Beyond the Checkpoint

by Addison M. Conley

Beyond the Checkpoint is a combination of military action, suspense, and romance. In 2008, Intelligence officer Ali Clairmont joined her agency’s deployment program. She’s openly gay because it’s not a punishment in the federal workforce. Air Force Major and NSA SIGINT officer Lynn Stewart is deep in the closet because DADT is still in effect. Over ten years, they cross paths three times – twice in Afghanistan and finally at home. In 2008, they attempted to keep everything professional, but add a little coffee and close quarters and the attraction ignites. In 2010, a spy is selling secrets. Lynn is brought into the investigation, but once again, mission above all else takes a toll. As the years go by, neither can forget the other. Ali isn’t happy when Lynn walks into her life again as her new civilian supervisor in 2017. Then Ali’s cousin arranges for a part-time handywoman to help with home renovations. When Lynn shows up, the fireworks go off. Eventually, the ice begins to melt. But is it too late for love? Is a cordial friendship all they can hope for? Spoiler and Trigger Two-thirds of this book is set in Afghanistan. War is not a light topic. The book touches on—but does not dwell on—PTSD, death, and the character’s weaknesses. Lynn and Ali make it through to a happily-ever-after, but it’s a bit of a bumpy road. If you are a reader that prefers happy/sunshine novels from beginning to end, then this is likely not the book for you.

Genres: Military Fiction, Lesbian, Fiction

357 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 30, 2019

About the author

Addison M. Conley is an author of WLW fiction. Kindle Unlimited customers can read her books for free. Although her roots are in a small town in central Illinois, she’s lived in several states, including Hawaii, and currently resides in West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle. She loves the mountains and wildlife, except when the beautiful deer eat her flowers and bushes.

Addison wishes you and your loved ones good health and happiness. Together with kindness and respect, we shall rise. Divided, we will fall.

Addison would love to hear from you on Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok.

Addison would love to hear from you.

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Reviews

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great start to begin the new year with. This story has it all, drama, danger, loss, joy, love, friendship, pain, anger, abuse and love again.

This is the journey of Alaina «Ali» Clairmont, working for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and Major Lynn Stewart. It takes place in the Afghan war zone and the back in the US. Despite the fact, that war is a terrible thing, I love reading about these women who work their ass off in these dangerous places all over the world. The story is based on the author’s experience who has been deployed three times to Afghanistan and Iraq, working for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, and this makes it very realistic.

Ali (35) and Lynn (36) met in 2008 in Afghanistan, Ali’s first deployment, Lynn’s third (when I remember correctly). The attraction was mutual and immediately but with the sword of Damocles of DADT hanging over their heads, it’s dangerous to act on their feelings. Can they resist all the time? No, but experiencing terrible events, making some wrong decisions, combined with PTSD and not enough talking with each other, they part in anger. Over the next years, they meet again during deployment and always are torn between the love they feel and the anger/remorse still smolder in their heads.

Over eleven years we accompany Ali and Lynn and although that’s a long time, it never gets boring. We learn a lot about them, for example about Ali’s family, without drowning in details and the time added depth to the story. I think everything is very realistic (without having any experience in the military) and despite the many abbreviations, I understood the military jargon quite well. And although there are some dangerous and tragic situations, the story isn’t about the war, it’s about Ali and Lynn.

Ali and Lynn are both strong women but they are not Wonder Woman, they have flaws and make wrong decisions, which makes them more real. I loved them both. The relationship they share, sometimes it’s more of a rollercoaster ride, is a strong friendship that ultimately overcomes every hurdle. What people face and experience in war zones will always have an impact on every single person and sometimes will affect your decisions. The story is very well written and has a good balance of romance and adventure.

Highly recommended.
My rating 4.5 stars
ARC provided by the author and LezReviewBooks.com in exchange for an honest review

[Ameliah Faith · Rating 5 out of 5]

TOTALLY AMAZING!!
This is the story of Lynn, a Major in the Air Force and Ali an open lesbian who works for a government agency. They meet in Afghanistan in 2008 and are drawn to each other but DADT is in full force and Lynn’s career is her life. They meet again in 2010 when again they are both in the desert and again Lynn is Ali’s supervisor. The old magic is there but there is also pain and they lose each other again. Finally they meet again in 2017. This time they are both civilians and yet again Lynn is Ali’s supervisor. There is so much pain in both their hearts and its going to take a lot for them to move forward while the other is in the picture….

OMG! This book is beyond fantastic!!! I will let you know 2/3rd of the book is set in Afghanistan during war time and the detail are very real. It also touches on death and PTSD, again, very real. However, Lynn and Ali live and there is a HEA but it takes a while. There are some heavy and hard parts to the book and you WILL cry, but it is SO WORTH IT!!! The writing is brilliant and the situations are necessary for the beautiful ending. I cannot say enough good things about this amazing story! I LOVED IT!! IT was hard but oh so good. There are so many emotions in this book, I felt so much and that is what make Ms Conley such a great and gifted writer. I adore this book so much I am making it a book group read! Read this book, you won’t be disappointed!!!!

