At Attention sizzles off the pages with its hot sex, dirty talk and the sexy as hell banter. I enjoyed Apollo and Dylan very much and I look forward to reading more

great read, good couple.

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways: age gap, flirting, slow burn, hurt/comfort, passionate sexy times (Apollo has a thing for mirrors), and a beautiful HEA.

Apollo is a widower raising two young girls on his own. His husband, Neal, passed away two years ago, and Apollo’s grief is like a noose around his neck; he hasn’t moved on at all. Watching Apollo cocoon himself in the bedroom he shared with Neal is heartbreaking.

"But Apollo knew well and good that wishes were nothing more than dust held together with hope, impossible to hold and foolish to dwell on. Life was full of bittersweet truth, not wishes."

Enter Dylan, 10 years Apollo’s junior, with a high and tight butt—just the way Apollo likes ‘em. The contrast between Dylan and Apollo is startling. Dylan is light and joy. He’s fun and flirty, and so good with Apollo’s girls. He’s good with kids period and wants to be an after-school program director.

Dylan doesn’t even mind Apollo’s OCD planning, even though the man has a household binder and meals planned down to the very last pea. Apollo grounds Dylan, and Dylan, well, he makes Apollo fly.

Apollo tries to resist Dylan’s advances, but Dylan is no longer his best friend Dustin’s pesky little brother. Apollo still calls Dylan “kid” until Dylan shows him he’s ALL man and all ready.

The chemistry and passion in this story are explosive. Dylan is no shy virgin, and the moment the men touch, it’s FIREWORKS and lingering kisses. Apollo introduces Dylan to the joys of rimming, and both men are eager to give and receive. So hot & SO gorgeous.

Honestly, I wanted to throttle Apollo more than once. He’s unfair to Dylan, pushing him away time and again.

Fortunately, the dual POV helped me understand Apollo’s mindset; so many of his actions were motivated by fear. He lashes out at Dylan because he’s fucking terrified of losing him, losing the girls. Apollo deals with death everyday—he’s a Navy SEAL after all—but he hurts more than he lets on.

I’m not typically a fan of kids in romance novels, but Apollo’s daughters are cute and, despite being very present (which was completely realistic; kids demand a lot of time and attention), don’t get in the way of the romance. They also act and talk like actual 5-year-olds who like glitter and swimming, instead of precocious child prodigies overly invested in adult relationships.

I’m glad Dylan stood up for himself. I wanted him to make Apollo beg a little, but that’s just not who Dylan is. He’s not a player. He makes it clear Apollo is it for him, and while he wants to protect his heart, he’s not ready to give up on Apollo.

"'Wow,' they both breathed at the same instant, then laughed because that was what they did. They laughed. They made joy."

Not just JOY but sexy ferry rides, fluffy towels, messy kitchens, and puzzle pieces—the permanent kind.

Give yourself over to this book. Savor every moment.

Annabeth Albert,

This book’s got me all giddy!

At Attention is the second installment of the Out of Uniform Series. We met Apollo towards the conclusion of the first book Off Base. We found out he was a widowed father of twin girls. In this book, Apollo allows his best friend’s little brother to stay with him for the summer. The only problem is that Dylan is not the awkward teenager with puppy eyes he remembers. He’s all grown up now, and Apollo has a hard time keeping his eyes and hands to himself.

My highlights:

-Apollo. Broody, anal retentive, SEAL, and devoted father.

-Dylan. Sigh, what was there not to love about him? He was the epitome of patience, understanding, and true.

-Push and pull. I generally detest this plot device, but it made sense in this instance. Apollo just wasn’t ready to open his heart- he had to heal first.

-The supporting cast. The twins, the in-laws, mom, and the cameos from past characters were simply awesome and made me eager for future stories to come.

-Narration. Dual POV- my favorite.

-The pace of the story- it was smooth and quick.

-The sex scenes…. haawwwwt! Wait until y’all go into the spare room with the mirror. 😉

-Relationship development. It felt real. Apollo wasn’t perfect, and Dylan was wise beyond his years. The progression of feelings felt natural.

-The end. It made me teary eyed. ♥

Can it be read as a standalone? Yes, but don’t do it. READ Off Base!! Don’t deprive yourself of a great book!

In conclusion, do I recommend At Attention? Hells yeah!

Annabeth Albert just keeps getting better and better, and At Attention is a testament of that. This a heartfelt story of healing, family, and new beginnings. 5 Stars!

~ Book provided by NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion

Truth be told after reading the synopsis I was a bit afraid - for two reasons. First because I couldn't quite remember who Apollo was and if he even was in the previous book. I'm bad at remembering names, let me tell you that. Reason number two was that a few days ago I've read a book about a married guy with children, who was secretly gay, but never came out to his wife and then she died. So, because I couldn't remember who Apollo was, I thought it would be the other book all over again. Note: I didn't like that other book. But of course, I didn't need to worry, everything was totally different. I really need to work at remembering names. I remembered there was a guy in the military who was gay with children, but I didn't know anymore that that man was Apollo.

So if you made it through my little "I am stupid" paragraph, let me tell you that I love this book. I rarely give a book a full 5 star rating, but I just can't do anything different with At Attention. I loved the character, loved the story and loved the writing.

I loved Dylan, Apollo's love interest. He was adorable. ADORABLE. He didn't push Apollo into starting something new after his husband's death, but let him decide the pace. Also he was really good with the children. He was fun and at the same time everyone thought of him as a child, even though he's long grown up.

Then there was Apollo. There were some scenes where I wanted to bash his head in, because he kept hurting my poor Dylan without knowing it, but I still also loved him.

At Attention didn't have too much talk about the military part of Apollo's job. There were a few scenes that dealed with that topic, but overall it only took a minor role in the book.

I can't wait to read the next book in the series, which could be about Ben and Maddox, but I'm not quite sure it actually is. I guess I have to wait and see.

Also I told myself to wait before I start reading At Attention. I didn't want to start till March. Joke's on me. I already finished it and it isn't even February yet. LOL.

Rating: 5 stars