4.5 stars

Even though it was borderline too angsty for me, the realness of the story makes it a huge winner.

I am amazed at how the author incorporated an interracial relationship, a marginalized sexual orientation MC, grief at sudden and unexpected death of family members and three very young orphans. That's a lot in one story isn't it? Oh, and let's not forget the overriding setting of this series is the life of Navy SEALS, so one of our MCs is also dealing with that aspect in his life.

WOW

Too much?

Not at all. At least not the way Anabeth Albert did it.

I loved watching these two come together. Pulling together as a team for the sake of the children. Realising how special the other was in that heartfelt setting of grief. Coming to respect each other first, know each other next and finally love the beautiful person inside the other.

Both characters grew throughout the story. Both became better men. More caring, more giving, and more open.

My emotions went through the wringer. At one point I got so mad that I had to walk away from the book. A few other times I was unsuccessfully fighting back tears. Fortunately, they were the happy kind.

“I promise to never forget that you’re my person. My everything.”

As much as I loved the story, I had a few hiccups while reading. There were abrupt, unannounced POV changes that confused who was speaking. A few typos and a wrong word usage or two. The biggest speed bumps for me were the (too) many instances of characters starting a curse word then changing it to a more benign word. After the first couple of times, that got really annoying.

So maybe not a perfect five, but damn close to it. It was my absolute pleasure to read and review this ARC graciously provided by the publisher via NetGalley.

First, Annabeth Albert is one of my favorite, automatic download authors so I was excited to read the newest edition in the Out of Uniform Series. I tried to like it--I really did--but it ended up being a MEH for me. Not bad, not great, but definitely packs a good emotional punch.

I have no idea how to review this book. I've been a huge fan of this series and it's tough to say if some of my issues with this book stem from my mood, the current climate in the M/M book world, or the fact that this one was just somehow different from the ones that came before it and it didn't work for me.

But in some ways it DID. I was fascinated with Mark. I wanted to keep reading just to watch his character evolve. I wanted to see how things would evolve emotionally and physically between Mark and Isaiah. And they were hot as hell together - every time they engaged with each other romantically, I was on board completely. Unfortunately - it was the rest of the story that didn't work for me. In theory, this is the exact sort of storyline that should have sucked me in and kept my rapt attention until the very end. Instead, I found myself frustrated with the pace of it and irritated with the way the conflict was building.

In the end, I decided to DNF at 57%. I found myself skimming to get to the specific bits that I wanted and completely not invested in the rest of it. Again, this may be more a reflection on my current mood than anything, and I may circle back to it at a later date.

Annabeth Albert is one of my favorite go to authors in this genre and with Squared Away, she did not disappoint.

Mark and Isaiah.....this was a story full of want, regret, pain, love and happiness. It was written so well, and I adored all the character's from this book and books past. This is a series that I always want to read and hope it continues on for a long, long time!

This was by far my favourite book in this series.
Having read all of the books in a short period of time, I could really feel how the author has grown and really appreciated the difference.

"This is my family."

Isiah and Mark met in the week their siblings got married to each other. Years later, they are thrust together in the wake of a tragedy and forced to become a family.
Both of them have a lot of growing to do. Isaiah is young and still quite into the party scene. Mark is a big, bad SEAL and doesn't know how to rely on anyone else. Two interesting, really well developed characters.

I enjoyed the complexity of the plot. It wasn't just 'will they won't they?' (when we know they in fact will.) But there was a subplot with the fate of the children, the legal proceedings and Mark coming to terms/discovering the shades of his sexuality.
I am a complete sucker for the single parent trope, and while this was a little different I still adored it.
Mark and Isaiah develop such a lovely relationship, no insta love here! They make some bad choices, and I wanted to shake them a time or two. Because I cared. A lot. Well done, Albert.

"Dream with me. Please."

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.

2.5 stars. I really enjoyed and appreciated the themes of asexuality/demisexuality in this m/m romance, and the way the characters discuss and navigate this element of their relationship! I was looking forward to the trope of this book (unexpectedly having to learn to co-parent together), but found this part of the story only sketchily filled in. Moreover, the conflict in the relationship unfortunately seemed to stall the narrative. As always, Annabeth Albert's books are very readable, though this was not my favourite of her work.

A 5 star addition to the Out of Uniform Series! I have devoured this series, and this installment was on the top of my TBR! That being said, when I saw it on NetGalley I couldn't request it quickly enough. Let me also say it is not necessary to read the series in order, you do see the other characters, and if you're curious about their stories i highly suggest it, but again, not required!

This story revolves around Mark and Isiah, Mark the SEAL and Isiah who is trying to figure out his life's purpose. They are brought together after a tragedy leaves them dealing with custody over their mutual friends/families children. Mark being a SEAL, often deployed, and Isiah with no employment, both have negative attributes hovering over their case. Through the duration, they uncover old feelings that have sparked many years prior. There is a ton of push and pull, a lot of self and sexual acceptance, and of course children who make the story whole!

There is also a barrage of overly opinionated family members, friends claiming to "help", and enough "set up" offers to really fire this story along. In the end, you get a real sense of family, closeness and connection that mimic real life. Annabeth does an amazing job with authenticity and realness in each of these stories!

