“Sexy and smart, with two compelling and appealing principal characters, Tight Quarters is a magnificent return to form for Ms. Albert.” –All About Romance Petty Officer Bacon, a navy SEAL and ace sharpshooter, has been on the front lines of more than his fair share of dangerous ops. Yet when a minor injury relegates him to the beta team, he’s tasked with what may be his riskiest assignment … riskiest assignment yet: the silver fox journalist he’s babysitting is the hottest, most charismatic man he’s ever encountered.
Award-winning journalist Spencer Bryant may have been named one of Pride magazine’s most eligible bachelors of the year, but he’s not looking to change his relationship status. He’s a consummate professional who won’t risk his ethics or impeccable reputation by getting involved with a source. Even a sexy-as-hell military man. But while Spencer can resist his physical attraction to Bacon, he has less control over his emotions–especially when the mission goes sideways and the two men are trapped alone.
Getting out of the jungle alive turns out to be easy compared to facing the truth about their feelings for one another back in the real world. And whether or not they can build a future is a different story altogether.
Out of Uniform
Book 1: Off Base
Book 2: At Attention
Book 3: On Point
Book 4: Wheels Up
Book 5: Squared Away
Book 6: Tight Quarters
Book 7: Rough Terrain
Also by Annabeth Albert:
Shore Leave
Book 1: Sailor Proof
Book 2: Sink or Swim
Hotshots
Book 1: Burn Zone
Book 2: High Heat
Book 3: Feel the Fire
Book 4: Up in Smoke
more
Another great addition to this series of military men finding love! This one has a sexy age gap and lots of heartfelt emotion. Great beach read!
I love the way Albert is able to so easily create characters who are somewhere unexpected on the LGBTQ spectrum. Bacon, one of the two heroes here, is pan– someone who doesn’t love on the binary scale. Though he’s hot for a guy here, he has some androgyny in his background and a non-binary love in his past, and that adds an extra dimension to what’s already a hot military-based love story.
Tight Quarters is the sixth book in the Out of Uniform series, and if M/M Romance mixed in with a Military scenario does it for you, then you really need to check out this series.
In this book, we reunite with Bacon (and yep, that is his real name!). He is none too happy because he has been stuck with babysitting duty for an embedded journalist, one he actually admires and knows is gay. Bacon himself is Pan, and I loved him for it. Now, Bacon has a history, and is a SEAL. Bryant is a gay journalist. Whatever could go wrong?
This is a book of two halves – the first part being with Spencer embedded and them both fighting their attraction. The second is when Spencer is no longer in the team, and they give up fighting. I honestly can’t tell you which half I prefer! For differing reasons, both parts are fantastic, and definitely make up the whole.
With stories that need to be written, but jobs that need to be protected, these two face a horrible decision that left me crossing my fingers and hoping for a happy ending. No knowledge of the American Military is needed as Ms. Albert gives out enough information for it all to make sense, without disclosing any secrets.
I keep thinking to myself that this series can’t go on for much longer. How many different military stories can one author do? And then Ms. Albert comes out with something new, something refreshing and unique that makes me fall in love with her characters all over again. How many is too many? I don’t have the answer to that, but I do know I definitely need more in this series. Absolutely and highly recommended by me.
* 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!
This is my third Annabeth Albert book. I do enjoy her stories and do casually like military romances. But they do feel a little redundant. All of the ones I’ve read had 1 character that was in some kind of denial and there is a good amount of angst surrounding that.
In addition to being a M/M military romance, there’s a fairly substantial age difference between Spencer and Bacon. And it was almost a non-issue which I liked. Both of their families and friends were supportive. There was more tension from Spencer’s job as a reporter. This was realistic considering the importance of secrecy in the military, but sometimes the drama felt a little overwrought.
