I had trouble getting into the story of this one - even if I was very excited about it when I requested it a long time ago. I think maybe special ops isn't what I most want these days, because Off Base was well written with compelling characters, I just didn't feel like it was what I wanted or needed at this time.

Zack is a Navy SEAL who knows he is supposed to like woman, but he just doesn't.
Pike is an acquaintance who is very openly gay. Being around Pike makes Zack uncomfortable. It makes him feel things he doesn't want to acknowledge. Things get a lot more confusing for Zack once Pike becomes his roommate.

There were aspects of this story that I really liked, but Pike kind of ruined it for me. I felt like he was supposed to be an outgoing, gregarious guy. But he didn't feel like that to me. It was something that nagged on me the entire book.

I received a copy in exchange for a honest review.

Navy SEAL Zack Nelson is not out, not even really to himself. But that doesn’t stop one of his teammates from giving him a hard time and making his life miserable. Zack is determined to get out of the barracks and into off-base housing — so determined he agrees to take on the job of doing home repairs in exchange for a place to live, even though he has no idea what he is doing.

When Zack learns that a friend of a friend, Pike Reynolds, needs a place to live and has actual home improvements skills, Zack reluctantly agrees to be roommates. See, Pike is nice enough, but Pike is openly gay, very flirty, and the two had an awkward night a while back where something might have happened between them if Zack wasn’t so drunk. But Zack figures it is worth a shot and agrees to let Pike live with him in exchange for help fixing up the house.

The two men are very different, but soon become friends. They come to rely on the comfort they each bring to one another, and a real bond begins to form. And despite Zack’s best efforts, his attraction to Pike grows as well. Part of Zack is determined to stay totally in the closet; things are bad enough with his SEAL team without them having confirmation that he is actually gay. At the same time, he can’t help his feelings for Pike. For his part, Pike has had enough of “tourists” and is determined not to get involved with another closeted man. But the attraction between the men is smoking hot and neither can deny their feelings. Soon the two are having a hot, sexy, and totally secret relationship.

On one hand things are great for Zack and Pike. They love living together, they enjoy doing the renovations as a team, and they are close friends. On top of that, they are totally falling for one another, and along with the hot sex, a real emotional connection has grown between them. Pike has been willing to give Zack time, but he can’t wait forever for Zack to be ready. Not when that day might never come and Pike knows his heart will be broken. Now the men must figure out if there can be a future for them, one where Zack can be himself and the guys can be open about the love that has grown between them.

Off Base is the first book in Annabeth Albert’s new Out of Uniform series. It is also a spin off of sorts from her excellent #gaymers series, in particular Connection Error (which happens to be my favorite so far). While this story can stand alone just fine, we do meet Zack and Pike in Connection Error. Zack is Ryan’s roommate when he is in the rehab hospital, and Pike is Josiah’s friend who flirts shamelessly with Ryan at a gaming party. For their part, both Ryan and Josiah make appearances in this book as well, particularly Ryan, who is Zack’s best friend and offers him some guidance along the way from his perspective as an out, gay, military man. So again, this story will stand alone, but if you have read Connection Error, I think you will enjoy the way the two books tie together.

This book has one of my favorite setups, and that is roommates to lovers. Things start off tense between the guys, as they are pretty well acquainted, but an awkward night out a while back has left things uncomfortable between them. Pike is definitely interested in Zack, but he is doing his best to stay away knowing that Zack is not out, or really even come to accept his own homosexuality. So there is a conflict right away, as these guys adjust to living together. But even more, there is quickly a bigger issue, and that is the guys’ mutual attraction to one another. They hold off as long as they can, but soon neither can deny how much they want one another, and the chemistry is just great between them. These are both such likable guys, and you can’t help but root for things to fall into place for them.

