What's a girl to do? Life in Sterling County, Texas can be pretty dull for a young woman attending the local community college with no real plans. When her little brother shows up at the family spread with a new girlfriend, Lenore Collins' life begins to change. When her brother is given a convalescent leave by the Army, she tags along with the family to relieve the boredom. Things can change quickly: before Lenore can blink she's fallen head-over-heels for a Marine her father's age.
Size: 713 KB (128,808 words)
Genre: Action/Adventure
Sex Contents: Minimal Sex
Tags: Ma/Fa
Review by burka_oz [other reviews by burka_oz]
Reviewed:
I really don't remember when I started to read works from black-coffee. I can remember reading and very much enjoying "Sparks" and I can suggest stopping what you are doing and reading that first. It really leads into this great tale and many of the characters continue here.
In this tale a young woman ends up with crusty Marine of almost mature years and love is forged that will probably outlast time.
This story is mostly about this brilliant young lady being challenged by circumstances and wonderful mentors to join the Navy and be all that she could be. Along the way, we meet some wonderful characters and have some great experiences. There are some sad parts and some parts that are just so lovely that you should not be surprised if your eyes start to mist up.
The 3rd part of this tale will never be seen because black_coffee has stopped writing, Nothing since 2012 and I am thinking that he has moved on to another plane of existence.
So to the evaluation. I do not understand why this great story is not rating in the high 9's. It quite honestly really is that good. I am unable to score it higher than 10 but that is the last I can score it because it deserves better than just numbers as a rating. All I can suggest is for you to read "Sparks" then read this. Then and only then tell me if I have rated it too highly.
Review by manddscott [other reviews by manddscott]
Reviewed:
This is a gem from the archives. If you haven't done so yet, read the story "Sparks" first, as it helps introduce several of the characters in this book. Together, they are stories of exceptional people who choose service to the country through different divisions of our armed forces.
For plot, an exceptional 10, as the author delivers likeable, credible characters and fills out the stories well.
For technical score, another exceptional 10. Less than an error per chapter, on average.
For personal appeal, a 9. Why not higher? Simply put, because these appear to be the first two stories in a longer series, and I've been unable to find the remaining books in the series, even for sale. If anyone knows where I might be able to get them, I would gladly do so.
Review by Jim S [other reviews by Jim S]
Reviewed:
You might wonder why a story rated in the high, rarefied atmosphere of 8.53 (at the time of this tome) needs a review. The answer would be that the author was less than diligent in his use of tags. Add to the fact that I expected a completely different story after reading the Description; so I figured this one needed a review. Especially since, to my immense surprise, it hadn't been reviewed at all. So here goes.
This story definitely deserves its rating. It is well worth the read even though it is tough sledding for the first couple of chapters. The author just jumps in by putting the character in unusual situations without defining them. That comes later. For me, it led to some head scratching and persistence. Which I'm glad I did. This story is good. Really, really good.
As stated above, the story started slowly. What I really liked, though, is that it developed at a comfortable and logical pace. When you got to the end, everything fit so the ending left a feeling of completion.
Character development finally comes around for all of the main characters and, at least partially, for the minor ones as well. It is also technically strong. Problems with my usual squicks, i.e. spelling, punctuation, homonyms/homophones, etc., never appeared . Or at least none that I can remember.
The one criticism that can be leveled at the author, though, is that he didn't deliver on his promise of a story continuation. This is a second installment, according to a blurb at the end of the story, with a third to follow. According to his lone blog entry, the first installment appears to be present (Sparks, though haven't read it yet). But not the third. The blog also details real world obligations getting in the way of writing. Understood. More the shame. This is really good work. Take the time to read it.
