| Title | : | Don't Ask |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1530583128 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781530583126 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 216 |
| Publication | : | First published March 15, 2016 |
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. From the start, their relationship seems impossible. Angel's open to relationships with guys, but he needs full commitment- something Ryan is unwilling and unable to give. When Ryan embarks on a tour of Iraq, they decide it may be best to give up any hope of being together, even though sparks fly when they're together, and Ryan has even won over Angel's son, Finn. But separation makes them both realize their relationship is something special. Angel finds it difficult to cope without communication from Ryan, and Ryan now cannot imagine a life without Angel in it. When Ryan is injured in combat and sent back home, they both have to face the realities of their situation. 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? Please Note: This book contains Adult Language & Steamy Adult Activities, it is intended for 18+ Adults Only. Approx. 50,000 words in length. HEA (happy ever after ending). Does not end with a "cliffhanger."
Don't Ask Reviews
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CONFIRMED PRAGMATISM It sucked either way.
ORIGINAL REVIEW:
Right off the bat, the cover and title get a one star demotion. It's just outrageous. And as many other reviewers have said, doesn't match the book at all.
I didn't buy into the love story here. It was so strange to watch these two go from being lovers at about the 50% mark and then fall into being bickering fools. The fights weren't fun fights where tears are shed and then the sex is hot. These two henpecked each other and then cooled down and feel back into their routine. And when the "L" word came into play, I was utterly underwhelmed.
The sex was boring, Angel spent more then half the book being a total asshat and Ryan was spineless at every turn. Not even cute little Finn could save this story for me.
Cannot recommended.
This review is also posted at
Gay Book Reviews
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**** During DADT, Don't Ask Don't Tell in the US Military, gays would need to stay closeted. On leave in New York, Ryan, 30, wants to buy a painting for his Mom.
He's a tall, muscled, hunk that shocks Angel speechless.
Angel is the artist Ryan's Mom wants a painting from.
Angel is a smaller, beautiful man, who lost his wife and is raising his son, Finn. They have all been invited to relax and hang at a bar that night, where Ryan and Angel leave to spend time together. Ryan has never been with a man; has never acted on his desires.
Do they each have issues, yes, and they don't always handle their problems correctly, but their sexy times are dynamic and hot, because of the deep emotions they have. Angel is a doting father, but doubts himself, plus he's a bit spoiled. Ryan tries to tread lightly, but is on board with his feelings for Angel and Finn. Then he's sent back to war. Much happens while he's gone, wounded and returns. Neither man wants to be rejected. I liked the men and Finn, so cute, plus each family and their friends are colorful characters.
Ryan was rock solid and loving, Angel is hoping for more than he's ever had, but messes up, and is forgiven.
I liked the story because it's entertaining, sexy, well done, and I love a Military man.
ENJOY !
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El de la tapa, es Ryan o Rambo? Gezzz, Louise... No sabía que había selva en Iraq.
Ok, la tapa le tira abajo una estrella, aunque el tipo no está nada mal.
El libro estuvo ok. Sólo ok. Como otros que leí del autor, no hay mucha historia que te haga sentir conectada a la relación de estos dos. A pesar de que el autor da alguna información sobre el background de los personajes, no logré sentirme involucrada con ellos.
Angel
El personaje de Angel me pareció inmaduro y a veces contradictorio. Tampoco hay mucha descripción física de él (así que, como mucho no lo describen, me lo imagino así. Ya que no tiene personalidad, vamos a darle lomo al menos :P).
Por un lado, Angel no quiere ir muy lejos durante la primera vez de Ryan, en lo que parece consideración hacia él, pero cuando el momento llega, tampoco se la hace muy especial que se diga.
Ryan
Ryan es un personaje más querible porque es tierno. Tenemos un poco más de descripción física de él y nos lo podemos imaginar un poco más. Pero su personaje también tiene contradicciones. En ningún momento se explica si es disléxico?, pero en varias ocasiones tiene problemas para comprender algunas palabras largas que Ángel usa. También él dice que no puede escribir una oración sin tener errores de ortografía, sin embargo, está recibido de ingeniero civil...(buehh).
Las escenas de sexo son muchas (yeahhh), pero nada especiales (buhhh), como en otros libros que leí el autor. Son un poco apuradas y poco descriptivas (mehh).
Soy loca por los libros gfy-ofy y donde hay una buena escena de cherry-popping. No le perdono al autor que haya desperdiciado la primera vez de Ryan mordiendo la almohada. Ryan es el top de la relación, pero en la única escena donde los papeles se invierten, el autor aclara que ya lo habían hecho así algunas veces antes. WTF???? Y por qué no me lo contaste cuando pasó? Desperdicio. Además en la escena sentí que Ryan lo estaba haciendo para complacer a Angel y no porque le gustase mucho. Terrible manera de arruinarme un libro con un gay virgen.
En fin, sentí que muchas partes que valían la pena explorar se quedaron cortas de detalle o estuvieron ausentes (quiero mi cherry popping!) y otras, que no aportaban nada de historia ni eran interesantes, se extendían más de lo necesario... -
4,5 stars.