For me, this is the kind of conflict that has the potential to go bad. A”straight” guy who is sleeping with a gay man but denying his sexuality can end up being an exercise in frustration for the characters and the reader. I don’t want to see anyone jerked around or used by someone who is “exploring” with no intent to ever be out. But Albert really makes things work well here because not only can we understand Zack’s fears, but he is clearly so emotionally invested in Pike and he never hides that when it is just the two of them. Zack is clear how much Pike means to him. He opens up and shares his feelings and his body and his heart without reservation. So while Zack is terrified of anyone else knowing, he is never in denial with Pike about how he feels, and for me, that prevented any potential annoyance on my part as a reader. We never doubt the depth of Zack’s feelings for Pike, or Pike’s in return, and so we can put all our energy into rooting for things to work out.

My only small issue here is that for the first third of the book or so, I felt a lack of clarity on whether Zack is closeted, or if he is in denial that he is actually gay. Early in the book he notes that he is not “openly gay.” To me that meant that he knows he is gay, but keeping it a secret. So for parts of the story, I was confused because at times it seemed like he was in fact closeted, and others it seemed like he hadn’t accepted even to himself that he was gay. As it turns out, Zack definitely hadn’t come to terms with his sexuality yet, so it wasn’t so much closet as denial. But until that was spelled out, I found myself confused off and on for early parts of the book.

That is just a small issue and certainly nothing that affected my overall enjoyment of this story. And I did thoroughly enjoy it. Off Base is romantic and sexy and just the right amount of angst. Both Zack and Pike are totally likable, both more than they appear on the surface, and you just can’t help but root for them. I really loved this story and I am so excited for the continuation of the series.

This series is a spin off from the Gaymer series. It has been forever since I read the Gaymer series so I forgot many details but that didn't effect reading this story at all.

Zack Nelson and Pike Reynolds. Zack is very serious and stiff and living a lie and being around Pike challenges him and many ways, When Pike ends up moving closer to Zack for his job he ends up living with Zack which finally cracks open Zack's straight armor.

I liked the complexity of these two together and the strength it took for Zack to be brave enough to live his truth.

Sweet start to a new series.

Off Base is the first book in the Out of Uniform series. I double-checked the synopsis as it didn't feel like the first book, only to see it was a spin-off from the #Gaymers series! Now I have another series to catch up on ;)

Zack is an all-macho good guy, determined to make his deeply religious parents proud. His brother is basically a deadbeat, so he feels the pressure to be perfect. Pike is a friend of a friend, and someone who riles Zack up in all the ways he doesn't want to acknowledge. So be prepared for snarkiness and sparks between these two.

This was a wonderful introduction to this series, showing out Zack thinks he has to fight every battle alone. Seriously, you think he'd know better, but his fears have their place, and are very real to him. Pike helps him where he can, but isn't prepared to hide who he is. I absolutely love these two, so young, so unsure, and yep, so HOT!

There is romance, angst, pain, steam, and a multitude of other emotions between these pages. With no editing or grammatical errors to disrupt my reading flow, I absolutely recommend this book. An absolute blast of a start to the series, and I can't wait to read more.

Another OFY enjoyable romance,
Perfect for fan's of military M/M, although, I struggled to fully invest myself in the characters.

I’m such a sucker for series and when an author takes secondary characters out of one series to begin a new series, that’s just icing on the cake. Off Base features two characters that were secondary characters in Annabeth Albert’s #gaymers series and starts off her new Out of Uniform series with a bang. Two men; both gay, one closeted and one out wind up roommates and more after navigating some very choppy water.

Zack hoped that once he made it through his Navy SEAL training he’d finally be done with bullying, but one slip during BUD/s it continues within his team. Zack was brought up in a very religious household where his brother’s bullying and even his substance abuse was swept under the carpet. When one of his fellow SEALS sees him checking out another man’s a$$, life becomes another level of bullying hell as he works to keep his secret safe. When a friend of a friend needs a place to stay in Coronado Zack agrees to let him despite the fact that Pike is out and gay, but the more time they spend together the more Zack realizes that he not only wants Pike in his life, he needs him.

