Squared Away is a super adorable and emotional story about friendship, family, loyalty, and heartbreak. I found myself crying a few times during the story because these characters just go through so much. Between losing their family member, having their whole lives and futures turned on their side when they find out they are the guardians on these three adorable children, navigating their feelings for each other, there was just never a moment for these two to just breathe.

Mark is a Navy SEAL medic who has seen a lot throughout his career. The guys hold him up to such high standards and rely on him to pull them through some rough and life-threatening situations. However, none of that can prepare him for the loss of his sister, the pressure of caring for children he doesn't even know, or dealing with his conflicting feelings for Isaiah. Basically, he finds himself treading uncharted waters. Mark was a character that was both frustrating and endearing. Due to his job, he doesn't come home a lot. So, he's not familiar with the kids like Isaiah is. It takes him a minute to realize that they are not like his guys on base, they don't respond to commands, nor do they always fall in line. It takes him a while to get his bearings, but thankfully for him, Isaiah is there to help out. What was frustrating was his relationship with Isaiah. I get that he has some hang ups with intimacy, and it's not because he had his heart-broken. Mark is grey ace, meaning he doesn't always have sexual feelings or desires like most people do. He can go through the motions of kissing, but he's disconnected from it all. He can watch porn, and it's as if he just watching an action movie. Yet, the more he is around Isaiah, the more he finds himself responding to him and wanting to reach out for intimacy. It freaks him out because he's never felt this way in his life. He worries that in starting something with Isaiah (someone who he knows used to have a serious crush on him), that he will be leading him on and setting him up for disappointment down the road when Isaiah wants more. He's also conflicted because Isaiah is a guy, and Mark is a Navy SEAL. While the military may be okay with gay couples, it doesn't mean that his team will be cool with it. Mark just had so much going on in his head it was a wonder he didn't get himself killed while out training.

Isaiah was an amazing guy. The moment he gets the news about his cousin and his cousin's wife, he immediately goes to the house to care for the children. Since he refuses to have the burial services until Mark is contacted and brought home, he spends a week juggling three kids while the turmoil of the situation looms over his head. By the time Mark comes into the picture, he is exhausted, and ready to just break down. When the news comes that Mark's sister's will stated him as the guardian of the kids, and Isaiah's cousin listed Isaiah as the guardian, they are shocked. Isaiah immediately starts planning everything he needs to change in his life from his living situation, his job, even his lifestyle. Then there was the whole thing with Mark and their growing relationship. Even though he's got so much on his plate, he is so understanding and patient with Mark. He understands that all this is new for him, and that he has a hard time connecting with others, and he takes it slow with him. Watching these two interact and slowly build up their romance was kind of beautiful.

Not only is this an amazing romance, but it deals with grief and all the emotions and things associated with losing a loved one. There's pain at the loss, anger for the fact that she drove drunk that night, uncertainty about the kids, worry over CPS taking the kids away while they find them a more suitable home, and the need to have normalcy when nothing is normal. There was just so much that these characters go through, and yet they have to remain strong and put on a brave face for the kids. The kids, who are too young to fully grasp what happened to their parents. This story was just so emotional that it was hard not to find myself invested in these characters lives.

This is the second story in the Out of Uniform series that I've read, and it's the second one that I've immensely enjoyed. I love that the author makes the story feel so real. She's able to pull the reader in and make you feel like you are part of the story. You feel their emotions, their turmoil, and it's so hard to not get wrapped up in it all. I really need to go back and read the other books in the series, because if the two I've already read are anything to go on, they are going to give me a book hangover.

Oh man! This book was an emotional roller coaster. I was teary-eyed with sadness and with joy. Two men suffering grief and other issues. And then having to deal with a custody mess. Those kids! I love reading books with kids and this book handled it well. The kids' grief was somewhat glossed over. It wasn't really focused on, which I'm still on the fence about. It would have made for some very emotional scenes, but the book had enough of that already with Mark's personal struggle with his sexuality. And that was something I wasn't expecting. But I absolutely loved how Isaiah handled it.

