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Echo-One-Zero #1
New Recruit
Boredom is slowly killing Medic Rick “Babe” Shepherd. His fellow soldiers are enjoying the quiet new base and the laidback attitude of their commander, but the lack of action is draining Babe’s soul. Excitement comes with the arrival of three special unit soldiers, and one has his eye on Babe. Becket doesn’t shy away from the fact he wants Babe, and Babe can’t deny his attraction to the mystery soldier—if only he had a few minutes spare to indulge in the Becket fantasy.
Becket’s been granted three days leave after a mission from hell, and he finds himself in an army base, in the middle of nowhere. He needs to let off steam and sees the solider he needs to get hot and sweaty with. He wants 1st Platoon’s medic to treat his sexual frustration, but Babe’s in hot demand, and Becket is forced to wait.
When he finally gets him, Becket’s not sure he can ever let him go.
29,380
Becket’s been granted three days leave after a mission from hell, and he finds himself in an army base, in the middle of nowhere. He needs to let off steam and sees the solider he needs to get hot and sweaty with. He wants 1st Platoon’s medic to treat his sexual frustration, but Babe’s in hot demand, and Becket is forced to wait.
When he finally gets him, Becket’s not sure he can ever let him go.
29,380
104 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 10, 2019
7 people are currently reading
99 people want to read
About the author
Louise Collins
45 books630 followersWriter of mm romance and erotica.
I write the stories I'd love to read, I hope you enjoy them too.
Lover of Romance but not without angst along the way.
Seduced by the dancing of a neanderthal and now a mother of two monsters.
Drinks tea with a passion, adores dogs, and their sea dwelling cousins.
Failed two chocolate eating challenges but will return for round three.
https://mailchi.mp/ad6955eed18f/louis...
♥
Facebook
I write the stories I'd love to read, I hope you enjoy them too.
Lover of Romance but not without angst along the way.
Seduced by the dancing of a neanderthal and now a mother of two monsters.
Drinks tea with a passion, adores dogs, and their sea dwelling cousins.
Failed two chocolate eating challenges but will return for round three.
https://mailchi.mp/ad6955eed18f/louis...
♥
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
September 28, 2019
3.5 Stars
Told in dual POV, 3rd person, it’s the first installment in the "Echo-One-Zero" series. It’s insta-attraction with 7 years age gap. A quick and easy read and almost angst-free. It’s not cliffy, it’s more like a HFN and the ending was a bit rushed! Overall, it was an enjoyable read but in the end I wanted more! Hope you like it too!
Told in dual POV, 3rd person, it’s the first installment in the "Echo-One-Zero" series. It’s insta-attraction with 7 years age gap. A quick and easy read and almost angst-free. It’s not cliffy, it’s more like a HFN and the ending was a bit rushed! Overall, it was an enjoyable read but in the end I wanted more! Hope you like it too!
September 16, 2019
Whoop, that was an awesome read!!!
Military Medic Rick (Babe) Shepherd yearns for action, on a mission without blood running, open wounds or stitching is no fun. Now all he does is looking after blisters and superficial wounds. Boring yes, until three special unit soldiers arrive and the most stunning one can’t take his hungry smoldering eyes of Shepherd.
Becket is in need of some steamy action between the sheets and Babe is the one he wants. It seems it’s mutual so for the next three days, he can enrapture this man.
Well, if he can get his hands on him, that seems to be the problem. All the men seem to be in need of Babe. Becket is confused about it and doesn’t want to be in line. Becket is impatience and when they are finally at it, it’s more than he ever hoped for until he spills his stupid mouth.
Oh boy, I loved this story. The environments were absolutely wonderful. I could picture it all clearly before my eyes. All the witty humor, I laughed and grinned and found it absolutely adorable. The seriousness of the job was well put down. The ranking perceptible where required, which I loved btw. The sexual tension was palpable. The confusion was delightful, the buildup around it was entertaining af!! All the men were fun, but Babe and Becket were more than delicious and hot as hell. The action was seriously thrilling and made it realistic, a short reality check to realize again what the scenery was all about. Well done!
