A review by loishojmark
Tight Quarters by Annabeth Albert

3.0

"...no story is more important than ours. The one we’re creating. Our story."

An embedded journalist joins Bacon's team in a pursuit of a terrorist cell in the South Pacific. Bacon bliver sat til at babysitte ham - to make sure Spencer doesn't step out of lines, to make sure he doesn't hear any confidential information and to keep him safe. Bacon resents him because if it. But mostly because, Spencer is openly gay and Bacon hates that he can be that, when he is too afraid to reveal to his team that he is pan. So still in the closet Bacon knows this assignment could be trouble. And it does go awry. The mission fails, and Spencer and Bacon are no longer just spectators but gets too involved. And afterwards, Spencer's permission to follow the group of SEALs is withdrawn.

This could mean that Bacon never gets to see Spencer again. A relief on the one hand, but Bacon has already become too involved and he seeks Spencer's company - in bed, but also outside of this.

They find a kind of friendship with benefits, but even though Bacon tries to resist they quickly develop into some kind of more. They both tries - for a while - to keep an emotional distance.

“Came because I didn’t have anywhere else I’d rather be.” Bacon’s voice lowered, became more mournful. “And trust me, I’m every bit as pissed about that too. Fuck you for getting under my skin. Everything on base is too damn quiet right now. And I’m too… itchy. You make me itchy, Spencer, and I hate it.”

There is a 10 year difference between the two, but it does not feel like a problem. The immediate problem is the contradiction between their profession. Bacon is a navy SEAL, whose job is secretive and hidden for the public. Spencer is an award-winning journalist who lives to shine a light on the truth, and he plans to write a book that criticizes the military. He knows Bacon will hate it and he knows it will give them problems.
But maybe that is just a deflection away from the real problem; that he is afraid of his emotions towards Bacon. He knows they have moved into the path of the relationship and he tries to paddle against the stream.

The big question is whether they can find a way to be together, that does not conflict with their respective paths of life, but mainly... Can they find a way to overcome their fears and accept their feelings toward each other?

Well, Annabeth Albert's books tend to end well, so probably ;o). But the road there is definitely interesting. But I don't know if it's me or the book, but the book didn't grasp my attention as much as the others. There is nothing wrong with the writing, and the quality of the book is good as always. But I want to be in love with the characters and I just didn't connect with any of them. Maybe that is the reason why I didn't feel their angst as much and hence wished for more personal and relationship angst. I hoped for a larger conflict and a more difficult resolution. The relationship issues seemed to easily resolved.
But mostly it's just that unmentionable feeling you get sometimes. The one you can't put your finger on. The one telling you that this book wasn't as good as the others, and it didn't leave any mark on me.
But you should read it because it's a favorite series and maybe you'll love it. It's fifty/fifty... Hence the 3.5 stars.

Copy was given to me by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review