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One Good Man
Corporal Alex Indigo, USMC, is a gung ho, professional infantry Marine. In the era of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” he still needs to keep hidden the fact that he is gay if he wants to continue to serve. Trying to keep his private life private, he doesn’t date fellow Marines. Combat-deployed to Falluja, Iraq, however, he doesn’t have much outlet for his natural wants and desires.
When he meets Taylor, a fellow corporal, he feels a strong attraction to the handsome, quiet Marine. It is hard to hide anything in a combat zone, much less a romantic relationship, and he knows he needs to ignore Taylor, but can he ignore his own heart?
Note: this book contains adult material and is intended for a mature audience.
When he meets Taylor, a fellow corporal, he feels a strong attraction to the handsome, quiet Marine. It is hard to hide anything in a combat zone, much less a romantic relationship, and he knows he needs to ignore Taylor, but can he ignore his own heart?
Note: this book contains adult material and is intended for a mature audience.
105 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 29, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
June 30, 2022
Although I was in the army I can relate to a lot of what is said in this book while deployed to Iraq. I fought in all of the same places as they did.
I never got the chance yo even try and have any kind of relationship with a fellow soldier. I was also in the Infantry and was around guys all the time and boy was it hard to stay focused at times.
This was a great read and not all that long. I defiantly recommended this read.
I never got the chance yo even try and have any kind of relationship with a fellow soldier. I was also in the Infantry and was around guys all the time and boy was it hard to stay focused at times.
This was a great read and not all that long. I defiantly recommended this read.
November 23, 2018
This could have scored higher but for the over use of insider lingo; it made trying to follow what was going on and what it ment, rather difficult. BUT BY FAR the biggest crime whch this book commits is the bizzarly rushed happy ever after - OK you've gone through a lot together but the final part feels like it comes out of nowhere and doesn't feel like something which a real person would do.
June 7, 2021
This was tedious. I bought this book with the promise of an angsty military drama. What I got was not much really. There is a lot of talk about weapons and tactics. An occasional bit about DADT, there are a lot of acronyms so if that isn’t your thing have our phone ready to search some of them. There wasn’t much else really. Nothing too in-depth about the main character. No real interaction with the other characters beyond gym workouts. Which were probably, by far the most entertaining thing about this book and they weren’t even that great. Beyond that, there wasn’t anything really going on.
I kept turning pages thinking that some real interaction if only with his fellow soldiers would happen. it didn’t materialise. Even when the main characters met it didn’t get too involved then and it didn’t grow into something after that either. In the 60 percent or so of this novel that I slugged painfully through, I can count on one hand how many times the two mains met. The other stuff read was all military jargon and noise vaguely relating to the main characters homosexuality and distant relationship with his dad but not digging into it in a way I can recall. Nothing tangible just talk/narration.
What it comes down to is there was no real plot. So much tactical information, so much about weapons and how the military works, not enough about the main character to really get into his mind. His responses to the few confrontations he had, especially the only one he had with the love interest, were juvenile and cliche at best. And the writing was very stilted. Sometimes I reread a few sentences because a wrong word was used. Like the author was going for something and used an almost right word or a word that sounded good. This, of course, changed the meaning of the sentence thus losing the idea the sentence was going for. I googled a word once just to be sure I wasn’t losing my mind cause it jolted me out of the story that much.
I went in expecting a military action drama with the conflict and angst that goes along with having to hide oneself in a world that isn’t safe to be out and that fact being compiled with falling for someone also living in the same unsafe environment. It didn’t deliver. Without the book actually going down any sort of identifiable plotline, ultimately I had to give up. More than half a book of mostly information dropping about how things work in the military and the rare gym or cantine/food-hall/mess-hall scene left me skipping so many pages to get to the point and hours wasted for the story to still not reach it. It felt like I was reading a high school teens fantasy version of how a book like this should read instead of an adult version of what it’s really like to live in this world.
I guess I was waiting for more of how soldiers talk to each other; more of doing tactical missions and less talk of how they are done; more of the emotional stress that comes with being out there in danger fighting for a cause and the lengths you go through to avoid dealing with that psychological stress. Whether that be working out in the gym or making light, inappropriate to outsiders but very appropriate to insiders, jokes to mask the weight of it all. And lastly how with all of this also have to deal with our sexuality and how a serious interest in someone is threatening to break all these emotional walls you’ve built up.
Beyond the jargon and acronyms, what was is this life really like? It was almost like this story tried to be a real depiction of military life without actually delving into the dark gritty disgusting parts of it, and it didn’t leave enough space for the romantic angle to take off because it filled itself with an overload of information. However, there was way more than enough pages to drop some jargon, sprinkle in a dash of combat, add some real interaction with the soldiers and main character and the love interest, and more. This was not a short book by far even with the number of pages I read and still the story hadn’t actually moved anywhere.
