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Islands
Lieutenant Commander Gabriel Conlan, United States Navy Seabees, knows he’s not in Kansas anymore when he steps off the launch at the small island of Ile Dorée and sees gorgeous Frenchman René Dubois waiting for him on the dock. The year is 1943, the place is the Pacific and the world is at war. Free from the censure of the military, Gabe has an explosive affair with René. But when the world intrudes, Gabe denies René and tries to forget the best sex of his life.
The only westerner on his small Pacific island, René is desperately lonely. When the tall, lanky American steps onto his dock, René knows his life will never be the same. He teaches Gabe how to make love to a man and, unexpectedly, falls in love. René will brave prejudice, Japanese Zeros and Gabe’s reluctance to find love at last.
Reader This story has graphic sexual language and scenes - no closed bedroom doors (or other rooms) here!
The only westerner on his small Pacific island, René is desperately lonely. When the tall, lanky American steps onto his dock, René knows his life will never be the same. He teaches Gabe how to make love to a man and, unexpectedly, falls in love. René will brave prejudice, Japanese Zeros and Gabe’s reluctance to find love at last.
Reader This story has graphic sexual language and scenes - no closed bedroom doors (or other rooms) here!
Kindle Edition
First published February 20, 2009
3 people are currently reading
158 people want to read
About the author
Samantha Kane
54 books769 followersSamantha Kane lives in North Carolina with her husband and three children, two boys and one girl. With a master’s degree in American history, she spent seven years as a high school history teacher before becoming a full-time writer and mom.
Series:
THE BIRMINGHAM REBELS
BROTHERS IN ARMS
THE SAINT'S DEVILS
THE 93RD HIGHLANDERS
MERCURY RISING
Series:
THE BIRMINGHAM REBELS
BROTHERS IN ARMS
THE SAINT'S DEVILS
THE 93RD HIGHLANDERS
MERCURY RISING
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
April 12, 2018
A very sweet love story, a magical background and heartbreaking circumstances.
Samantha Kane never disappoints, lovely.
Samantha Kane never disappoints, lovely.
September 4, 2010
I finally pulled this out and I remember why Samantha Kane is such a great author. This story is set in the 1940s and revolves around an isolated island in the south pacific. The writing here is what sells the story so completely. The characters and setting are well crafted and enjoyable to read while the pace is quick and the story ends even as you want more. But really the writing is incredible. The prose is well chosen and the descriptions lush, tangible. I can easily imagine the scenes, scents, tastes, and sounds of the story with the few chosen words offered. The setting and backdrop surrounding the war are accurate but distant, the focus is on the men’s connection, their romance, and the time period so this may not be a meaty story but it’s totally enjoyable.
Gabe Conlan of the US Navy is dropped off on Rene’s island with the mission of getting the Frenchman to agree to let the US build an airstrip and hospital on the island. This base is essential to their campaign against Japan, yet Rene’s agenda is not as clear. Their chemistry sparks from the instant they meet and the tension only builds as Gabe works to ignore the attraction that’s dangerous to his career and chosen life. Yet Gabe can only resist for so long and when he does give in, both Rene and Gabe are surprised by the connection and emotion that appears. Set against the backdrop of war, neither man expects a happy ending but they can certainly hope for one.
Gabe and Rene are great characters as the story follows their romance; told in third person from mostly Rene’s perspective, though Gabe has his moments as well. The characters are well developed and nicely portrayed. Although they have sex a lot, the focus is never on that exclusively and the emotion portrayed in their interludes is important to both men and the story. Gabe’s reluctance to give into his desires creates a nice tension while Rene’s surprise at the depth of his own love gives an edge to what could have been a sappy character.
The setting is also wonderfully described and crafts a great backdrop. The island atmosphere and unique culture and people feel authentic and offer some nice texture to the story. Similarly the details involving the war are also used sparingly but well as it keeps the tension high and reminds readers that a happy ending is unlikely, yet the light touch to separation, death, war, and pain keeps this aspect easy. So readers don’t have to worry that there is anything depressing or angsty about the story, instead the focus is on the two men and their relationship with some nice background texture.
