I love a good May/December romance and I adore Annabeth Alberts so its not shocker that I enjoyed this book as well. There was some angst that I could have done without but as will all of this authors books it was a satisfying read.

4.5 stars

Gahh Bacon!!! I just loved Bacon so freaking much!!! I mean, Spencer too, but, Bacon. I just wanna be best friends with Bacon. He's fun, he's also super serious and committed to his work, and he's so sweet to his mom. What's not to love about him.

I love how Spencer becomes where Bacon can be fully himself and decompress after a hard week. I loved them spending time at Spencer's and not just because of the incredibly hot sexy times. I just loved how vulnerable Bacon let himself be with Spencer and how much Spencer loved taking care of Bacon. Their relationship is just so sweet!!

Their rough patch had me holding my breath waiting for them to figure it out and get back on track. But, it made them stronger and more sure of their relationship than ever and I can't be mad at that.

I adore this series so freaking much!

I really enjoyed "Tight Quarters" by Annabeth Albert. My intro to her writing was via her novella "Knit Tight" and I loved the bisexual representation. So I was even more delighted that we have a pansexual character in "Tight Quarters". Albert hits on the head in terms of angst, longing, and heat. I would like to pick up the rest of the series eventually...and the rest of the Portland Heat series...and I hear her #gaymers series is also great...well you get the idea.

Petty Officer Bacon is a Navy SEAL tasked with escorting an embedded reporter on their latest mission. He's not happy about it, especially he's nervous about maybe spilling info that could incriminate two former SEAL team members, Lowe and Strauss who were the MC's of WHEELS UP. Plus, it's never good to be on-mission, but not a part of it. As a chaperone, Bacon's orders are to bring the reporter back in one piece, even if it means bailing on his team.

Spencer Bryant is out to write another award-winning book to highlight issues with veterans and enlisted personnel not getting the support and care they need. A previous confidante, and friend, for whom Spencer wrote a best-seller, was a retired military man whose PTSD put him over the edge. While on mission, Spencer is humbled by the bravery and camaraderie of the SEAL team--and he's unwillingly attracted to his handler, Petty Officer Bacon, who seems to not have a first name. While running training exercises, Spencer and Bacon develop a camaraderie of their own--tinted with unrequited sexual tension. Their actual mission deep in the terror cells of the South Pacific goes terribly wrong, however, and Spencer struggles with the guilt of Bacon leaving his men in danger to just save him.

The navy shuts down Spencer's access to the SEAL teams as soon as he's brought back to base, yet Bacon knows how to find him before he leaves for the US. They know that the navy won't be happy about any fraternization, even if Spencer's no longer embedded--and yet the need for affirmation adds gasoline to their smoldering attraction. It should only be the one night, but Spencer's thrilled when Bacon reaches out later to tell him that things went better the second time around, and his teammates, though wounded, survived.

This communication brings Bacon and Spencer together in a way each man truly needs--contact that supports, not distracts. On leave, Bacon drives from San Diego to LA to visit Spencer and the sparks are ridiculous. These guys fit together so well, Spencer's far away life providing Bacon with an emo outlet he hasn't had since high school. Still, the story Spencer wants to write, feels compelled to write, centers on suicide and depression of veterans suffering PTSD, and it's a wedge growing between them even as their relationship matures over months from buddies-with-benefits to exclusive boyfriend status. When Bacon finally learns about Spencer's planned book deal he's crushed--the SEALs are his family and this could hurt them--would certainly offend them that Bacon is dating a man who trashes the navy and other armed forces. It's the deal-breaker Spencer expected, but he didn't think he'd fall for Bacon first...

It's a little bittersweet, but a brief separation and some counseling on both sides helps each man find a pathway back. Bacon's connection to an amputee helps him see that PTSD and depression are true killers of his comrades, while a mentor helps Spencer remember that life isn't just a story--it's meant to be lived and savored. I liked how they each make amends, with Spencer being present for Bacon just when he needs him, and Bacon coming out and trusting his team to support his love for Spencer. There is a lot of support for Bacon, and he's happy to life his life in the open. The finale brings the story full-circle with Bacon baring his non-classified secrets and them building a life together.