Bacon’s passion for the military is probably one of my favorite things. When writing a LGBTQ+ story it would be easy to trash the military and service(wo)men. Ms. Albert shows some intolerance but also explores the complexity of a changing world. Bacon’s desire to be a lifer and love for his team was very beautiful and jumped off the page.
I will read more Annabeth Albert books because I trust her as an author. However, I may try a different series to hopefully avoid some of these redundant storylines/romances.
This book was a slow start for me but it definitely picked up! I really enjoyed the dynamic between Spencer and Bacon. Even though there was an age gap. It was never an issue with them. The real issue with them was Spencer’s work. That was hard on Bacon.
“I’m asking, yes. Please. If what we have is real, then fight for that.”
Spencer wanted to be true to himself and write the story he felt would make a difference…. but he was letting his job make the decisions. And totally ignoring what his heart was telling him.
I felt Bacon went all in and jumped with both feet in with Spencer. He wanted it all. And in the end it bit him in the butt.
“I’m a SEAL. We don’t try. We do. And I do want to do this with you.”
I loved how there was nothing over the top between Spencer and Bacon. They both realized how much they wanted each other and went after it.
I loved them together!! The sex was spot on!! I loved how they both gave themselves to each other.
This was a good read! I can’t wait for the next book in this series!!
*ARC provided by HARLEQUIN – Carina Press via Netgalley*
Original review: https://myshelfbooks.wordpress.com/2019/05/05/tight-quarters-annabeth-albert/
Little by little I’m getting to the end of this saga. I’m so proud of myself for being able to read all of them in a couple of years instead of twenty… At least, I hope to read the last one sooner rather than later. I also hope that the last one is better than the sixth book, which I can only describe as plain.
This is the book of Bacon and I don’t mean the food. It follows the adventures of the Petty Officer we met in other books as merely a cameo. He is a SEAL through and through. One that keeps his sexuality a secret to avoid complications with his team. The one destined for rocking his world is a journalist called Spencer, who has been given the chance of being embedded in Bacon’s team to write a story. Obviously, our ace sniper is the one who must protect the journalist at all times. I have your six gets a new meaning…
The story looked like a cool cauldron for a romance to bloom. I was expecting something feral in the middle of a terrosrist crisis, full of danger everywhere with heroic and sweet situations. Something like what we read in the book of Ben and Maddox (no-prize for rembering their names!!). And there was a little bit of that, but it ends too abruptly and leaves the reader eager for more. Too bad that there is not more. The rest of the story is just about Bacon coming out and a too much drama about how incompatible their lives are. It is not boring, but this saga has always delivered emotional impact and this book lacks sorely of it.
The drama that tries to spice things up is messy and the weird elephant in the room. Why does Bacen get so pissed with the book? If he is afraid of the Navy getting thrown to the mud, he should read-proof it to bring his own point of view instead of running away and behaving which such self-righteousness. Spencer’s way of dealing with the issue is not much better. The worst part: at the end they just put what devide them on hold and keep moving… not very convincing if you ask me… Of all the love stories of this saga, this one is by far the least enjoyable.
There is also not much to say about the characters. The only interesting point of Spencer was being embedded in a SEAL team for research, but that ends quickly. So we soon get stuck with a very uncharismatic character. Thankfully, the difference in age between both characters doesn’t take part in the story. I wasm’t in the mood for a repeat of the worst parts of the second book… And Bacon is also very plain. His main trait is his pansexuality, but that is not really important for the development of the book… so that detail felt a bit empty.
I’m trying to come up with something with soemthing else to say about it, but it’s not worthy of my effort. It is not a bad book, but I can’t point to anythhing extraordinaire, either. I just hope next one is better.
This is why I love this author. A beautiful age gap romance that gets you thinking. Interestingly, I think it was Spencer who had to grow and learn the most. This is so much more than a love story though. What Spencer is trying to accomplish is very important and Annabeth Albert has done a beautiful job of making us aware. While I love all of her work, this series is my favorite. Getting beyond the uniforms to the real men underneath, and that’s what our military are. Real men and women with their own personal struggles. An excellent read from start to finish. Makes me want to hide in my reading cave and read them all over again while I wait for the next one.