I couldn’t finish this and I tried, but there wasn’t enough plot direction to keep me in it. Each page felt like more of the same and after a while. The writing style felt a bit juvenile instead of reading like an adult had written it. Ultimately I had to accept that finishing this book was not going to happen.
Review Written for https://readingismydrug.com/
I kept turning pages thinking that some real interaction if only with his fellow soldiers would happen. it didn’t materialise. Even when the main characters met it didn’t get too involved then and it didn’t grow into something after that either. In the 60 percent or so of this novel that I slugged painfully through, I can count on one hand how many times the two mains met. The other stuff read was all military jargon and noise vaguely relating to the main characters homosexuality and distant relationship with his dad but not digging into it in a way I can recall. Nothing tangible just talk/narration.
What it comes down to is there was no real plot. So much tactical information, so much about weapons and how the military works, not enough about the main character to really get into his mind. His responses to the few confrontations he had, especially the only one he had with the love interest, were juvenile and cliche at best. And the writing was very stilted. Sometimes I reread a few sentences because a wrong word was used. Like the author was going for something and used an almost right word or a word that sounded good. This, of course, changed the meaning of the sentence thus losing the idea the sentence was going for. I googled a word once just to be sure I wasn’t losing my mind cause it jolted me out of the story that much.
I went in expecting a military action drama with the conflict and angst that goes along with having to hide oneself in a world that isn’t safe to be out and that fact being compiled with falling for someone also living in the same unsafe environment. It didn’t deliver. Without the book actually going down any sort of identifiable plotline, ultimately I had to give up. More than half a book of mostly information dropping about how things work in the military and the rare gym or cantine/food-hall/mess-hall scene left me skipping so many pages to get to the point and hours wasted for the story to still not reach it. It felt like I was reading a high school teens fantasy version of how a book like this should read instead of an adult version of what it’s really like to live in this world.
I guess I was waiting for more of how soldiers talk to each other; more of doing tactical missions and less talk of how they are done; more of the emotional stress that comes with being out there in danger fighting for a cause and the lengths you go through to avoid dealing with that psychological stress. Whether that be working out in the gym or making light, inappropriate to outsiders but very appropriate to insiders, jokes to mask the weight of it all. And lastly how with all of this also have to deal with our sexuality and how a serious interest in someone is threatening to break all these emotional walls you’ve built up.
Beyond the jargon and acronyms, what was is this life really like? It was almost like this story tried to be a real depiction of military life without actually delving into the dark gritty disgusting parts of it, and it didn’t leave enough space for the romantic angle to take off because it filled itself with an overload of information. However, there was way more than enough pages to drop some jargon, sprinkle in a dash of combat, add some real interaction with the soldiers and main character and the love interest, and more. This was not a short book by far even with the number of pages I read and still the story hadn’t actually moved anywhere.
I couldn’t finish this and I tried, but there wasn’t enough plot direction to keep me in it. Each page felt like more of the same and after a while. The writing style felt a bit juvenile instead of reading like an adult had written it. Ultimately I had to accept that finishing this book was not going to happen.
Review Written for https://readingismydrug.com/
October 21, 2020
I am conflicted about this book. I like that the author has set out to write a novel that accurately portrays both military life as a gay man and military life in general. I also like that he persuades the reader to care what happens to the protagonist, whereas many début writers take an “If you build it, they will come” approach to this issue. He further shows an insight into the way dom/sub relationships work in the real world that many people writing about such things lack.
That said, the main story happens too quickly and too easily, sometimes verging on the trope of easy evangelism. I also see issues that would arise in real life in a relationship between two people so different, which the author hand-waves away.
That said, the main story happens too quickly and too easily, sometimes verging on the trope of easy evangelism. I also see issues that would arise in real life in a relationship between two people so different, which the author hand-waves away.
August 10, 2018
The author's military experience is obvious in the details about deployment and combat. I really enjoyed that aspect of it as well as the very real fear of what it was like to be gay in the military during DADT. I actually wondered if parts of the story were autobiographical. I do think the love story aspect of it fell a little short and the ending seemed rushed and summarized. If you are reading this for the romance, you'll probably be disappointed, but I thought it was a good account of combat and "hiding" in the military.
August 20, 2022
This is my first experience with this author and it's not a bad one over all. The two main characters are marines who find themselves lusting after one another. However Tyler is not admitting to himself or anyone else that he is attracted to men. What follows is an intriguing look into the possibilities of how gay men in the military might handle their lives and interact with the ones they love.