Tight Quarters is one of Annabeth's best romances. It's steamy with the right amount of tension and character development. I loved Spencer and Bacon's romance because of their dynamic and how despite being on opposite sides of the fight, they somehow manage to look past that and work on their relationship. This is a series that continues to get better and better with each book.

The theme in this book is Pansexual and a bit of a May - December relationship with Spencer being older than Bacon.

Bacon is pansexual and he's always found Journalist/Author Spencer Bryant attractive so when he's assigned to protect Spencer on an assignment, sparks fly and lines get crossed.

I liked these two but compared to the whole series they were a bit forgettable.

Don’t give me that look. I know what you’re thinking. “Another gay romance, Andrew? Really?” Well, yeah. And be warned, I have one or two others within my TBR so you will see a few more in the coming few months within my blitz of murder and dragons.

But I wanted a change of pace. And I wasn’t in the mood for anything too heavy. Plus, I wasn’t ready to start my reading of Eragon or Grave Mercy, both first books in the two series I want to read in 2019 and, while looking through my NetGalley eProofs (I have around 60 to be read - a few from when I started on NetGalley. THE SHAME!!! But, am making plans to try and cut down my requesting of eProofs and try to read a good few before I got on a blog break in April/May. I am making plans!), this title catch my eye and went “Ok. I can hammer this out fast. Let’s see where I go with it.” Plus, I did read the previous book in the series, Squared Away, and I did enjoy that hugely at the time (I read it in two days flat).

Petty Officer Bacon, a Navy SEAL, has been asked to in a beta team die to a minor injury and, due to that, been asked to babysit a forty-something journalist, Spencer Bryant, a man who gets Bacon’s blood racing. But when the mission goes sideways, the two men find themselves falling for each other. But keeping a relationship alive in the real world is very different from the front lines - the stakes can be much higher…

So, what did I think of this?

Well, it was fun. I know I don’t read the romance genre much/ever but it was nice to read this and go with these characters and see what happened next, even though we were told from the get-go that this was going to end with a Happily Ever After (HEA) or Happily For Now (HFN). So, we knew what we were getting ourselves into. A gay romance with one character being in armed forces.

Plus, it’s kinda refreshing to read a romance where the age gap wasn’t an issue (Bacon is in his late 20s [29?] and Spencer was in his later 40s {48/49?]). And I liked how the romance/sex scenes were handled (yes, there are sex scenes and no, none are fade to black).

Before I go any further, I’ve seen a few reviews on Goodreads mention trigger warnings such as homophobia, mentions of suicide, gun violence and warefare, serious injury, etc and yes, these are in here so if they affect you, go in with caution or avoid.

This book isn’t perfect. This is me, of course am going to pick at things. While I instantly liked and rooted for Bacon, Spencer took a little longer to like which might annoy some of you guys if you want an instant click. But the main issue that, the more I think about, the more annoyed I get, is the angst and the drama that, of course in a romance novel, causes friction and them to spilt up for a while. Am just going to remind you of Bacon and Spencer’s ages - 29 and 49. Both characters have had serious relationship (hell, Spencer is divorced from first husband as they both were very career driven journalists) and both character are career driven. So when the angst causes them to fight - their first real argument - why do I get the feeling it’s a fight teenagers in a relationship would have? If only they both communicated BEFORE it got to this point, maybe they could have come to a compromise or the blowout wouldn’t have been so bad.

This is a beach read for me, a read I can switch my brain off to while reading and, while I do have plans to read the next book in the series, Rough Terrain (which has a gay porn star as one of the cover models - how I know that I have no idea!), I think I preferred Squared Away out of the two as it was a tad more sugary and the communication issue in that didn’t bother me as much as the communication issue in Tight Quarters is bothering me now.