Another winner from Annabeth Albert! Every book in this series is simply incredible, and this latest addition just upped the scales even more. Hands down one of my favourite series ever!
Ms. Albert tugs on her readers’ heartstrings with a finesse like no other. There’s always such a wonderful, deeply emotional connection between her MC’s, such longing and ardent yearning at the heart of their relationships. And so it is with Bacon and Spencer as well… I stood no chance, they gave me no quarter…
I’ve liked Bacon from his first appearance in the Out of Uniform series, but I absolutely fell in love with “Del” while reading this book!!
I love the idea of Spencer having a special name to call Bacon by and the significance of Bacon being more playful, at ease and vulnerable as “Del”, with Spencer, than when he’s in full “Seal mode” as Bacon.
Bacon is pansexual, and the significance of what that actually means to him and why he identifies this way, was explained very sensitively and through a heartbreaking background story.
I really loved Spencer as well. He is so principled and dedicated! And although he is the older one of the two men, like Bacon, he also has some lessons to learn about love and how to compromise while still staying true to himself and his principles.
At some point, things go south in a very bad way between Spencer and Bacon, and neither man seems to see a way out. Ugly tears moment… Of course, the catharsis when love at last conquers all, feels so much more intense because of it.
Here again, the author surprised me in the very best way by not making it too easy. Sorry is not a magic word, and it will take more than that to mend what was broken. I love the realism here.
The military aspect of the story seems to me to be very well-researched and written with great respect and attention to detail. I think the author does a great job at showing the challenges and difficulties that come with being a Seal. Without romanticizing it or turning a blind eye to issues where there is room for improvement, much like Spencer attempts to do with the books & articles he (co-)writes.
I’ve got nothing but superlatives to shower this book with. It was absolutely wonderful!
It made my heart ache, it made me smile, it made me think and reassess some things. Such is the power of words.
I really enjoy this writer!
This book was so different than the rest of the series, but I mean that in the best possible way.
Bacon (did I mention I love that name!) and Spencer bring out something in the other that they didn’t think they would ever share or discover about themselves. They shared intense experiences and feelings than really brought them together when they really shouldn’t.
Thankfully, they did. Read this entire book at the beach in one day. I could not put it down,
Overall an enjoyable story, but I was able to easily set it down mid chapter, so not captivating. I liked Bacon from the beginning, Spence took me a little while to warm up too. The chemistry between them was great, and the sex was steamy. A little bit of drama mixed it and boom, good story.
“Tight Quarters” by Annabeth Albert is part of the ‘Out of Uniform’ series and features Spencer Bryant, a well-known journalist who is embedded briefly with a SEAL team during a dicey mission. He is being shepherded through the experience by a reluctant Petty Officer Bacon, who resents being sidelined to the secondary squad instead of functioning as the elite sniper his team needs. Bacon has his own demons to deal with, including his discomfort with the apparent homophobic attitudes of those who should be his brothers, his fellow team members. A mutual attraction between the two men strains the lines of propriety and ethics but it may not be strong enough for them to form a lasting relationship.
This adult m/m military romance has a couple of characters that really appealed to me because of their combination of strength and vulnerability. I ached at the history that has made them into the men they are and cheered at the way they lived their lives unapologetically. I think the author did a great job at creating realistic and charismatic characters and the story showed the challenges of dealing with people’s preconceptions, especially in a group that depends on its brotherhood and unstinting support. I was disappointed by the choice that Spencer made even as I understood his reasoning and motivation and I cheered that Bacon was able to call him out and display his own pain at the decision. I was drawn into the story immediately and had no trouble reading it as a stand-alone even though I want to read the tales that came before this one in the series. I look forward to reading more stories set in this environment.