"I like making love." Isaiah put extra emphasis on each word. "And you've shown me that that can come in a variety of forms, not all of which have orgasms attached."

Why don't guys get this in the real life? It's not all about intercourse. It's about showing affection. This was my favorite part of the whole book.

I was not expecting this book. The rest of the series was also emotional, but I think this one had a slightly different feel to it. These are bad-ass, hard core Navy SEALS, yet Mark was a big, bad softie underneath. More so than the rest of the guys in the series. Very emotional read. I loved every minute of it.

This series keeps getting better and better. I’m a sucker for NAVY SEALS. Throw in kids and I’m there. Love the buried attraction and how it bubbles to the surface. Enemies to lovers? Can’t wait for the next book!

There were things that I really liked about this book and some things that I wasn't fully on board with.

The relationship between Mark and Isaiah was fine, they were cute, albeit really frustrating most of the time with their lack of conversation about where things actually stood between them. A lot of drama and heartache would have been avoided had they just behaved like adults and talked to each other.

How they took care of the kids was also something I liked. It's rare reading a book about men in their 20's wanting to take care of small children.

What I wasn't 100% on board with, mostly because I don't fully understand the terms, is all the talk about demisexuals, Pansexuals and all those other fairly recent terms people use to define their sexuality. I think it over complicates things and isn't exactly needed.

Oh this one was a very loving story. I loved the first "meeting" at the wedding. I loved how patient the love was. Isaiah was so good for Mark. I learned a lot about different sexualities.

They come together again after a tragedy that would rock anyone's world. Navigating not only the loss of a family member, but now trying to raise 3 kids as well as figure out future arrangements. Not to mention the attraction that has been festering for years.

This was a very well written love story.

4.5 stars

Even though it was borderline too angsty for me, the realness of the story makes it a huge winner.

I am amazed at how the author incorporated an interracial relationship, a marginalized sexual orientation MC, grief at sudden and unexpected death of family members and three very young orphans. That's a lot in one story isn't it? Oh, and let's not forget the overriding setting of this series is the life of Navy SEALS, so one of our MCs is also dealing with that aspect in his life.

WOW

Too much?

Not at all. At least not the way Anabeth Albert did it.

I loved watching these two come together. Pulling together as a team for the sake of the children. Realising how special the other was in that heartfelt setting of grief. Coming to respect each other first, know each other next and finally love the beautiful person inside the other.

Both characters grew throughout the story. Both became better men. More caring, more giving, and more open.

My emotions went through the wringer. At one point I got so mad that I had to walk away from the book. A few other times I was unsuccessfully fighting back tears. Fortunately, they were the happy kind.

“I promise to never forget that you’re my person. My everything.”

As much as I loved the story, I had a few hiccups while reading. There were abrupt, unannounced POV changes that confused who was speaking. A few typos and a wrong word usage or two. The biggest speed bumps for me were the (too) many instances of characters starting a curse word then changing it to a more benign word. After the first couple of times, that got really annoying.

So maybe not a perfect five, but damn close to it. It was my absolute pleasure to read and review this ARC graciously provided by the publisher via NetGalley.

First, Annabeth Albert is one of my favorite, automatic download authors so I was excited to read the newest edition in the Out of Uniform Series. I tried to like it--I really did--but it ended up being a MEH for me. Not bad, not great, but definitely packs a good emotional punch.

I have no idea how to review this book. I've been a huge fan of this series and it's tough to say if some of my issues with this book stem from my mood, the current climate in the M/M book world, or the fact that this one was just somehow different from the ones that came before it and it didn't work for me.

But in some ways it DID. I was fascinated with Mark. I wanted to keep reading just to watch his character evolve. I wanted to see how things would evolve emotionally and physically between Mark and Isaiah. And they were hot as hell together - every time they engaged with each other romantically, I was on board completely. Unfortunately - it was the rest of the story that didn't work for me. In theory, this is the exact sort of storyline that should have sucked me in and kept my rapt attention until the very end. Instead, I found myself frustrated with the pace of it and irritated with the way the conflict was building.

