After trading the barracks for a fixer-upper rental, navy SEAL Zack Nelson wants peace, not a roommate–especially not Pike, who sees things about Zack he most wants to hide. Pike’s flirting puts virgin Zack on edge. And the questions Pike’s arrival would spark from Zack’s teammates about his own sexuality? Nope. Not going there. But Zack can’t refuse. Pike Reynolds knows there won’t be a warm … be a warm welcome in his new home. What can he say? He’s an acquired taste. But he needs this chance to get his life together. Also, teasing the uptight SEAL will be hella fun. Still, Pike has to tread carefully; he’s had his fill of tourists in the past, and he can’t risk his heart on another, not even one as hot, as built–and, okay, yeah, as adorable–as Zack.
Living with Pike crumbles Zack’s restraint and fuels his curiosity. He discovers how well they fit together in bed…in the shower…in the hallway… He needs Pike more than he could have imagined, yet he doesn’t know how to be the man Pike deserves.
Book One of the Out of Uniform series
This book is approximately 73,000 words
One-click with confidence. This title is part of the Carina Press Romance Promise: all the romance you’re looking for with an HEA/HFN. It’s a promise!
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I am a sucker for books about people reluctantly stuck together. Also a sucker for military men and sexy virgins. This book had it all! Romantic, steamy, and heartwarming. I love this whole series!
This is the beginning (I think) of the entire series of SEAL Team books, and they are all wonderful, happy, exciting reads that make you believe in romance and hot guys and guarded hearts that really can open and learn. I’m a total Annabeth Albert convert and a big fan. She’s amazing.
What’s not to love?!?!? Sexy soldiers finding love. I’m just addicted to this series. Jump in. Trust me, you won’t regret it.
I adored this book! I loved these characters so much. I was a little bit annoyed by the fact that the relationship was kept a secret. I did enjoy the growth that both main characters went through in the book. Overall, this was a great book and I look forward to reading more from Annabeth Albert.
M/M romance is a very intimidating genre for me. I just feel like its easy to be problematic. So, I had only read M/M books from authors I already like/love who write traditional/straight romance. But this was recommended on the Smart Bitches podcast. I trust them and can appreciate a good military hero so I got this from the library.
Generally, I enjoyed this book. It was a cute read, but a little to angsty for me. I’m not even sure that’s the right word. Zack’s denial of who he was was what really got to me. A little bit of that is fine, but this was a little too much.
I did like that Pike and Zack had good and supportive friends. It was especially nice to see the military portrayed as accepting. Of course there are some crappy people in the world, but more and more people are accepting.
I am glad I read this and am currently reading another book in this series. If you have any M/M book recommendations let me know.
I really enjoyed this book! The author did a wonderful job conveying Zack’s fears about coming out. His internal struggle of the pressure he felt in his everyday life.
I felt for him.
She also captured his innocence about being with another person. I loved how Zack would easily blush when talking about personal things.
Pike really tested Zack’s in every way. He just didn’t know how to deal with it at times. But slowly Pike brought down Zack’s walls and slowly Zack started to let go.
I felt for Pike. He kind of had to hide who he was to be with Zack. He wanted to be with Zack so bad that he kind of broke all his own rules. He knew he shouldn’t do it having been burned once before. But he felt Zack was worth the risk.
In the beginning of the book I felt for Zack. He was really scared to come out. He had so much pressure from his parents and his seal team. He just didn’t want to let anyone down. But in the end… he was just weighing himself down.
The whole Cobb thing. I hated it. Zack let him dictate so much of his life. He was so miserable! Then his parents were horrible people! I understood why he never wanted to go home.
In the end… I was so proud of Zack! He really put Pike’s needs before his own. Giving him the grand gesture that he knew would show Pike just how much he cared for him. And also proving to himself that he can finally be the person he always wanted to be.
He finally allowed himself to be happy.
This was a good read and I can’t wait to read the next book in this series!
