Senior Chief Will Curtis meets Lieutenant Brent Jameson when he's called to settle a domestic dispute on base. Will is a master-at-arms, a cop essentially, and Brent was (unknowingly) having a rendevous with a married woman when her husband arrived mid-scene. It's, well, it's humiliating for Brent. He'd never knowingly break rules like that, and he's rather lucky the husband doesn't press charges--for conduct unbecoming. That said, Will and Brent meet up off base by coincidence, as the nearby gay bar--and it's hot. But...forbidden. Will is enlisted and Brent is commissioned. For a one off..okay. They could fake their way out of trouble if the "just met" and didn't know each other's rank.

But that's not what happens. Because it's good, and worth a second try. And a third.

Knowing their careers are at risk if discovered, Will and Brent begin to sneak around, even planning a weekend well away from base so they have the chance to wake up together after sunrise in a bed for a change. Their attraction becomes more than hooking up, with time spent chatting, acting as a partner would--if they could be partners. Will has a decade on Brent, and is angling for a career in the Navy--thirty years and full retirement. Brent, he's only starting off his career, but it's far more tedious than he anticipated. And, his folks (particularly his dad who's retired from the Navy) are a struggle. They want him to be a high flyer like his elder brother, and why doesn't he marry a good woman and settle down...

As it goes, though, it's not long before there's a discovery, and they need to either separate from each other, or the Navy...and it becomes a surprisingly easy choice, in the end. Well, not easy, per se, but manageable, and believable. I really liked both Will and Brent. They are good men, who make bad choices professionally in order to make up for denying their personal needs too long. And, it's not to angst-ridden. I liked it lots, and found the scorching sexytimes highly satisfying.

Will and Brent's story kept me entertained. They both had careers and they both disregarded the consequences of getting together. Their story was sweet and beautiful. It couldn't have been better.

The romance was sweet and seeing other characters from previous books always makes me smile. Brent and Will trying to hide what they have created a wonderful clandestine romance. I loved that ending and definitely recommend this book.

Will plans on making master chief by the time his thirty years are up and then retiring. Brent has been paying his dues at the bottom of the rank ladder but plans on making great strides up the ladder. When the paths of the two cross they feel a connection towards each other, but once they learn their relationship is forbidden, they much make a choice fight to be together or walk away from each other.

I enjoyed this book, just as much as many of the previous books. Will and Brent both planned on making the military their lives and having to figure out a way to have that but also a happy ending might just be more than they can handle. It was interesting to see just how much these two men were willing to risk to be together.

Rank and File by author L.A. Witt is the fourth book the Anchor Point series. This series just keeps getting better and better. Wow, this one is a scorcher.
Senior Chief Will Curtis has been into regulations and going by the book. He has a plan he is sticking to it. He is making a career out of the Navy and retiring when he hits 32 years in. All nice and neatly planned out. It is going great till he meets Brent. The one man he wants more than a naval career.
Lieutenant Brent Jameson he is a Navy brat. An Annapolis grad. Lives and breathes the Navy. He is working his way up. Not scared to work hard for what he wants. And He wants Will.
Their passion is a scorcher. They really have chemistry you can feel jumping off the pages. I loved their story it is by far my favorite. They have their angst, but together they are something to witness. They are meant to be together.
When you want a military romance with heart and soul I suggest picking this one up.



Five Shooting Stars

4.5 Stars


I’ve said this in the past, and I’ll say it again, L.A. Witt’s stories are hit or miss for me: Rank and File was a definite hit!

Will, an enlisted MA (police officer), meets Brent, an officer while out on a call one night. After, he can’t seem to get Brent out of his mind, so when the two meet up at a bar, although Will being enlisted and Brent bring an officer could be detrimental to both of their careers if they’re caught, the two can’t resist one another. What starts out as just a one time hook-up eventually turns into so much more. But to stay together one or both will have to make the tough decision to leave the Navy or be forced to give up their budding relationship.

I absolutely adored this book. It was sweet and sexy. Omg, the sex, well, since Will and Brent have to hide their relationship from the world, what else is there to do other than stay in and have sex? Plenty of smoking hot sex! Not much, and I ate up every hot, sweaty, passionate moment of it.

The chemistry between Brent and Will was out of this world and so powerful, that you could feel it coming off the pages at you. I loved getting to know them through their long conversations while they were cuddled up in bed together. They were both likable guys and although I’m not one for age gaps, it wasn’t all that much of an issue here and didn’t really bother me.

