Book Review | At Attention
6:47 PM
Title // At Attention (Out of Uniform #2)
Author // Annabeth Albert
Publication Date // April 2017
Publisher // Carina Press
Genre // Romance, LGBTQIA+
synopsis.
Lieutenant Apollo Floros can ace tactical training missions, but being a single dad to his twin daughters is more than he can handle. He needs live-in help, and he's lucky a friend's younger brother needs a place to stay. He's surprised to see Dylan all grown up with a college degree…and a college athlete's body. Apollo's widowed heart may still be broken, but Dylan has his blood heating up.
It's been eight years since the teenage Dylan followed Apollo around like a lovesick puppy, and it's time he showed Lieutenant Hard-to-Please that he's all man now—an adult who's fully capable of choosing responsibility over lust. He can handle Apollo's muscular sex appeal, but Apollo the caring father? Dylan can't afford to fall for that guy. He's determined to hold out for someone who's able to love him back, not someone who only sees him as a kid brother.
Apollo is shocked by the intensity of his attraction to Dylan. Maybe some no-strings summer fun will bring this former SEAL back to life. But the combination of scorching desire and warm affection is more than he'd expected, and the emotion between them scares him senseless. No fling lasts forever, and Apollo will need to decide what's more important—his past or his future—if he wants to keep Dylan in his life.
review.
At Attention is the second book in the Out of Uniform series by Annabeth Albert, preceded by Off Base, and focuses on the daily lives of members of various SEAL teams.
In this second instalment, we meet Lt. Apollo Floros, a man raising his twin four-year old daughters after the death of his husband two years prior. He’s assisted by his mother, and his in-laws, but with his mother heading on an extended overseas trip, he’s in need of someone to help out with the twins when he’s called in to work (a frequent occurrence). Enter Dylan, the younger brother of a fellow SEAL and friend, eight years Apollo’s junior. Growing up, Dylan had a crush on the older SEAL whom he knew through his older brother, and the attraction’s never quite gone away.
Being a romance book, there’s more than its fair share of steamy scenes - and they’re great - but the one thing that drew me into this book was the complicated nature of the relationship between Apollo and Dylan. Apollo has not moved on from his husband’s death, and doesn’t know if he will. Instead, he keeps his life (and his family’s life) regimented and in control and safe. Dylan, meanwhile, is a breathe of fresh air - he’s energetic, positive, loves kids (and works at a holiday camp) and doesn’t mind Apollo’s OCD tendencies. He spends a lot of the book trying to get the Apollo to relax.
Annabeth Albert writes lovely, complex character driven stories. Ultimately, as a reader, I felt for all the characters, and could understand why they made the choices they made - even when they drove me (and the other characters) completely crazy. Everything is normal; the characters are relatable and that’s a huge drawcard for me. I just wanted to know if and how Apollo and Dylan managed to make their relationship work.
If you’re a fan of gay romance novels, with great characters, then this is definitely one to check out. (And yes, the twins are adorable!)
I gave At Attention 4 out of 5 stars.
I received a copy of At Attention from Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
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