Oh how I love the guys from Annabeth Albert’s series, and in this case the Out of Uniform books. These stories focus on Navy SEALs in southern California and I’ve loved all the couples and their stories. This one is no different.

The last book I’d listened to, Squared Away, set Bacon up for being the next bachelor and sure enough, this is his story. Bacon is a sharpshooter for the SEALs and with all of his buddies beginning to settle down, he’s starting to feel the pressure of his loneliness. Spencer’s a serious investigative reporter who’s managed to get assigned to a SEAL team for a story he’s working on. Naturally all the guys are wary of a reporter, but Bacon is especially aggravated since he’s been assigned to “babysit” Spencer throughout his time with the team -- while finding himself attracted to the silver fox hottie. Meanwhile Spencer is trying for a meaty piece on how SEALs are treated after injury -- or whatever else he can uncover -- and as he gets to know Bacon better, he begins to feel conflicted between being a professional getting the story, and the close bond he’s forming with the attractive, grumpy SEAL assigned to him.

I always snap up Annabeth’s Out of Uniform stories, and I’m not disappointed here. They’re just fun, but they always get me with the angst and other issues the guys bring to the table. Bacon can’t forget his first love and how he lost him, and the divorced Spencer is haunted by the memory of a Navy vet he befriended who later committed suicide. I don’t know the first thing about what actually goes on in the military, but I think Albert does a lot of research and nothing seems glaringly out of place when I read these books, so I’m happy. And really, her characters and stories always boil down to the relationships between the heroes, their baggage (which varies in intensity) and how they find their way to each other after some conflict arises. It also never ever hurts that the sexy times are seriously hot … and sweet. I always love her guys and their relationships with the other heroes of the series.

If you’re an Albert fan, and especially an Out of Uniform fan, this will be a must read. I liked this one.

4 pieces of eye candy
https://wp.me/p6h30q-2Mw

4.5 stars!

This book is the sixth one in Out of Uniform series, but if you haven’t read the previous ones don’t worry, it works perfectly well as a standalone. I have for now only read this one and the previous one and while I do wonder about characters that are briefly mentioned, they do not have that much of a role to make the reading unpleasant.

Tight Quarters features Bacon, a SEAL in a team in which the reporter, Spencer Bryant, is embedded. Despite being older and certainly less prepared, Spencer fits quite well physically. However, everyone is on their toes – worrying what might end up in an article.

Due to an injury, Bacon gets ‘babysitting’ duty of taking care of Spence, keep him in the loop, but not too much. It goes without saying that he isn’t thrilled and would rather be with his brothers.

There’s a lot of sexual tension, but they don’t act on it. Spencer because of his journalistic/professional integrity. But when the mission goes sideways and Spencer is unceremoniously thrown aside, so is integrity and second thoughts. Besides, Spencer is not a reporter embedded in anymore, right?

At this point the relationship and its struggles actually begin. Bacon and Spencer have to deal with absences, long drives to see each other…but that is not what becomes a problem. The problem becomes when Spencer has to choose between a story that is personally important to him, and Bacon.

I love how Bacon isn’t just ‘sure, ok, you’re sorry let’s go back together’, but tells Spencer he was hurt and doesn’t shy away from his feelings. And they actually discuss things through in general. The level of communication was much better after that.

I loved Spencer’s determination and dedication to his profession, but I also loved how he was friends with ex-prof and mentor, and how the mentor’s words impacted his life.

It was an enjoyable book with different types of tension, compromises, friendships, and cameos from previous characters and I really want to read a book about one character from this one.

This was a really good book. I enjoyed the characters and the storyline. I would read more books from this author in the future.

Annabeth Albert’s Out of Uniform series has been a consistently enjoyable one in both print and audio, despite the odd blip. Tight Quarters is the sixth instalment, and I was glued to it from start to finish, zipping through it in two or three sittings. Yeah, yeah, I know – I’d listen to Greg Boudreaux read his shopping list, but fortunately, Annabeth Albert has provided him with something MUCH sexier and emotionally satisfying (although I don’t know – maybe his shopping lists are sexy and emotionally satisfying?) to get stuck into, in this tale of a journalist who embeds with a team of Navy SEALs looking for a story and finds something he really hadn’t bargained for.

We met Petty Officer Bacon in the previous book in the series, Squared Away, and at the beginning of his one, he’s more than a little bit pissed off because the finger he dislocated on a training exercise has him sidelined and unable to take his regular place on Team Alpha. His annoyance is further compounded when he is directed to be the liaison officer for a reporter who is going to embed with Bacon’s unit during their next mission. The team’s recent shake up following the departure of its XO (executive officer) and explosives expert (Wes and Dustin from Wheels Up) coupled with the rumours that the pair are now an item and began their relationship while working together despite the strict non-fraternization policy, make Bacon – a friend of both men – very hostile to the idea of a journalist poking around for a story and he resents being demoted to the role of babysitter. Even worse – the reporter is Spencer Bryant, a heavyweight, multi-award-winning journalist and author who is openly gay… and is one seriously hot silver fox. Under any other circumstances, Bacon would have so gone there – but he’s got to keep Bryant at a distance and away from anything that could potentially embarrass his team or the Navy in general.