The last thing I want to touch on is the great descriptive quality. I could imagine the 40s glamour of Hollywood but on an island. I could envision the scenes so well – especially of the men smoking postcoital. The sounds, tastes, smells, and feel of the island from the crisp water to the muggy heat are shown so incredibly well. The descriptions aren’t lengthy details but instead conveyed with a few choice words and prose. I was pretty impressed and it reminds me why Kane is such an engaging and good author.
Gabe Conlan of the US Navy is dropped off on Rene’s island with the mission of getting the Frenchman to agree to let the US build an airstrip and hospital on the island. This base is essential to their campaign against Japan, yet Rene’s agenda is not as clear. Their chemistry sparks from the instant they meet and the tension only builds as Gabe works to ignore the attraction that’s dangerous to his career and chosen life. Yet Gabe can only resist for so long and when he does give in, both Rene and Gabe are surprised by the connection and emotion that appears. Set against the backdrop of war, neither man expects a happy ending but they can certainly hope for one.
Gabe and Rene are great characters as the story follows their romance; told in third person from mostly Rene’s perspective, though Gabe has his moments as well. The characters are well developed and nicely portrayed. Although they have sex a lot, the focus is never on that exclusively and the emotion portrayed in their interludes is important to both men and the story. Gabe’s reluctance to give into his desires creates a nice tension while Rene’s surprise at the depth of his own love gives an edge to what could have been a sappy character.
The setting is also wonderfully described and crafts a great backdrop. The island atmosphere and unique culture and people feel authentic and offer some nice texture to the story. Similarly the details involving the war are also used sparingly but well as it keeps the tension high and reminds readers that a happy ending is unlikely, yet the light touch to separation, death, war, and pain keeps this aspect easy. So readers don’t have to worry that there is anything depressing or angsty about the story, instead the focus is on the two men and their relationship with some nice background texture.
The last thing I want to touch on is the great descriptive quality. I could imagine the 40s glamour of Hollywood but on an island. I could envision the scenes so well – especially of the men smoking postcoital. The sounds, tastes, smells, and feel of the island from the crisp water to the muggy heat are shown so incredibly well. The descriptions aren’t lengthy details but instead conveyed with a few choice words and prose. I was pretty impressed and it reminds me why Kane is such an engaging and good author.
May 22, 2025
Re-Read: July 2024
Original Read: Nov 2022
This was such a wonderful surprise! It contained a lot of things that usually don't work for me. Instalust and instalove. Historical inaccuracies. Corny porn dialog. Erotica. Rene acting overly dramatic 24/7. But the circumstances surrounding both MCs and the smoking hot quality of the smut scenes made me enjoy it.
Was the instalust/instalove believable? Not really but it wasn't absurd. Right from the time Gabe and Rene meet, the chemistry between them is explosive and their dynamic is amazing. In particular, the way Rene was written (he was very, very French!) made the instant connection between the MCs believable to me and I fell in love with both of them instantly, which is why I had no issues with the instalove. These two characters fit so perfectly together, their dynamic was wonderful and I adored their relationship from start to finish. In addition, both MCs have spent their lives being very lonely and having long ago given up hope that they'll ever find a meaningful relationship. Then they happen to find each other on this tiny island where they have the opportunity to do whatever they want for 3 glorious days and that freedom combined with their amazing chemistry made it believable that those 3 days would change their lives forever and that would be a strong basis for the rest of their relationship.
It also helped that the sex scenes were SMOKING HOT. Holy moly...Samantha Kane knows how to write spicy smut scenes and that's good because there were a lot of them but I didn't mind because they were so well written.