A copy of this title was provided for review
If you have been following my reviews you’ll know I am a fan of Annabeth Albert’s work, and with stories like this one it’s no surprise. But I did something different this time, I didn’t read the ARC given to me right away because I knew that I had a few days after the release before I would be posting this Blog Tour Promo Post so I waited and purchased the audio book, and I am sooooo glad I did. WOW! Greg Boudreaux did a phenomenal job with the narration of this book. I enjoy audio books, the way they envelop you into the story, it really adds another layer to the enjoyment I get from reading and this is why I am so glad I decided to go this route with Bacon and Spencer’s story.
We’ve had glimpses of Bacon in a couple of other books in the Out of Uniform series but we really didn’t know much about him until now, and I really really like him not only as a SEAL and Fellow Team Member but as a human being, a man to look up to. He had a rough go of things as a kid and teenager but he didn’t let it keep him down, he did what he had to do to become the man he is today and that includes being a good friend to some that may not deserve it.
Spencer, now there is a silver fox that would catch many eyes both of the female and male persuasions but it’s Bacon that has caught Spencer’s eye. Spencer is a man of substance, he feels its his duty as an investigative journalist to get to the bottom of things that some may not want you to know and shed light on the subject, so to say not many are thrilled with him being embedded with the SEALS would be an understatement but it is something that needs to be done.
Tight Quarters is the sixth book in the Out of Uniform series but it can be read as a standalone. I recommend this entire series, each of the couples have their own different struggles to overcome in order to get their HEAs and the common thread between each of the books are that some are SEALs together and others are friends. Happy Reading!!!
Many times when a series gets to the sixth book, the thrill is gone, so be speak, but not so with the Out of Uniform series. Annabeth Albert consistently delivers a great M/M romance that is entertaining and a whole of fun to read.
In Tight Quarters, Bacon is temporarily off the alpha team due to a minor injury and as such he gets assigned to keep tabs on the embedded reporter the team is about to take on. Bacon is not happy about it, even though Spencer Bryant is one of his favorite authors. Spencer is determined to write a book that highlights the stories of these men, and everyone on the team is nervous about what he might reveal. No one is happy about having a reporter watching over their shoulders, least of all Bacon.
But their time together develops into a friendship and possibly more, in spite of how much both men want to resist it. And complicating things for both parties is Spencer’s insistence on everything being above board and Bacon’s commitment to keeping his teammates lives private. When they realize they can’t have it all, there’s a lot of heartbreak involved for Bacon and Spencer. And you know what that means…. making up, which is the best part of the story.
I really liked this. I love this series hard. If you like M/M romance, you should be reading it.
An ARC was provided for review.
As a member of the Seal Team, the last thing Bacon wants is to have to babysit a reporter, especially one who was on the cover of the Pride magazine as the year’s most eligible gay bachelor. With the military’s DADT rule and the thought of coming out to his comrades, Bacon does not want to have feelings for Bryant but when they are alone and in danger the two cannot help but act on their feelings. But will the relationship be doomed from the start because of the expose book Bryant wants to write about the military and PTSD? Or will the two overcome the all obstacles that lay in their path? With great characters and an emotional storyline this was a wonderful read. I found the way the author dealt with PTSD was done with such professionalism and compassion. This is a book that should not be missed.
Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team
Sarah –
I love the military action at the start of this book! The relationship between Bacon and Spencer starts when Bacon is given responsibility for Spencer’s welfare when the journalist is embedded on a mission with Bacon’s SEAL team. Even though Bacon has no interest in babysitting the journalist, he quickly finds himself attracted to the handsome reporter.
