the story is, but giving a guy who hasn’t had a bath in over 2 weeks a blowjob does not sound all that sexy to me. I did have a certain amount of sympathy for the characters, however, and liked that there was a conclusion to the story, not just a hot time.

New Dog, Old Tricks by Aaron Michaels 4*
Another new to me author from whom I would be interested in reading more. New Dog, Old Tricks pairs a soon to be soldier with an existing soldier. It is basically an excuse for a hot time. Well written and enough there that it was not just a romp in bed. We knew a little about the characters first.

Ready Reserve by Logan Zachary 4*
I have heard of Logan Zachary, but have not had a chance to read any stories by this author. Ready Reserve is the story of two older reserves who come together on their two-week training exercise. Again, I don’t know how likely this story is, but it is a somewhat sweet coming together. Ready Reserve is not as hot as some of the offerings in this collection, but it is a worthy read.

Soaring by Michael Bracken 4*
Soaring is the story of a wedding made possible because of the repeal of DADT. An airman and his banker lover meet under the restrictions of DADT and have to find a way to make their relationship work. We start and end on the wedding day and look at the beginnings of the relationship in between. It was an interesting and sweet tale.

Candy Man by Gregory L Norris 3*
I am not entirely sure what to think about Candy Man. It starts with two soldiers meeting again after an unspecified time apart. I never fully understood why or how they got together, nor did I understand how or IF they wanted to be together again. The whole thing just had be off balance, I guess.

Semper Fi Wrestlers by Bearmuffin 2*
This one was pure Erotica, but not all that hot. The premise was just to see how much sex the MC could have. The POV switched among the players without warning and was hard to follow. However, what bothered me the most was the dubcon and abuse of power that was clearly in play in most of the scenes.

Comeuppance by Rob Rosen DNF
Okay so this one was annoying me, then it just got gross. I gave up on it.

The Rainbow Kerchief and the Full Moon by Jay Starre – DNS
After my experience with the first story by this author, I admit I did not even try to read this one.

Find my full review on Prism Book Alliance http://www.prismbookalliance.com/?pos...

[Gavin Stephenson-Jackman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Neil has put together a great collection of very hot stories of life in the military. A little fanciful at times. as I'm not convinced that the American military has become that open since the repeal of Don't-Ask-Don't-Tell. It has only been a short time and the degree of openness takes more time, none the less, these are some very hot stories.

[Nic]

This collection of stories starts at the more 'erotica' end of the scale with the more romantic elements coming into the stories from the second third of the book, or at least it seemed that way to me. That's not to say that there aren't emotions and love involved in the other stories, they are just more sexually focused. And the stories I felt were more romantic had a good dose of sex in them too! :)

Knowing I was reading gay erotica, I expected the raw and gritty sex that is portrayed. Most of the stories don't pull any punches. This is sex that is no holds barred, down and dirty. To be honest I don't find a lot of the terms used to be my taste–I won't go into it here as I am sure most of you are familiar with the type of language to which I refer– but the mix of coarse sex and caring was fascinating.

These stories cover men on the front-line, men deployed to fight for their country. There are men on leave, men in training. The stories range from sex for sex's sake, insta-love, fun impromptu sex, menage, quick and dirty fucks to marriage proposals. Most of the stories are set in current time (at least I think they are) with a notable exception. Liberty (the story from the excerpt above) is set in a world where surrogacy seems the norm. I was amazed to see an erotic sex scene while collecting semen for artificial insemination–very different! My favourite stories were those that had a little more story such as Neil Plakcy's own story "A Voice In The Dark" about two men coming together after being captured by the enemy and escaping.

This isn't traditional m/m romance but that's not what you expect when you read this type of anthology. As the blurb says, "in this fierce collection, Neil Plakcy brings us heart-pounding stories of men who put their lives on the line for love and duty." Expect to read of military men dealing with sex and love in many different situations, that provides a view of the changes since Don't Ask, Don't Tell was repealed.

3 stars - as with any anthology, there is variation and some of these stories rated higher than others

[SJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am reading this and am glad that I saw this book. I like short stories and military guys are one of my jams.
This volume combines the best of both. I am still reading it and so far my favorite story is about the Marine guard at the American embassy and one of the embassy staff. Hot and romantic, in its own way. All the stories have the ring of authenticity, even if they are fiction. They read as if they could have happened. I wonder while reading if NCO’s wouldn’t be worried about being busted in rank. The stories are raw and well written and, need I say, pretty steamy. I love how a lot of men are just so basic with low angst and low bs about sex. I would read another book by this author.

