kevin my military man by shane kaelle

Summary from Goodreads:

The 1970's. The 21st Century. Military Romance. But much more. Intriguing. Complicated. They say that for each one of us on this planet that there are potentially 30,000 people with whom we might find a partner in life. But what about the concept of the SOULMATE ? Does it exist only in one's dreams or imagination ? They share but 5 words between them in high school but somehow, their eyes connect their souls. Five year later, they meet again, have a summer but Kevin enlists. Letters sustain their relationship but not indefinitely. The circumstances of life.... The distance.... Then - different directions.... Time goes by.... 17 years later, it is Gina's young adult sons who find the letters, the photos. Gina decides to search for Kevin online using 'buddyfinder' on military com website. - Chris watched as Will pulled out the photos without acknowledged permission that this was fine to do. .... Chris picked them right up. "Is this Kevin ? Kevin from beach ? Dana and Zeik's dad ?" Chris asked ...."It looks like it doesn't it ?" Will said. "He and mom were friends ?" Chris asked trying to elicit more feedback. "I think that they were more than friends." - Donna defended herself. "I learn from fiction. Some of it's historical and other plots expose me to things that I would never experience." - It involved explaining to them the mindset of Marines. 'Marines are Marines'. There is mutual respect between 'Enlisted' and 'Officers'. - "Why is that ?" "If your boyfriend is a looker, than you'll always feel insecure - there will always be girls chasing him." "You're rationalizing," Jeannie quickly replied then added, "It is sort of true with Tim." - .... and just sat on her bed. He noticed the paper under the pillow and didn't think before pulling it out to read it. "Hear my soul speak; the very instant that I saw you, did my heart ...." .... but Kevin - he was something. Tim had no idea how to compete with a guy like this.

My Review:

I was compelled by the summary on Goodreads to read this book. I don't recall seeing another work in which the military plays such a role. The first 16 years of my life were spent moving around North America with my military family. From talking with friends, I know how different military life can be from that of a civilian. I was interested to see how this story would play out.

The story follows a group of young people over a span of 20 years or so. We are introduced to the main character, Gina as she is entering high school. Gina actually meets Kevin for the first time in high school, but thinks nothing of it. Gina and Kevin met once again the summer after Gina's sophomore year in high school. This is where their romance begins. At the end of the summer Kevin tells Gina that he has enlisted and is not quite sure what the future holds for him.

Gina returns to her college lift and Kevin goes off to basic training. Much of their relationship is exposed via the letters that they exchange. During the course of the story they actually spend very little time together. They often discuss the idea of being "soulmates". They eventually break up due to some miscommunication and go their separate ways for awhile. Life of course carries on and both Gina and Kevin move forward. Some time later they rediscover one another through the Internet and begin chatting online.

I think the story itself was pretty good. There were a lot of footnotes and extra information included in the story which I believe was present to educate the reader. Occasionally I did get lost in some of the extra material. For example there are several instances when the are playing chess and the author spells out the particular moves they were using. I don't play chess, so I'm not sure how this added to the story.

The story makes the transition from a teenagers life in the 1970's to an adults life in the 2000's in a believable manner.

I received this book from the Goodreads First Reads Program
This is the first time I've received a book directly from an author. When the book arrived it had a note from the author and several pages marked. I can't imagine the work that must be involved in writing a novel and publishing it yourself. I commend her on her effort.

I would recommend this book to a reader who doesn't mind sorting through the extra material to find the heart of the story.


Edited to Add: I know the author is trying to get the word out about her book. Stop by the website. www.shanekaelle.com