Jerry Cole is my comfort read. I find it so easy to slide into his stories and his characters are almost instantly likeable. His writing style is a bit specific, I think. It doesn't feel like the author sat and thought of the characters and what'll happen to them. It feels more like he had a sneak peek into the life of some real couple and had to write down everything that happened, quickly-quickly. On one hand, it makes the style rushed and with some unexpected things jumping out on the reader (like ). On the other hand, at least for me, it makes the story sound genuine. Angel and Ryan, and Finn, and Trav, and all other people around them feel real. And Angel and Ryan's problems feel real and relatable. They fight, they make mistakes, they resent each other - and at the same time they compromise and they care and find happiness. -
3.5 rounded up to 4, because.......well, just because. First time with this author, and I enjoyed the book. Both MCs are appealing and we get a good "feel" for them. The dynamics between Angel and Ryan are shaky at times; Ryan isn't ready to be "out" because he is so invested in staying in the military/service. Angel still has guilt and anger issues over the loss of his wife; his main focus is on raising his son, Finn. I went into this story thinking he was going to be the "first timer"; but Angel is, and apparently always has been, bisexual and totally open about his sexuality. There are a couple of scenes that are "cheating without cheating"; when Ryan deploys back to the Middle East, he tells Angel to go out with other people. Bringing to mind that "just because you can, doesn't mean you should"; at one point I wanted to reach into this book and slap Angel. One of the best things about the story was the way Ryan and Angel's son Finn bonded--beautiful. Plan to investigate more books by Jerry Cole.
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Very good MM romance story within the DON'T ASK DON'T TELL period. I had never heard of that statement before this book. Although a fictional book, it is no doubt reflective of true life struggles for the LBGT community. (The book at least, is a HEA).
https://www.theguardian.com/world/201...
Too bad Mr. Barack Obama is not the President still.
On July 20, 2005, Canada became the first country outside Europe and the fourth country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage nationwide after the enactment of the Civil Marriage Act. Same-sex adoption has also been legal in all provinces and territories under varying rules.
The Canadian Forces recognizes same-sex marital and common-law unions and affords them the same benefits offered to all married or common-law serving members.
Cheers
(Upped my rating from 4 to 5-stars after reading an extremely negative review. While the cover could be improved the 'Don't Ask' is a very appropriate title). -
„Don’t Ask” is M/M novel by Jerry Cole. It’s about Angel, widowed artist and Ryan who is a military man. Attraction between them was strong enough to make Ryan act on his desires after years of hiding.
In spite of what Ryan said before he left, I didn’t like the way Angel dealt with his absence. It doesn’t sit well with me. At all. My heart literally ached for Ryan and it was bothering me long after finishing the book - that’s the reason it’s 3 stars instead of 5, because I can’t honestly tell that I loved it.
Otherwise I enjoyed writing and general idea of a book. Plus ending was nice ;)
Angel’s friend - Travis and his son — Fin were great characters, they made me laugh and were really likable.
*I received a free advance reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest & unbiased review.* -
From the first moment they met Ryan and Angel both felt drawn to each other. Angel is an artist from the big city, while Ryan is a military from the mid-west. The story takes us through a few struggles, Ryan finding himself and deciding what he wants. Their relationship is good but both men continued to hide behind their individual insecurities. The story was cute, but did not like the fact that when the story began we met Peter one of Ryan's closest friends, but we did not see him again until very end. There was no mention of where he was or what may have happened to him. Otherwise fairly entertaining story. I received a free advance reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest & unbiased review.
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If ever there was a book where the cover doesn't match the contents, this is it. The title (with all its keywords) and the picture (which looks like it's from a porno) do not do the book justice at all. This is a great read - full of depth, great characters you can empathise and understand, heat as well as tenderness and a realism that has the book sauntering along. I've marked it as a 4 not 5 since I felt a little like I was working up to a big climax, when in fact the summation of the storyline was a little more subtle, although no less worth reading.
I will definitely check out more by this author (which I wouldn't had done had this book not been in KU) but I can't stress enough that this is most definitely one of those times you should not be judging a book by its cover! -
To be honest I almost didn't get this book. The cover and the subtitle "straight to gay" put me off. Both characters were not "straight" . One was Bi and the other far in the closet. But... the touching story about a father and a little boy who fall in love with an active duty serviceman during DADT nearly broke my heart. I stayed up all night engrossed in their story, and I went to bed this morning satisfied that their HEA happened.
In my opinion the author should change the cover to better reflect the story they told. Yes, the sex was hot...really hot. But the book was more than that . It deserves a cover that will tell people to take it seriously and read it. -
I liked these two but was a little put off by Angel at times. He was always so quick to just walk or push away. Yes, I know he had a kid to think about and didn’t want to live in the closet, but neither did Ryan. It’s not like he could quit his job because back then if people found out he had a chance of being discharged. I mean, what did Angel think that Ryan would support himself or support their relationship with without a job…shits and giggles. I think NOT. I just wish Angel would have opened his eyes a little more and been more realistic about how he treated Ryan. Anyway…totally cute with the relationship between Angel’s kid and Ryan. Just way too adorable.