In the end, I decided to DNF at 57%. I found myself skimming to get to the specific bits that I wanted and completely not invested in the rest of it. Again, this may be more a reflection on my current mood than anything, and I may circle back to it at a later date.

Annabeth Albert is one of my favorite go to authors in this genre and with Squared Away, she did not disappoint.

Mark and Isaiah.....this was a story full of want, regret, pain, love and happiness. It was written so well, and I adored all the character's from this book and books past. This is a series that I always want to read and hope it continues on for a long, long time!

This was by far my favourite book in this series.
Having read all of the books in a short period of time, I could really feel how the author has grown and really appreciated the difference.

"This is my family."

Isiah and Mark met in the week their siblings got married to each other. Years later, they are thrust together in the wake of a tragedy and forced to become a family.
Both of them have a lot of growing to do. Isaiah is young and still quite into the party scene. Mark is a big, bad SEAL and doesn't know how to rely on anyone else. Two interesting, really well developed characters.

I enjoyed the complexity of the plot. It wasn't just 'will they won't they?' (when we know they in fact will.) But there was a subplot with the fate of the children, the legal proceedings and Mark coming to terms/discovering the shades of his sexuality.
I am a complete sucker for the single parent trope, and while this was a little different I still adored it.
Mark and Isaiah develop such a lovely relationship, no insta love here! They make some bad choices, and I wanted to shake them a time or two. Because I cared. A lot. Well done, Albert.

"Dream with me. Please."

After the news of his sister's and husband's deaths, SEAL Mark has to come home to act as guardian to his two nieces and nephew, all under the age of five. What he didn't expect is to come up against Isaiah, who is determined to file for custody. But Mark remembered that last time they met six years ago, Isaiah was young, wild and gets bored easily...

But Isaiah is determined to prove Mark wrong. Isaiah has been there for the family while Mark was away on missions and he's determined to keep the kids together, no matter what. The kids are the most important thing in this situation, not Mark's fears or Isaiah's now dead crush on Mark.

But as the legal situation tries to sort itself out, the two start developing attraction for each other... but unless one of them can open their heart and speak, they both could lose what's important...

I power-read this over the course of three days when I was off work and it was such a lovely distraction. It was light, fluffy, sexy, a Happily Ever After ending (the publisher has said on their site that they publish happily ever after [HEA] or happy for now [HFN] endings), everything I needed at the moment. So, this book came out the right time for me.

What I found interesting is that one of the characters used LGBT terms I have never heard of - demisexual and ace-grey - and it was fascinating to read a character who identified as demisexual and understand this more. I do wish that there was more information on this, though, as when I first heard of it, I did a Google search to get a basic understanding on it, but it's nice to see other sexual identities being talked about here.

This is a beach read for me, a story I switched my brain off to while reading, but I had such a good time reading this, and I am open to trying out another Annabeth Albert story - not sure if it will be in the series or another, but I'm up for the idea.

2.5 stars. I really enjoyed and appreciated the themes of asexuality/demisexuality in this m/m romance, and the way the characters discuss and navigate this element of their relationship! I was looking forward to the trope of this book (unexpectedly having to learn to co-parent together), but found this part of the story only sketchily filled in. Moreover, the conflict in the relationship unfortunately seemed to stall the narrative. As always, Annabeth Albert's books are very readable, though this was not my favourite of her work.

A 5 star addition to the Out of Uniform Series! I have devoured this series, and this installment was on the top of my TBR! That being said, when I saw it on NetGalley I couldn't request it quickly enough. Let me also say it is not necessary to read the series in order, you do see the other characters, and if you're curious about their stories i highly suggest it, but again, not required!

This story revolves around Mark and Isiah, Mark the SEAL and Isiah who is trying to figure out his life's purpose. They are brought together after a tragedy leaves them dealing with custody over their mutual friends/families children. Mark being a SEAL, often deployed, and Isiah with no employment, both have negative attributes hovering over their case. Through the duration, they uncover old feelings that have sparked many years prior. There is a ton of push and pull, a lot of self and sexual acceptance, and of course children who make the story whole!