Spencer Bryant, who, we learn, trained as a dancer before a knee injury put paid to that career choice, turns out to be all the things Bacon least wants him to be – interesting, compassionate, charming, easy to talk to, and utterly gorgeous. Spencer plans to follow up his book about injured veterans with one about how modern warfare operates in the field, but there’s more to this project than simple curiosity. While researching his last book, Spencer became friends with one of his interviewees, who subsequently committed suicide. “They don’t see us, No one cares,” he’d said in his final text to Spencer – who has been determined ever since to find a way to honour the man’s memory and raise awareness of the plight faced by others like him. Maybe by showing the workings of a special ops team, he can help people to truly value veterans in need of assistance; and after months of back-and-forth, form filling and screening by Navy PR, he’s finally about to make a start on the project.

After a couple of days, the team is deployed, and on the long flight to their island base, Spencer and Bacon – who has, until now, been very guarded – begin to really talk to one another. Spencer tells Bacon about his injury and change of career; Bacon tells him a little about how his no-good father’s constant belittling of him made him even more determined to succeed and become a SEAL. There’s an undercurrent of attraction running between them, but it’s not overdone; Spencer, who is divorced, thinks that perhaps he’s not cut out for relationships because his career is so important to him, while Bacon is certainly not going to risk the career he loves for a meaningless fling. Their slow getting-to-know-you phase is extremely well done, and Ms. Albert really ups the ante when the operation they’re on goes south in a spectacularly bad way and Bacon and Spencer are forced to rely on each other and work together to keep out of the sights of the bad guys while they wait for extraction.

The failed operation marks the end of Spencer’s time with the unit, which, while it means a change in his plans for the book, has the advantage of meaning that perhaps he and Bacon can explore the attraction that’s sparked between them since they first set eyes on each other. The pair get together whenever they can over the next few months; to burn up the sheets, yes, but for far more than that, too. There’s tenderness, laughter, caring and genuine affection between them as well as scorching chemistry; their relationship is incredibly well-developed into something genuine and so, so strong. Between visits, they exchange emails, and given I’m a complete sucker for stories in which correspondence plays a part, I loved their exchanges, which so clearly show the depth of their feelings for one another. Both characters are real and relatable which makes it supremely easy to buy into their romance being about much, much more than sex.

There’s a fair bit of angst in the story, too, but none of it is over-the-top or manufactured. Bacon’s is a tough job, both physically and mentally, and there’s one incredibly moving scene - in which we get to see just what a toll it takes – that moved me to tears. And there’s one conflict that has been inevitable from the beginning; Spencer is determined to write a book about how the military is failing in its duty of care and he knows Bacon won’t be okay with it. He’s convinced it’s a story that must be told, even though he’s known right from the start of their relationship that he can’t tell it and have Bacon in his life. Ms. Albert makes them work for their HEA, which makes it that much more satisfying in the end.

A moving, gorgeously romantic tale, Tight Quarters is easily one of the best books in the Out of Uniform series, and Spencer and Bacon have become one of my favourite romantic couples.

This book was so different than the rest of the series, but I mean that in the best possible way.

Bacon (did I mention I love that name!) and Spencer bring out something in the other that they didn't think they would ever share or discover about themselves. They shared intense experiences and feelings than really brought them together when they really shouldn't.

Thankfully, they did. Read this entire book at the beach in one day. I could not put it down,

Overall an enjoyable story, but I was able to easily set it down mid chapter, so not captivating. I liked Bacon from the beginning, Spence took me a little while to warm up too. The chemistry between them was great, and the sex was steamy. A little bit of drama mixed it and boom, good story.

Wow! This was a steamy and fun read. It had a nice level of angst, and yet at heart the heroes were realistic and tender... on occasion. I liked this better than the last few Albert books I read, and now I need to read more of these military/SEAL romances!

I really like this series and it seems to get better with each installment.

There's a lot of tension in Tight Quarters aside from the growing sexual tension between Bacon and Spencer. Bacon is a member of the same seal team that Dustin and Wes belonged to in Wheels Up. Their (secret) romantic involvement didn't go over well with the team. Which is just one of the many reasons why Bacon isn't anxious to let anyone but his closest friend in on the fact that he's pansexual. Having being put on babysitting detail with Spencer just ups his stress level. While you don't necessarily have to read all the books in this series to enjoy the individual books, connections like this add another layer that I really enjoy.

Things got really intense in Tight Quarters. More so than a lot of the other books in this series so far. Spencer was determined to make the most of his assignment, but the men on the team didn't trust him. There were some pretty strong reasons why getting this story right was important to him and some times he couldn't really see beyond that. Getting close to Bacon wasn't smart because regardless of what the guys thought about him, he had a strong sense of ethics and certain boundaries he wouldn't cross.

Bacon was loyal to his brothers on his team, but that didn't mean he respected them all. There were some pretty strong personalities within the ranks and he wasn't sure who among them would have is back if they found out about his sexuality. He was getting tired of hiding who he really was though and I really felt for him. He and Spencer were great for each other, but the timing for anything to develop between them was totally off.