I love Annabeth Albert’s Out of Uniform series, and after missing books four and five, it was great to be back with Albert’s SEALs for Tight Quarters, the sixth book in the collection. In this book, only one of the MCs is a man in uniform, though. One of the guys is Petty Officer Delbert Lawrence Bacon Junior—just ‘Bacon’ to his fellow SEALs—but the other is award-winning journalist, and one of Pride magazine’s most eligible bachelors, Spencer Bryant.

Spencer is well known for his thought-provoking newspaper articles and features in news magazines as well as a couple of books, including one about veterans. It’s the book on vets that helped get him picked to embed with Bacon’s SEAL team, which is about to be deployed for a mission. The bummer part for Bacon—aside from the fact that NOBODY on the team is happy about having a damn journalist with them, slowing them down—is that, because of an injury, he is the one who is assigned babysitting duty and has to hang with Spencer. This isn’t Spencer’s first rodeo, though, and he’s hardly just some aging journalist. While they’re training for their mission, Bacon finds out that his charge is not simply some burden he’s stuck with but is a totally capable, strong, and self-sufficient guy. Oh, and he’s also hot. And, on top of that, he’s a good guy. It’s obvious pretty much immediately that Bacon is screwed.

They do get deployed, but the mission goes south. Bacon and Spencer end up running into some danger when they’re headed to the rendezvous point, and Bacon has to shoot three men to save Spencer. Suddenly, Bacon’s normal position as the main sniper on Team Alpha is no longer just an abstract bit of knowledge to Spencer. He now has a first-hand account of where Bacon needs to be mentally in order to do his job on a mission. I thought Albert did a great job portraying the emotions both Bacon and Spencer went through when that happened. I loved that they talked about it and that Spencer cared so much about what Bacon needed afterward, and that he even got that he would need some space and TLC.

After that first phase of the mission is over and Spencer gets sent back stateside, the book takes on a bit of a different tone. The action settles down, except for some quick glances at Bacon in the field, and we see the relationship start to build and develop between the MCs. I enjoyed the author’s use of emails, and the snippets of time they got to be together when Bacon was on leave between deployments. I loved the picture Albert painted of the domestic routine they got into while spending that time together. I loved how being with Spencer calmed Bacon, allowed him to just let go of everything else and quieted his mind.

There were a lot of things I really felt like the author got right with this story. One of which was with regard to Bacon’s sexual orientation. Bacon is pansexual. He’s out to his best friend, Curly, but not to anyone else on the team. It was interesting that Albert chose to have a pansexual MC. It’s good to see so many different kinds of representation happening in the genre, and I liked the way she handled the discussion. Spencer sort of questions Bacon when he comes out to him as pan, commenting that it’s pretty uncommon to meet people who identify that way. It allowed Bacon to tell his story—specifically about falling in love with Jamie, his genderfluid best friend in high school—and it felt like a very genuine and realistic conversation.

I ended up enjoying this one a ton. While I loved Spencer from his first appearance, it took a bit of time for Bacon to truly grow on me. But, I wound up really, really adoring him. In fact, the story itself got better and better as it went on, and I totally loved the end. I’m sure I’ll end up going back and checking out the books I missed, but I’m so glad I picked this one up anyway. I couldn’t resist the May-December romance between these guys. And, thank goodness, too, because they were sexy as hell. And now I also can’t wait for Rooster’s book, which is coming up next!!

Reviewed by Jules

Every book in the Out Of Uniform series has hooked me from the start, but Tight Quarters had a depth unlike the others. From temptation to battle to coming home, the development of these characters brings you so close to the action you can almost feel that first fall.

Then every single one that comes after, physical AND emotional. I wasn’t sure how I felt about Spencer Bryant at first, or the age gap, but he quickly won me over and I loved the interactions between him and Bacon.