There is also a barrage of overly opinionated family members, friends claiming to "help", and enough "set up" offers to really fire this story along. In the end, you get a real sense of family, closeness and connection that mimic real life. Annabeth does an amazing job with authenticity and realness in each of these stories!

I loved this book! I was immediately drawn into it would had a hard time setting it down. Tragedy brought both Mark and Isaiah together but love and understanding help them achieve their much deserved HEA.
There was the perfect blend of romance and drama in the book.

I love the Out of Uniform series. This is one of the better military/law enforcement stories. Mark is coming back home after the death of someone close, only to find out that Isaiah, has stepped in to help his family.

Mark is a great character, but his over-protectiveness was a bit annoying in the story. I liked the reality of what it is like any time someone comes back from being deployed. I liked how Albert flipped the script on roles between Mark and Isaiah because we got to see how strength shows up in different people in different ways.

The whole custody battle I think was a bit much. Mark only remembered Isaiah as a guy who slept with everything in uniform, but I wish he saw sooner what the new Isaiah was like because all the stuff with Mark and Isaiah's family was a bit of a put off because of the quantity of drama. Still, a solid 4 stars and I can't wait for the rest of the series.

Another great addition to this series. This go around we have Mark who is a Navy Seal and Isaiah who appears to have been a professional college student. Overnight these two turn in to daddies to 3 little ones. 6 years previously, Isaiah had propositioned Mark was was turned down. It appears during the next 6 years, Isaiah turned into a little man-whore. When Mark finds out that his sister and brother-in-law have died in a auto accident, he makes his way home to find Isaiah taking care of the children. Mark tries to step in to help but has no experience taking care of kids and doesn't even know them as he has been away most of the entire lives. So we have a story of them trying to navigate their feelings for each other & trying to make a family. There was a point that Mark did something that hurt Isaiah and it wasn't done out of any malicious intent but, he should have discussed it with Isaiah. Even though we deal with Mark being gray ace or demisexual, the sexy times were very sweet and we learn that it's not necessarily about the sex but about the connection. I highly recommend this one.

I super loved the Demi or Gray-Ace protagonist. Loved it. Very under-represented everywhere and I loved to see it done so well by an author I love. I like the way Albert writes. The characters are likable and relatable. The children are actual children and not plot moppets.

However man is this book repetitive. A good portion of the book is the exact same argument over and over and over and over. Felt like a great novella stretched out to be novel length. Also both characters just lost siblings and I just couldn't get over how emotionally it is a bad idea to start an intense relationship (especially involving traumatized children) during that.

Absolutely perfect once again. This author puts so much effort into bringing real life events to the stories she creates. It's hard to find any part of the story that seems too far fetched to be real. It helps that Isaiah and Mark are great complicated characters. Lots of heartache, some stumbling, bumbling moments, and some sweet love. Great story! Loved it!

EMOTIONAL, SWEET, AND HEARTFELT!

Annabeth Albert's Out of Uniform series is one of my favorite Top 3 Book Series, and Squared Away is truly such a fantastic addition. Mark aka Wizard, and Isaiah's story blew me away. I honestly can't say enough about this one. Mark is such a romantic, and am so glad Isaiah is his person! I felt all the emotions while reading this story. It's beautifully written, and the story line had me flipping the pages. Just like every other book in this series, I ended up finishing it in less then a day.

If you are a lover of M/M, Military story's, you need to pick up this series. And if you have already started this touching series, you are in for a real treat with Squared Away! I can't wait to see who Annabeth brings us next! Am crossing my fingers for Bacon!

**ARC RECEIVED IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW**

This is book 5 of the "Out of Uniform" series, and it features Mark, a Navy SEAL dealing with the death of his sister and his guardianship of her children, and Isaiah, who also shares guardianship of those same children. Albert is always amazing at conveying difficult emotions, and this book is no exception. Mark and Isaiah have a history together where they almost hooked up, and years later, that tension remains as they try to muddle their way through the aftermath of tragedy. This book is a great addition to this series!