I loved that both Will and Brent had someone on their side to talk things out with, seeing as how neither could really talk to their families. Will’s reaction towards the end didn’t sit well with me, but I guess if Brent can make peace with it, so can I.

The story was well-written and flowed well and I really enjoyed it and can see no reason not to recommend it.

*copy provided by author/publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

It was fine. But I'm kinda bored of the whole "oh you're enlisted we can't be together routine" which seems to be in most of the books. Just, like, I know it's a real thing, but yeah, wasn't doing anything for me.

Another great read by L.A. Witt. I liked both of the characters and enjoyed their story.

I think L.A. Witt and military-based romance is a natural fit. FYI, Witt's Conduct Unbecoming is one of my favs. In this book, Will and Brent meet during a domestic disturbance call (Will is the cop, Brent is involved in the disturbance) and are instantly attracted to one another. However, Will is enlisted while Brent is a CO and any fraternization is strictly verboten. But this does not stop them from secretly meeting, first as fuck buddies, then FWB and then as lovers. They are both aware of the danger of meeting yet can't stop seeing each other. The sex is red hot, with lots of against-every-surface fuck-me-now scenes, but (I can't believe I'm saying this) but after a while I scanned through the sex scenes.

Honestly, it really took me a while to really get immersed into this book, and I don't know if it was me, but I kept confusing the two MCs Will and Brent because their internal dialogue sounded pretty much the same. Every few pages, I had to remind myself .... Will is older, enlisted and Brent is the younger CO. I liked the plot line, but I think I've burned out on this series and felt this book was too similar to others in the series. 4 stars.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Erica – ☆☆☆
3.5 Forbidden Stars – the older enlisted man vs the younger officer.

Rank & File is the fourth installment of the Anchor Point series, but can easily be read as a standalone with absolutely no confusion. Past narrators are mentioned, but their stories aren't directly tied to this one.

Will and Brent meet under unfortunate, albeit embarrassing circumstances. Will is called out to a domestic violence situation on-base, and finds Brent in a compromising position with another man's wife. The bisexual man met the woman on a hookup app and didn't realize she was married.

A few passages of 'he must be straight' 'he's probably straight' tension as they fondly remember eye-banging each other, they both end up at the High & Tight to let off some steam, and end up doing so with each other.

The tension shifts to 'we have to stay away from one another' 'we'll be court-martial if we don't stay away from each other.'

Forbidden. Even with don't ask, don't tell repealed, officers and enlisted men cannot be found in compromising situations together, or build lives together when one is in the position of authority. What was supposed to be a one-time deal, the magnetism between the pair has them coming back for more and more and more.

With a slight age-gap, and complementary personalities, Will and Brent heated up the pages. In L.A. Witt fashion, this novel was sex-heavy, plot light, but the characters' personalities kept me engaged from start to finish, even if I skimmed a few of the later smexy scenes.

While I loved the story and how the younger Brent really came into his own (growing in the story, almost coming-of-age-esque), I needed a bit more plot or character building. The pair were hot for each other, the chemistry obvious and well written, but I needed a bit more foundation to believe in the epilogue.

This series is closer to erotica (percentage of between-the-sheets action vs plot scenes), without going in the explicit direction, than it is contemporary romance. It's the perfect, racy escape for a few hours, leaving the reader with a deep flush.


Angie – ☆☆☆☆
I have read every book in this series and tend to like them all. This book was just okay when I started it. It did get better, but I did find myself skimming several times when there were pages without dialogue. Will and Brent have off the chart chemistry and super hot sex. I wanted to learn more about them, I mean we read what each of them had been through in the past, but they didn't talk much, it was mostly sex. Don't get me wrong, I love the sex, but I wanted more dialogue. It was a good addition to the series and I do hope we get to see more of these two in later books.


Avid Reader – ☆☆☆☆
M/M Military Romance
Triggers: Click HERE to see Avid Reader’s review on Goodreads for trigger warnings.

Will and Brent are a hot couple. They both are men who like to take charge, but not unwilling to switch things up.

In the beginning, this book seemed very repetitive. There were even phrases that were used over and over again, so it was not the best beginning. However, since I had enjoyed the previous books, I kept plugging away.

This story began to get more interesting about halfway through. It moved away from just hooking up to more dialogue and meaningful relationship.

I loved how these two were able to figure out their own stuff and lean on each other when necessary. I thought it was a fairly good story, once you got past the initial chapters.


Sarah – ☆☆☆
Will and Brent meet in embarrassing circumstances on the Army base where they both work. The chemistry between them is instant but while Will is an experienced Navy police officer, he is an enlisted man and the younger Brent is an officer.

To me, the fourth book in this series feels a little bit tired and a little bit formulaic. We saw both the age gap and the officer/enlisted dilemma in the first book and those characters felt much more carefully developed. Brent and Will both feel pretty generic and unlike in previous books, we don’t really get involved with their families or their lives beyond the Navy. There are a few moving moments as Brent evaluates his career, his values, and his desires.

This is a sexy book. Compared to the others in the series, it is closer to erotica than romance. Will and Brent start with a shag in a club bathroom and progress to a series of hookups. For most of the book, any intimacy happens in the bedroom because they can’t be seen in public together. Personally, I would have preferred a little less sex and a little more story but readers who just want some hot scenes between two sexy Navy men will enjoy this.

We catch up with some characters from earlier books and we hear about others. The blurb describes this as a standalone novel, but there are frequent references to characters that readers are expected to know. I’d advise new readers to start at the beginning of this series.


Ruthie – ☆☆☆
This is the fourth book in the series, and whilst there would be a little more context and other couples are mentioned, it could be read as a standalone.

There is no doubt that this book is super hot – the author is the extremely talented at getting the temperature in the room to rise – and I was definitely invested in the success of the relationship long term. That said, I would have liked more of a conversation or two about the choices that they had – rather than both of them knowing what they would have to give up and why they couldn't, but really only mentioned in their heads. Given all the other things that they did share, and the risk that they both took... it seemed slightly out of character to me.

It was an entertaining read, and I hope that the next book will give us a few more glimpses of them and what their future holds.

Rank & File is another steamy entry in the Anchor Point series. This time the theme is the extremely taboo, forbidden, the big, fat NO NO situation of fraternization. Specifically, fraternization between enlisted and officers in the military.

Will Curtis is a Senior Chief, an MA (Master at Arms), basically a security specialist or cop at the NAS Adams (naval base) when he meets a youn(ger) man, Lieutenant Brent Jameson, while on a domestic disturbance call. After the call, for some reason, Will cannot get Brent out of his mind, even though Brent is a) an officer and b) apparently straight. He knows it's ironic, and disturbing, that the first man to catch his eye since his breakup, is a straight officer, but he just cannot get him off his mind. So he heads out to Anchor Point's first and only gay bar in hopes of finding a hookup to wipe his mind of the younger man. Imagine his surprise when Brent walks through the doors of the High & Tight bar, looking sexy as hell and obviously looking to hookup. When they have their first hot and rough hookup in the bathroom, against the wall, it only serves to give both Brent and Will more fodder for their minds to ponder as they try, and fail, to keep their hands off each other in the coming weeks.

While I haven't loved every book in this series, I did enjoy this one. It's fairly low angst and both Will and Brent are likable, engaging characters. Their sexy times are suitably steamy and naughty, and Brent even does a nice amount of character growth as he's searching for his way through the dilemma their relationship presents - either one of them retires or quits, or they continue their relationship in secret and hope for the best. While I wasn't exactly surprised at Brent's decision, I was pleased, as it was really the only way for this to have gone that would allow them an HEA.

LA Witt's MM writing is always good for, at the very minimum, steamy man on man sex, and Rank & File is no exception. It, however, has the added bonus of having a nice plot and good execution. I'm definitely looking forward to the next installment of this series - Going Overboard.

Eh, I'd have to give this one a 3.5 stars, but this definitely didn't seem as great of a book as other series I've read by L.A. Witt. This was the first for me in this series, and while I enjoy a good M/M military romance, this one was more sex than romance and that just didn't do it for me. Don't get me wrong, the sex is incredibly hot, intense and I loved the characters. I just didn't really believe that they fell in love that easily when they pretty much only spent time together in bed and didn't get the chance to date like a normal couple.

