I definitely enjoy this series. I thought both MC were engaging, Diego is a character from previous books. They definitely have chemistry and there is a depth to their relationship. The book definitely has a political slant in reagrd to the military and immigration. I did think there was a lot of internal dialogue that sometimes became repetitiive- especially from Diego. I thought previous characters were woven in successfully. While I always enjoy a story by Witt, this was not my favorite.

Another enjoyable story in the Anchor Point series. Mark is currently going through a divorce. He is just plain no good at relationships and he will be the first one to tell you this. While he was married to a woman, he seems to be looking for something that he has yet to really find. Diego has sworn off the military and we have seen him in a previous book. Now we find out all the reasons why he wants nothing to do with the Navy or any military. But once Mark comes into his orbit, he can't seem to stay away. Will these two have what it takes to make it the long haul? Or will Marks inability to BE in a relationship and Diego's inability to stomach anything military mark the end of anything they could possibly have together.

The sixth book in the Anchor Point series, Once Burned was a good weekend read. Diego and Mark were likable characters and as always the well written storyline kept me engaged from the beginning.

What a great read. The characters are real people who struggle to be their best selves. The ending fizzles out a bit and seems a lot rosier than would likely be the case in real life. But what is the point of fiction without some level of escapism. I've red a number of LA Witt books and will continue to do so. I hope she keeps them coming.

So, this is what got my attention first:

50% of the author’s royalties from this book will be donated to charities supporting US military veterans who have been deported or are at risk of deportation.

That got me so excited about this book. So much so, I might purchase a copy even though I got a free ARC to review before the release date. This is the first romance book I've read featuring a character who was at risk deportation. It seemed--and I am not an own voices reader on this--an accurate portrayal of the anxiety associated with being in this position. The tension, the stress, the circumstance, the uncertainty was palpable. As was the role it played in the development and wedge in the relationship between the two MC's. Mark's good intention in the guise of privilege was well written.

Something I liked--the strong women that feature throughout the series. In Mark's case, the frank discussion with his ex-wife. Whlle the marriage didn't work out, he clearly chose to be with someone he respected. Smart, strong women feature all the way through this series.

As do men who mutually understand anxiety, PTSD, and chronic pain. Not only do they 'get it' when their lovers are in pain, they are willing and able to take on caregiving. And acceptance.

The major downfall of this book was the pacing in the second half. The tension was meant to build and, for me, the pacing was haphazard. The energy dipped at the 60% mark and again at 75% and I found myself scrolling up and back, trying to get back to some tension. Also, the resolution was a bit of a miracle, one I'm not sure how possible it really was. Maybe in 2016 but in this day and age when parents are hauled off in front of their kid's school? Not so sure. That said, HEA's are a must have and, in Witt's place, I'm not sure I could have come up with anything better.

Overall--yeah, I rec this series. Especially when you might need an escape, need some but not total angst, and appreciate a wide range of men, many whom have made some bad mistakes and learned how to do better.

I expected an Anchor Point story about a Naval officer finding romance. But this was not a typical MM romance, nor was it quite like others in this series. The author brought a very important issue to the forefront in this one. I was shocked to learn that members of our armed forces can be deported after having served. And, this includes combat veterans!

In this story, Diego Ramirez was injured in Afghanistan and, while recuperating, his visa expired. Yes, he should have worked on his naturalization papers sooner, but he was recovering from severe physical injuries and PTSD. Plus, he expected to reenlist so there was no rush. But due to a (now defunct) rule, he didn’t pass two physical capability tests in a row—how could he while disabled from that knee injury?—so he was summarily dismissed when his enlistment term ended, leaving him undocumented. Now he can’t even access his VA benefits because VA staff might alert ICE and he’ll be on the way to Mexico.

Diego works “under the table” at the High-&-Tight Gay Nightclub. When the new Executive Officer of the USS Fort Stevens walks in, the attraction is two-way and immediate. Recently divorced, Mark was about to take his twenty-year retirement when he was offered the Captain’s rank and assigned to this ship at Anchor Point. Always attracted to men, now that he’s single, his first foray into the social life in his new town is to find a man to hook up with. But, at first, Diego reinforces his own rule that he doesn’t do Navy guys. Ever. And then, while watching Mark make the rounds of the dance floor, he gives in to his attraction and allows one time.

That one time, of course, leads to many more times and before each man knows it, love is in the air. But that’s not all. Several events trigger Diego’s PTSD, including a scare that ICE is checking IDs where he works, and a military channel commercial that features a scene from a combat zone. The author explores the psychology of the returning vet, the implications and consequences of long-term PTSD, and the issue of how active-duty military can lose their green card and find no resources to help them get naturalized. It’s a huge issue, and a great deal of the book is devoted to it. Awareness is half the battle and I appreciate the author’s work to increase our understanding.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and found it difficult to put it down so that I could take care of real life issues. An interesting subject, intriguing characters, typical hot LA Witt sex scenes, and the possibility of the guys getting their HEA all kept me coming back. I highly recommend this story and it can definitely be read as a standalone if you haven’t explored others in the series yet.