I loved this book! I was immediately drawn into it would had a hard time setting it down. Tragedy brought both Mark and Isaiah together but love and understanding help them achieve their much deserved HEA.
There was the perfect blend of romance and drama in the book.

I love the Out of Uniform series. This is one of the better military/law enforcement stories. Mark is coming back home after the death of someone close, only to find out that Isaiah, has stepped in to help his family.

Mark is a great character, but his over-protectiveness was a bit annoying in the story. I liked the reality of what it is like any time someone comes back from being deployed. I liked how Albert flipped the script on roles between Mark and Isaiah because we got to see how strength shows up in different people in different ways.

The whole custody battle I think was a bit much. Mark only remembered Isaiah as a guy who slept with everything in uniform, but I wish he saw sooner what the new Isaiah was like because all the stuff with Mark and Isaiah's family was a bit of a put off because of the quantity of drama. Still, a solid 4 stars and I can't wait for the rest of the series.

Another great addition to this series. This go around we have Mark who is a Navy Seal and Isaiah who appears to have been a professional college student. Overnight these two turn in to daddies to 3 little ones. 6 years previously, Isaiah had propositioned Mark was was turned down. It appears during the next 6 years, Isaiah turned into a little man-whore. When Mark finds out that his sister and brother-in-law have died in a auto accident, he makes his way home to find Isaiah taking care of the children. Mark tries to step in to help but has no experience taking care of kids and doesn't even know them as he has been away most of the entire lives. So we have a story of them trying to navigate their feelings for each other & trying to make a family. There was a point that Mark did something that hurt Isaiah and it wasn't done out of any malicious intent but, he should have discussed it with Isaiah. Even though we deal with Mark being gray ace or demisexual, the sexy times were very sweet and we learn that it's not necessarily about the sex but about the connection. I highly recommend this one.

I super loved the Demi or Gray-Ace protagonist. Loved it. Very under-represented everywhere and I loved to see it done so well by an author I love. I like the way Albert writes. The characters are likable and relatable. The children are actual children and not plot moppets.

However man is this book repetitive. A good portion of the book is the exact same argument over and over and over and over. Felt like a great novella stretched out to be novel length. Also both characters just lost siblings and I just couldn't get over how emotionally it is a bad idea to start an intense relationship (especially involving traumatized children) during that.

Absolutely perfect once again. This author puts so much effort into bringing real life events to the stories she creates. It's hard to find any part of the story that seems too far fetched to be real. It helps that Isaiah and Mark are great complicated characters. Lots of heartache, some stumbling, bumbling moments, and some sweet love. Great story! Loved it!

EMOTIONAL, SWEET, AND HEARTFELT!

Annabeth Albert's Out of Uniform series is one of my favorite Top 3 Book Series, and Squared Away is truly such a fantastic addition. Mark aka Wizard, and Isaiah's story blew me away. I honestly can't say enough about this one. Mark is such a romantic, and am so glad Isaiah is his person! I felt all the emotions while reading this story. It's beautifully written, and the story line had me flipping the pages. Just like every other book in this series, I ended up finishing it in less then a day.

If you are a lover of M/M, Military story's, you need to pick up this series. And if you have already started this touching series, you are in for a real treat with Squared Away! I can't wait to see who Annabeth brings us next! Am crossing my fingers for Bacon!

**ARC RECEIVED IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW**

This is book 5 of the "Out of Uniform" series, and it features Mark, a Navy SEAL dealing with the death of his sister and his guardianship of her children, and Isaiah, who also shares guardianship of those same children. Albert is always amazing at conveying difficult emotions, and this book is no exception. Mark and Isaiah have a history together where they almost hooked up, and years later, that tension remains as they try to muddle their way through the aftermath of tragedy. This book is a great addition to this series!

This romance explores territory not usually ventured into by romance fiction. Mark is a gray-asexual -- not entirely asexual, but emotional connection is far more important to him than sex or gender. He's never really had that with anyone, so he's given up on relationships and thrown himself into his career as a SEAL medic instead. He's on assignment, trying to keep his team in one piece, when the foundation of his world is blown away by a family tragedy. Now Mark has to return home and pick up responsibilities he never thought he'd have to handle. When he gets there he finds Isaiah, his brother-in-law's brother, already in charge and ready to take on every burden left behind. Isaiah has always been the one person that managed to touch Mark emotionally, but he was too young, too flighty, too self-centered to do the job that needs doing. Or has Mark has been lying to himself to try to avoid having to let someone in?

Isaiah is warm and open, though just coming to understand maturity. Mark has been the go-to-guy for everyone for too long. They are interesting people, that make an interesting couple. Admittedly, Mark needs the occasional brick upside the head. That being said, this is another great romance for Annabeth Albert and her fans will really enjoy it!

I really enjoyed this book and I enjoyed the struggle Isaiah and Mark went through dealing with their grief and the beginnings of their relationship. I also really enjoyed the asexual representation. It's rare to find one and rare to find one done halfway decent, and this was done really well.
My only thing is that the word SEAL could have been cut and it would have cut maybe 20 pages from the book. I get it. Mark is a SEAL. He hangs out with SEALS. Isaiah finds SEALS attractive.
Other than that, I really enjoyed the book.

Please contact RT Book Reviews for this review - 4 stars.

I’ve really been looking forward to the fifth book in the Out of Uniform series and especially for Wizard’s story. This is also Isiah’s story, which really sweetens the pot.
Mark, aka Wizard, is the medic for his SEAL team We met him when he saved Ben and Maddox’s lives during a wonky rescue operation. That was in On Point, the third book in the series. Everyone on the team has a nickname and Mark has been dubbed Wizard for his special skills at putting together broken bodies.
Isiah met Mark when Isiah was a teenager and fell into lust for the hunky SEAL. Unfortunately, that left Mark with the impression that Isiah was a “kid” who wanted one night stands and didn’t take sex or sexual partners very seriously. Isiah is gay. Mark is…well, it’s complicated.
We get an education in this book on the sexual identity spectrum that includes asexual (aka Ace), demisexual, gray ace, and other terms that are not usually included in romance stories. Because Mark doesn’t seek out a lot of sex, and in fact, can be turned off by unwanted advances, this is not a heated sex book. However, it is very much a romance in that it demonstrates that romance is what makes one person desire another person for reasons that may or may not include what happens in the bedroom.
Mark’s sister Danielle is married to Isiah’s cousin Cal. When both are killed in a tragic car accident, leaving behind three small children, Isiah rushes to take command of the situation, including the children, the funeral arrangements, the house, and anything else that needs his attention. Mark is on a black ops assignment so he doesn’t find out about the deaths until he returns home. He takes emergency leave to return home. His and Danielle’s parents died several years ago in a plane crash, so Mark, being the Large and In Charge SEAL that he is, comes in aggressive and full force to protect everyone. What he doesn’t count on is Isiah already being there and no longer being an untrustworthy kid.
Who is expected to become guardian of the children is confused by conflicting wills. There is a lot of money at stake as well as Mark’s duties taking him away from home for long periods of time. I have to admit that Mark was not a sympathetic character to me throughout much of the book. Since I was waiting for Wizard’s story this was a bit of a disappointment, but let me assure you that watching Mark grow and learn to communicate was extremely satisfying and taught me a number of lessons about true love. Isiah also had some lessons to learn, including patience and trust.
The legal aspects of the situation as well as the military regulations made this a technically riveting book. It was obviously well-researched, although I suspect some liberties may have been taken by the author. It nevertheless rings true, which is important to the story and the series.
Secondary characters, including many of the men we met in earlier stories, have to step up to try to keep Mark and Isiah on track to be the person the other needs. You can read Squared Away as a stand alone but will miss a lot of the nuances of what a family is that are developed in the other books in the series. Carina Press always promises an HEA in the stories they publish. This one was hard won. I highly recommend this book and urge you never to give up on Annabeth Albert’s heroes.

Let’s begin with what I liked about Squared Away…

The writing is terrific – whether making my heart melt, or my head burst into flames – Annabeth Albert draws the reader in and keeps them captivated (even when I wanted to throw my Kindle out of a window).

The characters seemed real to me, like I could actually meet/spend time with them IRL. Because of the dual POV I was able to get into both Mark and Isaiah’s heads and take this journey with them.

I was particularly interested in the exploration of Mark’s sexuality and I really felt like it was organically introduced and examined without making the whole thing feel forced. I was happy to see positive asexual spectrum representation, especially in a romance novel, where the Ace character wasn’t considered broken and wasn’t expected to change.

I loved the hurt/comfort, of how Mark and Isaiah were for one another, and how they were processing losing their siblings because not only were they having to deal with their grief but also their anger because of the circumstances.

Which brings me to what I didn’t like about the story…the whole miscommunication thing that happens. And I get it – Mark aka “Wizard” is a fixer. Literally and figuratively. He needs to feel in control particularly because so much around him is always out of his control.

But Mark’s trust and abandonment issues were frustrating and the whole guardianship set-up was maddening and felt like it went on way too long. Frankly, I spent half the book waiting for the whole thing to blow up, which sort of put a damper on enjoying the budding relationship because I knew it was going to all go sideways sooner rather than later.

However, once the miscommunication is dealt with, and all the fallout from that, Mark and Isaiah (cough mostly Mark cough) finally manage to get their heads together and figure out what they really want.

“Maybe we needed each other.” Mark gave him a lopsided smile. “Maybe we needed each other to learn to trust. But maybe you figured that out a little faster than me.”

Sure, they get to where they want to be, but I personally felt like the ending got rushed, and it left me a little head spun at the end.

But the thing is, Albert’s writing was so good that I was reacting to this as though it were really happening. I was invested, y’all.

All in all though it’s a solid addition to the series with plenty of hurt/comfort, a medium amount of angst, some light heat, and a HEA.

“You taught me to love going slow. Before I was always speeding through life, one milepost to the next, missing all sorts of sights along the way.”
“Then let’s drive the slow lane together.”

3.5 Stars