Bacon is such a different kind of hero and I enjoyed every minute with him. His strong sense of self made the age-gap easier to understand. You never feel like he’s being taken advantage of. But there are times you see his youth has him more willing to take chances. Strong enough to go after what he wants.

Because of both men—and the extraordinary talent of Annabeth Albert—this is truly a love story not only worth reading, but worth diving into again. Definitely a five star read for me!

There have been some really great installments in this series, but this felt like a recycled and repackaged book made from plots of previous novels. I couldn't get into this one, and I hope that Albert branches out and tries different plots other than adopted children for any future installments.

I’ve really enjoyed the Out of Uniform series from Anabeth Albert. I had enjoyed Bacon when he was introduced previously and looked forward to his story. I was intrigued by Spencer, and the interaction between the pair in the beginning was definitely a dance of sorts. Both are fighting an attraction, with Bacon seeming almost angry about it at times though much of that was in relation to how his team members were acting. There were moments that if I’m honest the story dragged for me, but ultimately I came back around to so many feelings. Albert wrecked me at times with Spencer and Bacon’s conflict. Their fight to be together at the end was so moving. While I can’t say it was my favorite of the series, I’m really happy with the outcome.

While I enjoyed many of the previous titles in this book, this particular one in the series didn't really captivate me all that much. I don't quite know if it was the way the extreme hot and cold between the two characters went, or the fact that I felt like the pacing was skewed by it. I wished it was a little bit more heated because there is a lot more of these military MM romance stories out now, they read rather similarly. There was nothing all that unique about Bacon or Spencer and their story, which made me a little bit sad,

However, I did appreciate the sweet and tender moments as a stark and harsh contrast to the world they were both living in when their relationship developed. I just wish there was more fire in the story and more dynamic differences in the character personalities to offset the story type.

A decent read overall, just hard to get into and finish.

Tight Quarters is another solid addition to the Out of Uniform series.


This certainly can be read as a standalone, but it features couples (briefly) from Wheels Up and Squared Away. Pansexual Petty Officer Bacon (Bacon's first name finally revealed inside) has been a solid side character. I was a little unsure how I'd feel about Bacon getting a starring role. But I shouldn't be surprised, this author gave him an interesting enough back story and a solid romance to boot.


Ginger haired Bacon is 28 years old and enjoys being a 'lifer'. Granted, everyone around seems to be coupled up. He hasn't even come out to his team other than a trusted friend. But he's satisfied...enough. He's dedicated to his SEAL career. And to his dismay, he's assigned to watch over a journalist embedded with his SEAL team. And it's the last thing he needs. Especially since he's a fan of the handsome silver haired out 43 year old author, Spencer Bryant. Bacon isn't sure Spencer will make any new fans with his team since there are a few homophobes on his team.


Spencer and Bacon do start off a little rough. Bacon just thinks the out and proud journalist is going to dig into everyone's business. It takes a mission for the two to form a bond and mutual understanding after sharing their pasts. The sexual chemistry was palpable.


Bacon and Spencer try to deny themselves, especially since Spencer would never start a personal relationship with a source. Once Spencer is off from being embedded with the SEAL team, the two start something that became bigger than they ever expected.


I like Spencer for Bacon a lot. He knew how to read his desires and was just about perfect as his match. The way how they dived into feelings...I'm mostly on board with it. The further I read along, the more favorable I became to the two being a couple.


The author added tidbits of daily life to help move the plot along. It was an easy read. There was a good amount of sex as well: big guy bottoming, rimming and dirty talk.


The two struggle with career choices as Spencer plans on writing book that focuses on the military. But as per usual with this author, the two figure it out with a satisfying HEA.


The last chapter was my favorite.


Sexy, sweet story with a some mission action and solid leads. It's not my favorite from the series but I'd recommend to readers who enjoy age gaps, sexual tension that goes somewhere and a couple that learns the importance of communication.

I enjoyed this story about Bacon and Spencer. Spencer has been given permission to embed with a SEAL team and Bacon is responsible for him. Sparks don't fly immediately but they have a slow burn romance that I really enjoyed. I have loved this series.

I really love Annabeth Albert's work, and her Out of Uniform series is just phenomenal. It's the gold standard by which I judge other M/M romances I read. As I was expecting, Tight Quarters did not disappoint: well-developed characters I cared about, a realistic plot that still managed to have a happy ending, and hotness galore. Highly recommended!

I received a digital ARC from the publisher via Netgalley.

Stevie‘s review of Tight Quarters (Out of Uniform, Book 6) by Annabeth Albert
Contemporary Gay and Pansexual Military Romance published by Carina Press 09 Jul 18

Annabeth Albert is doing a grand job of covering practically the whole QUILTBAG spectrum in her Out of Uniform series. This time, she’s turning the spotlight on a character regular readers already know to be pansexual, even though he’s not out to the whole of his team. Petty Officer Bacon – no other name needed – tends to shy away from bringing dates to SEAL events – not that he goes in for serious dating – and has become even more cautious of late due to the gossip surrounding two comrades who left to spend civilian life together (as per a previous book in the series). Bacon is very much a man of action and is less than pleased when he’s relegated to taking care of a journalist who’ll be following the team – at least until Bacon’s recent minor injury has healed up. The fact that the journalist in question is a very out, very attractive, and rather charming gay man does nothing at all to help Bacon’s bad mood at the situation.


Spencer Bryant has made a highly successful career out of writing articles and books on important matters, including issues faced by veterans invalided out of the military. Now, he hopes to write an exposé on mental and physical health risks Special Forces are exposed to above and beyond their combat experiences, having witnessed first hand the toll such experiences took out of a friend Spencer made while writing one of his books. When he meets Bacon, Spencer is immediately intrigued, especially since Bacon is the only one not prepared to put up with homophobic banter from other team members. While Bacon is prickly at first, the two soon build up a rapport and begin to share stories.

I like Bacon’s reasons for identifying as pansexual rather than bi: his best friend and sometime lover while at school had identified as non-binary, but had committed suicide prior to graduation when the small-town bullies got too much for them. Bacon got out of the toxic atmosphere by joining the Navy with the support of his family, who assured him that Don’t Ask Don’t Tell wouldn’t hang over him forever. Having found a place where he fits in, however, Bacon is still unsure about sharing his life story with more than Spencer and a couple of trusted buddies, which could be tricky as he and Spencer grow closer.

Things become more, rather than less, difficult when work commitments separate the two, but they stay in touch and find ways to spend time together, even though their careers keep them apart much of the time. Again, I like that the pair of them are able to make their relationship and their jobs work, even though the latter causes friction on both sides at times. I also like the way Bacon’s eventual coming out to his team is no great drama and that the pair of them seem to be settling into domesticity without losing any of the factors that make them who they were. Another sound addition to a series I’m extremely fond of.

Grade: B

Bacon’s a dedicated SEAL. He doesn’t let anything get in the way of his job, and he’s highly loyal to his team. But he also has a secret that few people know - Bacon is pansexual. He doesn’t expect to come out to his team, unless he falls for a man.

I’ve wanted to read Bacon’s story for a while now. It didn’t take me long to develop a major crush on Bacon. He’s the total package - strong, driven, and he’s got heart in spades. Plus, the killer bod doesn’t hurt either.

Spencer Bryant is an award-winning journalist who’s shadowing Bacon’s team. Spencer’s married to his career and has a rigid sense of ethics. But from the moment he meets Bacon, Spencer can’t help but be drawn to the man.

The two men don’t get off to a great start. Bacon ends up on babysitting duty, keeping Spencer out of harm’s way. Bacon would rather be in the midst of the action, and Spencer doesn’t like being treated like a burden.

However, underneath the snark there’s an undeniable simmering tension. Spencer and Bacon manage to keep their hands to themselves, but it’s only a matter of time before they give in.