Will is enlisted and Brent is an officer, so a big no-go on them ever having a public relationship if they both remain in the Navy. Will meets Brent while responding to a domestic call. Brent is bisexual and was caught by the woman's husband in their bed, so not exactly an ideal meeting, but their was no denying that Will and Brent were immediately attracted to each other. Of course, once Will finds out that Brent is an officer, he decides he needs to stay away. They end up at the same gay nightclub though and that turns into some hot bathroom stall sex. But again, they can't see each other since it's forbidden and could get them both court-martialed and kicked out of the Navy. But, that doesn't stop them and they continue to meet up for sex secretly. They even get a weekend away in Portland together, but then it's back to secrecy and nothing but sex. This goes on for pretty much the rest of the book until they're confronted and decisions have to be made.

Brent comes from a Navy officer family, so his track has been planned for him since he was in Kindergarten pretty much. I liked Brent and how he handled things in the end though and respected him a lot more. I get why Will didn't want to sacrifice his career though. I mean he was enlisted and only 10 years away from retirement, so he had a lot more to lose than an academy trained officer like Brent. Int he end, it all works out and I guess they get their HEA. It's more of a 'happy for now' though since we don't really get a whole lot of insight into how their relationship progressed, where they are in their careers and how the family dynamics worked out. That's always a pet peeve of mine in books - I want it all wrapped up in a nice bow, but in this one I'm just left with an open box.

Will Curtis has been numb since his boyfriend cheated on him and left, he’s been throwing himself into his role as Senior Chief master-at-arms responsible for law enforcement and force protection in the navy. Nothing has distracted him until he meets Lieutenant Brent Jameson, an off limits officer. Maybe that’s why they couldn’t resist the off the scale intensity, it’s the ultimate forbidden fruit. The trouble is, once you’ve tasted it, its difficult to resist. Seriously hot.

I enjoyed Brent and Wills story. Two men in uniform and ones a cop....yes who wouldn’t enjoy that. And it’s a HEA and those are always the best! There encounters were always HOTT and sweet. They want each other right from the first time they met. They had a need for each other even though they knew it wasn’t supposed to happen. I loved the passion they had for one another. It shows you they you can’t help who your heart wants, and the author was sure we knew when we read it.

However I feel the author played the book very safe. The point in the book where something big should of happened, it did happen but it was very much downplayed. It was calm where there should have been fireworks. I wish more would of happen when it was rumored they were seeing each other. There was no arguing or anything.

I’m glad they got there HEA. I’m happy that Brent realized he had his own choices to make about his future and not his dad’s choices.

The story line was great, and I loved the characters!

LAW normally does 'military' so well, but this series has gotten a bit tired, just 4 books in.
This is well-written, but my lasting thoughts about are that there was too much sex in the tale. And, repetitive, basic, functional sex, not the connecting, emotional type that's integral to a romance, IMHO.

The tale is along the same theme of the others in the series - one enlisted guy and one who's not, and their romance is forbidden + one's a lot older than the other. It's decent, but I couldn't get into Brent, as he came across too much as wanting to have his cake and eat it.

I might try another in the series, but unlike with books 1 and 2, it's no longer an autobuy.

ARC courtesy of Riptide Publishing and NetGalley, for my reading pleasure.

I have fallen into a book rut lately of books that have the potential to wow me and end up missing it by that much. Having enjoyed the other books in the series, I had high hopes for Rank & File. Such high hopes…

Let’s start with the book did not suck. Brent and Will were good characters and completely likable. They are both Navy with one being an officer, the other enlisted. Right there is a big No-No in the military world. However, there is an insta-lust attraction between them. Too bad it happened when Will shows up for a domestic case and Brent is smack dab in the middle. Neither can get each other off their minds so they both head down (Separately) to the High-&-Tight for an itch-scratching score. Of course, once they spot each other, a quickie in the men’s room leads then down the rabbit hole to a whole lot of hotness…and a whole lot of complications.

Those said complications are what the whole story ran on. They KNOW they are not supposed to be together but can’t resist what is between them. Not exactly a taboo romance but it’s enough that if word gets out, it could cost them both their careers. There’s quite a bit of sneaking around and hold up in their places moments that are filled with the hot and steamy as well as getting to know each other. The ending was fairly easy to guess what was going to happen by the seventh chapter. Despite that, I hung around to see how it would play out and thankfully was not disappointed.