A story which is smoothly and passionately written, a delight for one's mind.
For me another winner in the line from this author!
Military Medic Rick (Babe) Shepherd yearns for action, on a mission without blood running, open wounds or stitching is no fun. Now all he does is looking after blisters and superficial wounds. Boring yes, until three special unit soldiers arrive and the most stunning one can’t take his hungry smoldering eyes of Shepherd.
Becket is in need of some steamy action between the sheets and Babe is the one he wants. It seems it’s mutual so for the next three days, he can enrapture this man.
Well, if he can get his hands on him, that seems to be the problem. All the men seem to be in need of Babe. Becket is confused about it and doesn’t want to be in line. Becket is impatience and when they are finally at it, it’s more than he ever hoped for until he spills his stupid mouth.
Oh boy, I loved this story. The environments were absolutely wonderful. I could picture it all clearly before my eyes. All the witty humor, I laughed and grinned and found it absolutely adorable. The seriousness of the job was well put down. The ranking perceptible where required, which I loved btw. The sexual tension was palpable. The confusion was delightful, the buildup around it was entertaining af!! All the men were fun, but Babe and Becket were more than delicious and hot as hell. The action was seriously thrilling and made it realistic, a short reality check to realize again what the scenery was all about. Well done!
A story which is smoothly and passionately written, a delight for one's mind.
For me another winner in the line from this author!
January 13, 2021
You know you're in fantasyland when almost everyone at a British army camp in Afghanistan is gay and at liberty to have a shag whenever. Nevertheless, it works for this little romp. Very sexy without too much sex.
November 10, 2022
It took me over 50% of the book to get into the story, then there were some good sections, then it lost me again unfortunately.
April 1, 2020
3.5 Stars
This was not my favorite Collins book, but it was still a decent short read. I don’t read to many military style romance books, they usually fall too far under the contemporary label for me, but this one has pushed me to maybe explore the genre a little further in the future.
This was not my favorite Collins book, but it was still a decent short read. I don’t read to many military style romance books, they usually fall too far under the contemporary label for me, but this one has pushed me to maybe explore the genre a little further in the future.
May 29, 2023
So I think I got both more and less than I was expecting from this book... but it's not bad.
I did actually find myself chuckling a few times, and I was VERY surprised by the little chest punch I felt at one point, but it's a very quick (happens within 3 days) and fun read. To be fair, it also didn't try to be some big epic love story...
I think this is one of those times where you can see how much growth an author has achieved in their writing, and its kind of awesome to think about, since I love her later books SO much.
I did actually find myself chuckling a few times, and I was VERY surprised by the little chest punch I felt at one point, but it's a very quick (happens within 3 days) and fun read. To be fair, it also didn't try to be some big epic love story...
I think this is one of those times where you can see how much growth an author has achieved in their writing, and its kind of awesome to think about, since I love her later books SO much.
October 25, 2023
This was a decent short and sexy read, kept me entertained for a couple of hours.
I haven't read any military romance in a while, and I'll maybe read more of this new to me author.
I haven't read any military romance in a while, and I'll maybe read more of this new to me author.
April 1, 2020
Meh. It was cute but didn't have much substance.
October 6, 2020
This is my second read by this author, and I have to say, I am honestly surprised by the low ratings. This was a fun, easy read! I really liked 'Babe' and Becket together. I thought they had great chemistry. The story starts out with Babe, the resident doctor at an army base in the middle of nowhere. He is rather bored and disillusioned with life. In comes, three hot AF soldiers, and Babe becomes attracted to the one who can't stop eye-fucking him. They have an easy banter but things become misconstrued along the way when Becket thinks Babe is hooking up with his patients. I won't get into any major spoilers here, but there is some action (both in the bedroom and on the field) between Babe and Becket. I really loved their connection. My only complaint is that this book was too short! It felt like a great prelude to a new series. I would love to read more, but I guess we'll just have to wait and see!
Edit. So, I've been thinking a lot about this story lately and I decided to up my rating from four stars to five. The fact that the author was able to have her characters forge a believable emotional connection in such a short time takes talent. Sweet and sexy this story deserves it.