When the mission goes awry, Bacon finds himself turning to Spencer for comfort. The two men go at each other with no holds barred. This is one sexy read!

And it’s not just the physical chemistry that’s obvious to the two men. At some point during the mission, their rocky start turned to mutual respect.

Bacon finds himself opening up to Spencer about his past in a way he’s never done before, and Spencer begins thinking about a life that includes more than just his pen and laptop.

I loved seeing the two men let their guard down. It doesn’t take long for their weekends together to become the most important parts of their lives.

The big stumbling block on Spencer and Bacon’s road to a happy ever after is a book that Spencer wants to write about the military, which Bacon isn’t on board with. I’ve got mixed feelings about the whole thing, and neither man handled the situation that well.

But I was really happy with how everything was resolved, and that Bacon and Spencer get the perfect happy ever ending!

Overall, this was a really good addition to the Out of Uniforms series!

Tight Quarters is basically a Navy SEAL falling in love with Anderson Cooper. It was as good as every other book in this series and was able to teach me what being pansexual means.

I gave this an A at All About Romance.

The Out of Uniform series has been a reliable favorite of mine since the first book, Off Base. That book introduced me to the whole military sub-genre in queer romance, and I’ve been hooked ever since. I wasn’t wild about the last couple of books though, and thought the series was losing steam, but Tight Quarters proved me wrong. Sexy and smart, with two compelling and appealing principal characters, Tight Quarters is a magnificent return to form for Ms. Albert.

After a training mission leaves him injured, Navy SEAL Bacon has two choices: take leave, or babysit Spencer Bryant – an award winning reporter and novelist – while he’s embedded with his unit. Unwilling to take leave, Bacon reluctantly agrees to act as Bryant’s liaison. With his team in transition since the departure of two team members (featured in Wheels Up) and tensions running high, Bacon is wary of a stranger – a curious, inquisitive and smart one – shadowing the team and the worried about the secrets he might uncover. Bacon is pansexual – but he isn’t out to his team – and spending time with a super-hot, single, gay silver fox to whom he’s attracted seems like a recipe for disaster.

Ever since the suicide death of his friend Harry, a special forces veteran, Spencer has felt compelled to learn more about these elite forces and the mental and emotional challenges they face. When his request to embed with the SEALs is approved he’s thrilled, and glad he’s kept himself in shape. It’s clear from the moment he arrives on base that there’s a “Don’t let Bryant be alone a single second” order in effect, but he isn’t surprised; “he wouldn’t want a reporter if he were in their shoes either." It’s also obvious that the SEAL assigned to babysit him would rather be doing anything else, but Spencer expected that too, so he does his best to help set his escort at ease. He can tell Bacon is pleased when he keeps up with the team on a training run, and he hopes that with time, his handsome, tall and muscular liaison will become less stand-offish.

Bacon finds himself warming to the reporter and reminding himself not to let his guard down around him. Bacon has secrets and so does the team, and regardless of his attraction to Spencer, he resolves to keep his distance. Spencer won’t risk compromising his professional ethics by getting involved with Bacon, and he does his best to suppress his attraction to him. Their relationship changes when they’re deployed to the South Pacific and the mission goes awry. Isolated from his team in enemy territory with Spencer, Bacon relies on his training and skill to keep them alive. After a frantic, fast paced trek through the jungle, the pair are forced to wait for extraction; in the long hours they spend waiting, they forge a new bond – one that transcends their attraction to one another, and seems destined to last beyond the mission. Once they’re finally back on base, Bacon is sent to debrief, Spencer is sent home and the Navy informs him they’ll no longer participate in his project.

Spencer might have lost his opportunity to embed with the SEALs, but he isn’t willing to give up on writing Harry’s story. When Bacon tracks him down to his hotel, insisting they do something about the attraction between them, he can’t resist him. They spend a passionate night together and when Bacon whispers goodbye in the morning, Spencer is convinced he won’t see him again. He reluctantly departs, but during a pit stop at his parents home in Hawaii, he gets an email from Bacon… and eventually the pair agrees to get together when Bacon’s deployment ends.