For the first half of the book, I felt a little disappointed that the story doesn't have a strong 1940s vibe. The characters didn't talk or act like they were living in the 1940s, and WW2 wasn't a big focus in the plot, but then I realized that the circumstances within the story made these things more acceptable than they normally would be. The entire story takes place on Ile Doree, which is a tiny island in the Pacific that has its own culture and its own way of doing things. Plus, Rene is French and has spent time in many places in the world, including having spent several years living on the island. When I considered these things, I realized it wouldn't make sense for this non-Western culture and this non-American character to adhere to the American-based historical norms for this time period. In addition, it also made sense that the inhabitants of this tiny island couldn't care less what was happening in the rest of the world and that WW2 had had little to no impact on them so far. I was disappointed that both MCs used modern phrases and there's no 1940s-era flavor to their dialog, but I was fine with the rest.
Since the war isn't an important aspect of the story for the majority of it, it was both exciting and devastating when the war does arrive at Ile Doree in the last part of the book. Like Gabe, I had fallen in love with the calm, beautiful island inhabited by wonderful people and it was a big shock when the war arrives at their doorsteps and the islanders are forced to become involved in the conflict purely due to their island being in a certain location within the enormous Pacific Ocean. All of that provided some great conflict and it made the story even better.
All this being said, I can't gives this more than 3 stars because it's essentially erotica with a bit of plot added in. There are multiple plotlines that carry through the novella but the author made the decision to convey most of the smut scenes via showing and most of the non-smut scenes via telling. To the author's credit, this approach allowed the story to cover a large period of time and we do get to see many important milestones in the MC's relationship and the progress of the war but I wanted to spend a lot more time with Gabe and Rene outside of the bedroom. In addition, having the story be longer would have allowed the relationship development between the MCs to be more than instalove and the historical aspect could have been explored in more detail if there had been more plotlines (ie if the majority of the story hadn't consisted of smut scenes).
Overall, I'm really happy I gave this one a try and I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would. It's not on my list of favorite WW2 romances but it comes pretty close to being on there and the author did a great job with the scope she chose.
Original Read: Nov 2022
This was such a wonderful surprise! It contained a lot of things that usually don't work for me. Instalust and instalove. Historical inaccuracies. Corny porn dialog. Erotica. Rene acting overly dramatic 24/7. But the circumstances surrounding both MCs and the smoking hot quality of the smut scenes made me enjoy it.
Was the instalust/instalove believable? Not really but it wasn't absurd. Right from the time Gabe and Rene meet, the chemistry between them is explosive and their dynamic is amazing. In particular, the way Rene was written (he was very, very French!) made the instant connection between the MCs believable to me and I fell in love with both of them instantly, which is why I had no issues with the instalove. These two characters fit so perfectly together, their dynamic was wonderful and I adored their relationship from start to finish. In addition, both MCs have spent their lives being very lonely and having long ago given up hope that they'll ever find a meaningful relationship. Then they happen to find each other on this tiny island where they have the opportunity to do whatever they want for 3 glorious days and that freedom combined with their amazing chemistry made it believable that those 3 days would change their lives forever and that would be a strong basis for the rest of their relationship.
It also helped that the sex scenes were SMOKING HOT. Holy moly...Samantha Kane knows how to write spicy smut scenes and that's good because there were a lot of them but I didn't mind because they were so well written.
For the first half of the book, I felt a little disappointed that the story doesn't have a strong 1940s vibe. The characters didn't talk or act like they were living in the 1940s, and WW2 wasn't a big focus in the plot, but then I realized that the circumstances within the story made these things more acceptable than they normally would be. The entire story takes place on Ile Doree, which is a tiny island in the Pacific that has its own culture and its own way of doing things. Plus, Rene is French and has spent time in many places in the world, including having spent several years living on the island. When I considered these things, I realized it wouldn't make sense for this non-Western culture and this non-American character to adhere to the American-based historical norms for this time period. In addition, it also made sense that the inhabitants of this tiny island couldn't care less what was happening in the rest of the world and that WW2 had had little to no impact on them so far. I was disappointed that both MCs used modern phrases and there's no 1940s-era flavor to their dialog, but I was fine with the rest.
