Review: A Drill Sergeant Learns Something During Basic Training
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 10 21, 2012
It seems that each time I read one of Marquesate's stories, I get a pleasant surprise.  I have only read stories that focus on military heroes and I keep anticipating that since the focus is pretty narrow that there is the chance that the plot and the characters will bear close resemblance to others that I've already read.  That is just not the case.  While the backdrop of the stories and the character mindsets might be similar since it takes a certain type to survive and thrive in the atmosphere of elite soldiering (not sure if that's a word, but I'm going with it), the personalities and their personal stories are different.In this particular story, it gets to almost the midway point until more than hints of attraction are revealed and even then it is a slow build of the relationship while the two men must continue to fulfill their duty assignments.  At first, it is just a tale of what life is like for an instructor- drill sergeant- who must take raw recruits and turn them into Royal Marine commandos.  This time Sgt Col 'Bulldog' Wilson is taxed with the added responsibility of personally watching over a new recruit who has openly declared that he is gay on his paperwork and has scores that are off the charts which should have put him in officer's training.Col is angry and irritated by the perfection that is Christian Thompson.  He can't understand why the guy would sabotage himself by announcing his sexual orientation and by joining as a soldier instead of an officer.  Others are more than irritated, they are envious and this envy leads to hatred that sparks violence in the camp.  And it is at this point that the focus of the story changes.The plot is almost like a journal in that it records snippets as the weeks, months and years go by in the life of Col and Chris who are at two different places in life and their military careers.  It is fascinating how Col who has lived a hard-knock life is still naive in certain things that are bread and butter to Chris so they both have something to bring to the table in their relationship.  The story is told mostly from Col's perspective with Chris getting more time toward the end.  There is a stronger passive voice in this one that mutes the action at times though the 'hate' scene was vivid and brutal so don't take me to mean the story is boring.Character development took place at different paces with first Col being revealed leaving Chris a mystery of sorts and then later Chris' thinking comes out.  I liked this style and I liked the guys along with the additional scenes with Chris' aunt and uncle (love the family scenes).  I laughed so hard when Col and Chris' aunt have that encounter in the hallway. That was hilarious and such a fun way to introduce the extended family into Col's life.It was a pleasure to read this story and I recommend it for those who love authentic m/m military romance.