Semper Fi

I was skeptical going in, because so many historical romances end up nothing more than a moderk couple transplanted into a different date.That is not the case here.The author took care to do the research so that she could accurately convey the society at the time, and its effect on the couple. It was fascinating to follow these guys navigate their love and lives in war and peace, and in American society as it slowly evolved over the course of the 20th century.Well worth a read.

4.5-5 starsThis was a great story. I loved both Cal and Jim and really got into their story. This took place during WW2 and a few years right after it so a lot of the issues in this story have to do with the views towards homosexuality (and it's lack of acceptance) at the time.Cal was born into wealth but never liked his life. His family expect him to toe the line and do what's expected but Cal has a problem with that. Cal has known since he was very young that he liked men and had no interest in women so getting married and having a son to carry on the line just isn't happening. Unfortunately, homosexuality isn't accepted in that time and Cal had to hide his sexual preferences. Cal joining the Marines during WW2 to piss off his father and ended up being one of the lucky ones that came home.Jim owns an apple orchard that he inherited from his father after he died. Jim had married a woman, Ann, when he was 20 and they had a daughter. Jim ended up joining the Marines during WW2 and also was lucky enough to come home alive. After he got home, Jim and Ann had a son, Adam. Around six months before the story begins, Ann died in a car accident, leaving Jim with 2 kids and an orchard to look after on his own.Cal and Jim met on the train to basic training and became fast friends. Cal noticed an attraction to Jim but figured that Jim was straight and had no interest in guys (especially since he's obviously married). They stay buddies through a grueling basic training and thankfully, get transferred to the same company when they're shipped out. They become mortar partners and end up together throughout the war. When the war ends, Jim goes back to his orchard and Cal (unhappily) goes to work for his father. Cal stays away from Jim, hoping that time and distance will dim his feelings for Jim, but when he finds out that Jim needs help in the orchard, he sheds his obligations to go help him.Cal and Jim are happy to see each other again but Jim's daughter, Sophie, isn't happy about people being gone and Cal coming in to take their place (both her mother and a hired hand that was much beloved and left for unknown reasons) so she tries to cause some problems. That doesn't last very long but as Jim starts to realize his attraction for Cal, he's not comfortable with it and his resistance causes some issues. Not that I can blame him much...that was a different time and if people had found out, Jim could have lost his kids. These issues cause some definite drama and pain but thankfully Jim and Cal are able to work out a way to be together (if secretly) and end the story cementing a HEA together.I greatly enjoyed this story. One of the things I love about Andrew's writing is how well she writes her characters. I could totally get into both of the MCs, understand where they're coming from and feel for them without annoyance. My only real complaint about this book is that the HEA had to be a secret one and considering the time-frame, that couldn't really be helped. Overall, I thought the story was great and I love the MCs so I'd recommend it. :D