Edit. So, I've been thinking a lot about this story lately and I decided to up my rating from four stars to five. The fact that the author was able to have her characters forge a believable emotional connection in such a short time takes talent. Sweet and sexy this story deserves it.
November 17, 2021
2.5
If only this was a longer book... I think I may have liked it more.
Ehhh I am kidding. It was ok, but my biggest pet peeve is "everyone is gay" and in this military camp, all men were gay and seemed like they were all screwing someone. I can't blame Becket to think Shepherd was sleeping around, it seemed that way. But it is also true Becket was 99% of the time thinking with his dick and that was questionable.
Yes, there was chemistry, however, besides that one pet peeve mentioned before, there were a couple of things that bothered me:
If only this was a longer book... I think I may have liked it more.
Ehhh I am kidding. It was ok, but my biggest pet peeve is "everyone is gay" and in this military camp, all men were gay and seemed like they were all screwing someone. I can't blame Becket to think Shepherd was sleeping around, it seemed that way. But it is also true Becket was 99% of the time thinking with his dick and that was questionable.
Yes, there was chemistry, however, besides that one pet peeve mentioned before, there were a couple of things that bothered me:
April 19, 2020
I liked it. Love the two MC's and other side characters. I wish so bad that it was long. The two MC's had all the potential to become my favorite pairs of all time. But since it's standalone, I have to let them go.
May 9, 2020
Nice and sweet
May 30, 2020
I was surprised at how funny it was. Not in a LOL kinda of way, but a situational comedy kind of amusing.
I didn't finish it for no specific reason, maybe I got a little bored.
I didn't finish it for no specific reason, maybe I got a little bored.
Read
May 3, 2024DNF. This book feels more like a parody than a fiction-feels-real military story. It’s entertaining but not quite my taste.
August 16, 2023
Cute distraction #idk. Pretty short but enjoyable i guess
October 28, 2019
Rick would never have believed he’d be bored in Afghanistan. The medic on his team, he prefers to be kept busy and patching up his guys – doing what he’s always loved. When three Special forces guys are sent to their base after a mission goes sideways Rick is surprised when one of them – Becket – seriously turns him on. The two men have enough chemistry to set the place on fire, but can they find their way together?
I really enjoyed this short story. I felt the author did a really good job blending the story so it looked like Rick was doing one thing when actually something completely different was occurring. While the reader should certainly be able to sift out the truth from the impressions fleeting glances and quick looks gives the three new soldiers I found it added an interesting (and for me personally, very different!) element to the story. Usually mis-communications irritate me and I often find them to be illogical, but in this story I found then funny and almost slightly slap-stick the way Becket in particular kept on misinterpreting the situation around Rick and his role in their team. This added a level of humour to the story which isn’t common and I enjoyed it. A part of me wondered if the misconceptions would hamper Rick and Becket being able to trust each other enough to start anything other than a Happy For Now style of relationship, but I was again pleased when Rick discovered what Becket truly thought fairly promptly and they could both deal with the fall out.
Sexy and fun, I found that this was a different style of soldier-based story. The sex was steamy hot and well written, the connection between Rick and Becket real enough I found it believable. While I’m not sure the plot of mis-communication will be every readers cup of tea, I personally enjoyed it and will definitely be keeping an eye out for other stories written by this author. There were a number of strong secondary characters who were given enough time and story that I am hoping they will be featured in subsequent stories.
Sexy and fast paced, this was a good story and one I can recommend.
I really enjoyed this short story. I felt the author did a really good job blending the story so it looked like Rick was doing one thing when actually something completely different was occurring. While the reader should certainly be able to sift out the truth from the impressions fleeting glances and quick looks gives the three new soldiers I found it added an interesting (and for me personally, very different!) element to the story. Usually mis-communications irritate me and I often find them to be illogical, but in this story I found then funny and almost slightly slap-stick the way Becket in particular kept on misinterpreting the situation around Rick and his role in their team. This added a level of humour to the story which isn’t common and I enjoyed it. A part of me wondered if the misconceptions would hamper Rick and Becket being able to trust each other enough to start anything other than a Happy For Now style of relationship, but I was again pleased when Rick discovered what Becket truly thought fairly promptly and they could both deal with the fall out.
