Book 719: Wheels Up (Out of Uniform #4) – Annabeth Albert

I’m not sure if this is Albert’s first foray into kink, but honestly it was a little underwhelming on the kink front. The only reason I mention this and start my review with it is I feel like there was a warning or a mention of it in the front matter and I was like oh this should be interesting.

Maybe I’ve just read works with a lot more kink in them, even though it’s not my usual fare, but this one just seemed so tame. Either way, Albert continues to bring beautifully written character driven romances to my world, tugging at my heart strings will making me blush constantly.

Wheels Up features Dustin, a Navy SEAL who happens to be Dylan’s older brother and Apollo’s best friend from At Attention, and Wes, a southern Navy SEAL from NC. They meet via an app designed for military men (or those who fancy them) to hook up. They key point here is neither knows the other is a SEAL, they’ve kept that from each other to keep some anonymity. They’re not near each other so it’s all virtual until Dustin ends up in DC for an alumni event and Wes suggests they meet up for a drink—and maybe more if they hit it off. And once they meet, daaaaaaaammmmmmmnnnn.

Not content to end the story there with a long-distance struggle, Albert introduces the big twist of the novel with Wes being transferred to Coronado and put under Dustin’s command. This is when shit REALLY hits the fan. Wes didn’t tell Dustin he was coming because he thought it would be a surprise and they could maybe pick back up where they left off in DC, but they can’t even be friends because of Dustin’s officer status and Wes being an enlistee.

“How fucked-up was it that his personal life had become some kind of messed-up time bomb—one he’d made himself, but that he seemed to have zero control over and zero desire to defuse.” (Loc. 2,337)

Y’all Albert, kept tearing my heart out. Every conversation between the two felt like the last and then when they ended up having to talk again and it brought more conversations (and hook ups) my heart got ripped out again. It was one of those beautiful tragedy things.

Wes’ story was compelling in that his sister was going through a lot of health issues and his transfer to the West Coast wasn’t something he wanted, but the really compelling story in this book was Dustin’s struggle of coming to terms with and coming out as bisexual. He’d known for a long time, but at the time he was coming to terms with it his brother, Dylan from At Attention, exploded out of the closet resulting in more pressure on Dustin to continue the family line from his parents. And his best friend for years, Apollo, happened to also be gay and had a wonderful marriage that ended tragically and then met Dylan, and yeah so . . . much . . . inner . . . turmoil! A lot of it was self-imposed, but it’s one of those things you can only understand if you’ve ever had to completely reset someone’s expectations about you that you truly loved (yes, I’m talking about coming out).

The crisis of the novel wasn’t anything to write home about, but it didn’t need to be because so much of the story was about Dustin’s coming to terms and coming out that any more drama on top of that would’ve lessened the importance of that and his struggle. I will say that now I’m four books in, I do have to wonder if there is going to be a happily ever after that involves one or both of the Navy Seals NOT leaving the service. On Point saw Maddox leaving to pursue other ventures while Ben stayed in, and this saw both of them not re-upping to pursue private ventures and to avoid any sort of fraternization court martial. I mean don’t get me wrong former Navy SEALS, like Apollo, in Albert’s hand are just as draw dropping and drool worthy when it comes to their sex lives and descriptions, but two men in uniform, sign me up.

“Somehow, Dustin’s free hand grabbed his, tangling, pressing into the mattress, a tangible connection, every bit as powerful as the fuck. No, not fuck. Wes had been fucked before, and that wasn’t what this was. This was something else entirely, an emotional evisceration even as it rebuilt him, rearranging his every weakness and need, until there was only shared strength. Connection. Bond. Love. Neither of them said it, but the word hung there between them, potent and true. It was in their eyes, in their linked hands, in every thrust and stroke.” (Loc. 3,407)

And as for the kink I opened this post with, it was so light I do wonder why I mentioned it was highlighted in the front matter. I guess if you’ve never read anything but sweet/clean romance or vanilla sex it could be shocking/clutch your pearls worthy, or I’m apparently a pervert. Wes and Dustin’s sexual relationship definitely was dom/sub verbal based (even though they did switch sexual roles once—thanks for that!) and there was some very light bondage play, but like on a scale of vanilla to 50 Shades of Gray (blech) it was way closer to vanilla than Gray.

Recommendation: Give me more! Albert writes some of the best MM romance on the market today (trust me I know, I’ve read dozens in the past few months). Her stories are character driven, her descriptions are beautiful and she knows how to rip your heart out in one chapter and then turn around and give you all the hope you need with the glance or touch of a character. Whatever is above swoon worthy is how I’d describer her works. And as an added bonus when her characters say they are vers, she makes sure her characters walk the walk which is refreshing when in so many MM romance novels the positions seem to be immobile.

Opening Line: “Let’s meet. Dustin stared at his phone like it might suddenly turn into a live grenade.”

Closing Line: “And he’d stop counting down the hours and minutes and start counting up instead—mortgage payments and vacation bills and miles traveled together as they racked up the months and years until there was no more counting, only living this life, together.” (Whited out to avoid spoilers, highlight to read.)

Other Books in Out of Uniform:

• Off Base (#1)
• At Attention (#2)
• On Point (#3)
• Squared Away (#5)
• Tight Quarters (#6)
• Rough Terrain (#7)

Additional Quotes from Wheels Up
“That thought fueled him the rest of the way to the DC area. He blasted his sister’s latest playlist—the one she called ‘North Carolina Country,’ and navigated his older-model Jeep through the increasingly heavy traffic.” (Loc. 203)

“But life’s way too short not to feel comfortable in your own skin, regardless of who knows what.” (Loc. 286)

“I follow UNC because my family might disown me if I didn’t, but other than that I don’t usually watch college ball until the Bowl season rolls around. But basketball, now that’s religion.” (Loc. 329)

“He’s my commanding officer, and he’s built like Thor with the face of a movie star and I can’t get him out of my head.” (Loc. 1,701)

“It’s more about how you treat you. And I think the difference here is that I don’t beat myself up for being gay. Or liking kink. You spend a lot of time beating yourself up, and I hate that. You’re too good a guy for that.” (Loc. 1,918)

“‘Not mad,’ Wes said softly before he claimed his mouth for one last kiss. This was fucked-up, no question, but when Dustin was kissing him, it was hard to remember why because everything felt so damn right. It’s you. It’s always been you. There was something in his body that recognized Dustin on a deep, cellular level, and he wasn’t ever going to get over that, no matter how wrong these feelings were. No. Not the feelings. The feelings were real, and anything this fucking potent couldn’t be wrong. Fuck the regulations.” (Loc. 2,316)

“The middle of night was still, almost spooky, as Wes crept out of Dustin’s bed. His chest was strangely hollow. No wonder, given that his heart was lying there, all sleep ruffled, hogging the middle of the bed like he hadn’t ever shared a bed before.” (Loc. 2,677)

“He wanted Dustin to be that person. He could so easily picture some alternate universe where Dustin was right here with him, telling him jokes and getting him food, and knowing exactly what to say. And he could envision the converse too—Dustin coming home after a long day, Wes taking care of him with food and sex, putting his man back together so that he could go forth and face the world again in the morning. Because that was what it was all about—finding that one person who made you stronger.” (Loc. 3,084)

“He’s gonna keep you fed. He makes you blush like a schoolgirl every time you say his name. I’m not… This hasn’t been easy for me. But you’re happy. That’s what matters. Simple as that.” (Loc. 3,578)

“Simple as that. All those years when happiness seemed like something that happened to other people, that maybe Dustin wouldn’t ever figure out how to get himself a taste of what others had, and it turned out that getting out of his own way was the most important thing.” (Loc. 3,580)