Ask, Tell: Ask, Tell Series, Book 1

4.5 starsCaptain Sabine Fleischer is a general surgeon in the US Army working in a combat zone in Afghanistan. Dealing with the daily trauma that comes through her operating theatre, Sabine is clever, quick and funny. On her second rotation, she's an old hand, knows the game and plays it well.Her best friend Mitch is also a surgeon in the same unit. Everyone suspects they're a pair, not knowing that it's safer for them to see that when both Mitch and Sabine are homosexual. Set during the time of the policy, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT).” Mitch and Sabine hide in plane sight, always careful not to reveal the truth and be forced from the Army.Their boss is the enigmatic, and meticulous, surgeon Colonel Rebecca Keane. She runs the surgical unit with precision expected from a career soldier. However, subtle cracks in the facade start showing when Sabine is around.The constant separation from her long-term partner back home, Sabine knows that their relationship is suffering and isn't sure it can be saved. So when she starts to suspect that her crush on Rebecca is reciprocated, things start heating up. However the war, and the Army, is going to get in the way.This was a cleverly written work. Noyes has managed to describe life in a surgical unit in a combat zone well, without it being too traumatising to the audience. She's also grappled with the difficulties of living with the DADT policy, without it crushing the story.What was so unexpected was that it is written in the first person. It is really rare to read a romance, let alone something which has elements of a thriller in it. It was captivating as a result.Sabine is really well drawn as the main character. Rebecca is less well drawn as the story is told from Sabine's perspective, but I still had a good sense of who she was by the end of the book. It was probably less than I wanted to know about her character though.What Noyes handles really well is the difficulty of knowing when to add in detail, and when to skip over chunks of time that is less interesting. She's managed this really well, without the story ever feeling episodic. I won't tell you the precise details of some of the examples of this because it will spoil the story for those of you wanting to read it for the first time.It was as fascinating look at life in the army during this time, and life as a surgeon on the front lines.

I "hate" first person narrative. I "hate" present tense. Be that as it may, I could not put this book down. In her Author's Note, the author lets the reader know how it was in the military "back in the day" before Don't Ask, Don't Tell (DADT); how being caught "loving in uniform" could result in total ruination. This story takes place later, during DADT. She makes the reader know how frustrating it is to live/love under such rules. The feelings of the main character are made very plain, and the pressures of a war zone come through, as well. This is a good love story, but it is also exciting, thrilling, and well worth reading.

Romance has the bad reputation of generally being more sex than substance, at least among people who don't read a lot of it. I was one of those people, adamantly believing that romance should be a condiment for your plot burger and not the meat, and that any book in the romance genre by definition wouldn't follow this recipe. But then I got older, went through relationshippy things, got curious, and learned to appreciate a story in which you can see yourself and your struggles and either find or fantasize a way through them.And Ask, Tell gives that to a demographic very much in need of that kind of support and acknowledgment. It is a wonderfully-written, wonderfully human story of love, loss, and service (err, military service, but the other kind too) with wit, humor, and what seemed to me a very realistic representation of our troops and their struggles under DADT. I enjoyed the ride and appreciate how much thought and effort went into offering it.

A very enjoyable romantic story between two strong willed characters. The author does an outstanding job of bringing the realities of serving in the military under Don't Ask, Don't Tell (DADT) to life. I can atest to this as I have served in the military for over 17 years. The author is spot with the mind set and hardships that so many had to deal with while under DADT and even still today. The military has made many great strides since the repeal of DADT in 2011, but still has a ways to go. I truly enjoyed that the author chose to set the story in the middle of Afghanistan. The author does an outstanding job of describing the realities and hell of war. Adding the hardships of DADT and war together makes this story that much more compelling.When one of the characters comes face to face with the true hell of war (Sorry, if that is a spoiler to anyone), they are faced with dealing with the aftermath of emotions that comes with this price. War is not a pretty thing especially since at a moments notice one can be injured or worse. Many have paid that sacrifice. The author does an excellent job of describing the myarid of emotions that one goes through when one is faced with the ugliest part of war. The author describes the true grit of pain, sarrow, fear, aganst, and uncertainty that one faces. Again, I can speak from first hand experience. The author also does a great job of describing the aftermath and recovery both the physical and emotional tolls that one faces i.e. PTSD. Combining the complexities of war with a sweet love story makes this book a very enjoyable read. Highly recommended. I would definitely read another book by this author.

Really well written book! Not cliche-burdened, it had a nice rhythm, and good love scenes. Very educational as to the effects that DADT had on gay and lesbian military members--something I knew very little about. The book had the kind of characters I couldn't stop thinking about, and yes, they kept me awake one night. I highly recommend this book and this author. Beautiful details...WHY HAS THIS AUTHOR NOT WRITTEN ANYTHING ELSE??

Having read a number of rave reviews of this author's books, I thought it was about time I read one!The style is unusual - first person, present tense (I read another book in the same style recently - Kris Bryan's 'Jolt', but this was much better!). At first I wasn't sure how much I was going to warm up to our narrator, Sabine, but she really grew on me. The love story is really well done and the 'impossibility' of how it must have felt for those in the US military under DADT is powerfully portrayed. But this also had a lightness; some of Sabine's sibling banter with her sister, Jana, had me LOL-ing. And when I felt tears streaming down my face after the events from Chapter 26 onwards, I knew this had me...I'm moving straight on to the sequel...

Loved this book and couldn't put it down. The story is told through Sabine who is a Doctor serving in Afghanistan for the American military. In the Military there is a ruling for Gay or Lesbian Serviceman "Don't Ask, Don't tell" and they have to be quiet about their sexuality or they could be kicked out of the Military. Sabine has a bit of a thing for her boss Rebecca Keane which you find out that the feelings are mutual. After the breakup of Sabine relationship with her girlfriend, Sabine is sent home for R&R and to sort out after her relationship breakdown.On the final 2 days Sabine gets a visitor. To find out you've got to read the book. Great secondary characters in Mitch, Amy, Sabines sister etc. I would love to know what happens next as I feel that there could be a follow up. Definitely one of My Favourites

As a former soldier myself during the Afghan war and the DADT days, this was a very realistic take on exactly how it felt - were you over thinking every look, the desert gossip, the dear "John" letters, trying to figure out how to make things work...I have lived every single one of these situations and to see them reflected back was kind of liberating and made me feel...seen. I lived the writing style too, the first person perspective lets you really get a sense of how exactly Sabine is experiencing everything. I already can't wait to read the sequal.

Wow. Absolutely wonderful story. We get dropped right into the action, and I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough to find out what would happen next. Both Sabine (our narrator) and Rebecca (the other main character) are wonderful, and I was sorry when the book ended and I had to say good-bye.The setting is military and medical, making for an exciting backdrop to the unfolding romance. My only criticism would be how quickly the romance develops at one point. Then again, what the hell, it’s a great book and it didn’t dent my enjoyment of it one bit.If you haven’t read it yet, you have a wonderful treat in store. I’d recommend this to anyone who enjoys good writing and f-f romance.

Just wow!!! I thoroughly enjoyed this story. Sabine and Rebecca deserve every happiness. You just can't even begin to imagine what it felt like under Dadt. Such a well written story that has you feeling every emotion possible. Lol moments parakeet....mother bird and nest :). Fantastic and can't wait to read more by this author.a massive well done.