[Carol Hutchinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

An emotional and heartfelt journey

Ali works as a civilian for an agency and finds herself on a mission with Lynn Stewart and Officer in the armed forces. Their perceptions and careers are very different, and discreetly their friendship turns to something a little more intimate. The story follows the ups and downs of their relationship over a number of years showing the true conflicts of interest and difficulties of the strict regimental rules of the armed forces, and the complications that come with love, same sex relationships, heartache, and everything that surrounds the experience during and after being in war torn countries, and serving for your own.

I was impressed by the way this story covered a long period of time but kept the reader intrigued with each passing of time. It was very developmental and gave good insight into the disastrous state of countries following and during wars. I adored how it really gave detail, was well researched and you could really learn something moral and heartfelt, whilst reading about how it affected the characters’ lives and everything that happened to them during and after too. It had a nice balance of adventure to romance, adding relief to the more intense action parts by having lovely romantic moments, but as a romance it wasn’t without its drama. It was very much a second chance romance in that the time span it covered and the on off relationship status Ali and Lynn had during that time. There was something about the story that gave it that depth, almost memoir in its feel but still heightened with twists and turns, and a great plot to create a great story.

There was a bit of military jargon thrown in, which at times took a moment to process and understand but the author did a great job of giving the reader all the information they needed to know what was going on in those more detailed scenes.

Ali and Lynn had a great relationship, even when it was on and off because it made them very realistic. No one’s relationship is perfect, bumps along the way are inevitable, as are misunderstandings and personal circumstances that add complications. Of course the military lifestyle is never easy, the things you see and experience will definitely affect your relationships and this is what Addison M Conley got so right in this story. That conflict caused by the events of war whilst on tour, and traumatic past events is what made their story so real.

I really enjoyed this story and would recommend to anyone who likes a realistic and relatable story.

[Lisa R Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I whole heartily recommend this book. This is different then most novels in this genre - that alone is reason enough to read it.

Read the Introductory Note where the author explains that while the story is fiction, it’s based on her life as a federal intelligence agent who was deployed three times to Afghanistan and Iraq. Addison Conley, embedded along side military units, worked for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency using sophisticated software, high altitude photography, and other location information to track Al Qaeda and the Taliban movements and hunt bad guys. The characters in this book do the same while falling in love during the time of DADT and other fraternization restriction.

Ali, a spatial analysts working for a government intelligence agency, meets Lynn, a Air Force intelligence officer in Qatar, before their both deployed to Afghanistan. The attraction is mutual and so begins a ten year struggle to find each other again. They work/struggle through live fire danger, injury, mental illness, stupidity, corruption, CIA and NSA shenanigans, and long separations.

Knowing the portrayal of parts of this story came from real hands on experience made the military and agency interaction components fascinating. I could relate to the MCs, which made the read even more enjoyable, as I worked as a spatial analysts, using the same software. So the depictions of the characters sitting at computers manipulating data for hours on end was easy to imagine. Watching a mission in real time must be the coolest thing!

There is also the usual lesfic drama, even the quintessential lesbian construction DIY is thrown in. There’s also a subplot concerning Ali’s family (I’m not sure what this added to the story but it’s there). Enjoy!

[MizLiz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Huge difficulties to overcome throughout many years. Yes the military is still harassing and making life difficult, even when telling civilians they are abiding by the new laws. Very good writing.

[Lilah Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a nice surprise to me. I’ve read a lot of romance books with military themes, and even when they’re accurate to how my experience in the military was I find that sometimes it’s a little *too* real for my taste. I think this story did a wonderful job portraying the effects of some of the harder things military members (and our civilian support as well) often go through without needing to show all of the events themselves in all their gritty detail. Sometimes showing those events are necessary to the story, of course, but this book navigated that decision beautifully.

Having been in the military, I was able to easily pick up on the jargon and acronyms that were used fairly liberally. I may have had an advantage but I also think the author did a great job explaining some of the acronyms in a note at the beginning of the book, and the rest were explained in-line as they became relevant.

I thought the reactions each character had to the different events were fairly realistic as well, without being too exaggerated or over-dramatic. There was enough drama created by the situations themselves without feeling like more was needed to be injected by the characters. Having served under DADT as well as after the repeal, I could especially relate with Lynn’s hesitance quite a lot.

I would definitely recommend this book. The characters face hard decisions and make realistic choices that eventually lead them to their Happily Ever After - and let’s face it, it’s not a romance without some sort of happy ending!

[Chyrl Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read.

I yearn to read military novels. The danger, drama and even death make the story so real. I'm still a die hard romantic loving a good romlesfic. Keep writing.

[Lynn Lawler · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story takes place in the military when the 'don't ask don't tell' law was in effect. The reader gets a look into what military life was like then. The two major protagonists are Ali and Lynn.
Ali Clairmont, aka Ace, has been assigned to serve duty in Afghanistan. She is 36 years old and has never been deployed to this region before. Her hobbies include chess and playing volleyball. She has been trained in remote viewing, which is an interest of mine. She is independent and holds her head high. She is not afraid to speak her truth, sometimes with consequences. The author also shows us sensitivity.