*ARC provided via Netgalley by Carina Press*
Love under pressure
My first Annabeth Albert book and it won’t be my last. Zach’s story touched me. I think he’s brave, strong and in need of all the love Pike and their friends have, but mostly Pike’s. I loved Pike and his humor. He is so kind, smart and I would love to be in one of his classes. He’s the very definition of sexy professor. Together he and Zach make the cutest couple and I’m so honored we got to meet them and fall in love along with them.
Loved both of these men, but could have used a little more character development. I appreciated how their friendship grew.
I lovefinding new to me authors, and narrators and Ms Albert and Mr Stevens are bothnew to me! Zach ishiding himself, from his fellow SEALs, his family but most of all his hidingfrom himself. Moving off base seems to be the best solution but then his worstnightmare needs a place to stay and Zach can’t say no to Pike, and Pike’s cats.So, he grits his teeth and bares it. Pike, however, is gritting his teeth foran entirely different reason. He has a massive crush on Zach but can’t let Zachknow. The two men call an uneasy truce to do up the house, but neither can stayaway from the other for long. That stayingaway lasts only so long and it really was a joy to behold to watch Zach andPike get closer, and begin their friends with benefits thing, but it was alsopainful. Both men knew they shouldn’t do this, and it messed with everyone’s head,mine included! Zach is verymuch in the closet, and Pike is not. That alone causes Zach to have kittensabout every.single.little.thing! Everything, near the beginning, caused Zach topanic, but watching the man fall, watching him come out of himself and thatcloset, watching him fall in love with Pike?? Twas a beautiful thing!I loved thatit was ZACH who made the decision to do something about their situation, andPike did not push Zach, even though he really wanted to.Much of thatbeauty though, is in the delivery, and Tyler Stevens narrates. This is thefirst of his work I have come across and I need more, lots more! I loved thenarration, as much as the story itself! Stevens wasable to wrench so much emotion, particularly for Zach, into his narration, itwas almost listening to your best friend pour their heart out to you.The voicesfor Zach and Pike are very different, getting the point across about the manydifferences between the two men. ALL the voices are distinctive enough for meto not have any trouble with multi person conversations. Stevens reading voiceis deep and clear and very VERY easy to listen to.Someinteresting characters in the book, Ryan and Josiah (apologies if that’s nothow you spell, I’ve not seen it written down!) do they have a book?? Would LOVEto read or listen to their story! And Apollo. That man is sad, it’s too soon,but maybe, just maybe. . . .and OH!! His book is next! I just looked!I have booktwo to listen to next, but that is by a different narrator so it will be interestingto see how Apollo’s voice carries from one narrator to the next. 5 stars forthe book5 stars forthe narration5 starsoverall**sameworded review will appear elsewhere**
Original review: https://myshelfbooks.wordpress.com/2018/02/25/164/
I’ve been a long time without reading a romance book. I had the feeling this book was going to be perfect to put me back on track. I wasn’t wrong. This is the kind of story I love to read when love is the theme!
The main characters of the book are Zack and Pike. The former is a soon-to-be SEAL who is currently in training. The later is a mathematician expert in videogames. Zack is tight closeted and doesn’t speak about his true sexuality with anyone, always with a excuse ready when someone asks him about his love life. Pike is the opposite, very open about his true interests and no shame at all. The military is not very fond of Pike because of that. Zack is just too worried to slip when the other one is around…
Due to an homophobic team mate (the only person that knows Zack’s secret), Zack decides to live off base. At the same time, Pike is in desperate need of a place to live in the same area due to a new job as a teacher. As you can imagine, they start living together and, little by little, the relationship develops.
The author does a neat work describing Zack’s agony. He doesn’t want to come up to the world, because he is afraid that could endanger the realtionship with the rest of his team. Besides, his family is very conservative and he doesn’t want to disappoint them. But he really likes Pike and the way he makes him feel. Fortunately for him, Pike is a very patient person and tries to understand Zack’s situation. Even though he hates to hide his feelings in public, the teacher makes an effort in order no to lose Zack.
