Reviews

Ask, Tell by E.J. Noyes

kberlow's review against another edition

5.0

Beautiful. Intense. Captivating.

Why hasn't this been made into a movie yet?

leymag's review against another edition

3.0

3.75 stars ---
(Audio)

I saw someone leaving some really great reviews about this book and I am a pushover. I surprised myself by how much I liked this book.

Lust and love equally play their parts in this plot. The obstacle of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy makes the love story between Sabine and Rebecca that much more entrancing.

I will say, I was vexed by a few cliches. Sabine's constant reminders to herself to keep her wandering and lustful mind in check felt repetitive, but I get Noyes' use of it. Being attracted to your boss in the military cannot be an easy feat. She gets a pass for that. Though I admit I was very surprised the intimacy actually happened between them. I wasn't expecting it to come so naturally. I figured Sabine would have had to hold out a little longer to try to be with Rebecca but I am glad Rebecca reciprocated those feelings rather than having been persuaded.

After they came back to base and had to co-exist, I can't lie that I lost a little interest. I figured from there things would just be hunky dory. The scene where Sabine got caught in the cross-fire was a much needed and suspenseful addition. Absolutely my favorite scene. The doom and fear was captured so well, and it was so interesting to see Sabine put her medical training to use on herself. I have never seen that perspective before and I applaud Noyes' use of it. Not to mention her near death experience intensified Rebecca's fear of not being with her and amplified their love story.

The spice was definitely spicy, the love was definitely romantic, and the military was definitely mentally and physically demanding. Noyes hit their marks for sure.

aljj's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

Good, but in hindsight kinda dull. The first listen was fine, but I never really cared enough to go back to it. If this one didn't fully win your love, don't continue the series.

sarahduensing's review against another edition

dark emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

jcurry447's review against another edition

emotional hopeful tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

lezreadalot's review

4.0

It’s interesting how losing something and wanting something gives you the same sort of feeling.

This book has been on my TBR for such a long time, and it did not disappoint. The plot is super simple: a DADT-era romance between two army doctors stationed at a base in Afghanistan. Sabine has been drawn to her superior officer, Colonel Keane, for years, but she's been in a long term relationship all that time. As things with her girlfriend become more and more strained, her relationship with her stern, hyper-efficient commanding officer slowly evolves.

Noyes excels at all the small, quiet details: life on the base, the day to day realities of living and working during a war, the immense strain Sabine and others feel from living with DADT. I loved the tight friendship that she and Mitch had, and I adored the intensity of the romance with Keane. There's no cheating, which I was grateful for, and even though this didn't give as much detail into the background of their relationship as I might have liked, I still felt their bond and connection super well. Every time they were on page together, I felt like I was holding my breath, which is exactly what I want out of a romance. It's clear that a lot of research was done as well. All of the medical scenes felt so visceral and real; at a certain point my heart was in my throat because I couldn't deal with the descriptions. That's what impressed me most about the writing. Without a lot of frills, Noyes manages to convey everything the reader needs to feel, with a lot of intensity and emotion. It's so good.

Listened to the audiobook as read by Abby Craden, who, as usual, does no wrong. This is told in a single first person POV, and it was a great voice for this type of story. There are some things that the reader doesn't know, and it's all structured so well. Craden does such a good job inhabiting Sabine's voice. There was some gender essentialist language that isn't unique to this book, but was nevertheless disappointing to see, and I do wish the first half of the book could have been stretched out a bit more, to give us more scenes between Sabine and Rebecca. Otherwise, I found this super well-written and paced. Looking forward to reading the rest of the series!

Content warnings:

Spoiler

war, death, blood, severe gore and injuries

.

sulphuric's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

charvey's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.0

soy_ahoy's review against another edition

5.0

I was a little apprehensive about starting this book but as soon as I started it there was no putting it back down again. Captain Sabine Fleisher's humor and truly remarkable horniness immediately won me over, and the level of yearning in her and Lieutenant Colonel Rebecca Keane's story is absolutely off the charts, considering they are a subordinate and her direct commanding officer on top of serving during the era of Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy. There's a lot of emotions in this book and it gets very intense at times, but I really appreciate an adult romance that can be serious as well as funny. E.J. Noyes is now definitely on my list of authors whose work I'll be keeping an eye on.

the_azeezat's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional informative tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

I would have really liked if it was written from both main characters POVs instead of one