Rainbow Reviews

BOOK BLURB:
Hidden Conflict: Tales from Lost Voices in Battle is an anthology of four novellas covering three centuries of love between men in the military. The stories include:

Blessed Isle by Alex Beecroft ~ 1790 British Age of Sail. While on shore leave in Rio de Janeiro, a captain has fallen in love with his lieutenant. En route to Australia, prisoners mutiny and the two men escape in one of the ship's boats; only to encounter even greater perils.

Not to Reason Why by Mark R. Probst ~ 1876 US Cavalry. A corporal in the 7th Cavalry stationed at Fort Lincoln has, for years, been smitten with a sergeant who is also his best buddy. Their lives are changed when Custer leads them on an expedition to round up renegade Sioux tribes.

No Darkness by Jordan Taylor ~ 1915 British WWI. Lieutenant Darnell and Private Fisher are trapped in a root cellar after an unexpected shelling behind the trenches in WWI. While the men struggle to survive and escape their dark tomb, they form a bond neither expected.

Our One and Only by E.N. Holland ~ 1944 US WWII and aftermath. What happens when one must grieve in private? That is what Philip is forced to do when his closest friend-and lover-is killed in France during the second round of D-Day. The story covers a forty year arc as Philip works to understand and accept his grief.

BOOK REVIEW:
This is a well-written anthology detailing the lives of military men as they experience love, loss, pain and hope. Each story depicts a point in time, sometimes days or decades, in the life of a gay man set in a historical setting. Some of the stories have a strong thread of romance and others are not romantic at all. There is only one strong happy ending to the collection of stories so this anthology may not appeal to all romance fans. Historical fans will enjoy the tight descriptions and accuracy of the time periods, even if some of these descriptions are graphic and gory. The writing for most of the anthology is solid with few mistakes and good pacing, yet the tone of the stories is dark and intense. This is not light reading and I had to space the stories out as some are almost depressing in their intensity.

The anthology begins with "Blessed Isle" by Alex Beecroft. This is a very classic Age of Sail period piece where the story is told in journal style with heavy talking to the reader. The writing alternates between the two men’s point of views as they recall the events that happened from their ill fated first meeting to finding happiness together in Brazil. The story starts in first person present tense from Harry’s point of view and is awkward and difficult to get into. The descriptions are overblown with so many color analogies that they blend together and lose the richness of the prose. The formal diction and use of numerous similes stalls the beginning of the story.

However once the point of view switches to the more engaging voice of Garnet, the story picks up significantly. Here the use of first person past tense moves the story quickly while injecting humor and flavor into the writing. The contrasting personalities of the two men become more evident as the superfluous details lessen to focus on the story itself and the men. Even when the story switches back to Harry’s point of view, the focus on telling a past story helps keep the pace moving swiftly. The characters are fully drawn and developed, showing the flaws to their person as much as their qualities. Their journey is interesting while staying within the bounds of historical accuracy. The strong thread of romance, love, and equally strong happy ending should satisfy romance fans and especially historical romance fans. Once past the initial chapter, this story was fun to read and engaging with two dynamic men.

The next offering is Mark Probst’s "Not to Reason Why." This historical is set against the backdrop of Custer’s Last Stand or the Battle of the Little Bighorn. Brett and Dermot are both in the 7th Cavalry and march under Custer’s orders to fight the Sioux refusing to stay on reservations. The story sets up the characters and carries them through the last few fateful months before and after the life changing battle. The characters beyond Brett are less developed though each is given life and texture, even Dermot’s wife and young solider Daniel. Brett is the main character and his actions are the focus from his affection to Dermot to the battle itself. The secret love and affection Brett holds for the married Dermot is sad, especially considering that emotion is not reciprocated.

The battle scene included in the story is the most graphic and gory of the anthology. While perhaps historically accurate, the tight descriptions, vivid prose, and enthralling voice all create a gripping story amid the bloody violence taking place. The character of Brett in all his charms and flaws shines through in both frustrating and sympathetic ways. The depth of his emotions, pain, loss, and choices are evident and surprising given the shorter length of the story. The novella is not romantic though and has an ambiguous ending. While I enjoyed reading this story and even more so the writing and prose chosen, the tone is very dark. This should appeal easily to history and literature fans.

However the darkest of the anthology is the story from Jordan Taylor called "No Darkness." Here two British soldiers are trapped in a moldy, decaying basement when unexpected shelling drops on the abandoned farmhouse they stopped at. Although the two expect to die in the basement, they comfort each other by sharing stories of their past while working to dig themselves out of the caved in basement. With one of the men gravely injured and the other becoming injured, their story is dark and depressing but is somewhat saved in the strong and evocative writing with crisp prose and descriptions. The characters are well drawn and breathe with life and intensity through their very depressing situation.

The only drawback is that the emotional connection and bond between the men fell flat. While no doubt these men bonded over their shared situation, the personalities of the two men clashed to the point their attempted romance fell short. There is very little romance to the story but there are awkward and clumsy attempts to show the two developing deeper feelings for each other which felt artificial and unreal. The deepest emotion came at the end but even the ending is unsatisfying. The story is engaging and kept me guessing about the fate of the two men but ultimately this is the one story of the anthology I wouldn’t read again. The unsatisfying ending combined with the stiff attempts at an absent emotional connection had this well written story falling short for me unfortunately.

Last, but certainly not least, is E.N. Holland’s lovely story "Our One and Only." This story chronicles one man’s life in the forty years that passes after the death of his young lover in the second round of D-Day. Here Phillip spends his life mostly alone and mourning his dead friend and lover. He maintains a close relationship with the dead Eddie’s family and even becomes pen pals with a woman Eddie met in France. The story shows the depths of love and loss and the painful recovery process. The characters are wonderfully drawn and the writing elicits a great deal of emotion from scene to scene. The moving story and lovely descriptions create a sweet melancholy romance.

The ending of Holland’s story is not a strong happy ending even though the story is thick with romance and emotion. The ending is one of hope and promise and fitting given the characters and story. The writing is strong and tight with few errors but there is an overuse of italics that jars the reading experience and flow. Other than that, while being the longest story, it read the fastest and was one of the most enjoyable to read even though it is very sad and dark.

Overall this is a great anthology that highlights historical men in the military in realistic and moving ways. Since the collection of stories is so dark and intense, I’d suggest reading them individually rather than the entire anthology at once. Their depth and emotion will not overwhelm then. Either way, this well written collection will appeal to literature fans easily.

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