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This is my second Jerry Cole book and I very much enjoyed it. I really liked that both characters were flawed, Angel was frankly a bit of a b**ch and Ryan used his career as an excuse at times, but this just makes the characters more realistic.
The writing style did feel a bit simplistic at times and the "MM Straight to Gay First Time" leads you to expect erotica rather than a well plotted story. I think the author is doing themselves a bit of a disservice using those sub titles because I know readers who will pass this story by thinking that its something else.
Hopefully, readers won't pass this one by as it is overall a very enjoyable read. -
DO NOT let this awful cover or title deter you from reading this book. Because honestly, this was probably one of the best M/M romances I've read so far this year. This is a first time read for me from this author, but definitely won't be the last. I was definitely put off by the title but glad I read the reviews and gave it a chance. This was a beautiful love story with the perfect amount of heat. I loved Ryan and Angel....and the epilogue was absolutely perfect. Definite 5 star rating and I don't rate a lot of books with 5 stars!
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Loved the story of Ryan and Angel. And that beautiful boy, Finn. This is the first book I have read by this author, and I am looking forward to reading more. My heart broke for them and their struggle to make their relationship work while keeping it a secret. It really made me more aware of the struggles that gay people are still suffering through today. I strongly recommend reading this book to anyone who loves a great story with a definite happy ever after.
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A lovely journey
This story told the journey of love between two young men with the assistance of their families and friends. The book was well written and described many obstacles the lovers had to learn from to grow as a couple. It was sweet, sexy and lovely. -
A Good Romance
Don't Ask was a sweet romance that had several rocks in the road to happiness. Angel was an artist and Ryan was in the military,and eventually they overcome their problems to find their HEA. It was a good romance. -
Wonderful Story
This was the first time I read this author, so I went in with no expectations and what a great surprise! I loved this book! It was well written & I really loved Angel, Ryan & Finn plus the other characters. I will definitely be reading more books by this author! -
I really enjoyed this story. A beautiful relationship with a very happy ending. Good reading.
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Very good MM romance story within the DON'T ASK DON'T TELL period. I had never heard of that statement before this book. Although a fictional book, it is no doubt reflective of true life struggles for the LBGT community. (The book at least, is a HEA).
https://www.theguardian.com/world/201...
Too bad Mr. Barack Obama is not the President still.
On July 20, 2005, Canada became the first country outside Europe and the fourth country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage nationwide after the enactment of the Civil Marriage Act. Same-sex adoption has also been legal in all provinces and territories under varying rules.
The Canadian Forces recognizes same-sex marital and common-law unions and affords them the same benefits offered to all married or common-law serving members.
(Upped my rating from 4 to 5-stars after reading an extremely negative review. While the cover could be improved the 'Don't Ask' is a very appropriate title). -
I loved it. Great characters. Very important subject. Thank you for reminding people.
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3.5
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Blog Post:
http://lovebytesreviews.com/2016/05/1...
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! -
Oh my. This book was wonderfully written. I fell in love with Angel and Ryan as they both struggled with their own reasons for being afraid of a relationship. And Finn....such a great little guy! He was so very easy to love as well.
I read a review of this book that was by a soldier who said that he "could have been Ryan". That told me more about the authenticity of Ryan's feelings than anything else could have. He wanted to love who he loved, but had to be afraid of the consequences of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" on his entire life if it were to get out that he loved a man instead of a woman.
The loving way that Ryan dealt with Angel's strong sense of insecurity, his deep seated fear that he was not good enough...not a good enough dad, not a good enough friend, not a good enough companion in his relationship with Ryan.
This book was a great read and I loved the whole concept. The writer took something that was such a personal issue for so many people and put it out there for his readers to experience right along with the people who had to live it at the time.
Congratulations to Mr Cole on a very well written and extremely enjoyable story. -
Sweet story
Well, I wasn't sure about reading a story regarding the military, but I was pleasantly surprised. It wasn't too far right or too far left, which is nice. The book is more of Ryan's struggle and how it effects both Angel and his son Finn (some prior issues with loss of wife/mom). Which now that I think of it the author really didn't say what exactly happened to her. It also seems like both men bi, but found love in each other. It really is such a sweet story. My only question is, "What happened to Pete?" He was there in the beginning and end, but nothing in the middle. -
DNF
So, so, so many things wrong here...
Just to name a few:
Ryan is in the closet due to the "Don't ask, don't tell" policy and even his friends don't know. He doesn't want anyone to know because his career is so important to him. Yet he's at the bar with said friends and he just snuggles up to another guy on the packed dance floor?? In public? Contradiction!
Couldn't buy into their connection at all. Not even close.
Cover is another contradiction.
Formatting and editing issues caused a huge distraction.
I could go on and on but I'll stop there.