Bacon is a career SEAL. He loves his job and he is eager for promotion. Despite dealing with homophobia and the loss of teammates to catastrophic injury, Bacon wholeheartedly belongs to the military. As a journalist, Spencer is more critical. His experience with rehabilitating soldiers hasn’t always been positive and he wants to use his experience with Bacon’s team to help expose some of the military’s failings. The conflict between these two men is as personal as it is professional, and I love the way this story sees both men reevaluating their identities and their priorities
While some of the more recent books in this series have focused more on the SEAL team members’ experiences at home beyond the battlefield, I love that this book immerses readers back into the military experience. The story focuses on some of the harsh realities of military life and picks apart some of the darker themes running through the men’s lives.
Off duty, I loved Bacon’s identity shift and the way these two manage the age gap between them. Bacon and Spencer exist in very different social circles and I enjoyed watching them fight to make a relationship work. I think this is definitely the strongest book in the series and it is beautifully written.
Angie –
You don’t have to read previous books in the series but we do see characters from previous books and we do see that one of my favorite couples is still together. 🙂 The main characters felt real to me. However, every time I saw the word Bacon I would say something snarky in my head like “Who doesn’t love bacon?” or “Everything is better with bacon.” Once I got into the story the little voice in my head stopped. LOL. The chemistry and banter was great, I felt like I was there. There is angst and the sex scenes aren’t very descriptive, which I normally hate but it worked in this book. Overall, a great addition to the series.
Veronica –
Bacon meets journalist Spencer when he is embedded in Bacon’s SEAL team and Bacon is assigned to be his liaison and take care of him. There is an attraction between the men from the beginning, but I loved the way a friendship, emotional connection, and a level of trust was built between the two. There is a real maturity to this story. The things that bring Spencer and Bacon together and the things that divide them are not trivial. These are two grown men dealing with real issues and trying to figure out if and how they can be together in a way that works for both of them.
I adored Bacon and Spencer’s romance. Tight Quarters is another excellent book in the Out of Uniform series. I’m not sure if Annabeth Albert plans to write more book in this series or not, but if she does, I’ll be happy to read them.
Avid Reader –
4.5 stars
M/M Military Romance
Triggers: Suicide
This has been one of the more enjoyable stories for me in this series. It felt so real and there was really no fluff.
Bacon (Del) and Spencer’s relationship is one of true friendship, trust, and love.
Bacon is a SEAL and his orders are to keep Spencer, who is a journalist embedded with his team, alive. You get to see Spencer truly process what that means for himself and for the SEAL team that he’s embedded with. It was a very real look at what that takes – the sacrifice that is necessary.
Spencer has a story and he knows that it’s important to write. However, as the story progresses, he realizes that sometimes there is more to life than the next story. He finds himself unable to really sacrifice for the story if it means losing Del.
I will say that the name Bacon was hard to read when it came to the more serious stuff in the story. It would have been better to continue to call him Del instead. It was also a story that left me wanting to know more – what happened to Bacon’s teammates? Will they get their own stories?
This had great chemistry, a seriousness that you normally don’t get, and a relationship that was truly wonderful to watch develop.
Ruthie –
This is the sixth book in the series, and you wouldn’t need to have read the others to enjoy this really excellent story – but it does add some depth to the whole SEAL experience, and the risks these men take both at work and for love.
I think the reason that I enjoyed this story so much is that both men are so wonderfully brought to life through the stylish writing of Annabeth Albert, that I would know them if I ever met them. I am not always a fan of changing viewpoints within a chapter, but here it was seamless. And even the fact that they both had plenty of inner thoughts which should have been spoken, it was never laboured. I romped through it and there were some really good twists which added to the whole.
This is definitely a book on my reread pile, because I know that in the need to find out how it all panned out, I was reading at speed, and some of their intimate moments deserved a far slower, voyeuristic read! Suffice it to say that it was hot, passionate, and very intense, and ultimately full of love.
Thank you for a fabulous addition to the series.
Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Tight Quarters (Out of Uniform #6) by Annabeth Albert to read and review.
*A copy of this book was provided by A Novel Take PR and I freely give my honest review*
Another good book from this author, Spencer and Beacon is a unlike couple in many ways but they still found their way.
