Stevie‘s review of At Attention (Out of Uniform, Book 2) by Annabeth Albert
Gay Military Romance published by Carina Press 01 Apr 17
I was greatly enchanted by the first book in the Out of Uniform series and found myself particularly taken with Lieutenant Floros, out of all the various secondary characters. So obviously I was highly pleased to see him get his own book. We always need more gay romances when the heroes are both out and proud and are facing some of the tropes common to all variants of romance novels: in this case dealing with childcare and finding a second chance of love after the death of a much loved partner.
Apollo Floros is raising his five-year-old twin daughters alone – although with a good deal of help from his mother and mother-in-law – after the death of his husband. Faced with the need for additional childcare over the summer, he reluctantly offers his spare room to the younger brother of one of his friends, in return for help around the house. Apollo isn’t ready to start dating again yet, and he certainly doesn’t want the hassle of spending time around a young man who previously came out through having a massive crush on Apollo.
That was eight years ago, however, and now Dylan has grown up and graduated from university, taking a summer job at a day camp before looking for permanent work or applying to take on further studies in the autumn. Dylan still has feelings for Apollo, albeit of a more mature variety, and he’s entranced by the girls – as they are by him. It all seems to be the ideal situation for him, especially since Apollo might reciprocate more of Dylan’s feelings than he’s prepared to let on.
I loved watching the juxtaposition of military and family life in this book. We get to meet (or to meet again) Apollo’s friends from the base, as well as the members of his wider family. Dylan makes friends of his own both through Apollo and his big brother and through his work at the camp. He comes across as mature for his years, but also very down-to-earth when dealing with his young charges. The only outstanding issues relate to Apollo’s bereavement and the circumstances surrounding his husband’s death, from which he has great difficulty moving on.
This was an excellent addition to the series, and it was greatly cheering to see the book’s initial promise follow through. There were angsty moments that could have been dealt with more effectively, if the characters had been better at talking to each other, but all their reticence felt perfectly in character. I hope we see the two of them again in subsequent books, although I’m also keen to meet more of their friends and learn their individual stories.
Grade: A
Summary:
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.
Read an excerpt.
Other books in this series:
