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Semper Fi Paperback – April 30, 2015

by Keira Andrews (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 921 ratings
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The war is over. The battle for love has just begun.

As Marines, Cal and Jim depended on each other to survive bloodshed and despair in the Pacific. Relieved to put the horrors of war behind him, Jim went home to his apple orchard and a quiet life with his wife and children. Knowing Jim could never return his forbidden feelings, Cal hoped time and an ocean between them would dull the yearning for his best friend.

But when Jim’s wife dies, Cal returns to help. He doesn’t know a thing about apple farming—or children—but he’s determined to be there for Jim, even as the painful torch he carries blazes back to life. Jim is grateful for his friend’s support as he struggles with buried emotions and dark wartime memories. Then Jim begins to see Cal in a new light, and their relationship deepens in ways neither expected. Can they build a life together as a family and find happiness in a world that would condemn them?

Semper Fi by Keira Andrews is a historical gay romance featuring friends to lovers, sexual awakening, first times, found family, and of course a happy ending. (It also contains wartime violence and depictions of post-traumatic stress.)

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Previous page
  1. Print length
    322 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    April 30, 2015
  4. Dimensions
    6 x 0.81 x 9 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    0993859844
  6. ISBN-13
    978-0993859847
  7. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"[A] beautiful love story that begins strong and comes to a sweet and believable finish; a story of family, of what it means to have more experience with loss than anyone should ever have, and what it means to grab onto and never let go of joy when it walks into your life." ~ The Novel Approach

"This is one of those books I would recommend to any romance lover. It's just so well done. Every single aspect of Jim and Cal is fully fleshed out and develops at just the right pace. Grade: A." ~ Fiction Vixen

"Beautifully written and a powerful story. Highly recommended." ~ Boys in Our Books

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ KA Books (April 30, 2015)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 322 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0993859844
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0993859847
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.05 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.81 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 921 ratings

About the author

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Keira Andrews

Keira Andrews

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After writing for years yet never really finding the right inspiration, Keira discovered her voice in gay romance, which has become a passion. She writes contemporary, historical, paranormal and fantasy fiction, and—although she loves delicious angst along the way—Keira firmly believes in happy endings. For as Oscar Wilde once said, "The good ended happily, and the bad unhappily. That is what fiction means." Find out more about Keira and her books at: www.keiraandrews.com

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
921 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

The Book Wench
5.0 out of 5 stars Riveting and heartwarmingly, heartbreakingly real!
Reviewed in the United States on July 21, 2020
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What a grand tale this is! I like war stories, but I was never especially interested in love stories from the WWII era...until now. This sweeping tale of friendship and love between fellow Marines who meet as raw recruits in 1942 on the train to boot camp drew me in from the beginning. The writer's use of a dual timeline -- the war years and the home years -- was a brilliant idea, well-executed and authentic in every regard. The story is entirely historical, since when it ends, with Sophia as a college student, it is still only 1957. Calhoun "Cal" Cunningham III and Jim Bennett become fast friends as they weather boot camp with the irrationally mean-spirited DI Sargeant Tyrell, whom I freely admit I hated with a passion and wished to see great harm come to. He had a particular bee in his bonnet where Cal was concerned, and I loved how Cal never let the jerk see him sweat. He earned my respect immediately because he knew who he was, what he was worth (and I don't mean financially), and that kindness paid the greatest dividends.

How he and Jim, now a widower, end up living together in Jim's home on Clover Grove Orchard, which Jim owns, with Jim's two children, is a further demonstration of the kind of man Cal is. Having no interest in his father's banking business (because he does not see his wealth as defining who he is) and needing to find a sense of purpose, not to mention having a long-standing but secret love for his fellow Marine, Cal goes to help Jim get the orchard ready for the season when the man who had been working for him leaves without notice. Cal's presence stirs up a hornet's nest of emotions, from fear to self-loathing, to love. Along the way, Jim discovers what he's been hiding from himself with Cal's help. I'm much more of a Cal fan than a Jim fan, though I fully understand his trepidation and confusion, and the many times he pushes Cal away are totally reasonable. A well-wrought story artfully told. This will be a re-read for me.
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Jessi Gage Romance Author
4.0 out of 5 stars A satisfying story of true love and self-discovery
Reviewed in the United States on February 22, 2015
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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/
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Everything was just right
Reviewed in the United States on January 29, 2024
Verified Purchase
This one was meant to be just meant to be a fill-in audio book that I chose because I missed listening to a book narrated by John Solo. He is something else. He has a gift for making the characters come to life. Anyway, back to the book itself...it was heartbreaking in places and uplifting in others. It really sneaked up on my heart. Cal and Jim's personalities complemented each other so well with Jim just being so sweet and Cal so good with him. I didn't mind the jump to the war scenes as they gave context to their current situation. This one will stay with me for a long time. This is my first book by Keira Andrews so I'm very excited to explore what else she has on offer.
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Thomas Southern
5.0 out of 5 stars I hated for the story to end! Excellent writing
Reviewed in the United States on May 16, 2020
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I purchased this book reluctantly; not sure what type of gay romance to expect from a female author. I was pleasantly pleased. The historical plot was captivating and seemingly accurate which was a plus! The characters were realistic and likable. For a female author, Andrews did a remarkable job in capturing the true, real essence and feelings of a gay man's struggles to come to terms with his identity. Likewise, the sexual longing and desires were realistically presented with the right balance of true eroticism. Too often these type of books neglect the plot and focus too heavily on the sexuality. But Andrews has the perfect balance! I also appreciated the author dealing with the subject of PTSD which is often avoided in "feel-good" novels. Andrews writing had a way of drawing the reader into the plot and characters on an emotional level. I ached for Cal and Jim as they struggled with the societal restrictions which forced them to hide their relationship, and I could personally relate to Jim as he tried to understand and accept himself. The back and forth from their experience in WWII to the present (1948) was well developed and effective in engaging the reader and maintaining interest which was became connected throughout the story. I hated for Cal and Jim's story to end; I wanted a few more chapters to see what their lives looked like in 20 or 30 years (maybe a sequel??).
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Top reviews from other countries

MaBookYard
5.0 out of 5 stars Best friends to Lovers done perfectly!
Reviewed in India on February 8, 2022
Verified Purchase
Battle hardened Marines. Historical Romance. Small Apple Orchard. Best Friends. One Straight with a Wife. One pining after the other. Second Chance. If this doesn't scream for the slow burn Romance, then I don't know what does.
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My Rating : 4.5/5 🌟🌟🌟🌟✨
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This book follows our two characters : Cal, who isn't happy with his money giving job, and Jim, who lost his wife and is in need of help. The relationship between Cal and Jim was so heartbreaking and hopeful, that you cry out loud at them to just look at each other. The dual time period really helps with the character development and makes us pine along with the characters. AND THE PINING! Omg even though we know what's at stake, I couldn't help but melt a little at the amount of affection they had for each other. Their personalities were so complimenting, I died of cuteness.
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Now coming to the story and character development, the author has done an amazing job of writing the emotions, that you can't fault the slow pacing. I actually enjoyed the slow burn and the gradual development. Sophie was such a great kid and I absolutely loved the bond between her and Cal ! Aahhh the love between them. The discussion of PTSD was also something that was done really well. We get to read about the war time and it breaks your heart. Keira always makes me want to hug these characters close and just give them all my love. Especially the ending and one particular conversation was so heartwarming!
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Overall, This is a great Historical Romance that discuss the effect of war and PTSD, has an amazing Best friends to lovers plot, pining, second chance, single dad, some late night apple orchard action, kids that'll melt your heart and scenes that'll make your heart break. Pick it up!
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Book 15 - January 2022 / Kindle Unlimited
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Erryn Barratt
5.0 out of 5 stars History come to life (an audio review)
Reviewed in Canada on March 4, 2020
Verified Purchase
I was recently asked to name several of my favorite books. My mind immediately went to the MM genre, and from there I moved through as many books as I could remember reading. Two of the three I selected were historicals.