* Good storyline that progressed nicely.
* The characters are well described and the secondary characters made me curious to hear their stories. I think the author has managed to build a world that makes me feel comfortable and intrigued.
* No unnecessary descriptions of surroundings and enough dialogues to keep the story moving forward.
* I loved how Beacon could let go and be vulnerable with Spencer.
* The love scenes was sweet and emotional and written in a tasteful way.
Good m/m romance with HEA.
Gutted me in the best way; I loved it!
It just boggles my mind how Annabeth Albert keeps coming up with such wonderful, heart-wrenching stories for this series. She talks openly about struggling sometimes as a writer and I’m here to say that Annabeth, your struggles are worth it for what you give to your readers. I don’t mean that I like that she must struggle, I just want to let her know that her efforts are sincerely appreciated by this fan and I’m sure her other fans would agree.
Tight Quarters is the sixth book in the Out of Uniform series but it stands alone just fine. I can’t recommend the other books in this series highly enough though, so if you like Tight Quarters I know you will enjoy the other ones as well.
I’m not a good person for remembering details from one book in a series to the next. That doesn’t mean that I don’t love them, just that I read so many books that it’s hard for me to keep story details straight from one book to the next. I think other readers have been waiting for Bacon’s story while I’m just waiting for the next any story from Annabeth and boy did she deliver with this one.
There’s an age gap between Bacon and Spencer but it’s not focused on much throughout the book. What is focused on is being part of a team and still needing to connect with a soulmate. What starts out as a dreaded “babysitting” job for Bacon later turns into so much more between him and Spencer.
The blurb is good but it doesn’t really begin to convey the depth of feeling that grows gradually between these two men. Yes, they have hot as fire sex with each other but eventually it becomes even more, though neither one seems ready to admit it. They have a huge conflict, which seems insurmountable, but love will eventually win out and they get a very satisfying HFN (happy for now).
I really want/need to read more about Bacon and Spencer; I hope we hear from them again in later books in this series. I know that all series must come to an end at some point but I really want this one to continue for many more books.
Thank you, Annabeth, for making the tears (both happy and sad) flow once again. I love it when you do that to me.
A review copy was provided by the publisher via NetGalley but this did not influence my opinion or rating of the book.
***Reviewed for Xtreme-Delusions dot com***
So this may be my favorite book of the series! It is always an interesting story when two people find love in a very unusual set of circumstances! Annabeth Albert does a phenomenal job of giving us the right amount of action, drama, and sizzle within her stories!
This story is a bit of a slow burn as Petty Officer Bacon, a sniper of a SEAL unit, has a injury to his hand. He’s taken from the front line and relegated to support team. To make matters worse, he’s been put in charge of a reporter, Spencer, joining his team to get the backstory of special ops. His job is to make sure he comes back safe and unharmed.
Things go sideways during the op, and Bacon and Spencer are forced to follow a contingent plan taking them through some pretty risky territory. They have quite a bit of time to talk and get to know one another. They are both very complex men and I loved finding out their backgrounds. Both are very good at their respective jobs and I liked hearing out how they got to that point in their lives. One thing that caught them both by surprise, was the immediate attraction they felt for each other. I feel they complimented each other rather well!
Once they finally gave into their attraction, there is no way to stay away. Talk about some steamy scenes!! Whew!! They were rough and tumble males, but also so very touching and sweet at times. I really liked how they were believable. They were some very exceptional people and I liked how they really seemed to click.
The entire book was interesting and you can appreciate the authors research to write it. The military has so many rules and its easy to find yourself in a tough place quick. She did a good job of explaining the reasoning and how to navigate all the rules and procedures.
I have read the entire series so far and each can be read by itself. I do enjoy seeing some of the characters from previous books pop up and say hi! If this is your first read in the Out of Uniform series, don’t make it your last! Each book has a different set of unique characters and situations that keep you riveted just as this one does.