I recommend this story to those who enjoy a happily ever after of the slightly angsty kind. It's a delightfully good read.
I recommend this story to those who enjoy a happily ever after of the slightly angsty kind. It's a delightfully good read.
August 22, 2023
I loved this book. I think any military person would. And it’s interesting reading the reviews - that seems to be the divide. It’s authentic. So if you’ve never heard any military - specifically Marine - lingo there will be WTF moments. For me having those things keeps it authentic and real which is what I loved about the book. Highly recommend. It’s the only genuine military gay novel I’ve ever read. Loved it. I hope the author writes more Ike this because I think there’s a good market for those of us that served that want to get lost in these stories.
August 24, 2017
I really enjoyed this book. I am guessing this was a first endeavor by the author, and they did a pretty good job.
The pace of the story was good, but the end felt a little rushed. I wanted to know more.
The pace of the story was good, but the end felt a little rushed. I wanted to know more.
September 17, 2017
Sweet Story
This story was sweet it talks about all how being gay in the military is tough and for Alex to have to hide is not easy but he got through it met Taylor fell in loved and now have happy life
This story was sweet it talks about all how being gay in the military is tough and for Alex to have to hide is not easy but he got through it met Taylor fell in loved and now have happy life
November 9, 2024
very well written and thought out
Amazing read. Matches so many of my experiences! Alex, the man in this story makes all of us proud and acknowledge the responsibility in our own lives, families, and “friends!”
Amazing read. Matches so many of my experiences! Alex, the man in this story makes all of us proud and acknowledge the responsibility in our own lives, families, and “friends!”
January 16, 2025
A good story in the life of a gay Marine. Dealing with Don't Ask Don't Tell and falling for another Marine. The story is sweet, but the idea of being caught hanging over their heads in some ways as bad as not seeing a hidden enemy in the next building or field or jungle.
Tough life, tough men.
Tough life, tough men.
September 19, 2017
Wonderful potential
I couldn't get past the abbreviations. Loved the military talk and the angst but couldn't follow. Overall poor pacing but the potential was there
I couldn't get past the abbreviations. Loved the military talk and the angst but couldn't follow. Overall poor pacing but the potential was there
October 13, 2017
4.5 rounded up
April 21, 2024
It's very much a war book even if it's classified gay romance in Amazon's method. It's a good enough read, and it's always interesting to read about things written by someone who was there.
May 2, 2026
RATING: 3.75 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
October 6, 2020
A good m/m military romance.
Alex is from a military family and loves his job and brothers. But he has told no one in camp about him being gay even though his family knows and has accepted him. His hookups are rare and occur out of station. So when everything is going fine, he meets Taylor who is also from a military family ; but is soo deep in the closet that even Taylor hasn't accepted the fact that he is gay! There is instant attraction ; but the war and personal hangups come in between. Taylor wants to be and officer and his dad is against all "gay " stuff. But their love grows and Taylor comes to term with himself and in the end its all great.
Alex is quite an intense character and we have a front view of the war scenes. There is a heavy military background which was interesting as usually authors skim over that and focus on the romance. The only issue was I wish there was more about the MCs getting together as towards the end I felt they got together pretty fast and neat. Otherwise this is an interesting read. Hoping for more from this author.
Alex is from a military family and loves his job and brothers. But he has told no one in camp about him being gay even though his family knows and has accepted him. His hookups are rare and occur out of station. So when everything is going fine, he meets Taylor who is also from a military family ; but is soo deep in the closet that even Taylor hasn't accepted the fact that he is gay! There is instant attraction ; but the war and personal hangups come in between. Taylor wants to be and officer and his dad is against all "gay " stuff. But their love grows and Taylor comes to term with himself and in the end its all great.
Alex is quite an intense character and we have a front view of the war scenes. There is a heavy military background which was interesting as usually authors skim over that and focus on the romance. The only issue was I wish there was more about the MCs getting together as towards the end I felt they got together pretty fast and neat. Otherwise this is an interesting read. Hoping for more from this author.
March 14, 2024
I found this mentioned on a list of LGBT books on Better World Books and decided to give it a try. The story was good. It was riddled with military lingo and little explanation as to what the lingo meant but I was able to decipher most of it using the context in which it was used. I felt that certain pieces of the plot could have been expanded and more detail given. I also felt that the ending seemed rushed. I would have loved to see the relationship develop more. I liked the glimpses into Alex’s past and the things that contributed to his character as a career Marine. All in all, this is a great effort and I enjoyed it.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews