Book Reviews

Book Blurb

When duty becomes mixed up with desire, can a battle-scarred soldier leave behind the horrors of war and enter a world of fantasy and fulfilment?

For Corporal Mark Stockdale, a trip to Amsterdam won’t just provide some much-needed R and R away from the horrors of the Afghanistan battlefield – it’s also a way of keeping a promise to a fallen comrade. But violence has a way of seeking Mark out, even in the most peaceful of locations, and when he stops for a drink in a quiet bar, he finds himself stepping in to help its owner, Robin Sneijder, fight off a group of opportunist thieves. Robin shows his gratitude, and Mark is stunned by the depth of the passion between them, and when Mark wakes in the night from a vivid nightmare of the attack that killed his best friend, Ozzy, Robin is there to comfort him.

Robin seems like the perfect partner, and what started as an act of duty turns into an unforgettably erotic encounter. But when Robin confesses he has an overwhelming urge to submit to a hunk in army uniform, Mark is not sure whether he can put aside the realities of war and fulfil his new lover’s most cherished desires. Can he separate fact and fantasy, and give Robin the domination he craves?

Reader Advisory: This book contains graphic descriptions of a roadside explosion, scenes of anal sex, and acts of domination and submission between men.

Publisher's Note: This story has been previously released as part of the Stand to Attention anthology by Totally Bound Publishing.

 

Book Review

It isn’t easy for those serving in the military, or those dealing with violence in their jobs, to relax and recharge their batteries. And when, like Mark in this story, they have just lost their best friend because he didn’t survive the explosion Mark made it out of with a few scars, it becomes even more of a problem.

Mark’s trip to Amsterdam helps, but he had planned to take it with the friend who has just died, and his sadness at not being able to share everything with the man he loved like a brother is palpable from the first page. When he finally rests in a café and the owner is robbed, he jumps in to help, since that is what he does, but cannot prevent the thieves from getting away. It does open up a channel of communication and further encounters with Robin, the bar owner, and as hesitant as Mark is, it’s the first time since his friend’s death he has felt any interest in a man at all, so he grabs the opportunity and runs with it.

The scenes that follow, with him and Robin exploring some very naughty fantasies, are definitely hot. If you like military men and what they get up to while on leave, if you enjoy reading about a first meeting that seemingly has nowhere to go, and if you don’t mind a somewhat uncertain, if optimistic, ending, then you will probably enjoy this short story.

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. The anthology this story was published in has been provided by Pride Publishing for the purpose of a review.

Additional Information

Format	ebook
Length	Short Story, 35 pages/11565 words
Heat Level
Publication Date	21-March-2014
Price	$2.50 ebook
Buy Link	https://www.pride-publishing.com/book/an-act-of-duty