Audiobook Review: Don’t Ask Don’t Tell by Miski Harris

17 April of 2020 by ButtonsMom2003

Story: 5

Performance: 5

5.0Overall score

I loved this!

Don’t Ask Don’t Tell By Miski Harris, Performed By John Solo

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Military, GLBTQ, MM

Released: Audio April 7, 2020; eBook August 8, 2018

Publisher: Self-Published

Series: Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, Book 1

Length: 3 hrs, 8 mins; 110 pages

Performed by: John Solo

Synopsis

Staff Sargent Elijah Jackson, EJ to his friends, joined the Air Force hoping for refuge from the mess his life had become. For almost ten years he enjoyed new life, success, and love, in spite of the closet he was forced to hide in by the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell military policy. One day it all comes crashing down around him. Now he’s back home with serious decisions to make and a very short time to decide how to salvage his life while healing his heart.

Betrayed by his lover and partner, Dr. Dale Chenault left California and his fledgling practice behind. In Sayville, he’s found a home for his counseling service, and on the surface, seems to have his life in order. The truth is some of the decisions Dale made have become a stumbling block in his ability to rebuild the breach in his heart and by extension, his life.

When Dale and EJ meet the chemistry between them is hot but the pain of past betrayals is strong, and trust seems impossible to build. Will they be able to move past what has been to create a future together?

Don’t Ask Don’t Tell is a story of love, trust, betrayal and second chances with an HEA.

Review

Reviewed by ButtonsMom2003

I loved this!

One of my favorite audiobook performers, John Solo, did a live reading of Miski Harris’s Don’t Ask Don’t Tell in his Facebook group recently. John’s live reading was enough to get me very interested and eager to listen to this book. He really gave the story high marks and I respect his opinion.

As part of the live reading, Miski gave away a few codes for Audible copies of the book; I was lucky enough to win one. When I checked my Kindle library, I also found out that I had purchased a copy of the book a while ago. (I’m a one-click addict and own way more books than I’ll ever live to read. 😊)

Don’t Ask Don’t Tell is a novella length story but it felt like it was much longer to me (in a good way!). The story starts off in 1997 and spans four years. It centers around Elijah Jackson (EJ) and Dale Chenault.

EJ was in the Air Force and was betrayed by his lover who was also in the Air Force. The betrayal cut deep and forced EJ to reexamine his life and goals. Dale suffered a similar betrayal by a lover many years ago so he understood what EJ was going through. The two of them met at a party and really hit it off with each other.

The embarrassment and anguish that EJ goes through radiated off of the pages. It’s really hard for me to believe that this was Miski Harris’s first published book. I thought the writing was excellent and the story truly kept me captivated from beginning to end.

I would call this a slow burn story. While the chemistry between Dale and EJ was off the charts, Dale had promised himself years ago that he would no longer engage in casual sex. Because he felt that EJ still wasn’t over what happened to him, Dale insisted that they wait to have a sexual relationship.

Well, this review is already getting too long so I’m going to stop and just say you need to read or listen to this book. The story is compelling and romantic; I just can’t say enough good things about it. I’m really looking forward to reading the next book, Collateral Damage, which I immediately bought a copy of after listening to Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. I hope that it also comes out in audio format at some point.

Gah! I almost forgot to mention how much I loved John Solo’s performance of the audiobook. I’ve never listened to anything he’s performed that I haven’t loved!

Story: ♥♥♥♥♥

Narration: ♥♥♥♥♥

O Factor: Spicy

Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Series

♥ Amazon US ♥ Amazon CA ♥ Amazon UK ♥

About Author

Miski Harris

Miski Harris was born and raised in New York City with her younger brother and sister. She became and worked as a critical care nurse, served in the military, raised five amazing sons and traveled to other countries, sometimes, all at the same time. When Miski sets her mind to achieve something there is no force on earth that can stop her.

Through all the organized chaos that has often defined her life her one constant has been her love of books. Reading has always been a mainstay in her life and she is rarely seen without her Nook on which she has reportedly downloaded over 2,000 books. A woman of boundless imagination, she has always desired to give life to the characters who maintained residence in her imagination. With that in mind, she has finally put pen in hand to fulfill a lifelong desire to write books of her own.

Ask anyone who knows Miski to use one word to describe her and they would say fierce. A prior military commander once defined her as a “tender warrior”. Friends, patients, and associates have always found a strong advocate in this woman who is not afraid to speak her mind.

Miski believes three things: challenge is just another word to define worlds to conquer and lines to cross; love and faith are the most powerful forces in the universe, and the only thing that hinders success is to fail to try. With that in mind, she invites you to join her in a world where love is second to nothing and life is the greatest adventure of all.

Author Links

John Solo

Narrator Links

Audible | Facebook | Facebook Group | Website