Reviews

Squared Away by Annabeth Albert

raynebair's review

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4.0

Oh man! This book was an emotional roller coaster. I was teary-eyed with sadness and with joy. Two men suffering grief and other issues. And then having to deal with a custody mess. Those kids! I love reading books with kids and this book handled it well. The kids' grief was somewhat glossed over. It wasn't really focused on, which I'm still on the fence about. It would have made for some very emotional scenes, but the book had enough of that already with Mark's personal struggle with his sexuality. And that was something I wasn't expecting. But I absolutely loved how Isaiah handled it.

"I like making love." Isaiah put extra emphasis on each word. "And you've shown me that that can come in a variety of forms, not all of which have orgasms attached."

Why don't guys get this in the real life? It's not all about intercourse. It's about showing affection. This was my favorite part of the whole book.

I was not expecting this book. The rest of the series was also emotional, but I think this one had a slightly different feel to it. These are bad-ass, hard core Navy SEALS, yet Mark was a big, bad softie underneath. More so than the rest of the guys in the series. Very emotional read. I loved every minute of it.

Received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

tsuyoi's review

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

jodi_ice's review

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5.0

Cawpile: 5* 9.14

pewterwolf's review

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4.0

Review Taken from The Pewter Wolf and eProof was given by publisher via NetGalley in exchange for honest review.

After the news of his sister's and husband's deaths, SEAL Mark has to come home to act as guardian to his two nieces and nephew, all under the age of five. What he didn't expect is to come up against Isaiah, who is determined to file for custody. But Mark remembered that last time they met six years ago, Isaiah was young, wild and gets bored easily...

But Isaiah is determined to prove Mark wrong. Isaiah has been there for the family while Mark was away on missions and he's determined to keep the kids together, no matter what. The kids are the most important thing in this situation, not Mark's fears or Isaiah's now dead crush on Mark.

But as the legal situation tries to sort itself out, the two start developing attraction for each other... but unless one of them can open their heart and speak, they both could lose what's important...

I power-read this over the course of three days when I was off work and it was such a lovely distraction. It was light, fluffy, sexy, a Happily Ever After ending (the publisher has said on their site that they publish happily ever after [HEA] or happy for now [HFN] endings), everything I needed at the moment. So, this book came out the right time for me.

What I found interesting is that one of the characters used LGBT terms I have never heard of - demisexual and ace-grey - and it was fascinating to read a character who identified as demisexual and understand this more. I do wish that there was more information on this, though, as when I first heard of it, I did a Google search to get a basic understanding on it, but it's nice to see other sexual identities being talked about here.

This is a beach read for me, a story I switched my brain off to while reading, but I had such a good time reading this, and I am open to trying out another Annabeth Albert story - not sure if it will be in the series or another, but I'm up for the idea.

lifeand100books's review

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3.0

Everything Albert writes is so good, and this is no exception. My only complaint is that without the need for taking care of the kids, I don't see these two ever having become an item. I almost wish they had gotten together in their pasts, just to be able to say hey, it's not just because of the kids that we're together.

I enjoyed learning more about demisexuality and gray ace. I'd never heard of the term gray ace before, so it was nice to learn about how those who identify as gray ace see and experience relationships.

pheef's review against another edition

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3.0

The lack of communication between the characters was a bit frustrating. The spice wasn’t nearly as good as the last book in the series. Probably my least favourite so far. Looking forward to the next one all the same!

azu's review

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3.0

Gonna be honnest, I've picked this one only for the ace rep. Which was good. If anyone know where I can find an Isaiah in real life, please do tell me, this boy is too cute and too perfect for his own good.

Only 3 stars because, seriously... most of the drama could have been avoided if both characters had like, learnt to communicate ???
SpoilerI dont understand how Mark can talk about is demi / gray sexuality and explain to Isiah what he likes/dislikes (which is GOOD by the way) but somehow don't tell him about the advocate thing and more.

herrityk's review

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inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

bookish_notes's review against another edition

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5.0

This review is also posted on my blog.

I LOVED THIS BOOK. All the stars, you guys. Is this my favorite Out of Uniform book? I want to say...maybe? I managed to read this book in one sitting, because I could not put it down. It's hard to beat At Attention and On Point, BUT this might have done just that.

The story starts out in the past, to the day Mark and Isaiah meet for the first time at Mark's sister's wedding. Back then, Mark definitely thinks Isaiah as being too wild and too young. The backstory is actually a sad one, marked by tragedy. Mark's sister, Dani, and brother-in-law, Cal, have been killed in a car accident and leaves behind three children. Cal is Isaiah's cousin. And while Mark was away in the military, Isaiah was the one who babysat and looked after the children. Mark knows next to nothing about raising kids, but will do anything within his power to make sure he gets custody.

Once upon a time, Isaiah was infatuated with Mark. But he wants custody of the kids and is not willing to give them up to a man who has rarely even been around them. The story is wrought with emotion. The two love interests are still reeling from the death of their beloved family members and having to find a way to push that aside for the children, and putting a strong front in front of one another.

I would say this book is definitely heavier than previous books in this series, but it never feels like it's too much or overwhelming.

We've met Mark before in On Point, as the SEAL medic known as Wizard. I loved reading this story and getting a chance to see him get his HEA. Isaiah was in both At Attention and Wheels Up, hitting on some of the love interests in those books. Isaiah has a bit of a reputation by the point Squared Away starts, of having slept with many men. This makes Mark feel insecure because he's worried about not being able to give Isaiah what Mark thinks he needs.

Mark's insecurity stems from Mark still trying to figure out his sexualtiy. I love that Mark is older and still doesn't quite know. He is ace, but doesn't know whether he identifies as demisexual or gray ace. And I love that while he's not sure, the book passes on the message that it's totally okay that he doesn't know.Isaiah is never judgmental about it, and him and Mark have a nice, honest conversation about it. This story is respectful and honest, and just overall really, REALLY lovely. <3

This is also the first of this series where we have a POC character as the main love interest. Isaiah is biracial (and so are the kids). It's nice to see an interracial relationship in MM romance.

Like, I said, I did read this story all in one sitting, but I did find the ending cute, even if it seemed a little bit rushed. It gives the characters the happy, perfect ending they deserve, so I can't begrudge them that.

I'm looking forward to reading Bacon's story next in Tight Quarters, because we might finally learn his real name!

***Thanks to Carina Press for providing me an ARC on NetGalley***

liza5326's review against another edition

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5.0

By FAR my favorite of the series so far!!! I absolutely loved SEAL Mark and Isaiah and the kids. This was an emotional story, focusing on the loss of Mark's sister and Isaiah's cousin and how the two come together to raise their three young children. But what really hit home for me is that Mark is a demisexual/grey ace and that Annabeth Albert did a great wonderful job depicting it and how he struggled with his feelings regarding it. I loved how Isaiah handled it as well.