Audio Review: Beyond Duty by SJD Peterson – Narrated by Jonathan Young

Author: SJD Peterson

Narrator:: Johnathan Young

Run Time: 7 Hours and 6 Minutes

At a Glance: SJD Peterson’s writing and Jonathon Young’s voice together make Beyond Duty an experience worth repeating again and again.

Reviewed By: Kim

Blurb: The repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell didn’t come soon enough for Gunther “Gunny” Duchene and Macalister “Mac” Jones, career US Marines who met at boot camp in the 1990s. They’ve been somewhere between best friends and lovers in peacetime and wartime both, but as the clock ticks toward Mac’s and Gunny’s retirements, the guys have much more to worry about than coming out.

Whether their relationship will survive outside of the closet they’ve had to shove it into for over two decades is a big question mark. After all, Gunny questions why a hot military man like Mac–who could get any guy he wanted, including a younger, sexier one–would want him. But as Gunny and Mac navigate emotional waters as choppy as any they saw on duty, they just might learn Semper Fi applies to more than their careers.

Review: I fell in love with Gunny and Mac when I first read about them in a collection of short stories, Love is Always Write, published by the Goodreads M/M Romance Group. I definitely, wanted more of these two sexy marines, so when I spotted an extended version of the book from Dreamspinner Press, I knew that I was going to own it!

And better yet, it’s become available on audio! Double woohoo!

Jonathon Young did an awesome job of bringing Gunny and Mac to life. His performance of both characters was age appropriate. I don’t know if anyone has experienced this when listening to audiobooks, but it’s kind of freaky when older characters are narrated as though a teenager is reading the story.

I loved how Young brought out Gunny’s insecurities about Mac, and Mac’s final say about Gunny’s quirks about them. For me, Mac left no doubt about his feelings or his intentions towards Gunny. Mac may be a tough Marine, but his vulnerable side came out when it came time to tell his family he was gay. There’s nothing like giving the ones we love the power to hurt us, and there was one member of Mac’s family who did manage to devastate him with the reaction to the news.

As for Gunny’s family, his mom really needed a wakeup call! It broke my heart that she was acting like a fool. And even though what happened to Gunny’s sister was tragic, it was a time to hang on to her remaining children instead of pushing them away. Gunny’s letter to his parents kind of choked me up because this was a letter with a lot of hurt and feeling put into it.

SJD Peterson’s writing and Jonathon Young’s voice together make Beyond Duty an experience worth repeating again and again.