The Noveltea Corner: genre: romance

Book Review

Wheels Up Review

6:00 AM

Title // Wheels Up (Off Base #4)

Author // Annabeth Albert

Publication Date // November 7, 2017

Publisher // Carina Press

Genre // Romance, LGBTQIA+

Rating // ✭✭✭✭

synopsis.

Their love is forbidden, but their hearts aren't listening to rules and regulations.

Lieutenant Dustin Strauss is a reformed man. No longer a twentysomething hell-raiser, he's his SEAL team's new XO-and a man with a secret. Or seven. He's kept his bisexual identity under wraps for years, along with his kinky side and a fondness for the military-themed semianonymous hookup website Joe4Joe. His latest chat buddy is more than a sexy online distraction-they're taking their very not-safe-for-work relationship into real time.

Petty Officer Wes Lowe has a smart mouth, a take-charge attitude and an uncanny ability for making things go boom. The life of an enlisted man isn't always enough to satisfy him, but one wild, no-questions-asked weekend with his online love comes close. When a transfer order comes in, Wes feels ready and centered. He'll make a good impression on his new SEAL team and keep his growing feelings for Dustin on the down low.

But as they log more time online and some very real emotions surface, Dustin and Wes struggle to pretend they're just a harmless fling. And when his commander introduces Dustin to his team's newest member, they're in for the shock of a lifetime...and a crushing disappointment: their difference in ranks means even a friendship without sexual contact could end their navy careers for good.

With their hearts on the line, Dustin and Wes may not survive their next mission, let alone find a way toward a future together.

(Good Reads)

review.

Wheels Up is the fourth instalment in the Off Base series by Annabeth Albert, following the lives and relationships of Navy SEALs. This particular story follows Lieutenant Dustin Strauss (old brother of Dylan, who was a main character in the previous book), a newly minted-XO with a few secrets: he’s kept his bisexual identity a secret for years, as well as his recent online relationship with a man he knows only as ‘Wes.'

Wes turns out to be Petty Office Wes Lowe, an enlisted officer and explosives specialist: both of which are revealed when he’s unknowingly transferred into Dustin’s unit, putting both their careers in jeopardy due to strict non-fraternisation rules within the Navy. Thus begins the push-pull relationship that spans 80% of Wheels Up.

First things first: I really enjoyed Dustin and Wes’ chemistry. They’re both very endearing characters. Dustin’s trying to figure out who he is and where he fits in his life with his secret side and that internal struggle is really interesting to read. Wes, on the other hand, is a very smart, confident, family driven guy who recognises his attraction to Dustin is more than just that but is caught up in the rules of their careers. There were plenty of very steamy scenes between Dustin and Wes, as well as some very touching scenes, particularly between Wes and his sister.

That said, the constant back-and-forth, no-we-can’t-yes-we-can moments between the two main characters seemed to drag out a little bit. They had every reason to put the breaks on their relationship and they constantly broke their own decisions, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but I felt it through the pacing of the story off a bit. I understand that it was a decision made to reflect the real rules that these characters might have to navigate in reality, but it didn’t feel as tightly written as previous books in the series.

Overall I gave Wheels Up 4 out of 5 stars: a good story, with great characters. This series continues to be a favourite.

I received a copy of Wheels Up from Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. All thoughts are my own.

Book Review

Lose Me

5:30 AM

Title // Lose Me.

Author // M.C. Frank

Publication Date // April 2017

Publisher // Kindle

Genre // New Adult, Romance

Rating // ✭✭✭✭⭐︎

synopsis.

Jane Austen meets New Adult fiction in this compulsively readable romance.

"Today is not the day I die."

Ari Demos starts every day with this thought. Fresh out of high school, she's landed a coveted role as a stunt double in a new Pride and Prejudice adaptation starring the Hollywood phenomenon Weston Spencer. But this job isn't going to be easy: Ari will be performing complicated water stunts and driving fast cars along the narrow cliffs of Corfu. One false step and she could lose not only her job, but her life.

And then Wes Spencer, Mr Darcy himself, arrives in Greece. He's got dirty blonde hair, a mile-long yacht and a bored look on that gorgeous face. Ari wants nothing to do with the rich actor boy, but on the day she meets him, she has an accident. One that almost claims her life. And now she can't hide from the truth any longer:

She might be much closer to losing everything than she thought. She might be dying. And the British actor is the last person she'd expect to save her life.

She's a hard-working island girl. He's adored by millions.

Falling in love was never supposed to be a part of the job.

Staying alive was never supposed to be a part of growing up.

Was this story ever meant for a happily ever after?

(Good Reads)

review.

Lose Me was a delightful exploration of the ups and downs of relationships, wrapped up in a beautiful Jane Austen analogy.

Told in discrete parts, Lose Me follows the relationship of Ari Demos - a newly minted stunt double set to work on an adaptation of Pride & Prejudice being filled on the island of Corfu (her home town) - and Wes Spencer, the heartthrob Hollywood actor staring in the film. Their relationship is complicated - they both come from very different worlds, with very different expectations about each other and this brings them into conflict more often than not, but perhaps it’s turning into something more.

Alongside the filming of the movie (which I really enjoyed reading about, rotten cast members included), Ari’s discovered that she’s closer to danger than she thought when a medical prognosis that appears dire.

This book is definitely about Ari and Wes, and their relationship, and they were really interesting to read about. I like when characters have misconceptions about one another and have to learn to admit when they’re wrong, or even begin to acknowledge how their actions and behaviour might be influencing a situation, and both happened here. The medical subplot added further tension, in a realistic fashion.

Once I picked up Lose Me I couldn’t put it down. Both Ari and Wes were flawed characters - in the way that all of us have our flaws.

Overall I gave Lose Me 4.5 out of 5 stars.

I received a copy of Lose Me from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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Book Review

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.

(Good Reads)

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.