Author: Anthology (Edited by Neil Plakcy)
Publisher: Cleis Press
Pages/Word Count: 224 Pages
Rating: 3 Stars
Blurb: These fierce stories of love on the front lines grab and hold readers’ attention as they travel the world with these soldier on Active Duty. In the wake of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and the Defense of Marriage Act getting repealed, Neil Plakcy brings the two issues together into heart-pounding vignettes of men in action who put their lives on the line to protect and serve. The heat of battle only amps up the level of excitement knowing that this tryst might be the last. These heroic hunks fight for love and honor and will have readers begging for their next debriefing!
Review: This anthology, as the title suggests, is a collection of short stories and scenes starring our men in uniform. As with any anthology there were ones that stood out above the others, but overall I’m giving this collection a solid 3 stars. One issue I had was the language used. It’s obvious this was geared toward a specific crowd, but there was some colorful and coarse language in these short stories. I’m not one to DNF a book, usually, but there were one or two in this collection that proved to be too much for me. If you’re looking for romance and those running through the field of daisies towards each other moments, then you’re looking in the wrong place. You won’t find it in this book. This is about sex, plain and simple. Down and dirty sex. Lots and lots of it.
One story that stood out was Do Ask, Do Tell by Julian Mark. His style of writing was great, and the way he paints a vivid scene is enviable. Another was A Voice in the Dark by Neil Plakcy. His had a bit more background and plot to it than the others, both things I look for in a good short story/book. On the flip side of things, one I had to put down and didn’t finish was Letter from Home by Jay Starre. I’m not an easy person to gross out, but Starre accomplished that feat. His…colorful…descriptions proved to be a bit much for me, and I felt they detracted from the overall story he was trying to convey.
As I mentioned above, I’m giving this anthology a solid 3 stars. I enjoyed reading it; some more so than others.
You can buy Active Duty here:
