Good Morning,
We are really excited to welcome Liz Borino to the blog today!
She is a relatively new author to us, but has quickly become a must read author!
After we reviewed Behind the Scenes earlier this year she moved quickly up our list and after reading No Flag, she tops the list for M/M romance for sure and is easily one of our top ten must read authors.
Without further ado, please welcome Liz and her guest post, check out our review and leave a comment!
Point of View with a
Memory Lapse
No Flag is written
in close third person point of view with different scenes switching between the
main characters. This means, in each scene we’re ‘seeing the world’ through the
eyes of Mike or Will, depending on the scene. However, as often happens with a
traumatic event, Mike has no memory of the bombing that took his left arm. Will
certainly doesn’t know because he was across the world in America during Mike’s
deployment in Afghanistan.
Neither point of view character has any knowledge beyond the
media reports of the event that changed the couple’s life forever. Where does
this leave the reader? In the characters’ heads, where they’ve always been,
trying to figure it out along with them. The following snippet is from the
scene where Mike wakes up in the hospital.
“Mike, a group of insurgents broke through the
security of the building you where you were stationed. The explosion you heard
could have been any one of the ten IEDs set off by the suicide bombers,” Dr.
Tate started. “I’m sorry. You were awake when you came in. I thought you knew.”
No, no,
that’s not right. If there were ten IEDs set off by suicide bombers, I would be
underground. Not the doctor’s fault he was given bad information. All civilians
are. “Did everyone make it out?”
“Unfortunately, no. Twenty servicemen and women
lost their lives.”
Mike lifted his eyes toward the ceiling to dry the
physical proof of his emotions. “I’m all right?” He hated how selfish the
question sounded, but he had to know.
“The left side of your torso is afflicted with
first degree burns.” Dr. Tate paused and glanced up at the nurse, who – in what
seemed like a choreographed move – put her hand on Mike’s shoulder. “The bomb
also destroyed the building. A wall collapsed on your left arm, which had to be
cut off to free you.”
“But you put it back on, right, Dr. Tate?” Mike
scanned their faces, the kindness now looking more like pity. He had to be
dreaming, or they were lying. Why couldn’t he move his head? Fuck it! He didn’t
have to move his head. He’d move his damn arm! “I’m waving, doctor. It hurts,
but I can do it. Why would you lie?” Mike gasped for breath.
The doctor stood up, unfastened Mike’s neck brace,
and encouraged him to turn his head. Though, suddenly, he didn’t want to. The
hospital gown sleeve covered whatever remained of his left arm. “I’m sorry,
Mike,” Dr. Tate said. “I could only even the bone and clean out lingering
infected skin and muscle. Your arm was crushed.”
“All right, I’ll get a prosthetic when the
swelling goes down. How long will that take?” Yeah, the rehab would suck, but
Mike could deal. People managed much worse circumstances coming home from war.
Dr. Tate shook his head. “Because of where the
wall fell, the army medic had to cut off the edge of your shoulder. By the time
you arrived here, the infection had spread through the rest of the joint. A
prosthetic is not possible without a joint.”
So… I’ll
have to live the rest of my life with one arm? Can I ever hope to hold Will
securely in my arms again? Or discipline him? Oh, god, how will I fold my
clothes properly? But instead of expressing the dread shooting through his
heart and mind, Mike said, “Thank you for saving me.” He wanted nothing more than to be alone to
process his future. Because if the doctor stayed much longer, he would see how
distraught the prospect made Mike, thoroughly killing the ‘men don’t cry’
expectation. And if men don’t cry, soldiers certainly don’t. Yeah, the doctor better leave now.
Mike goes through almost the all of the stages of grief in
this scene, and he will repeat the process several more times in the book. It’s
all compounded by the fact that he wakes up believing he’s mostly fine. Later
on in the book, Mike’s memory becomes important not only for his own
understanding, but national security as well. Please check out No Flag to see why and how the couple
recovers his health and their relationship.
Blurb:
For Mike and Will, “No Flag” meant “come home
alive,” but will their love survive what happens next?
Captain
Mike Kelley does not ignore his intuition, so when sexy bartender Will Hayes
captures his heart, Mike embarks on a mission to win him over to a Domestic
Discipline relationship. Will accepts with one caveat: Mike must promise not to renew
his Army contract. Mike agrees, and they spend a year building a life together,
getting married, and starting a business.