Since the war isn't an important aspect of the story for the majority of it, it was both exciting and devastating when the war does arrive at Ile Doree in the last part of the book. Like Gabe, I had fallen in love with the calm, beautiful island inhabited by wonderful people and it was a big shock when the war arrives at their doorsteps and the islanders are forced to become involved in the conflict purely due to their island being in a certain location within the enormous Pacific Ocean. All of that provided some great conflict and it made the story even better.
All this being said, I can't gives this more than 3 stars because it's essentially erotica with a bit of plot added in. There are multiple plotlines that carry through the novella but the author made the decision to convey most of the smut scenes via showing and most of the non-smut scenes via telling. To the author's credit, this approach allowed the story to cover a large period of time and we do get to see many important milestones in the MC's relationship and the progress of the war but I wanted to spend a lot more time with Gabe and Rene outside of the bedroom. In addition, having the story be longer would have allowed the relationship development between the MCs to be more than instalove and the historical aspect could have been explored in more detail if there had been more plotlines (ie if the majority of the story hadn't consisted of smut scenes).
Overall, I'm really happy I gave this one a try and I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would. It's not on my list of favorite WW2 romances but it comes pretty close to being on there and the author did a great job with the scope she chose.
February 6, 2013
I loved Islands and found it a great, great war-love story.
A story set back in the 40’s in the middle of the Pacific and follows the love of an American Navy Commander, Gabriel Conlan, and a Frenchman ex-military now owner of Ile Dorée, René Dubois.
Gabriel is tasked by the US Navy to ask and convince the owner of Ile Dorée to allow them use of the island for and airfield and hospital. When he steps foot on the island the last thing Gabriel expected was to be confronted with a gorgeous man who spoke to his soul and stirred his inner demons. His career in the Navy and the times did not allow Gabriel to entertain even the slightest hope of finding love. Love was not for men like him. He was doomed in soulless encounters in the dark and in remote places, a fast and furious satisfaction that ended before it even started. Nothing worth endangering his life and career.
When Rene saw the man step into his island he was set on seduction. He had long been isolated here alone without the feeling of a man close to him. But the man was more isolated than Rene in himself. His emotions were locked behind heavy bars and his walls were thick and impenetrable. They were both trapped in their own prison and before he knew it Rene’s seduction changed course and his plan now was to show Gabriel that there can be lovemaking between men, and intimacy and something more. After all in Ile Dorée everything was possible.
And this is how this story started, with the promise of the island’s magic in the air. Heaven on Earth were only they existed and the bright moon. An incredible approach to enticing emotions, remarkable scenes of sensuality and seduction. I loved the Frenchman, he lived up to the rumors of his homeland and Gabriel was exquisite, his reluctance and his surrender ran shivers in me while reading it.
I also loved the dramatic effect of the war, their impending separation, the insecurity that comes with it, the not knowing if they would live another day. I loved more the way Ms. Kane wrote about it. Nothing in this read was too much. Romance, drama, action, even the lives lost everything was in balance that had me sitting tight and devouring the book in one fast go.
I would recommend this book to all the romance fans and those who love a good war-love story. This was definitely worth it.
A story set back in the 40’s in the middle of the Pacific and follows the love of an American Navy Commander, Gabriel Conlan, and a Frenchman ex-military now owner of Ile Dorée, René Dubois.
Gabriel is tasked by the US Navy to ask and convince the owner of Ile Dorée to allow them use of the island for and airfield and hospital. When he steps foot on the island the last thing Gabriel expected was to be confronted with a gorgeous man who spoke to his soul and stirred his inner demons. His career in the Navy and the times did not allow Gabriel to entertain even the slightest hope of finding love. Love was not for men like him. He was doomed in soulless encounters in the dark and in remote places, a fast and furious satisfaction that ended before it even started. Nothing worth endangering his life and career.
When Rene saw the man step into his island he was set on seduction. He had long been isolated here alone without the feeling of a man close to him. But the man was more isolated than Rene in himself. His emotions were locked behind heavy bars and his walls were thick and impenetrable. They were both trapped in their own prison and before he knew it Rene’s seduction changed course and his plan now was to show Gabriel that there can be lovemaking between men, and intimacy and something more. After all in Ile Dorée everything was possible.
And this is how this story started, with the promise of the island’s magic in the air. Heaven on Earth were only they existed and the bright moon. An incredible approach to enticing emotions, remarkable scenes of sensuality and seduction. I loved the Frenchman, he lived up to the rumors of his homeland and Gabriel was exquisite, his reluctance and his surrender ran shivers in me while reading it.
I also loved the dramatic effect of the war, their impending separation, the insecurity that comes with it, the not knowing if they would live another day. I loved more the way Ms. Kane wrote about it. Nothing in this read was too much. Romance, drama, action, even the lives lost everything was in balance that had me sitting tight and devouring the book in one fast go.
I would recommend this book to all the romance fans and those who love a good war-love story. This was definitely worth it.
November 8, 2011
A sweet, lush little historical short about two men finding each other against the backdrop of WW II. The sex scenes were hot (I love a man who speaks French) and the story arc while simple and not dramatic, was satisfying.
August 9, 2010
Gorgeous, swoon-worthy. Please write more m/m, and soon!
November 1, 2012
Warning: This review might contain what some people consider SPOILERS.
Rating: 9/10
PROS:
- Sweet and romantic. It’s the only one with an ending that I think qualifies as an unequivocal HEA (although when I squint and hold my tongue just right, I can imagine the others as HEAs also).
- More detailed sex scenes than the other stories. I didn’t DISLIKE the sex scenes in the others, but these ones are the most emotional in the book.
- Fairy taleish setting. Even though the story takes place during WWII, the action is set on an island where sexual orientation is not an issue.
CON:
- I found the ending a little abrupt. There’s a long span of time between the end of the novella and the beginning of the epilogue, yet the characters behave as though almost no time has passed. (The island has a timeless quality, though, so I was able to forgive this rather easily.)
Rating: 9/10
PROS:
- Sweet and romantic. It’s the only one with an ending that I think qualifies as an unequivocal HEA (although when I squint and hold my tongue just right, I can imagine the others as HEAs also).
- More detailed sex scenes than the other stories. I didn’t DISLIKE the sex scenes in the others, but these ones are the most emotional in the book.
- Fairy taleish setting. Even though the story takes place during WWII, the action is set on an island where sexual orientation is not an issue.
CON:
- I found the ending a little abrupt. There’s a long span of time between the end of the novella and the beginning of the epilogue, yet the characters behave as though almost no time has passed. (The island has a timeless quality, though, so I was able to forgive this rather easily.)
February 25, 2016
Quick little read. Funnily clichéd and not simultaneously. Not because m/m during WW2, the island, the war... but still following a typical romance formula with all the clichés therein. Nice message of acceptance.
December 31, 2013
I've been reading this authors Brothers In Arms series and Islands sounded intriguing, so I wanted to give it a shot. Glad I did, it's such a beautiful and sweet story.
Lieutenant Commander Gabriel Conlan has been denying his attraction to men since he knew it was there. And now that he is in the Navy, he especially hides it. And, although he has has plenty of hurried bathroom, back room or alley sex, he has never had the luxury of being able to relax with it and actually enjoy it. To him, sex between men (being heavily stigmatized) is only about release, never about love. And he certainly never expected to find love when he was tasked with negotiating a military deal with René Dubois.
René is the French owner of Ile Dorée and has never had to hide his homosexuality. When he first lays eyes on Gabriel he knew he had to have him. Gabriel, though extremely attracted to René, is very reluctant to take that attraction further than conversation at a safe distance. René chips at Gabriel's defenses, though, and they embark on an affair. René teaches Gabriel just how good sex can be when you have a connection with your partner and the time to enjoy it. Gabriel did not expect in a million years to fall in love.
