Review: 4.25 stars
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 10 24, 2012
First Class Petty Officer Eric Randall is a single man who just got stationed in Okinawa, Japan for three years. Having just come back from a tour in the Middle East, he's not very happy about his assignment because it will take him away from his teenage daughter. So, he's angry, determined to hate Okinawa and trying to figure out his new job as a supervisor of security forces (they are called Master-at-Arms or MA's). Add in the fact, he's gay, he wonders how he's ever going to find some action on island with this many military people! For the purposes of this book, DADT has been repealed.Eric Randall is gay, in the military and he thinks his life is going to be crap for the next three years on the island. Enter Commander Shane Connelly. The two men meet at a gay bar, go home together for a night of scorching hot sex -- this is an L.A. Witt book after all! -- and figure they will never see each other again. Wrong. The next time they are at the bar, they hook up again as their chemistry is off the charts, but when they realize that Shane is an officer and Eric is enlisted, they know they cannot see each other again. (DADT may be gone, but fraternization rules are not.)But like every other human being on the planet, you tell them something is off limits, and you want it more, so of course, Eric and Shane continue to see each other in secret, hoping they won't get caught and kicked out of the military.What I really liked about this book was the accurate portrayal of servicemen overseas, how they miss their families, their country, and how hard it can be to adjust in a strange new place where you don't understand the language or the culture. (Even when I was stationed in Italy for three years, I still felt homesick for the States. Now, I just long for real Italian food and wish I could go back!) L.A. Witt was able to convey those emotions to the reader and I think it gave us the setting and atmosphere of the novel.Second, the sex scenes? Ooh la, la. Is it hot in here? As with every other L.A. Witt book, the sex was scorching and plentiful. While some m/m books are filled with sex scenes that add no purpose or do not move the plot along, that is not the case with Conduct Unbecoming. I really felt the sex between Eric and Shane helped explain their relationship and why they were willing to risk their careers for it and each other.Third, the setting was perfect. L.A. Witt really took pains to give you a guided tour of Okinawa, exploring all facets of the island as the main characters did. Having said that, about 3/4ths of the way in, I felt like I was reading a Condé Nast travel magazine, so while I enjoyed the guided tour for about 50% of the book, the rest felt forced and caused me to drop my rating by .50 points.My only other niggle was that I did not understand why Shane and Eric while trying to hide their relationship did not leave the island and fly to Tokyo, rather than stay on Okinawa, where it might be easier to get caught by other military people.But overall, I really enjoyed this book. L.A. Witt once again was able to transport me to a specific setting and make me experience the emotions of her characters. I highly recommend this book, not just because it brought back some many good memories of my experiences in the Navy, but because it has solid characterizations, a great plot and amazing chemistry between the protagonists. I think you'll enjoy it too.Reviews by Jessewave