I've found a new favorite author! Keira Andrews!Semper Fi first caught my eye with its cover. Talk about communicating passion, war, m/m, and historical feel with a single image. LOVE this cover.But that was just the beginning of my love affair with Jim and Cal. Keira Andrews does an amazing job bringing the setting of apple orchard Clover Grove to life. Her voice is well paced with just the right amount of description. Her dialog shines, and her characters mesmerize.I was completely entranced with the concept of two young men who served together during the war learning to accept their feelings for each other while moving on under the shadow of PTSD. Jim is haunted by memories of a brutal war. Cal is haunted by a romantic love for his best friend, who doesn't even know he's "queer" (in Cal's words). Years after they went their separate ways, Jim's wife has died. Cal arrives to help Jim with the orchard. Their friendship picks up where it left off. Unfortunately for Cal, so does his attraction to his best friend.Jim is happier than he's ever been having Cal at the orchard, helping him with the harvest and with his two children, Sophie and Adam. Jim's marriage wasn't what it could have been, and even now that his wife has died, he experiences guilt over not being the husband she had deserved. He simply couldn't bring himself to return her love the way she needed.Cal begins to help Jim understand why he never loved Ann the way he wished he could, but Jim isn't at all happy about the explanation. Good thing he has his long suffering friend Cal to help him work through his feelings, both good and bad.This is a satisfying story of true love and self-discovery, and it worked so beautifully for me. Except for one thing: the back-and-forth between scenes from the present (the story is set in 1948) and scenes from six years in the past (1942-1945). Maybe a quarter of the novel was set in the past, showing how Jim and Cal met on their way to boot camp and how their friendship grew, how they came to rely on each other in the brutal environment of WWII.In my opinion, this was all backstory that I didn't need or want in order to understand and enjoy the story set in the present. I found there to be plenty of angst without the boot-camp and war scenes. In fact, I skipped much of the 1942 chapters to get back to 1948, where the romance was happening.For others, the backstory might be awesome. It was certainly well researched and well written. But for me, it took me out of where I wanted to be, which was at Jim's orchard in 1948. I found if I skimmed the war scenes with a focus on the last page of each, I got a good sense of Jim and Cal's growing friendship and Cal's romantic love for Jim to compliment the 1948 story.If the 1942 chapters had been woven into the 1948 story rather than written as separate scenes, this would easily have been a 5-star read for me. With the interrupting scenes, I have to leave off a star.Still a beautiful story (I cried happy tears twice). If you love friends to lovers, self-discovery, gay for you, and historical settings, this is a definite You Need To Read!I'll be looking for more Keira Andrews.This review appears on You Gotta Read Reviews here:http://yougottaread.com/2015/02/review-semper-fi-by-keira-andrews/

On the face of it, this is a simple story: two men meet during WW2 and form a deep bond that changes them forever. But the richness of the world the author creates, the warmth of the characters, and the depth of the love Cal and Jim feel for each other makes this a compulsive and complex read that tugs on the heartstrings in all the right ways.The story switches from 1948 to 1942-45, showing how the two men became friends and how that friendship changes and deepens in the post-war years. The two timelines could have been jarring, but the device was well handled and each section enhanced the next so that both timelines forwarded the story as a whole.There is some heart rending angst—the sort that keeps you turning the pages past midnight to see how it’s resolved—which made the HEA all the more satisfying when came. I really fell in love with both Cal and Jim, and the book left me with a warm glow, happily imagining their life together—even if it their love had to be kept secret. I especially loved the epilogue.It’s beautifully written historical fiction, vivid and very real. I felt totally immersed in the world and was sorry to see the book end. I even found myself wondering how Cal and Jim would react to future events –such as Vietnam, the advent LGBT rights etc. All in all, a captivating read—highly recommended.

Oh. My. God.I had absolutely no idea what I was getting into when I started this book.It. Was. AMAZING.It's a slow burn, friends to lovers story that broke, (and repaired) my heart several times over.I fell more and more in love with both Cal and Jim with each passing chapter. Their story is one of love surviving everything. War, death, betrayal, uncertainty, the law...you name it, they overcame it. And they did so with grace and humility.If you're looking for a fluffy romance, give it a serve, this book isn't for you. If you like your stories to be of love and hardship and struggle. Like REAL love, then this ones for you.Just don't expect an easy ride..This story will stay with me for a very long time.Thank you Keira Andrews. You have left an indelible print on my heart.

A beautiful love story one you should read. It covers a span of years and also a war with the struggles two wonderful men go throughall because two men can’t be together, it’s against the law. Thank God that’s changed. The one thing that I didn’t like was the way it went back and forth in years

that love triumphed the law and judgments.I was so worried that this story was going to be an 'oh dear' story,because you simply can't help rooting for cal and Jim.and bless cal for not giving up on his true love.I wish the law was equality for all who love who they love but there's still many states to go.very lovely written by keira.i was not so keen on the back and forth of past and present but you get used to it.

I wouldn't normally read an 'historical' M/M romance, but I'm glad I did. This was a sweet and romantic story about 2 marines and their friendship and growing love for one another in a much more innocent time I guess. And you cannot help but feel sad and angry that they have to keep their love so secret because unfortunately it was still a time when you could be imprisoned for being gay. Very enjoyable read.