This was a complex story with a lot of layers and a whole lot of threads running through it, but the ongoing friendship and then relationship between these two men was front and center along with all of the issues that arise when one man is closeted. I loved watching Zack accept his sexual orientation and exploring everything with the very patient and understanding Pike, but more than that the way these two grew to really get to know one another, enjoy each other’s company, come to rely on each other was beautiful to watch. There were some moments of uncertainty and most definitely some big issues that arise, but they were great about communicating and when push came to shove they were there for one another if every way.

While at times emotional for various reasons, Off Base was not a super heavy, angst filled story; it was a story of personal growth, of finding your way, facing your fears, and most of all figuring out that having love in your life makes all the difference in the world. I loved this book!

Off Base marks a couple of firsts for me: it’s my first adult m/m romance (I think) as well as my first uniform romance (I think). I’ve always avoided the military or cop what-have-you romances, because I don’t share that love of men in uniform personally and I worried it would be too macho-man-tropey. Off Base actually worked okay for me, though admittedly it could have used more editing (though this is an egalley so maybe it did) and isn’t the shippiest ever.

Zack is a Navy SEAL, and he’s firmly in the closet, both because of his super conservative, Christian parents and because he fears being out in the SEALs. One of the guys in his team figured out that he’s gay and is using it against Zack whenever he can, so it’s no wonder Zack’s scared. To escape that guy, Zack decides to live off base.

Through a series of events, Zack ends up letting openly gay Pike live with him, even though Zack’s always been annoyed by Pike’s flirting. Unsurprisingly, the two strike up a romance eventually, and Albert does a nice job of developing the evolution of their feelings and how good of a team they are. I also like that Pike’s in no way stereotyped as a macho alpha male type. I like them and rooted for them, but they didn’t inspire mass amounts of ship in me.

What I liked most, I think, is how Off Base actually does focus on being a twenty-something and figuring out adulting. Zack’s working through his issues in the SEALs obviously. Pike, meanwhile, had planned to work for a video game company but, when that falls through, gets a job working as an assistant professor at a community college. It’s really cool how he initially doesn’t want to do it but finds a new passion.

Though the actual writing isn’t that strong, Off Base totally met my needs at the time (a fairly fluffy romance). If you’re looking for m/m romance, perhaps Off Base will hit the spot. I don’t know if I’ll read more of Albert’s books or not, but I wouldn’t be opposed.

PICK

This gave me everything I expect from Annabeth Albert: intense chemistry that blossoms organically, enthusiastic consent, and characters whose relationship inspires them to make positive life changes that help them embrace new dreams. I couldn't put it down, and you'd better believe I teared up.

On top of the excellent emotional payoff, one hero has two beloved cats. Hurray for fictional pets! #romantsy

Fantastic addition to a continuing series of Navy Seal LGBTQ romance.

Zack is a Navy Seal, who has decided to hide his attraction for men, because he knows his family will take it poorly as well as the other guys on his team. Pike is a friend of a friend, who hits all his buttons but he refuses to act on it, until Pike starts living with him to help refurbish a house. Pike is an out and proud gay man and refuses to let anyone treat him differently because of it.

I really enjoyed this spin off series and it was great to see other characters from the #gaymer series. While there are some serious issues dealt with, mainly the homophobia in the military, it is dealt with nicely and their is very little angst. Both Pike and Zack have a great support system in their friends but especially Zack in the military once he opens his eyes and realizes that not all military men are homophobes.

I loved the #gaymers series and this is a great spinoff and start to a new series. Annabeth does a great job creating characters I love and Zach and Pike were great! I love the military aspect of this story as well, overall a great read!

I was drawn to Off Base, Annabeth Albert’s newest novel, because I love her #gaymers series, but also because Navy SEALS. Who doesn’t love a man in uniform? I know I sometimes do. Though, being familiar with some of her other work, I hoped it wouldn’t be the typical macho, alpha military guy you find in some books out there. And, with it being a spinoff from the #gaymers universe—we met both Pike and Zack in Connection Error—I was, of course, also hoping for some cameos. Albert did end up delivering on both counts, but I have to admit I was a bit worried in the beginning.