So why am I feeling less than stellar about this book? I think it’s the repetitive cookie cutter to the plots. Each book in the series can be read as a standalone which is really nice but after reading this fourth book, I feel I can predict what will be in each book. May/December romance, lots of hot sex, big No-No hook-ups, one is an emotional/physical wreck, a family that either doesn’t know or doesn’t approve. I get it. It’s a series and there is a pattern to be had in all the books. The repetitiveness is not going to keep me from reading the rest of the books as they come out. I just wish they weren’t so predictable.

reviewed by Jac

This is the first book I have read by L.A. Witt which of course means I have not read the other books in the series. Truth be told I prefer it that way as I am able to honestly say that Rank & File works well as a stand alone. With that being said however the rest of the books in the series are now on my MUST FIND list. Will and Brent reminded me of a couple of my friends who were in the Marines during DADT (yes I also called my friends and told them this which made for interesting conversations later) and I remember how hard it was for them especially when they ended up working together and still had to stay quiet. But I digress. I really enjoyed Rank & File. It was a quick read but also fulfilling. The only thing I wish it had was more at the end. Did Will tell his parents? Did Brent's dad get his boot out of his ass ?

I have enjoyed Anchor Pointe. I’ve often thought there was too much sex, but up until this book, was fully behind the series.
Rank & File left me unmoved. Will is an enlisted man with 20 years under his belt. He wants to make it to the top before he retires. He’s got experience, intelligence, and a goal on his side. Every single one of those things should have stopped him from having sex with an officer. Because there was no ‘Oops, we didn’t know before we did it.’ He did it in full knowledge of who Brent was.
Brent was a difficult character to connect with. He seemed far less mature than his age. Whereas in book 1, Sean at 26 was just as mature as Paul, who was in his early forties; Brent came across as too immature. Except for his supposed fantastic looks and great sex, there was truly no reason shown throughout the entire book as to why he and Will would go to the lengths they did to keep sneaking around.
That’s not to say I didn’t like the characters. I did. But unlike with the other three books, I do not see Will and Brent riding off into the sunset together. The suddenness of Brent’s decision at the end, along with no time frame between that and when he told Will… it made me think of Will’s doubts – and how he knew that type of change could bring anger and dislike. I see that playing out after the end of the book.
While I really enjoyed the first two books, the third was more lackluster and this fourth one a huge disappointment.

Readers met Will in Chief's Mess. Although he was a supporting character, he suffered a lot in that book, but he also offered a lot of support for Noah. So, going into Rank & File, I already had a soft spot for him.

Since his break up, Will hasn't been interested at all in even looking at another man...until he met Brent. It wasn't a normal meeting, but after that, neither man could get the other out of his head.

There was nothing simple about their relationship though, even when they tried to trick themselves into believing that what they have is casual. A relationship, even a casual one, is forbidden by their ranks. As long as they keep the careers that they have worked hard for, any kind of relationship is impossible. My heart broke for both of them because regardless of what they did, they were destined to lose something.

I'm really loving this series and getting glimpses of the previous couples, even small ones, is one of the best parts. Going Overboard is next and I can't wait to see what happens next.

Rank & File is one of those books that I consider a pallet cleanser. It’s a relatively quick read, interesting enough to keep me reading and really does follow the blurb. It’s good. This is the type of book I seek out when I’m in a book coma. After I’ve read a series of really incredible books that have left me in a funk because nothing else will compare and then I need something to get me out of that. It’s not a bad thing. It’s just how it is for me. It’s actually good because I need books like this. I need an easy story, some sexy times, and a happy ending. And that’s totally what I got.

I liked the characters… Will and Brent were interesting enough, even if at times I just didn’t see all the attraction. I really like the forbidden love stories and this one is totally that. I just wished that I could get to know both Will and Brent better. I would probably up my rating if I learned more about what made Will tick. I think in the end I figured Brent out a little bit, just not Will. And that bummed me out because Will is older, been around longer, and all I know from him is that he’s had a really bad breakup that left him feeling bad, and his parents are assholes. Other than that, I don’t know much more about him. With Brent, I knew even less until towards the end when I figured out his motives for being in the Navy. But behind these men, I don’t know much else. Still, how much do I really need to know when I’m still entertained?

There is a lot of sex, as expected from this series, and it’s steamy. I really enjoyed the intimacy between the two men because I could really tell they were having a blast. Sex is fun and Witt knows how to write it that way.

So this was pretty good. It is a nice addition to this series, and if you’re a fan of L.A. Witt, I recommend it.