[Elío Sáenz · Rating 3 out of 5]

It could have done with more martial action. Wish there were more accounts of servicemen trying to survive wartime, which only the POW story here covered adequately. In the others, the leads are either on R&R, on light security detail, or are stationed on the American homeland. The thrill of mortal danger is basically nil.

This is mostly a celebration of DADT's demise and is therefore US-centric. Not that this is a negative. Taken as erotica, they're still effective.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very satisfying

I held off on reading this because it's porn and I usually prefer at least the trappings of a plot. The stories varies in quality. There were solid stories, outrageous stories and some that were outright fantasy - and I'm not referring to the one story that's science fiction. Overall, it was fun to read.

[Thomas George Phillips · Rating 2 out of 5]

Farfetched comes to mind when I read these short stories on gay men in the military. I served for seven years in the USN during the 1970's. And I never encountered any kind of scenario as depicted in said stories.

None of the stories were written with a plot; they were all meet, get naked and have sex.

[Alicia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mostly not erotic and not romantic pretty sure a senior officer coercively fucking his way through a wrestling team without lube doesn't count as a HEA and some are like the worst of Nifty's archives. This collection seems to have been put together purely based on the theme, with no curation based on quality.

[Zedd · Rating 3 out of 5]

Uneven Collection

I first have to give my full appreciation to "So, Then" for managing to include a disabled character in this military collection. It and one other were all I enjoyed while a third was unreadable because the content made me incredibly uncomfortable. The rest were okay but not good enough to give this my default rating of four stars.

[Kk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Blue Light Special on Amazon $1.99 on 04/29/20

Wooohooo !! Hot soldiers in war theaters and stateside...Lots of dirty talk!!!

Don't expect long slow burn romance because this isn't it!!!

[Mae Hanley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some of the stories are good, one made me cringe as nothing more than sexual harassment (the one about wrestling). None intrigued me enough to seek out these authors.

[The Novel Approach · Rating 3 out of 5]

This anthology, as the title suggests, is a collection of short stories and scenes starring our men in uniform. As with any anthology there were ones that stood out above the others, but overall I’m giving this collection a solid 3 stars. One issue I had was the language used. It’s obvious this was geared toward a specific crowd, but there was some colorful and coarse language in these short stories. I’m not one to DNF a book, usually, but there were one or two in this collection that proved to be too much for me. If you’re looking for romance and those running through the field of daisies towards each other moments, then you’re looking in the wrong place. You won’t find it in this book. This is about sex, plain and simple. Down and dirty sex. Lots and lots of it.

One story that stood out was Do Ask, Do Tell by Julian Mark. His style of writing was great, and the way he paints a vivid scene is enviable. Another was A Voice in the Dark by Neil Plakcy. His had a bit more background and plot to it than the others, both things I look for in a good short story/book. On the flip side of things, one I had to put down and didn’t finish was Letter from Home by Jay Starre. I’m not an easy person to gross out, but Starre accomplished that feat. His…colorful…descriptions proved to be a bit much for me, and I felt they detracted from the overall story he was trying to convey.

As I mentioned above, I’m giving this anthology a solid 3 stars. I enjoyed reading it; some more so than others.

[Lillian Francis]

Erotic romance, there are storylines and relationships (just in some cases) but the sex is hard and dirty, dicks (ha, phone autocorrected to ducks) are huge and condoms are sorely lacking in most cases.

Weekend Leave – Shane Allison 3.5* looks like being the most romantic of the bunch but don't think that means it is romantic. Although the end kinda was.

Do Ask, Do Tell – Julian Mark. 3.5* Remember those Confessions of... books/movies in the 70s & 80s. Yeah that. If you're strictly not a fan of multiple partners skip this one. But it's not a romance by any stretch of the imagination and I found it amusing.

Marine Guard – Dirk Strong 3.5* Sweet and sexy without the coarse language of the previous stories.

So, then - Emily Moreton 3.5* I was concerned at first that Mike was carrying on behind his bfs back, but it turned out both men knew about the other. Turned from fantasy 3some to actual 3some. Possibly the start of poly relationship.

[Dick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Things have changed since Vietnam

This anthology of stories about men in in our Armed Forces enlightened me as to how much life in the service has changed.
Each story was interesting and erotic with only one story a total turn off. (SMBD is not interesting to me.) The other stories were all fairly high in my ratings, thus the four stars.

[Elisa Rolle · Rating 5 out of 5]

2014 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention (5* from at least 1 judge)

[Carey]

DNF

Not for me. Nope nope nope.