At Attention (Out of Uniform #2) [Apollo & Dylan] by Annabeth Albert

~sigh~ This book was just PERFECT, even when I was the most frustrated about Apollo or when two kids took a bit more space than I'm used to in a romance novel I was just LOVING every second of it. Dylan is truly a DREAM of a guy, I think I generally don't think ANYONE could ask for more. He was sweet and gentle, he was fun and adventures yet he knew when to be serious. He gave his heart away and was still patient Apollo would eventually give him his in return. He was naive, he was brave. He was EVERYTHING. Apollo won the biggest lottery in life. I truly envy Apollo, even if he's a fictional character hehe

Apollo Floros believed a few years ago he is Blessed. He was married to Neal whom he loved dearly, they were happy, they had supportive families and friends and they even got two sweet little girls through a surrogate. Yet Apollo stopped feeling Blessed when Neal died, leaving him in a big house with two little girls and ENDLESS memories of what they USED to have. It's been two years, Chloe and Sophia are already 5 years old, but Apollo still wears his wedding ring and aches about everything he has lost.



The summer is around the corner and Apollo has a new issue to deal with, his mother who has been helping him a lot with the girls is going to be away and he needs someone to help him while he is in Base He might have left active duty to pursue family life but he still works at the base and his hours are not always predictable or regular. He is surprised when his best friend Dustin offers he takes his younger brother as the "babysitter". He might have been "just a kid" last time he has seen him but A LOT has changed.

Dylan Strauss had a not so secret crash on his brother's best friend. Truthfully I can relate ;) Apollo like his name is this invincible god Dylan would LOVE to worship. But he isn't 15 years anymore. While Apollo is still easy on the eyes 8 years later, he also has too many shadows under his eyes. He has a job this summer in San Diego so living with Apollo, taking care of the girls while there seems like the best idea but looking at Apollo and actually seeing the (new) desire in his eyes makes him realize it's going to be MUCH more complicated than he initially thought..

Dylan is great with the girls, he is great with and for Apollo as well, and it's hard not acting upon their mutual desire, but Apollo keeps holding back. Neal's shadow is EVERYWHERE and Apollo doesn't know how and mostly if he can move past what he used to have and begin something new. He keeps looking for excuses, including his friendship with Dustin, or their 10+ years age gap. Yet being with Dylan, even just around him, makes him long for LIVING, not just existing (without Neal) and it's getting harder and harder as they spend more time together. They both realize at a certain point they made a HUGE mistake. Dylan realizes he CANNOT hold his heart at bay and have a casual thing with Apollo. He isn't a "casual" kind of guy, and especially not with Apollo maybe because he is much more to him now that he KNOWS him than the idol he worshiped as a kid. Apollo on the other hand KNOWS he can't offer Dylan anything more and every time they spend together he gets more worked up about leading Dylan on or just doing what he SHOULDN'T have. Not when he is still grieving. They needed time to think, to regroup, to realize what they have and though it was painful, for them but for me as well, seeing the results, getting the HEA of these two was worth it ALL.

OUTSTANDING.

Rating: ★★★★★

E-Book Edition

304 pages

Read on: 11-14 Feb 2019

ABOUT THIS SERIES

 

Out of Uniform is a Contemporary MM Romance series by Annabeth Albert. It starts as a sort of spin-off to the #gaymers series with a few visits from their characters but in each one at least one is at guy is in uniform - and specifically a Navy SEAL.

The biggest problem I have with this series is the fact, once you grab one of them, it'e IMPOSSIBLE to put it down. Each story is absolutely unique and SO SO beautiful and heart felt even with "manly men" as you'd expect SEALs to be. There's emotional ride both MCs need to get through, on their own, together and though it's painful at times, it's SO satisfying once you get to the very end.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Books:
1. Off Base [Zack Nelson & Pike Reynolds] (Published 9 January 2017) ★★★★★
1.5 Homecoming [Zack Nelson & Pike Reynolds] (Published 5 June 2017) ★★★★★
1.6 Off Leash [Zack Nelson & Pike Reynolds] (Published 17 May 2018) ★★★★★
2. At Attention [Apollo Floros & Dylan Strauss] (Published 10 April 2017) ★★★★★

2.5 I Do [Apollo Floros & Dylan Strauss] (Published 4 November 2017) ★★★★★
3. On Point [Maddox Horvat & Ben Tovey] (Published 5 June 2017) ★★★★★
4. Wheels Up [Dustin Strauss & Wes Lowe] (Published 7 November 2017) ★★ (DNF 37%)
4.5 Homebodies [Dustin Strauss & Wes Lowe] (Published 10 July 2018) [Didn't Read]
5. Squared Away [Mark "Wizard" Whitley & Isaiah James] (Published 16 April 2018) ★★★★★
6. Tight Quarters [Delbert "Del" Lawrence Bacon & Spencer Bryant] (Published 9 July 2018) ★★★★
- New In Town [Alex & Marco] (Published 26 October 2018) ★★★★
7. Rough Terrain [Lorenzo "Rooster" Bianchi & Canaan Finley] (Published 14 January 2019) ★★★★★