Soldier Boys

We read in the newspapers and see on the news the pain, hurt, and deaths of the men and women who place their lives on the line daily to protect our country. In SOLDIER BOYS, I enjoyed four delightful stories about the love lives of the men in the United States Air Force, Army, Marines and Navy. Tell it to the Marine by Deirdre Savoy: Lavinia Cole ended her USO show in Iraq singing happy birthday to Captain Daniel Reid. What Vinnie did not expect was to be dreaming of Captain Reid months after she returned to the United States. Captain Reid can not believe his luck when his next duty station is New York. Now all he has to do is locate Vinnie, the birthday singer. Love Freefall by Angela Weaver: In celebration of her thirtieth birthday, Marissa and her best friend/cousin Robin are going to take a Tandem jump. Wondering if she has lost her ever loving mind Marissa is ready to back out, when in walks her instructor, Air Force Captain Grant Edwards. Not only is Marissa ready to jump, she is singing `off we go into the wild blue yonder.' Recruiting Dora by Edwina Martin-Arnold: Losing two fingers in Iraq has in no way deterred Navy Captain Joe Bolin. He continues to support his county by becoming a Navy recruiter. Life is good, Captain Bolin is helping young men and women decide on a career which will change their lives. Recruiting Deshawn Lamont may not have been the best move in his illustrious career, especially when he feels the wrath of Mrs. Dora Lamont, who wants her son to go to college not to the navy. Going Commndo by J. M. Jefferies: Lost in the desert of Iraq, USO performer Georgina Landry has no other choice but to start walking. Where she will end up or if she will be hurt, is yet to be known. Army Lieutenant Dante Mayweather thinks he has been in the sun far too long. Hand-to-hand combat with a woman speaking English was the strangest thing he had encountered on a patrol. The stories within SOLDIER BOYS were well-written; flowing from one scene to the next. Each plot made you think of a family member or friend who may be serving in the Military. As a prior military dependent of twenty plus years, I found some of the scenes hard to believe, knowing there are certain acts which would not happened on a Military base. Reviewed by Toni Bonita For The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

I am big fan of all the authors that contributed to this book. Every one of their novellas in this book will make you want a soldier boy yourself but in this case they were not boys but men! This is a great book!

Soldier Boys is a wonderful book of short stories that pays great tribute to our servicemen, and lightens the heart with a story of romance and love. Particularly, each story addresses how hard it can be to transition to civilian life after spending time at war. The emotional state can be fragile, but it in no ways means that love should not be waiting for each of them when they return home. In "Tell It To The Marine," Lavinia Cole was going through an emotional battle of her own after losing her husband, but she certainly was not expecting to find love in the battle zone when she performed for the soldiers, but in particular, Captain Daniel Reid. Marissa Barrow was convinced that she did not want to date any man who was in or had been in the military, but when she decided to skydive in "Love Freefall," her heart fell for Air Force Captain Grant Edwards quicker than she could blink her eyes. "Recruiting Dora" recognizes what many parents are going through today when their sons and daughters decide to enlist in the service to fight for their country. Dora Lamont was proud of the fact that she raised her son, DeShawn. Dead set against DeShawn's decision to enlist, Dora had to blame someone, and since it was Captain Joe Bolin who recruited her son, he had to take the brunt of Dora's angry tirade. While Captain Bolin understood Dora's concerns, he had some of his own about the rest of his career, and the woman he wanted to share the rest of his life with. How many women secretly want a Commando of their own? Not too many would admit it, but in "Going Commando," Georgina Landry, a well known television celebrity would soon find out that falling in love with a Commando is not hard at all. I recommend Solder Boys to readers who love a good soldier story filled with romance and love. Reviewed by Sharel E. Gordon-Love APOOO BookClub