That is the recipe for some tough truths that brought some tears to my eyes a couple of times or more. I couldn’t help linking emotionally with the couple during the good and the bad moments. If anything else, this book shows a lot of heart. I’m going to miss these two so much… I hope they make a cameo in the next ones.
Someone could say that the ending is rushed, but in my opinion is the perfect climax for the emotional build-up. It is what it has to be. No surprise, no weird twist… It is what both of them deserved. If I sound very fond of them, it’s because I am!!
What has surprised me is the way Annabeth describes the characters… like almost nothing. In romance is pretty common to find lengthy descriptions of the male characters. The less clothes, the longer… The writer of this book prefers to leave most of the visual image to the reader’s imagination. The sex scenes are also scarce and short, so don’t be intimidated!!
Zack is a newly minted SEAL team member, looking forward to his first deployment. It was what he had trained hard and long for. It was his goal from when he was a kid, seeing it as a way to get away from his bullying older brother and interfering conservative and religious parents. But his SEAL team isn’t all roses, when an asshole on the team makes it his mission to harass Zack about what he thinks Zack’s sexual orientation is. Zack makes the determination to not put up a fuss, not knowing how the team would handle the idea IF Zack was gay. One thing he does know is that he doesn’t want to stay on base. When an opportunity arises to help out his chief sergeant by staying in his rental property and doing the renovations, Zack jumps at the idea. Too bad he sucks at DIY projects.
Pike has a newly minted PhD in mathematics and is looking for a job. His dream job in gaming doesn’t pan out, but a visiting professorship does. He just needs a place to stay. Luckily for him, he’s grown up renovating homes. He moves in with Zack due to his connection through their mutual friends. Too bad he always intentionally goes out of his way to flirt and tease everyone he meets, including trying to make Zack uncomfortable whenever they had been together.
I enjoyed this book, but it did take me a while to connect with Pike. His relentless teasing of Zack at the beginning of the book, when it was obvious Zack was deep, deep in the closet, made me uncomfortable with his behavior. And Zack had huge fears of anyone finding out about his sexual orientation.
Once they connected and Zack admitted to being gay and the teasing stopped, I found I really liked Pike. He truly tried to understand where Zack was coming from, even though he thought it would be better for Zack to come out and would be less of a chance for Pike to have a broken heart. I liked these two guys together, and I was rooting for Zack to finally find the courage to do the right thing by Pike.
I did spend the whole book wondering if I had inadvertently missed the first book in the series. Ryan and Josiah’s story seemed as if it was a well-established one. Which it is: Connection Error Something I found out at the end of the book in the author’s notes. I’m adding that to my list of stories to read about these guys. I just don’t know if I’ll be reading that one before I read At Attention. I might have to flip a coin on that one.
Loved the love story ,the background of seals was informative. The stumbling blocks pu in front of gay people broke my heart. Made me think or those around me and how I can support and defend them when others say hurtful things , all it takes is one person to stand up. Looking forward to the rest of the series.
I liked it glad I bought it , just started the next book in the 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.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian – I Dig Good Books!
I really enjoyed reading about Zach, a shy navy seal with a soft spot for cats and his new boyfriend, Pike. I enjoy military romance, and well written m/m stories. The closeted self loathing came across a bit strong, initially, but fortunately the author didn’t wallow in the trope
I loved Zack and Pike. Pike is just what Zack needed. With all the fear and doubts plus continued harassment he’s been going through, it’s no surprise he is like he is. Seeing them both learn so much about not only themselves but each other and what they really want out of live was powerful. You know a book is good when you feel the need to Gibb smack a character and really want to throttle another. I can’t wait to read At Attention and On Point. Actually I always eagerly await here next release.
Enjoyed.
loved this book. but then pretty much all of annabeth’s books are great
What many closeted gay men or women may experience when making a choice to “come out” and tell family and friends, and how their decision may affect many others. This was an easy read, sexy,sweet and romantic. If you like the genre then you may like this .