Finished with his basic qualification training, Zack is sent to Coronado to train with his new team before their next deployment. The new team has some familiar faces, however, and they aren’t all friendly. One of the guys, Cobb, has a little ‘dirt’ on Zack. During basic training, he caught Zack giving his buddy Harper a lingering once-over in the shower, Zack’s body showing obvious signs of appreciation, and has been harassing and blackmailing him ever since. Cobb is a grade-A asshole. The kind of homophobic dickwad Zack does not need feeding all of his doubts and fears, and memories of childhood bullying. But, it isn’t only Cobb bringing the gay jokes and slurs. Zack’s good friend Harper shows his true colors once he finds out that Zack’s new roommate, Pike, is gay. And, Zack’s own internalized homophobia was so strong I didn’t know if he’d ever be able to like himself.

Things start to get better for Zack once he is able to distance himself a bit by scoring off-base housing. He makes a deal with his senior chief: free work on his fixer-upper in exchange for a place to stay. He doesn’t want to admit that the work is overwhelming him, but when he finds out that Pike has taken a new job in San Diego, and not only needs a place to live but has tons of experience doing house renovations, he reluctantly agrees to let Pike stay with him and help with the house.

Pike is fantastic. Known for being fun and flirty and sort of the life of the party, Pike is ready to slow down and show that he can be responsible. He wants to prove himself with his new teaching position, not only to his friends and his mom but to himself. I loved Pike’s character from the beginning. He is so patient and amazing with Zack. Watching him help Zack learn about and ultimately accept himself was fabulous. Zack was so unhappy with who he was, so terrified of anyone finding out he was gay, and had spent so long telling himself he wasn’t, it was sad. Pike wanted to help change all of that for him. I loved this bit from Zack:

“I just know that I’m so tired of hating myself every second of every day, and when I’m around you, I don’t hate me so much. I’ve spent the last year trying to make sense of me, but when I’m around you, it feels like the answer might actually be out there.”
The first half of the book was so packed with homophobia and Zack’s self-loathing and being relentlessly bullied by Cobb that it was tough for me to get into, and I felt like it dragged a little. That all turned around in the last third of the book, however. As Zack started to fall harder for Pike, he realized that he wanted to fight for the life he deserved. And, after a scary incident and some good advice from Ryan, he actually does begin to fight. That’s when things got gooood.

At a certain point, this book became the book I hoped it would be and I couldn’t put it down; I was rooting so hard for Zack and Pike toward the end of the story. I enjoyed what Albert did with the resolution for the trouble Zack had with his team, even though part of it might have seemed a bit tidy, and I really liked the new characters she introduced, one of whom is getting his own book in a few months! I’m glad I hopped on board with this new series, and will definitely be checking out Apollo’s book when it releases in April.

This book had a lot of love for it by many of my friends but I think I really just dont like the way the author writes.
I have tried all of her other books and somehow they just dont work for me

I've read this twice now and listened to to the audio, such a great addition to the series. Can't wait to read more!

Really good. I wish I could read it again and not know anything so I could have that new book experience all over again. This was a fun book and very well written. Loved it.

Stevie‘s review of Off Base (Out of Uniform, Book 1) by Annabeth Albert
Gay Military Romance published by Carina Press 01 Jan 17

I’ve really enjoyed Annabeth Albert’s Gaymers series, but found myself wondering at the end of the last one how long she could keep going with the format of guys from the same game design company meeting and falling for like-minded guys while travelling across the country. The answer, of course, is a spin-off series, beginning with two friends of the guys in the last book, but against the backdrop of a military base rather than the previous scenario. While I’m not always a great fan of military romance, one that also involved gaming and house restoration, along with the allure of an author whose work I love and trust, seemed just my sort of thing. So I grabbed this book as soon as it became available.

Previously, we met Zack Nelson when he was recovering from breaking a leg in a training exercise. Now, though, his leg has healed and he’s a fully fledged SEAL. When the out-of-town friends who offered to take him celebrating his new status are unavoidably detained, Zack finds himself stuck with Pike Reynolds – part of the same crowd, but far more flamboyantly gay – and getting asked some awkward questions about his own preferences. Pike is pretty sure that Zack is gay, albeit very closeted, but really just wants to take care of the guy: he’s been burned before by getting too deep into relationships that his supposed boyfriend didn’t want to be open about. When Zack has a little too much to drink, he ends up sleeping it off at Pike’s place, in one of the spare beds, and that seems to be the end of that.

However, Zack has been having problems with some guys in his unit, and it seems that moving out might give them fewer opportunities to bully him. He’s offered a place rent free in return for fixing it up for the owner, but the work proves more complicated than expected – and at that point he runs into Pike again. Pike has just accepted a job close to where Zack is living, and, while he’s yet to find a new place to live, he’s learned all about house renovations from his mother. Sharing the house and the labour seems like the obvious solution, so long as the guys can work around their obvious attraction to each other.
I loved this book. Although Zack knows a lot of out gay guys, he has good reasons for not being out to himself, to the bullies he has to deal with every day and – especially – to his fundamentalist family. Pike, meanwhile, has plenty of equally good reasons to be cautious around Zack and respects Zack’s need to figure things out for himself in his own time. When a crisis finally forces the pair of them to make a decision about where the relationship is headed, none of the issues are glossed over or made into even bigger piles of angst than they need to be.

All in all, a great way to move into a new series – one that should delight those familiar with the previous series, as well as new readers coming into this series with no knowledge of the earlier books. I’m greatly looking forward to Book 2 now.

Grade: A

If you’ve read Albert’s Connection Error, you are probably familiar with Zack Nelson. The kid with the broken leg that Ryan met in the hospital. We knew Zack had a story the minute he reacted to Ryan’s relationship with Josiah. In Off Base, we see exactly why Zack reacted the way he did and why he lives life the way he does.

Zack has fast tracked his way into becoming a SEAL. He is uber focused and determined to be successful. But success may not be possible with the continued harassment he has experienced from one of the guys on his team. Determined to remove himself from the situation without causing any waves, Zack moves off base. Which is awesome until his gay best friend’s gay friend needles his way into a roommate situation.

Reading Zack’s struggles with his teammate was heartbreaking. Here is a young guy who can’t even see the door to the closet he’s hiding in and he has one of the people that he’s supposed to depend upon in literal life and death situations secretly harassing and blackmailing him. To top it off he’s falling hard and fast for his roommate. An out roommate that deserves way more than a guy who is unwilling to be honest about who he is.

Pike was one of those characters that is always fun to read. He is irreverent on the outside but a pretty complicated guy on the inside. One of those people that is so much more than what they choose to let the world see. People’s initial reaction to Pike is that he doesn’t have much in the way of empathy or feelings of his own. But nothing could be further from the truth.

Yes, there is some definite angst. Your heart will likely break for these guys a couple times while reading their story. But, as in all Annabeth Albert’s books, the angst is never so heavy that you can’t recover after the promised happy ever after. Don’t hesitate to jump into the Out of Uniform series. Not only will you love it, you won’t have to wait long to read more. Book two is already out and book three is due out next month!

Nat

No review as I have not caught up in the #gamer series and would like to do so before I read this. Thanks.

I've reviewed other Annabeth Albert books in the past and have squeed all over the place about how much I love her writing. Her books were my introduction to m/m romance and I quickly discovered my go-to trope, of which it seems Ms. Albert writes a lot (of the books I've read, all but one followed this theme). To be fair, I've only read her #Gaymers Series, so maybe her others have different themes, but Off Base is more of the same. Closeted man longs for love and a relationship, but doesn't think he is worthy of one. Then, he meets a guy who challenges all of his ideas about himself and decides that maybe he can have the type of relationship that he wants.

Zack Nelson has always wanted to be a SEAL and he's finally about to see that dream become a reality as he's just passed an important test of his abilities. To celebrate, he and his friends are going to get together at a local bar. Unfortunately, he doesn't find out until he's already out that the only person able to come is the one person with whom he doesn't want to spend the entire night alone. Pike isn't even really his friend--he's only part of the circle because Zack's friend, Ryan, is dating Pike's friend, Josiah (the heroes of Connection Error). Pike is the total opposite of closeted and Zack is afraid what people will think of him if he's hanging out with him.

Pike Reynolds can't figure Zack out; Zack swears that he's straight, but Pike isn't so sure about that. When something happens between them the night of Zack's celebration, Pike is even more confused, but also certain that he needs to stay away from the gorgeous SEAL. He's been hurt before and does not want to go down that road again.

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVED this book. The chemistry between Zack and Pike was immediate and it was clear that these two were perfect for each other from the first page even if they weren't aware of it. What really pulled me into this story was the idea that even though Don't Ask Don't Tell has gone the way of the dinosaurs, there will always be homophobic assholes in the military. A big part of Zack's storyline is coming to terms with the fact that even though he is gay, he has every right to be a part of a SEAL team as his heterosexual counterparts--no matter what those counterparts may think. This was the catalyst for everything that happened in the book as the one teammate, who is aware of Zack's sexuality has made it uncomfortable (and possibly) dangerous for him to live on base, so Zack decides to find a place off base (hence the title) and makes a deal with one of the highers up to live in a house he and his wife bought rent free so long as he renovates the place on his own. Zack has never done anything so HGTV, but since he cannot afford to live off base in San Diego any other way, he accepts the offer. It doesn't take him long to realize that he is not cut out for the handy-man thing. Enter Pike.

Pike needs a place to stay in San Diego and the only person in the entire city he knows is Zack. Neither of them are all that excited about living together, but neither see any other option, so with his cats in tow, Pike makes the move from Santa Monica to San Diego. The guys aren't very comfortable together, especially after the moment they had the night of Zack's party, but quickly become friends and eventually lovers. This change in relationship felt natural to both the characters and the story. I loved seeing Zack come to terms with his sexuality and understand that he's more than just who he finds attractive. The relationship with Pike made him more confident in himself and more willing to accept that he's never going to please everyone.

The one issue I had with the book was its pacing. The first few chapters happen in June, then suddenly it is August, and finally it ends in October. I felt like we were skipping over parts of their lives that could have leant more weight to the climax where Zack confronts his homophobic teammate. I knew that was going to be a part of the narrative and Ms. Albert did a good job of making Zack's relationship with this particular person tense and whenever they were in a scene together, I found myself tapping my fingers against the arm of the couch (obviously a good thing), but I felt like this was somewhat underdeveloped as was the comparison to Zack's older brother, Danny, whom we never meet. Without giving away too many spoilers, Zack's fear of this other SEAL echoes the relationship that he had with his brother and colors everything Zack does when he is around the team, which is both stressful and at times dangerous.

It is a rare thing for me to worry about the characters post-HEA--the only other time I remember that happening was in Indigo by Beverly Jenkins (because they were both operators on the Underground Railroad prior to the Civil War). I like my HEA's to last and I have a hard time buying that all of Zack's problems with the team ended with him coming out. People don't suddenly accept someone because they've confirmed their fears, something that was depicted very well earlier in the book when Zack came out to his parents, so the idea that removing the antagonist was going to make everything better surprised me.

In the end, I did love this book even with the minor issues I had with it, and I am looking forward to the next book in the series, Out of Uniform, which comes out in April and that I've already received from Netgalley.

4 Stars

I received a copy of this book for free through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.