Reviewed by Tammy

TITLE: Don’t Ask : M/M Straight to Gay First Time Romance                                                                                     

AUTHOR: Jerry Cole

PUBLISHER: Self Published

LENGTH: 218 Pages

RELEASE DATE: March 22, 2016

BLURB:

Angel Posadas had everything— good looks, a thriving art career, a son he adored, and a beautiful wife— until an accident took his wife from him and left him forced to start over again in New York. Following the accident, he’s anxious and uncertain about ever building a life again with anyone, but one thing’s for certain: Anyone wanting to be with Angel would have to give all of himself. Sergeant Ryan Garry, a Midwesterner out of his depth in a big city, knows how to give his all— he’s been a military man since he was a teenager and owes the service everything. In 2009, Ryan resigned himself to the fact that he’s gay, but under Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, he’s never dared express his real sexuality, and nobody has ever tempted him to venture into the danger zone— until he meets Angel. They’re from two different worlds, but something drew them together— can Ryan put Angel ahead of his career, or will he give up the chance of the family he’s always dreamed of?

REVIEW:

Don’t Ask is all about Angel Posadas and Sergeant Ryan Garry. Angel is a single father of his five-year-old son Finn. Ever since Angels wife died in an accident he’s been focused on his art and Finn to the exclusion of everything and everyone else.

Sergeant Ryan Garry is in the city with his friends because he’s heard that his mother’s all-time favourite painter is taking part in an exhibition and he’s determined to buy her a painting for Mother’s Day! When Ryan meets Angel in person he can’t believe how incredibly good-looking he is. Although Ryan is immediately attracted to Angel he has trained himself to ignore “that” part of himself because if his teammates knew he was gay he’d be thrown out of the military. Don’t Ask Don’t Tell is in full swing in the military at this point and Ryan has to be so careful that he literally ignores the most basic part of himself but, there’s something about Angel that won’t let him ignore the fact that he wants him.

Angel married Finn’s mother because she was his best friend at college and when she found out she was pregnant with Finn there was no questions, they got married even though they both knew he was more gay than bi. When Angel meets Ryan at the art show he falls in lust immediately. It takes some sweet talking but Angel gets Ryan to go back to his best friend Travis’s apartment with him where he learns that Ryan has never been with a man before! After their first night together Ryan and Angel make a joint decision to pursue a relationship until Ryan has to ship out overseas. As he’s not sure he’ll make it back Ryan tells Angel not to wait for him but to make sure he will go out with him when he does get back.

Angel is so full of anxiety about Ryan having been shipped overseas he spends the first several months a virtual recluse, then he allows Travis to talk him into going out and because he’s got so much “crap” going on in his head about Ryan and the status of their supposed relationship that he drinks far too much and decides to take Ryan up on his “don’t wait, go out with other people” and takes a woman into the toilets for a blowjob! Angel goes a little off the rails for a bit and decides to go out again and this time he goes home with a man. Angel then listens to reason from Travis who happens to be in a relationship with Ryan’s best mate Mike’s good friend Pete.

As it happens Ryan gets seriously injured and is shipped home where he and Angel finally have some alone time to sort out where their relationship is going. Yes, Angel tells Ryan about his infidelity’s, although as Ryan explains he did tell Angel not to wait but he never really thought Angel would ever actually do it! It takes a lot of hard work on both Ryan and Angels parts to have a relationship where they have to hide it from Ryan’s boss’s and teammates. Because Ryan made it clear to Angel right from the start that he was going to be a career military man Angel has constant fears that Ryan is going to get tired of hiding and go back to women to make his life easier. Whereas Ryan is constantly having to calm Angel down and reassure him that there is no and never will be anyone else for him.

Don’t Ask is the first of Jerry Coles’ books that I’ve read but I can guarantee it won’t be the last! I enjoyed reading this story from start to finish as Jerry has put his own spin on a very well-worn storyline. You don’t have the feeling that you’ve read the book before which is very important with the explosion of m/m military romance stories!  If you haven’t read Jerry Cole yet, I urge you to!

RATING:  

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