Once burned is one of my favorite books in the series. I love that Diego finally gets a second chance at life.
I was so worried about him after the last book.
Mark seemed a bit of a play and didn't hold his marriage in high regard. I wasn't sure these two were the best match but alas the author pulled it off.
They worked all together despite Diego not wanting to fall for a military man.

3.5* Too much sex and very repetitive sex, at that. I didn't like that Mark was a serial cheater in his defunct marriage.

This book can be read as a standalone, as not many of the previous leads from the series pop up in it. The tale itself isn't bad - I'm not sure how much of it is based on reality, and I liked that LAW is donating 50% of her royalties to various servicemen charities.

The tale is about a couple that comes together against the odds, it seems - one's been burned, literally and metaphorically, by the military, and the other comes into his life when he takes a promotion that he didn't really want, and which saw his marriage collapsing as his wife of some 20-odd years didn't want a future with him. That could have been kind of sad, but it was revealed that both spouses were cheaters, and in fact, serial cheaters, which didn't endear Mark to me.

Diego was a decent character, but I did wonder at his apathy in not planning for his future and life outside of the military, and yet I could empathise with him and his situation.

I'm not sure that I felt that the leads were suited - it felt as if the sex was too full-on from the start and that that was what connected them, nothing else. It felt as if both were desperate for sex and nothing but sex, and that Diego compromised his stance to be able to have sex with a guy he fancied without really taking the time to know him. I found the sex really, really repetitive, so much so that I skipped most of it. The tale does end in the start of a HEA, with absence making the heart grow fonder on both guys' parts.

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

Once Burned brings us back to Anchor Point, and this time we are getting Diego's story. You will remember Diego from his part in Going Overboard. Diego is working as a bartender, under the table, because he is an illegal immigrant. His green card expired, he was kicked out of the Navy and he's kinda bitter about that. So he has a rule, no enlisted men. Then Mark walks in to his bar one night and well, one night together turns to two then weeks then the next thing they know they are in a relationship.

Mark Thomas came to Anchor Point on last minute orders. He's newly single, lonely, and just looking for a night out. He is immediately drawn to the sexy bartender and the attraction between the two is pretty out of this world. These men are older, they get along both in AND out of the bedroom, and Mark will do anything to keep Diego happy and healthy. But will Diego let his heart win over his head?

As always, L.A. Witt has written a suck you in story about two men you can't help but love!

I haven't read the first five books in this series, so when I read this book, I was a little worried about the previous characters. Yeah I found and met Dalton, it was like a spoiler to me, LOL.
But okay, Dalton and Diego didn't worked out. Then came Mark. Apparently they have that 'chemistry', (cough), you know what I mean.
So one night leads to another, and 'suddenly' Mark and Diego couldn't say goodbye and getting addicted to one another.

But yeah, while Mark's previous life and the divorced didn't really bother in this book, Diego's problem with the Navy and his impending deportation made a gap for their relationship and their dreams to be together.
Glad that Mark finally could abused his power for Diego (hey, sometimes power is good for some reason).

The epilogue was kinda seal the deal between them, I hope Mark wouldn't do the same thing to Diego the way he did in his past marriage, because 'that' is a big deal for me.
Maybe this time, Mark will settle down for Diego only. True love, anyone?

This one is fun, the angst wasn't too heavy IMO. So yeah, read this book!

Captain Mark Thomas has been posted to Anchor Point to take up his new position whilst still recovering from his divorce. He needs something to distract him so ends up a local bar where he blindsided by the bartender, Diego Ramírez. Unfortunately for him, Diego has sworn off dating navy men despite feeling a strong pull towards the handsome stranger. Here starts a painful but tender love story that is tragically rooted in reality. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is not the first book I've read in this series and just like the other books I've read, I absolutely enjoyed this story. Diego was wronged by the military so he swore he would stay away from anyone having anything to do with it, that was until he met Mark. The chemistry between these two was off the charts and I was excited when Diego decided to give it a chance. This couple definitely had their moments of insecurity and doubt but with the connection they had everything they faced was worth the risk. Not too many ex-husbands and ex-wives get along but I enjoyed the relationship Mark had with Angie, it just goes to show that ex's can get along. I love that this author will donate some of the royalties from this book for a fantastic cause and this in no way affects my review of this book. I enjoyed this story a lot and I look forward to reading more books by this author and in this series. The only thing that stopped me from rating this book 5 stars, was that some parts seemed a little repetitive but even with that, this was a great story. I definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a great m/m military romance read.

Such a good book with fantastic storyline. Although I found it quite representative in places I really fell in love with the main characters and found their relationship so beautiful

Once Burned (Anchor Point #6) by L.A. Witt

The good:

50% of the author’s royalties from sales of this book will go to charities that support U.S. Military veterans who have been deported or are at risk of being deported. That’s awesome.

This book brings a terrible and not often publicized issue some much needed attention: people who fought for this country and were promised citizenship for their service who were later denied citizenship or deported.

Just like book 5, Once Burned can be read as a stand-alone that makes perfect sense without having read the first five books in the series.

The bad:

Repetition. I almost didn’t bother finishing this book because I was sick of re-reading how Mark was military, and Diego couldn’t date someone in the military. I lost count how many times this was rehashed throughout the book, but it became so irritating that I had to start skimming when the same dialogue came up again and again. It was so unnecessary and added nothing to the story except page length.

Where was this dark side Mark kept talking about in his failed relationship to his ex-wife? Yeah, he cheated, but so did she. To me, there was nothing dark or original about that, nor was that enough of a reason for Mark to go around claiming to be awful at relationships. As a character, his problems were nothing compared to Diego’s, so he didn’t have the same presence or weight that Diego did.

The situation that Diego was in was terrible, and I was truly sympathetic, but I also had a big problem with one aspect of his situation: he never once accepted that he was partly responsible for his circumstances. Yes, he was kicked out due to the Navy’s idiotic practice of letting statistics in a computer program decide a person’s fate, and yes, he was severely injured when a lot of this happened to him, but here’s the thing that was brushed over: he had years, YEARS, to complete the paperwork for naturalization, and he didn’t do it. If he wanted citizenship as badly as he claimed, why did he put off doing that one thing that would have guaranteed him that? Remember, he was injured during his second deployment, so he made it unscathed through an entire first deployment and could have done the paperwork any time during or after, and he didn’t. Amidst all of his blaming the Navy for his problems (and 90% of that was completely justified), I would have liked one time, one sentence, where he admits that he is somewhat responsible.

I am not sure what the first four books in this series were like because I’ve never read them, but Once Burned was not as good as Going Overboard, and there was just too much repetition for me to enjoy it.

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I’ve loved all the books in this series, and this one’s no exception. It’s well written, well researched and so engaging. I was really intrigued about Diego after being introduced to him in Dalton’s story in Going Overboard, little did we know he was going through such a turbulent time (and that’s an understatement!).

This book tackled some hard and sensitive subjects when talking of what Diego went through in the military and the after-effects he was still suffering with, terribly so, and my heart really went out to him; the agony he went through when he was injured and the resulting PTSD and the threat of being deported was just horrendous and how he was treated was unconscionable. The one shining light in all this mess was Mark, who seemingly had it all going for him career-wise but he’s just come out of a bad marriage―luckily on better terms with his ex-wife now that they were divorced―but there was definitely something missing in his life, until he met Diego. It just seemed so unfair that Diego’s relationship with Mark; the only positive thing in his life, was under threat from circumstances left over from his time in the military, I really felt for him and I too, couldn’t see a way out for him and chance to move forward, get help and have a chance at a future. It seemed like the threat of losing everything pushes both men to desperate measures, surely they’re better fighting together than throwing the towel in and being apart? You’ll have to read the book to find out what happens but I can say it’s quite an emotional read; how one man can serve his country and end up in this position just busted my heart.

This is a great read and a beautiful, honest love story. I know this series will be coming to an end at some point soon but I wish it could go on as I love my Anchor Point boys. If you’ve enjoyed the series so far, you won’t be disappointed in this latest instalment.

Once burned is the 6th book in the great Anchor Point series, here we meet Captain Mark Thomas newly divorced, promoted and posted to Anchor Point. Feeling lonely he goes to the high and tight gay bar hoping to meet someone for a hook up, when there he's immediately attracted to the barman Diego who we met in the previous book Going Overboard, Diego had many issues and although also attracted to Mark turns down Marks offer to get together, but at the end of the evening decides to break all his own rules and goes back to Marks house, together they are combustible and a relationship develops.
Diego has many reasons for hating the navy, from Mexico he joined up and was sent to Afghanistan where he was badly injured and left with PTSD, he was then told by the navy he was unfit to serve. In a stroke he lost all his health benefits and green card, he is now working as an illegal constantly worry if he'll be caught. The panic attacks he endures are heartbreaking, and unfortunately I could relate how he was being treated since leaving the Navy, being ex military myself I've seen how they just become forgotten and told 'to get on with it'
Therefore there is a lot of depth to this story, these are two wonderful characters and Mark is determined to make the relationship work and help Diego
A most enjoyable and satisfying story, roll on the next!
My thanks to net galley and publisher Riptide for the opportunity to review this Book honestly.

Coming off a divorce and a new position in the Navy, Mark has relocated and is looking for some M/M action. Diego is the bartender at the local gay bar that Mark sets his eyes on. The one problem is that Diego does not do Navy men since the Navy has Royale screwed up his life. But once the two come together, sparks fly and passion ignites. But will Diego be able to move on from his past? Or will the relationship be doomed for failure? With a beautifully written storyline that deals with the damage that PTSD and combat veterans go through this book might have been very hard to read at some points but so worth it in the end. Mark and Diego are my favorite couple from this series so far and I look forward to more in the series.