Review: Wait for Me by Kris Jacen

Title: Wait for Me by Kris Jacen
With Me Series Book One
Publisher: MLR Press
Genre: Contemporary, Gay, Romance
Length: 202 pages/Word Count: 43,000
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher

Summary:

The hardest job is waiting.

Master Sergeant Jeff “Mackey” MacNamara has been waiting for THE ONE for years. First it wasn’t too safe to find a partner and now his schedule is a nightmare with training soldiers and deployments.

Scott Ash has found where he always was meant to be after a brief bout of idealistic do-gooder after college. He loves his job as a child care director, if he could just find someone to love — perfect might cover it.

A chance meeting when Scott is doing a favor for a friend starts them on a journey that could take them to forever, it’s just a matter of waiting.

Review:

The first novel in debut author Kris Jacen’s With Me series, Wait for Me is a sexy yet heartwarming military romance.

Master Sergeant Jeff “Mackey” MacNamera is about to deploy again when he meets Scott Ash. The two men immediately hit it off and despite their impending separation, they decide to give their fledgling romance the chance to grow. Jeff has been hoping to find “the one” for quite some time, but is Scott equipped to deal with the realities of dating a soldier?

Jeff and Scott are mature men who are comfortable in their own skin. Jeff is preparing for not only a deployment, but the next step in his career. Scott is the director of a child care center so not much fazes him.  Since their time together is limited before Jeff leaves, their relationship moves quickly but there is never a doubt their growing feelings for each other are real.

As a former military wife for 26 years (my husband is now retired), I have experienced firsthand the hardships of deployments many, many times.  So for me, I think the strongest aspect of the storyline is how Scott takes the time to learn what it mean to be involved with a military member. He asks intelligent questions so at least he has a good idea of what to expect.  But he also discovers that nothing can adequately prepare him for the reality of a deployment until he is actually living through it. Jeff’s experiences as the deployed partner are also realistically portrayed which provides a well-rounded glimpse of military relationships.

Jeff has a close circle of friends who support each other through thick and thin. They eagerly accept Scott into the fold so he has plenty of people to rely on through Jeff’s deployment.  The secondary characters are well-rounded but the vast number of people makes it impossible to tell them apart.

Wait for Me is a wonderful drama-free, engaging romance between two self-confident men. Jeff and Scott’s romance is believable and when conflict arises, they are quick to work through their problems.  A refreshing debut by Kris Jacen that I highly recommend to fans of military gay romances. I am eagerly looking forward to the next installment in the With Me series.

1 Comment

Filed under Contemporary, Gay, Kris Jacen, MLR Press, Rated B, Review, Romance, Wait for Me, With Me Series

One Response to Review: Wait for Me by Kris Jacen

  1. Timitra

    Thanks for sharing your thoughts Kathy