Major Lynn Stewart is assigned to the same unit as Ali, hence is Ali's supervisor. She is sharply dressed and walks confidently. She is 35 years old and has been to many places with her work. She is no-nonsense and has certain expectations. She is family-oriented and is close with her brother. Underneath her toughness is a soft demeanor.

What I like is that both women are very strong-willed and hold their own ground.

There is a lot of subtle flirting between the two women and they have to watch everything they say. They were formal on the job but when behind closed doors, they were on fire. Despite the heat in the story, I would consider this story a slow burn romance because of the time elapsed. The romantic scenes are very hot and tender.

I got to see what it was like for the personnel working in Afghanistan. At times I felt like I was walking on eggshells as I didn't know who could be lurking. I can understand the stress both women were under as a result of their relationship.

The author brings in other factors from war that affected the women. I actually felt scared in a few scenes and felt sad in others. The author addressed bullying in the workplace and how it affects people involved.

A twist happens partway through the story that changes everything, including the protagonists' relationship.

This book is moderately paced and is definitely a page-turner. I felt an array of emotions while reading this book. I feel compassion for military people who also experienced this during the course of their careers. I really enjoyed this story and am recommending it to everyone.

[Joyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommend this book.

I loved this book once I started reading I couldn't put it down.. I loved the main characters. I love women in military are intelligent and brave a very good love story. Thanks great book.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book for a variety of reasons. 

Firstly, it was different to other military/women in uniform stories that i have read, with the author basing it upon their own life experiences with the military and thus the story being set against the backdrop of the DADT era. 

I felt that this added to the authenticity and realism of the story without it being overly technical to read. Plus the author does a great job of explaining military procedures and terminology in a simple but effective manner without interrupting the narrative.

I was surprised that the story of Ali and Lynn spans 10+ years, however by the end i felt this was a good choice by the author. It highlighted that such things as traumatic upbringings and the military lifestyle in general or even PTSD, can be difficult to navigate and process, with repercussions for an individuals relationships and life in general. It was realistic in showing that these issues don't get solved overnight and often the journey maybe more like a rollercoaster - as such a longer timeframe was appropriate to emphasize both the individual and joint journeys undertaken by the main characters.

Overall, a really well thought out story that stands out from the crowd in this genre. There is a good mix of military heaviness interwined with a blossoming romance. The icing on the cake however, is the ability of the author to integrate their own experiences into the narrative whilst highlighting the impact of DADT; this reflects in Ali's and Lynn's unique journey from beginning to end. 

[Celenia S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two women deployed overseas one in the military the other for the NGA.
Follows their story through friendship and love through the time of DADT. They have to deal with the military and security issues.
I thought this story was well told. It dealt with a lot of thing women and gay women have to deal with when it comes to the military. It seem more real to life than some other books that I have read. Not sure why. Maybe because we got to know these two women so well. We knew their families and their pasts with out there being sides stories. It was just part of the characters development.

I do recommend this book to anyone who like books with military slants.

[Ranger · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve had this book on my to read list for awhile and am glad I finally did. I enjoyed the story between Ali and Lynn, it seems realistic. It also confirmed I made a good choice not joining the military during DADT, what bullshit.

I did get confused between Henderson and Hernandez in the story and wish the author would have used less similar names as they were very different people. That glitch aside, a good book.

[Michael Wells · Rating 5 out of 5]

Different love story

The story takes place over a period of 10 years. Ali and Lynn met in Afghanistan on deployment. There a romance took 10 years and had many obstacles. The characters were very good and well written. The platter is good and there is always a few surprises. I really enjoyed this book and I recommend it to all who love lesbian romance.

[Joanna Higgins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding story, compelling characters! Best story I've read in years!

Well-written story about heroes and villains, based in a 21st century real world hotspot, during a time when loving the wrong person could result in ending your career. Addison M. Conley is fast becoming one of my favorite authors.

[Sherry Ellison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book

I enjoyed this story. The different lives it depicts, is amazing. These beautiful, strong women facing a world uncertain and surviving is a wonderful pleasure. Sometimes hardship and happy endings go hand in hand. Beautifully done.

[Shelley Petrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

page turner

I enjoyed this book from Addison on our Holiday trip in the Sun. Quick read as it grabs you and takes you through with some enjoyable twists and turns! Thank you Addison and I look forward to one of your other stories.

[Rebecca Gaddy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good read with multiple levels of information about government agencies and rules. Emphasis is on relationships & not on intense sex. Has substance, not fluff.

[Kelda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bravo!

What’s not to love? Well written and paced, complicated and strong female characters, solid research, and excellent tension. Highly recommend.

[Rolande Vien · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book really enjoyed it. Keep up the good work

[Susan Wrench · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely love all her books, I wish there were more.