When Bacon – whose first name is Del (the name he uses whenever he’s with Spencer) – shows up at Spencer’s Los Angeles condo, the reunion is everything both men hoped it would be – and more. Their chemistry is electric – in bed and out; Spencer loves taking care of Del, and Del flourishes under Spencer’s tender affection and care. Both men are superbly characterized, and despite the opposites attract premise, they’re well matched. I loved that Ms. Albert doesn’t belabor their disparate ages or experiences – Spencer grew up surrounded by wealth and privilege; Del lived in fear of a drunken, violent father and joining the military was his escape – but instead shows us two mature men willing to be vulnerable for each other. They cherish each other’s successes and failures, and provide each other with a safe space to be their truest selves. The relationship is intense from the start and they fall hard for each other.

Spencer hasn’t forgotten Harry – or his guilt over his death; Del hasn’t confessed to his team that he’s with Spencer or that he’s pan. These things together, and Spencer’s anxiety about the depth of his feelings for Del, ultimately prove their undoing. Time apart provides much needed perspective however, and allows Ms. Albert to bring the story full circle. Harry’s suicide triggered Spencer’s interest in special forces and their lives post-service, and eventually, brought him to Del. Del’s passion for life is intrinsic to who he is – and is a reaction to the suicide of his closest friend. I loved how the author ties these disparate threads together as she drives the narrative to a happily ever after. Del and Spencer are good men facing a difficult situation and both make mistakes. Their struggles feel very authentic to the story and to ‘real life’ coupledom. Ms. Albert perfectly captures the nuances of this relationship, and the challenges both characters face in balancing their private and public selves with their work/play time. I was wholly invested in them finding a way forward together – and their eventual hard won reconciliation.

In Tight Quarters, Annabeth Albert breathes new life into an already satisfying series. Del and Spencer are terrific principal characters – their relationship is my favorite in the series… so far. Readers can find much to love in each of the Out of Uniform novels, Tight Quarters is another high note, and with no end in sight, we have plenty of great stories to look forward to.

Oh how I love the guys from Annabeth Albert’s series, and in this case the Out of Uniform books. These stories focus on Navy SEALs in southern California and I’ve loved all the couples and their stories. This one is no different.

The last book I’d listened to, Squared Away, set Bacon up for being the next bachelor and sure enough, this is his story. Bacon is a sharpshooter for the SEALs and with all of his buddies beginning to settle down, he’s starting to feel the pressure of his loneliness. Spencer’s a serious investigative reporter who’s managed to get assigned to a SEAL team for a story he’s working on. Naturally all the guys are wary of a reporter, but Bacon is especially aggravated since he’s been assigned to “babysit” Spencer throughout his time with the team -- while finding himself attracted to the silver fox hottie. Meanwhile Spencer is trying for a meaty piece on how SEALs are treated after injury -- or whatever else he can uncover -- and as he gets to know Bacon better, he begins to feel conflicted between being a professional getting the story, and the close bond he’s forming with the attractive, grumpy SEAL assigned to him.

I always snap up Annabeth’s Out of Uniform stories, and I’m not disappointed here. They’re just fun, but they always get me with the angst and other issues the guys bring to the table. Bacon can’t forget his first love and how he lost him, and the divorced Spencer is haunted by the memory of a Navy vet he befriended who later committed suicide. I don’t know the first thing about what actually goes on in the military, but I think Albert does a lot of research and nothing seems glaringly out of place when I read these books, so I’m happy. And really, her characters and stories always boil down to the relationships between the heroes, their baggage (which varies in intensity) and how they find their way to each other after some conflict arises. It also never ever hurts that the sexy times are seriously hot … and sweet. I always love her guys and their relationships with the other heroes of the series.

If you’re an Albert fan, and especially an Out of Uniform fan, this will be a must read. I liked this one.

4 pieces of eye candy
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