Sexy and fun, I found that this was a different style of soldier-based story. The sex was steamy hot and well written, the connection between Rick and Becket real enough I found it believable. While I’m not sure the plot of mis-communication will be every readers cup of tea, I personally enjoyed it and will definitely be keeping an eye out for other stories written by this author. There were a number of strong secondary characters who were given enough time and story that I am hoping they will be featured in subsequent stories.
Sexy and fast paced, this was a good story and one I can recommend.
January 2, 2023
**Edit: yep, still love it on re-read years later. Still my favorite Louise Collins novel. Still desperately needs a new cover and blurb. Hidden gem!!!!!**
This is laugh out loud funny and actually adorable! It wasn't what I expecting based on the cover, or the blurb, or recent Louise Collins works. But I absolutely loved it, and it's the type of book I will re-read many times (sexy, funny, low-angst, HEA).
Becket is a hot Special Forces solider with a few days to kill at a quiet base. He's looking for some no-strings-attached sex and zeroes in on the cute medic, Dr. Shepard. Sparks fly, but every time Becket and the Shepard are alone, someone interrupts and Shep has to leave. Becket is convinced that Shep is ditching him in favor of hooking up elsewhere, and--not used to rejection or competition--sets out to win Shep's affection. Along the way, he gets very jealous of and competitive with the other soldiers in Shep's orbit. God, I love an adorbably jealous!MC.
In fact, Shep is a little sweetie who never hooks up with anyone. Becket's false impression of him is all misunderstandings and wordplay and assumptions (Shep is universally adored, everyone calls him Babe, and he has to treat several "below the belt" injuries that week).
I LOVED the romantic comedy aspect of this because 1) it's so rarely done well in the m/m genre, and 2) I just wasn't expecting it, especially with a war zone(!) setting.
But this isn't 100% romantic comedy. The sex is so, so, hot (and very possessive on Becket's part). There is some wartime action that had me majorly worried about the fate of one character. There are short but frank discussions about the messed up psychology of war, fears about returning to civilian life, childhood traumas, and whether saving a life justifies disobeying orders. And poor Babe/Shep is justifiably pissed when he thinks Becket treated having sex with him as winning a (non-existent) competition with other men/patients.
What a fantastic book. Looking forward to the next one!
This is laugh out loud funny and actually adorable! It wasn't what I expecting based on the cover, or the blurb, or recent Louise Collins works. But I absolutely loved it, and it's the type of book I will re-read many times (sexy, funny, low-angst, HEA).
Becket is a hot Special Forces solider with a few days to kill at a quiet base. He's looking for some no-strings-attached sex and zeroes in on the cute medic, Dr. Shepard. Sparks fly, but every time Becket and the Shepard are alone, someone interrupts and Shep has to leave. Becket is convinced that Shep is ditching him in favor of hooking up elsewhere, and--not used to rejection or competition--sets out to win Shep's affection. Along the way, he gets very jealous of and competitive with the other soldiers in Shep's orbit. God, I love an adorbably jealous!MC.
In fact, Shep is a little sweetie who never hooks up with anyone. Becket's false impression of him is all misunderstandings and wordplay and assumptions (Shep is universally adored, everyone calls him Babe, and he has to treat several "below the belt" injuries that week).
I LOVED the romantic comedy aspect of this because 1) it's so rarely done well in the m/m genre, and 2) I just wasn't expecting it, especially with a war zone(!) setting.
But this isn't 100% romantic comedy. The sex is so, so, hot (and very possessive on Becket's part). There is some wartime action that had me majorly worried about the fate of one character. There are short but frank discussions about the messed up psychology of war, fears about returning to civilian life, childhood traumas, and whether saving a life justifies disobeying orders. And poor Babe/Shep is justifiably pissed when he thinks Becket treated having sex with him as winning a (non-existent) competition with other men/patients.
What a fantastic book. Looking forward to the next one!
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews