Kevin My Military Man

by Shane Kaelle

....might have been entitled, 'Kevin Military Man'. What then? The 1970's. The 21st Century. Military Romance. But much more. Intriguing. Complicated. They say that for each one of us on this planet that there are potentially 30,000 people with whom we might find a partner in life. But what about the concept of the SOULMATE ? Does it exist only in one's dreams or imagination? They share but 5 words between them in high school but somehow, their eyes connect their souls. Five year later, they meet again, have a summer but Kevin enlists. Letters sustain their relationship but not indefinitely. The circumstances of life.... The distance.... Then - different directions.... Time goes by.... 17 years later, it is Gina's young adult sons who find the letters, the photos. Gina decides to search for Kevin online using 'buddyfinder' on the military.com website. -Chris watched as Will pulled out the photos without acknowledged permission that this was fine to do. .. Chris picked them right up. "Is this Kevin ? Kevin from beach? Dana and Zeik's dad ?" Chris asked ...."It looks like it doesn't it ?" Will said. "He and mom were friends ?" Chris asked trying to elicit more feedback. "I think that they were more than friends." -Donna defended herself. "I learn from fiction. Some of it's historical and other plots expose me to things that I would never experience." -It involved explaining to them the mindset of Marines. 'Marines are Marines'. There is mutual respect between 'Enlisted' and 'Officers'. -"Why is that ?" "If your boyfriend is a looker, than you'll always feel insecure - there will always be girls chasing him." "You're rationalizing," Jeannie quickly replied then added,"It is sort of true with Tim." - .. and just sat on her bed. ..didn't think before pulling it out to read it. "Hear my soul speak; the very instant that I saw you, did my heart .." ..but Kevin - he was something. Tim had no idea how to compete with a guy like this.

Genres: Romance

586 pages, Paperback

First published November 25, 2009

About the author

Hi. Shane is my pseudonym. There are many reasons for this - primarily because it gives me mental freedom to write the way I want to write and to say the things that I want to say. Objectives: to connect generations; to contribute to the sustainability not only of 'Our Planet' but to our 'Future Generations'; to share ideas which are outside of the box - diplomatically. I love nature, simplicity, harmony, balance, coexistence, greenness....
My focus is to connect with readers of 'Kevin My Military Man' to gain their insight. My goal - to write what you want to read.... Over time, I've transitioned from working in the computer field at a college to teaching science in an urban high school to writing (my back-burner passion). Over time, I have been involved: in the 'World Summit for Children'; in the 'Green Movement' (early on); and I raised my own children - the job in which a person does work but without a salary.... In recent years I have hung up my soccer cleats and started practicing yoga - I have wanted to do this for years. Your feedback and anything that you share will contribute to some of the aspects of my next release 'The Substitute (teacher)'. thanks. Shane

Reviews

[Shelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book through the Goodreads giveaways. When I found out I had won a copy I was excited because the summary sounded really interesting to me. I read a lot of military related books because I have one son in the Army and another who is considering going into the Air Force, plus I was an Army wife for the first 3 years of my marriage.

I enjoyed this book because of the well developed characters and the interesting story. I cared what happened to the main characters as though they were real people. I was satisfied with how the story played out and how it ended. It was romantic but not a “romance” novel.

I have to admit that I had a difficult time with the first part of the book. I had to push myself to read but once I reached the part of the story when the main female character, Gina, gets to medical school I got drawn into the story and didn’t want to put the book down. I think my problem with the first part of the book stems from the fact that I am not a patient person. Instead of letting the story develop I was in a hurry to get to the “meat” of the story. In the end it was well worth reading the entire book to get the full story.

I would recommend this book to anyone that enjoys fiction, especially stories about relationships.

[Julia · Rating 1 out of 5]

I received this book in a first reads giveaway and it sounded like a very interesting novel. When I opened the book, I was a little put off from the letter from the author defending her book to me before I really had a chance to judge for myself. This gave me a little bit of a bitter taste that was hard to get back to the unbiased mindset.

I must be honest, I didn't finish. What I did read was very tell not show and was just a little too much detail for me. (I really am not into the details, move it along please).

It an interesting concept for a story, but I just don't think that it was executed well.

[Kylene · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed the story but was totally put off by the list of "demands" that the author felt the need to include with the book. I got 4 pieces of paper that went on and on about the book. There was also a list of questions that the author wanted me to answer. I felt more like I was to do a book report on it instead of just a review. The other thing that really bothered me was the footnotes. I, personally, like to read for enjoyment and having to stop the story constantly to read the footnotes was very annoying.

That being said, I enjoyed the story for the most part.

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not something I would typically pick up but I won it through first reads and I am glad I did. I loved this book. It was very entertaining and insightful. I received the book in the mail wrapped in recycled packaging which was an awesome first impression that actually ties into the story.

I really enjoyed the author's writing style. I found it very easy to read. The story was very inspiring and well thought out. It would be exciting to see it turned into a movie at some point!

On the surface this seems to be mostly a romance but it really is a lot more. Much of the story is about life-long friendship not just romance. There is a ton of other stuff tied into the characters as well. I really enjoyed a lot of the facts thrown into conversations throughout and thought this added another dimension to the characters. I especially enjoyed the references to reading/books, astronomy, nature vs nurture, and various medical references.

The first section of the story focuses on the main character, Gina's, younger years. I enjoyed this portion of the story as I am still in the age range I feel I can relate. Whatever your age, I would recommend sticking with this portion. It adds depth to the characters and allows you to see them grow.

Overall, I loved the story and would definitely recommend checking it out!

[Jillian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to start by saying thank you to the author Shane for writing this book. I tend to read a lot of books normally quite quickly moving from different genres and authors quickly. I devote myself completely to each book but quickly finish them and move on to the next.
Kevin My Military Man was different. I won the opportunity to read this book from First Reads and was super excited when it arrived. I knew by reading the pages prior to the story starting that this book was going to be something that I would relate to and would not want to finish quickly. So I have taken a lot longer to read this book than normal but it was because like a good summer holiday I wanted it to last.
This book was the most intelligent and thought provoking book of fiction that I have had the pleasure to read. The characters were well developed and you quickly became invested with the growth and development of their lives. I believe that the parallels to the characters', the author's and my own believes in global community, recycling, environment, spirituality and country security made my investment in the story so much more prevalent.
I will be recommending this book to all my family and friends that enjoy to read and I will be looking forward to reading the next book from Shane Kaelle. Please keep writing.

[Natasha · Rating 2 out of 5]

I heard about this book when I signed up for the book giveaway. I was really excited to win, and looked forward to quickly getting started once I got the book in the mail. I must be honest...this book was REALLY difficult to get into. There was no hook in the beginning that made me want to keep reading. The beginning was a lot of dialogue that could've been left out, about who liked who, etc. The main idea is nice. A boy and girl meet in high school, eventually fall in love, and then circumstances keep them apart. They both end up marrying other people, but never forget each other, and eventually find their way back together. They both get married to other people and have kids, but are unhappy with their spouses. They find each other online, and begin writing emails back and forth. I like the idea that they were soul mates, but part of me felt like they just weren't happy with their cheating spouses, so they idealized their old love. Sometimes we like books to pull us away from reality, though, so that was a strength. I think there were a lot of parts that could have been taken out to make the book shorter and flow better. A strength is that the author did a lot of work, and put a lot of footnotes to help the reader understand everything that was going on.

[Rachel Ziarnik · Rating 1 out of 5]

I won this book through a goodreads giveaway. I did read others reviews before signing up for the giveaway. I was interested in checking it out for myself, and genuinely planned to read the entire book from beginning to end. I am not someone who gives up on books, I always finish what I start. That is, until I got 122 pages into Kevin My Military Man. Way too many unnecessary details for me to continue following the storyline. The letters back and forth between Gina and Kevin just don't flow well. They're too detailed and honestly, they're boring me. The author has way too many pages full of gibberish that preface the story. The footnotes, appendices, and glossary are ridiculously unnecessary as well. The story may be worthwhile, but because of all the other crap and the pointless, boring details...nobody will ever get to find out! It's kind of sad. Poor choices on the author's part have led to a story that doesn't even get a fair chance.

[Jackie Elton · Rating 3 out of 5]

The idea for this book is great and the central characters are the same age as me. They were teenagers in the 1970's. It follows the progression of a relationship which is a love story from college days through seperation and the realities of life. It's interesting to see the changes in communication through letter writing through to e mails etc. I felt that i should have identified more with the central character and this is where my problems with the book lie. It may be because it's very American and I'm very English as I did not recognise or identify with the language used by the students; it seemed too formal and I found it irritating after a while. Maybe English students are different but their language is far more colloquial than that used in the book. This did reduce my enjoyment of the book which is a shame.

[Shane]

As the author of this book, I cannot give an objective review of my story.
Please also be understanding as I am new to 'goodreads' and although the 'goodreads team' has shared invaluable advice and I have read the guidelines, I may make a mistake. I do not want to be accused of spamming etc. I've added tags or 'shelves' to associate my book with different subject matter. Hopefully this is fine with everyone.

[Elizabeth · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was disappointed with this book because although I thought the story itself had a great deal of potential, I did not find it to be written very well.

[Teresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was compelled by the summary on Goodreads to read this book. I don't recall seeing another work in which the military plays such a role. The first 16 years of my life were spent moving around North America with my military family. From talking with friends, I know how different military life can be from that of a civilian. I was interested to see how this story would play out.

The story follows a group of young people over a span of 20 years or so. We are introduced to the main character, Gina as she is entering high school. Gina actually meets Kevin for the first time in high school, but thinks nothing of it. Gina and Kevin met once again the summer after Gina's sophomore year in high school. This is where their romance begins. At the end of the summer Kevin tells Gina that he has enlisted and is not quite sure what the future holds for him.

Gina returns to her college lift and Kevin goes off to basic training. Much of their relationship is exposed via the letters that they exchange. During the course of the story they actually spend very little time together. They often discuss the idea of being "soulmates". They eventually break up due to some miscommunication and go their separate ways for awhile. Life of course carries on and both Gina and Kevin move forward. Some time later they rediscover one another through the Internet and begin chatting online.

I think the story itself was pretty good. There were a lot of footnotes and extra information included in the story which I believe was present to educate the reader. Occasionally I did get lost in some of the extra material. For example there are several instances when the are playing chess and the author spells out the particular moves they were using. I don't play chess, so I'm not sure how this added to the story.

The story makes the transition from a teenagers life in the 1970's to an adults life in the 2000's in a believable manner.

I received this book from the Goodreads First Reads Program
This is the first time I've received a book directly from an author. When the book arrived it had a note from the author and several pages marked. I can't imagine the work that must be involved in writing a novel and publishing it yourself. I commend her on her effort.

I would recommend this book to a reader who doesn't mind sorting through the extra material to find the heart of the story.

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received Kevin My Military Man directly from the author Shane Kaelle as one of GoodReads giveaways. Although very long, Kevin presents readers with a wonderful story on love. I grew very attached to the characters, and at the end of the novel I felt as if I had taken a journey with them. Kaelle uses just enough description to draw a complete picture for the reader without overdoing it. If you want a good love story, look no further than Kevin My Military Man. There are so many ups and downs and twists and turns that you will never get bored. Don't be fooled either- the book is not solely about the military. In fact, I would not call it a military novel. Instead it is about family, passion, and morality. It's about marriage and soulmates.

This book is not perfect, however. There are a few things I wish to point out mainly for the benefit of the author. Firstly, the copy I received was not an edited version. While I understand that, it was highly distracting to me to read such poor grammar. There were multiple spelling mistakes, punctuation errors, etc. While I'm sure these all got corrected in the published work, I found it disheartening that an author with such a creative mind had such a difficult time writing properly. The book lost credibility for me in that respect. Additionally distracting were the many footnotes included by the author to cite her work. These citations are important, but they could be done at the end of the book so as not to keep drawing the reader's eyes (and mind) away from the story. Many times these citations are even included on the copyright page. I would highly recommend looking into a different citation format. Lastly, I would suggest the author research things a bit more closely. For instance, in Kevin, the characters begin using Gmail in 2001, much before the site was created in 2004. Little details like that may be excusable, but they do draw away from the credibility of the story.

All in all, I highly recommend Kevin My Military Man. I'm sure the published version is error-free, and I hope that others will love the story as much as I did. Although almost 600 pages long, I found it hard to put the book down. I'm almost certain many others would feel the same.

[Shannon P · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book when I entered my first GoodReads giveaway contest. I was asked if I would mind reviewing an unfinished copy with notes from the author and future edits handwritten in it. I didn't mind at all. The book was written in great detail with much attention to character development. I felt as though I really got to know each character and could understand the motives behind their actions much better than a typical book. I loved that the characters were very socially conscious and self-aware. They set good examples with their recycling and responsible behavior. The story between the main characters is one that made me kind of wish that I had a long lost love to reconnect with. I do wish that many parts of the story were shortened for comprehension. It was a little hard to keep up with conversations between the characters when their thoughts and interactions are frequently peppered with in depth descriptions of their actions (such as chess games). I also found many descriptions of the character's actions unnecessary to understand the story and therefore just an extra distraction. All in all, the book was well written with much of the background information needed to understand the story included in the book. I appreciated the endnotes very much. I would love to see more from this author, but in a little more condensed version.

(Due to health issues of the reader, this review was written many months after the initial receipt of the book. I have actually read this book 3 times now.)

[Holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I first received the book as a Goodreads first read winner, I thought to myself,"What was I thinking this is a looooong book!" I began reading and was quite delighted to find that it was an easy read that I would finish without much effort.

I enjoyed the writing style of the book the most. I was often criticized by teachers for writing papers that included too many details and that is exactly what I found in this book. Everything was so vivid because the author wrote every detail possible about every situation. I could hear the leaves being raked and the doors being propped open by stones. I could hear the characters walking in the sand and the fire crackling.

If I could have sat down and read it all in one day I would have! I was a little intimidated by all the extras in the book and I didn't find them all that necessary but I am sure that some people did enjoy the extra tidbits.

All in all a great read, especially in the summer on the beach!!

[Marsha Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book yesterday and the early details described it is long. However, it is an easy read and the beginning reminds me much of my early college years. I look forward to reviewing it when finished.

Kevin My Military Man is a modern day love story or perhaps more accurately a modern-day fairy day. The story of Gina and Kevin is poignant and I read this book in about 4 days. Interlaced are a lot of details about chess history and moves, yoga, medicine, astronomy, biology, etc. Maybe too much at times. I found myself feeling lectured or preached to at times. But, for all of us that love happy endings, this story does not disappoint. A good beach or cruise book and certainly an alternative to the more graphic novels around today. It had an old-fashioned feel and a fantasy story-line. Made you wish - if only!

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book in a give-away contest and was super-excited to begin reading. My first impression was, "Wow, this is long!" However, do not let the book's length deter anyone. I thoroughly enjoyed the story, from start to finish. I am a rather young, military spouse and could relate to many of the emotions and decisions that Gina faced while loving her military man, Kevin. I do not want to give away the entire plot, but basically the story follows two lovers from high school onward and how they learn to cope with separation to due military and college. Life is hard, especially when they spend more time apart than together. Will there love withstand the test of time and distance or will they go their separate ways to seek love elsewhere? Definately, a good read.

[Viridiana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book in the good reads giveaway and was very excited to read it. I personally really enjoyed it. I liked the relationship between the main characters Gina and Kevin. I thought the idea of the story was really original and was something new in comparison to all those vampire books you now see alot of. The only down side to this novel was that there was a bit too much information. I think there were too many details that could have been left out. However, I really enjoyed this book!!!

[Melissa]

Won this on first reads.

I, having been married to an officer in the Air Force, was very interested in getting this book and reading it. I figured I would love it. Unfortunately, I was not able to get into. It seems to be well written as far as the writing and others seem to have loved it but it just was not for me.

Thank you for the opportunity to try and get into it.

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent reading at the beginning then there was a lull and now we are heading uphill again. I am not a chess buff so I skipped over that but otherwise it was an excellent novel! Yes, you will only find one "soulmate" in your life. What a story and very true to life. It is good reading for the teen to the senior citizen! I truly enjoyed it! #3 firstreads won.

[Alisa]

This book sounds very interesting. I was in a relationship with a "Military Man" and for me, it was difficult, emotional, and wonderful time of my life. I will always care for him and still wish him well even after all this time. Do I believe he was my "Soul Mate".. yes.. but sometimes what you want isnt always whats good for you.. even if its a soul mate. God Bless the Military!!

[Kelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book as a goodreads give away. While I did enjoy most of the book, some things were confusing. I know nothing about chess, so I just skipped over all of those parts. I think others will do the same. Also, I believe that there were too many footnotes. Many of them were common sense and didn't need to be included. I think this would have been a great read if it was shorter.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this almost completely in one night because I was sick and couldn't sleep. I liked the story, I just think it was really slow, and I didn't need all the extra footnotes and stuff. I almost felt I was reading a text book. Overall, I enjoyed the book, I just wish it was shorter.

[Allison Lambert · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a really good book. It was well written and the story line was fit perfectly. I will be reading future books by this author. I received this book by a goodreads contest. It is a first-reads book.

[Bhumi]

I won this book from the First Reads giveaway. I hope to receive and read it soon.

[Stacey]

Won this in the first reads contest.

[Sydnee Surridge]

Looks interesting, can't wait to read it!!!!

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book that I won.

[Kirstin]

Won this as a First Reads...we'll see how it is!

[Robin Conklin]

After reading the see more section....I hope I will win the book so I CAN see more....

[Glenda]

Sounds like a wonderful book!