Publisher: Regal Crest Enterprises
Faithful Service, Silent Hearts is a view of what life was like for gays in the US military before the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy went into effect. Now that that policy has been ended, the book serves as a reminder of what used to be. It's important that younger people have books that remind them of what people went through before changes were made in any situation.
Devon James excels as a soldier and a leader in boot camp and is quickly put on the fast track as an officer. She is outstanding at everything she does, but she lives with the secret that she is gay. Devon experiences great pain as her first love is taken from her in a witch hunt and she loses the second one to a tragedy. Devon shuts down her emotions to protect herself and her career, but eventually will be drawn out by a surprising contact from her past. When her career is threatened again, Devon has to make the choice between staying in the military that she loves so much or leaving the service and living a more open life. Either one comes with a heavy price.
This story is well told and interesting. It's a good debut novel for Lynette Mae because it features something with which she is personally familiar so the story has a sense of authenticity about it. Some of the scenes are a bit rushed and the conclusion is somewhat contrived, but that's more a sign of a new author. Experience should teach her to smooth out those bumps. The book could have used a better content editor. For example, in one scene two characters are drinking beer from a pitcher, go play a game of pool and when they return to the table, they are drinking from bottles. It's little things like that which can distract an attentive reader and should not happen in a book.
As a whole, Faithful Service, Silent Hearts is a good read. The weaknesses don't overshadow the book and it shows enough promise to make this reviewer curious to read Lynette Mae's next book.
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