Only
days before their café’s grand opening, Mike receives news that threatens
everything he and Will have built. The Army invokes the Stop Loss military
policy to involuntarily extend his commission and send him back overseas. Will,
left alone to cope with the café, must rely on the support of old friends who
may be no longer be trustworthy. Through emails and Skype calls, Mike and Will
keep their love and structure alive… until insurgents wage a horrific attack on
Mike’s outpost.
Mike
awakens in a hospital with a devastating injury and no his memory of the
attack. As the only survivor, Mike’s memory may be the key to national
security. Mike struggles to cope with his injury and Will struggles to support
the man who always held him up. Both fear they have lost their previous
relationship. Will has Mike back rather than a folded flag, but in the
aftermath of war, can they rebuild the life they had before? Especially
when those closest to them may not have their best interests at heart?
~Buy Links ~
10 Inch Review ~
I was really excited to get my hands on No Flag and read another story by Liz Borino. While M/M isn't my go-to genre, Liz Borino has written stories, that I wouldn't care if the characters were aliens or purple~people~eaters (sorry it's Halloween music time), I would still have enjoyed this book just at thoroughly.
In No Flag, Mike and Will struggle at first with their 'alternative' lifestyle together, then they have to deal with Mike being deployed and the injury that arises. There are so many conflicts that are realistic and something that so many people have to contend with on a daily basis that I was sucked into their relationship and struggles with all my heart and every emotion Mike and Will faced, I could feel within myself.
I love their commitment of 'No Flag' while I know there is never a guarantee with our military the use of the phrase 'No Flag' gives a visual to the reader that may either make you smile when you read it or bring tears to your eyes ~ or may do both at different points of the story!
While a strong man in his own right, Will enjoys the domestic discipline that Mike instills in their relationship, and it is interesting to read how they handle that part of their relationship while Mike is away and after Mike returns from his last tour of duty. Mike is used to being in control and the range of emotions that Liz Borino gives us after Mike returns will keep you turning the pages of this story well into the early hours of the morning.
I admit, I started this story while taking a break from work, and well didn't get back to work until I finished. Thankfully, I work from home, so I didn't get fired for my addiction to a good book! Definitely a recommended read for any reader that wants an indepth story that is full of emotion, conflict, resolution and will probably leave you with a book hangover and maybe even more appreciation for the men and women who sever in the military.
In No Flag, Mike and Will struggle at first with their 'alternative' lifestyle together, then they have to deal with Mike being deployed and the injury that arises. There are so many conflicts that are realistic and something that so many people have to contend with on a daily basis that I was sucked into their relationship and struggles with all my heart and every emotion Mike and Will faced, I could feel within myself.I love their commitment of 'No Flag' while I know there is never a guarantee with our military the use of the phrase 'No Flag' gives a visual to the reader that may either make you smile when you read it or bring tears to your eyes ~ or may do both at different points of the story!
While a strong man in his own right, Will enjoys the domestic discipline that Mike instills in their relationship, and it is interesting to read how they handle that part of their relationship while Mike is away and after Mike returns from his last tour of duty. Mike is used to being in control and the range of emotions that Liz Borino gives us after Mike returns will keep you turning the pages of this story well into the early hours of the morning.
I admit, I started this story while taking a break from work, and well didn't get back to work until I finished. Thankfully, I work from home, so I didn't get fired for my addiction to a good book! Definitely a recommended read for any reader that wants an indepth story that is full of emotion, conflict, resolution and will probably leave you with a book hangover and maybe even more appreciation for the men and women who sever in the military.
Liz Borino Bio
Liz Borino transcribes the world inside her head onto the
page, and share it with the people who are stuck in the “real world” to makes
their lives a little more interesting. Because in her world, heroes fall and
stand up again with the help of their partners and friends. Liz’s world is
littered with formidable obstacles, which her heroes overcome with a fire of
courage and passion. The beauty of love between two men is celebrated. Who
wouldn’t want to live there?
When not with her heroes, Liz enjoys exploring cities,
working toward social justice, and editing for other authors. Liz is less than
three months from obtaining her Masters’ degree in English and published nine
books since 2010.