Into Deep Waters by Kaje Harper is about two World War II soldiers meeting on a ship. Their love was forbidden, of course, but they found ways to furtively come together. Things after the war weren’t much easier, but the men forged a life together and found happiness.

Wilde Love by Lucy Lennox is another book I often think of fondly. In this book, two men meet in Vietnam. One is married and one is gay. Only years later do they come together for their happy ending. Keira Andrew’s Semper Fi was much like this book and I have to say it will rank up with one I really enjoyed.

Cal Cunningham is gay. He was destined to follow in his father’s footsteps, and go into the family business of banking. Instead, after Pearl Harbor, he signed up to join the military and became a marine. He met Jim Bennett as they were on a troop train headed off to boot camp. The men couldn’t be more different. Jim is an apple farmer. Both from New York state, their homes are mere hours apart, but it seems like different worlds. They bond over first boot camp, and then fighting in the South Pacific. There is no sugar-coating here – the war is described in a fair amount of detail and it’s no wonder these men, as well as many others, came home with what we now refer to as PTSD.

After the war, Jim comes home to his wife and daughter while Cal heads to Europe with the family business. Jim and his wife Ann have a son Adam and things seem to be going okay until Ann is killed in a tragic car accident. Suddenly Jim is a widower with two young children. Cal comes to visit, sees he can help, and basically stays.

This book is a slow burn. Although Cal has been in love with Jim for years, Jim has been oblivious. Although his marriage wasn’t always a happy one, Jim never perceived there could be other kinds of relationships. He’s a God-fearing man who believes that being queer is a sin. Heck, he’s even been taught that masturbation is a smite-worthy offense.

Then one day Jim sees Cal in a different light. The change was believable, and I was rooting for the men to get together. Of course it’s 1948 in rural New York State, so it can’t be simple for them. There are plenty of obstacles and a dark moment to boot. But this is a Keira Andrews romance and I was pretty sure I’d get my happy ending.

This book has an interesting structure. Each chapter begins during the war (the first ones in 1942, moving along until the surrender of Japan in 1945). Midway through the chapter, there would be a transition into ‘present’ day (1948). This structure worked brilliantly as the war became more vivid, the lives the men built afterward more precarious. The epilogue also contributed greatly to the flow of the story and it was nice to see things from a different perspective.

John Solo narrated Ms. Andrew’s Gay Amish love series and he did another amazing job with this book. I love that he’s consistent in his delivery. I always know I’m going to get a solid performance and he delivers. He also has distinctive voices for the men and I was never confused. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and will be happy to recommend it. Near the top of my list.
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Felicity
5.0 out of 5 stars Love can be found everywhere, even in war zone
Reviewed in Italy on February 4, 2020
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I usually keep away from historical romance because I don't really like the genre, but I was intrigued and decided to buy it (having a Kindle unlimited account I usually don't buy books!). So this was a complete 180 from my usual MO and TOTALLY WORTH IT! The story might seem rather simple, but it sort of grows on you while reading and you end up cheering for Cal and Jim's love, trying to find a way for them to be together. The whole book is very well written but the epilogue is to die for 😍
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Wow. Just. Wow
Reviewed in Australia on August 8, 2021
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This is such a beautifully executed book. Both Cal and Jim are gorgeous characters and there's such a sense of the time in the writing. You can almost taste the age it's set in.What I loved was that the HEA was so natural, believable almost in the grander scheme than what would maybe happen in some of the newer fast-paced romances. If you enjoy historical romance this is for you. Very much recommended.
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SallyM
5.0 out of 5 stars and the depth of the love Cal and Jim feel for each other makes this ...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 1, 2016
Verified Purchase
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.
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