Category Archives: Kris Jacen

December 23, 2018 · 11:58 pm

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.

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

· 11:57 pm

Review: Explore with Me by Kris Jacen

Title: Explore with Me by Kris Jacen
With Me Series Book Two
Publisher: MLR Press
Genre: Contemporary, Gay, Romance
Length: 127 pages/Word Count: 43,000
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher

Summary:

The Army is the only thing that First Sergeant Danny Glenn has known in his adult life. From the age of nineteen on, he’s worn a uniform every day. He’s seen so much in his twenty years but the last deployment did something to him. Danny’s begun to wonder if he can’t do more good helping people in the US instead of other countries but to do that he’d have to get out.

Doctor Liam MacNamara is finishing up the last of his residency in Emergency Medicine. Now’s the tough part, which offer to accept. He could stay in New Orleans where shifts are never dull or choose to uproot and experience somewhere different. College followed by medical school and then residency are the only things he’s known since he was eighteen. There’s got to be more out there, right?

Can a retired first sergeant and a brand-new doctor balance each other enough to explore their options together?

Review:

Explore with Me by Kris Jacen is a wonderful novel of new beginnings and love. This newest release in the With Me can be read as a standalone, but it is helpful to read Wait for Me due to the character crossover.

Near the end of his residency, Dr. Liam MacNamara is trying to decide which job offer to accept.  Help arrives in an unusual way when his brother Jeff’s long time friend First Sergeant Danny Glenn ends up in Liam’s ER. Since Danny needs someone with him after his release, Liam takes him home with him. They two men hit it off and Danny provides useful information that helps Liam narrow down his selection. Liam and Danny also fall into an easy friendship that is underscored by a mutual attraction.

Danny is also in the midst of making a big decision about his future.  A career soldier with over twenty years of service, Danny has grown weary of deployments and a lack of roots. Uncertain whether his rock solid friendship with his group of friends will survive retirement, Danny is conflicted about what he should do next.

The relationship between Danny and Liam is slow growing and simmers in the background as they make decisions about their respective futures. Their scenes together are delightful and their growing feelings for one another ring true. Due to the fact they live in difference places, a lack of communication sometimes becomes an issue.

Danny’s group of military buddies and their spouses also make guest appearances. Fans of the series will enjoy catching up with them but new readers might feel a little overwhelmed by the sheer number of characters. As always, the group is incredibly supportive of each other and they do not mince words once Danny finally admits he is considering retiring. But how will Jeff and the rest of their friends deal with the news that Danny is dating Liam?

Explore with Me is a fast-paced and engaging gay romance. Liam and Danny are well-developed characters who are facing true to life issues that will resonate with readers. Despite the distance separating them, Liam and Danny work hard to build a lasting relationship. The conflict that arises late in the novel is realistic and quickly resolved.  An enjoyable addition to Kris Jacen’s  With Me series that will delight old and new fans.

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Filed under Contemporary, Explore with Me, Gay, Kris Jacen, MLR Press, Rated B, Review, Romance