While all of Annabeth Albert’s titles in the Out of Uniform series are excellent, “Squared Away” is my favorite addition to the lineup. After a tragedy, Mark returns from a SEAL mission to care for his deceased sister’s children. Isaiah, a cousin of the children’s father, is already taking care of the day-to-day needs of the family. The two men settle in to the work of raising young children while managing their own grief—and a growing attraction. Mark, however, is on the asexual spectrum and has real anxiety about pursing a physical relationship with Isaiah. To top it all off, the children’s guardianship is not a done deal.

“Squared Away” focuses on family, but it is also deeply concerned with exploring love. Isaiah’s open heart and easygoing nature are a wonderful match for Mark’s need to take care of people. Albert’s writing always pays great attention to intimacy and affection, and she has outdone herself in this novel. It is an uplifting and resonate addition to the m/m genre, especially for its representation of non binary identities. Highly recommended.

4.25 Stars! I haven't really read a good romance about an ACE character and I thought this story was done very thoughtfully. Mark and Isaiah are thrown into a tough situation when their siblings pass away and their kids need a guardian. I LOVED Isaiah. He was so ready to take responsibility for his nieces and nephew and from day one knew what he wanted. Mark was more shell-shocked and took a while to figure out the path he wanted to take. These two at times seemed not to be very romantic but then again...some of the scenes were very passionate. The connection they formed truly evolved into a true family dynamic and they definitely were a team. This book deals with a lot of struggles not only involving the relationship between Mark and Isaiah but the eventual care of the kids and dealing with how Mark wanted to be seen by his workmates. Through all of the ups and downs of the story, I enjoyed all of the different aspects to this story and really fell in love with both Mark and Isaiah. Very cute.