Reviewed by Taylin
TITLE: Under the Radar
AUTHOR: Lillian Francis
PUBLISHER: Finally Love Press
RELEASE DATE: April 14, 2019
LENGTH: 407 pages
BLURB:
It’s 1942 and after a sexual indiscretion, US Navy pilot Zachary MacKenzie is sent to serve in the Royal Navy’s submarine service—a shockingly harsh punishment for a man who loves to fly. The submarine is oppressive and frustrating for him, and he’s marked out from his peers, publicly by being American, and privately by his attraction to men.
The only bright spot is the company of his steward, sonar operator Gethin Llewelyn. Despite the differences of rank and background, they’re drawn to each other. Gethin’s integrity complements Zach’s casual joie de vivre, and soon the friendship develops into something much more.
As the threats of war increase, the submarine is plagued by potentially hostile vessels, and circumstances lead them to suspect there’s a spy amongst their own crew. Being forced even closer together as they work for the greater good reveals a new awareness, and Zach doesn’t know what is in more danger, the vessel under his charge or his heart.
REVIEW:
Set in a time of war and gay intolerance, US Pilot Zachary went one sexual encounter too far and as a punishment, was reassigned as a lieutenant on a British Submarine – The freedom of the skies to the claustrophobia of underwater. There he meets Gethin, an innocent in every way, and totally enticing. Zach is determined not to act on his attraction, but the more he gets to know Gethin, the deeper his feelings become.
Gethin didn’t know he liked men and is oblivious about their attraction to him. Nevertheless, he finds himself thinking more and more about his superior officer, Zachary.
The story is told in the third person from Zack and Gethin’s viewpoint. I had to look up a couple of terms, but it wasn’t long before I was immersed in the world of submarines. There is a lot of detail, including rules and regs, which demonstrates the amount of knowledge the author has on life under the waves. The pictures painted added to the factuality of the scenes, but occasionally, the need to provide information got in the way of dialogue and story flow.
The extreme slow burn of the storyline was probably realistic in that it demonstrated the waiting that subs had to do at sea. There’s lots of ruminating, watching, listening and wanting to do more than fantasize. However, while an interesting read, some scenes tested my concentration, and I wished it to move on a little quicker. I felt that some of the intense detail could have been left out without detriment to the storyline.
I liked all the cast. The personalities were varied, and there was always that undertone of British military stiff upper lip. The heroes are particularly likeable. Gethin has a sharp wit, whose journey to realizing his sexuality was heartfelt. While on board, most of Zach’s thoughts have a sexual nature that he’s trying to suppress. Given his background of been an officer at work and anything but a gentleman out of it, it was lovely to see him facilitate a relationship that was deeper than anything he’d previously encountered.
Under the Radar has a gripping start that kept me reading. However, it is more a story of emotional entanglements, and life at sea, with the backdrop of war, instead of a war story containing emotional entanglements. The war scenes are of a cat and mouse nature, and espionage. High octane moments were good but short-lived and reserved to the latter portion of the manuscript.
For such a long novel set during the war, I expected more angst and drama. I think some of the rules and regs could have been dialed back in favor of eeking out the action. However, the story would be a splendid base for a follow-up. The ending suggested a future fraught with drama, and angst that I wanted to read more about. Also, a follow up would be free of rules and regs, allowing more time for action and subterfuge that could involve characters from the current cast.
As the story stands, it was interesting, and I fell for the characters, but my heart didn’t get a huge workout.
RATING: 
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