Lieutenant Commander Gabriel Conlan has been denying his attraction to men since he knew it was there. And now that he is in the Navy, he especially hides it. And, although he has has plenty of hurried bathroom, back room or alley sex, he has never had the luxury of being able to relax with it and actually enjoy it. To him, sex between men (being heavily stigmatized) is only about release, never about love. And he certainly never expected to find love when he was tasked with negotiating a military deal with René Dubois.
René is the French owner of Ile Dorée and has never had to hide his homosexuality. When he first lays eyes on Gabriel he knew he had to have him. Gabriel, though extremely attracted to René, is very reluctant to take that attraction further than conversation at a safe distance. René chips at Gabriel's defenses, though, and they embark on an affair. René teaches Gabriel just how good sex can be when you have a connection with your partner and the time to enjoy it. Gabriel did not expect in a million years to fall in love.
December 2, 2012
5+ stars!
I was not familiar with Ms. Kane's work until I read her short story, LOVE AND WAR: THE BEGINNING, which I thought was extremely well written, especially for a short story. Because I enjoyed LOVE AND WAR so much, I downloaded ISLANDS, and I'm glad I did.
I'm a fan of M/M romances, and I have read many Ellora's Cave publications, but in all honesty, some of the editing in Ellora's Cave books leaves much to be desired! The quality of Ms. Kane's writing and the excellent editing of the above-mentioned work, as well as ISLANDS, is amazing.
This story of love during WWII touched my heart, and I recommend it wholeheartedly!
I was not familiar with Ms. Kane's work until I read her short story, LOVE AND WAR: THE BEGINNING, which I thought was extremely well written, especially for a short story. Because I enjoyed LOVE AND WAR so much, I downloaded ISLANDS, and I'm glad I did.
I'm a fan of M/M romances, and I have read many Ellora's Cave publications, but in all honesty, some of the editing in Ellora's Cave books leaves much to be desired! The quality of Ms. Kane's writing and the excellent editing of the above-mentioned work, as well as ISLANDS, is amazing.
This story of love during WWII touched my heart, and I recommend it wholeheartedly!
January 21, 2021
Great author!
April 6, 2023
Lo ame 🥺✨
December 19, 2015
Romance is romance - no matter what gender.
Once again, Samantha Kane has proven to me that romance is romance. It doesn't matter if the story is MM, MMF or MF, if she writes it, it's great.
I fell in love with her Brothers in Arms series and I'm now working my way through the rest of her books. This book tells the story of forbidden love between Rene and Gabe. Gabe is a SeaBee and he's on Rene's island to secure a position for the U.S. This is a love story but not only between Gabe and Rene. It's also a story about Rene's love for the people of his island and how Gabe comes to love the island and them, too.
Warning - there is a lot of hot, sweaty, graphic MM loving in this book.
Once again, Samantha Kane has proven to me that romance is romance. It doesn't matter if the story is MM, MMF or MF, if she writes it, it's great.
I fell in love with her Brothers in Arms series and I'm now working my way through the rest of her books. This book tells the story of forbidden love between Rene and Gabe. Gabe is a SeaBee and he's on Rene's island to secure a position for the U.S. This is a love story but not only between Gabe and Rene. It's also a story about Rene's love for the people of his island and how Gabe comes to love the island and them, too.
Warning - there is a lot of hot, sweaty, graphic MM loving in this book.
April 6, 2010
First truly homosexual romance I've ever read, and not a single female character in the book. Once I realized that, I was able to read the book for what it was, a good ol' wartime romance book. Excellent and quick read.
November 1, 2014
3.5 stars
September 23, 2012
3,5 stars. A nice read, but a little short and the MCs remained a little shallow, a little cliched.
October 11, 2016
too short but hot and excellent
July 14, 2013
What a beautiful, sweet, and heartfelt love story.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews