Book 725: Squared Away (Out of Uniform #5) – Annabeth Albert

You didn’t really think I was going to go more than five books without reading an Annabeth Albert book, did you? Okay noob. (I’ve got jokes.) I actually got this from the library (digitally of course) before I started the last two books, but since those were both ARCs with early July publish dates I wanted to make sure I got to them first and this was my reward for finishing them.

This is the fifth installment in Albert’s Out of Uniform series and features Isaiah (Ike) who made his first cameos in At Attention (as a potential distracting love interest) and On Point (as a contentious one-night stand) and Mark/”Wizard”, yet another super-hot navy seal with all sorts of hang ups.

The story begins with a flashback where Isaiah, fresh out of high school propositions Mark, at Isaiah’s cousin’s and Mark’s sister’s wedding. Mark of course shoots him down and spends the next six years avoiding him until tragedy brings them back together closer than they ever planned to be having tiptoed around each other for the past six years.

Growing up with Coronado just a half hour away, Isaiah was used to military guys, but it was only in the past year or so that he’d added being the filling in a SEAL sandwich to his life goals. (Loc. 77)

Their story is different than the others in the series, because it’s not a straightforward gay-for-you or friends-to-lovers. I’d say it’s probably closer to a friends-to-lovers story, but Albert put a bit of a spin on it that Mark’s sexuality is actually is gray ace (Wikipedia link).

It sounds like you’re ace, but maybe you’re more gray ace or demisexual, where you only get turned on after an emotional bond with people. (Loc. 1,433)

Now if you’re like me you had to look that up and basically, he’s only able to be sexual with someone he has formed a strong emotional relationship with and trust me this relationship does it for him, whether he wants it to or not. And even with attraction Mark’s still more on the asexual end of the spectrum.

Mark’s sexuality (or lack thereof) actually made this book even better for me. As I mentioned at some point in the last two dozen MM romance novels, I really like the simmering ones where there are few (if any) explicit sex scenes and the tension just builds and builds. In this book there’s only one penetrative scene and probably less than five total, which contrary to popular belief made the characters that much more interesting and intimate for me.

This story trails closer to At Attention in that Mark and Ike are pulled together because of their young relatives after the death of their sister and cousin respectively. Albert wrote this part with care and I felt really highlighted the amount of work and exhaustion and how those impacted the budding relationship between them. If this book would’ve been full of raucous gratuitous sex I would’ve had a lot of concerns!

I also, finally, found a flaw in Albert’s works. Okay, maybe it’s not a flaw, but I’ve realized it’s a dead giveaway to whether she is the author or not. She LOVES describing men’s smell as spicy and more specifically citrus and cinnamon:

Isaiah tried to focus on Mark’s words, but it was hard when he could feel his body heat, could smell his spicy aftershave—something with oranges and cinnamon, not unlike the tea Aunt Cecily loved, and he could drink Mark in all night. (Loc. 116)

I’m struggling to remember if it was the case in Portland Heat, but it was definitely the case in Mr. Right Now, the standalone I read recently. It may not be every book, but it’s damn near every book I’ve read recently because it stands out! I will definitely be reporting out on future books now I’ve realized it.

Recommendation: This book did not disappoint (Albert’s rarely do). If I’m totally honest, I 100% teared up a couple of occasions because Albert goes right for the heart whether she’s breaking it or giving it wings (and I’m talking in the opening couple of chapters). I liked the introduction of a character with a new sexuality from the spectrum and found how Albert wrote his story to be compelling and interesting without being fetishized or dismissive. And the last-minute wedding and coming outs as part of the wedding prep, OMG so perfectly adorable and squee-worthy.

Opening Line: “I’m going to do it.”

Closing Line: “One step. Then another.” (Whited out to avoid spoilers, highlight to read.)

Other Books in Out of Uniform:

• Off Base (#1)
• At Attention (#2)
• On Point (#3)
• Wheels Up (#4)
• Tight Quarters (#6)
• Rough Terrain (#7)

Additional Quotes from Squared Away
“Honestly, I expected to be alone. I tried dating. It didn’t work. I wasn’t going to keep trying something that made me miserable. I felt…broken. Like I was missing something that all other men had. Like I was on the outside of the best inside secret ever.” (Loc, 2,348)

“‘Look. I’ve been in love before,’ Bacon’s eyes got a far-off quality. ‘And it tore me apart. And I’d still do it again. Fuck the world and its narrow assumptions. That’s not what’s important. Assumptions don’t do fuck all to keep you warm at night.'” (Loc. 3,226)

“Love meant making a life together—a full, rich life filled with ups and downs, shared together. Love was spectacular and scary all at once. And it was what they made—not with their bodies, but their hearts.” (Loc. 3,753)