I really love the real life circumstances that Annabeth Albert puts her characters in. A lot of tough issues that are unique to the military are tackled and I really like the way she handles them. Tight Quarters was definitely a great addition to the series and I really hope there's more to come.

This is one of my favorite series and Albert one of my favorite auto-buy authors. I say this in every review of her books – are you sick of it yet?? lol

I was really looking forward to Tight Quarters because the romance is between a SEAL and an embedded reporter – a dynamic I haven’t really about in military romances.

Spencer, an award winning journalist, is approved to be embedded with a SEAL team on the front lines and they welcome it about as much as you would expect. Not at all. But they Navy wants some good publicity and he does prove himself by keeping up with the guys and mostly out of the way.

When Petty Officer Bacon is injured – he’s basically put on reporter baby sitting duty when a dangerous mission comes up. The mission goes south, leaving the 2 men stranded from the team and they forge a connection.

Once the mission ends and the men are saved they attempt a relationship which proves difficult. Bacon isn’t out to his team as pansexual and Spencer is still working on his assignment. After a veteran that Spencer was close to takes his own life - he feels he owes this article about the extreme stress, injuries and PTSD the elite teams go through to both him and the families that have shared their stories with him so far.

And that’s where most of the conflict lies. Spencer and Bacon have great chemistry and balance each other out but Bacon wants to protect his team from bad press and Spencer wants to inform the public about their sacrifices. Both have valid reasons and arguments for their views.

One of the things I love about this series, is whenever Albert touches on an issue – she researches and develops it fully. In the case of Tight Quarters I felt like she ultimately dodged the issues a bit.

I don’t think I’m spoiling anything by saying they get their HEA but it came at the expense of a serious topic. I thought what Spencer was trying to do was important – and yeah – it all works (even in that regard) for everyone but Spencer seeing things through took a backseat to the HEA - in my opinion anyway.

Still one of my go-to series so I recommend it highly even if I’ve loved some books more than others. Each book features a new couple and can be read as a stand alone although there is some cross over of characters.

I'm going to seem a little ungrateful as I review this book, I know it. When I finished reading Squared Away, I was hopeful and excited for Bacon's story, so I should have loved this one. In each of the other stories in this series, there has been this amazing pull and originality.

In this one, however? There just wasn't. It felt tired, existing of tropes that had already been seen and explored in the previous five books in this series. With nothing new to contribute, the story of Bacon and the reporter Spencer Bryant fell flat to me. There was an age gap between the two of them, a bit of a forbidden romance given that Spencer was embedded in Bacon's team, but that was resolved fairly easily and my dear friend the 'lack of good communication' trope reared its head from there.

Actually, I do tell a lie; there was something quite new that was contributed, something that I haven't seen in the genre before. Neither one or the other was more dominant. Throughout the story, they switched, and they talked about their switching back and forth, which was fairly delightful.

Despite that, this read was a little bit of a lack lustre experience for me.

DNF at 50 percent.

Ever have a dish in a restaurant that was skillfully prepared, perfectly spiced, and beautifully plated? Something that would be considered the ideal meal by the next hundred people who try it, and yet, you just didn't like it? You fully expect that other people would enjoy it, and you could probably name several reasons why diners would love it, but it just doesn't ring your bell?

That's how I feel about Tight Quarters. It's a well-written book by a talented author with complex characters and a creative story. It's got light moments, and nail-biting moments, and sexy moments, and everything else that's expected in a romantic suspense. But for some reason, I just couldn't get hooked on it. After setting it down somewhere around the halfway mark, I found I just wasn't compelled to pick it back up again.

And for goodness sake, "Navy" - when referring to the branch of the military - should be capitalized!

Abuse was this a hot and sexy book with a great bunch off characters and a really engaging a well written story that kept off the pages!

Tight Quarters is a solid addition to Annabeth Albert's series. It's always enjoyable to have characters from previous books pop up and in a natural way. Looking forward to Rooster's story!

This is my third Annabeth Albert book. I do enjoy her stories and do casually like military romances. But they do feel a little redundant. All of the ones I've read had 1 character that was in some kind of denial and there is a good amount of angst surrounding that.

In addition to being a M/M military romance, there's a fairly substantial age difference between Spencer and Bacon. And it was almost a non-issue which I liked. Both of their families and friends were supportive. There was more tension from Spencer's job as a reporter. This was realistic considering the importance of secrecy in the military, but sometimes the drama felt a little overwrought.

Bacon's passion for the military is probably one of my favorite things. When writing a LGBTQ+ story it would be easy to trash the military and service(wo)men. Ms. Albert shows some intolerance but also explores the complexity of a changing world. Bacon's desire to be a lifer and love for his team was very beautiful and jumped off the page.

I will read more Annabeth Albert books because I trust her as an author. However, I may try a different series to hopefully avoid some of these redundant storylines/romances.

I enjoyed this for the most part. I didn't fully fall in love but I fell enough in like to still root for the couple. The blurb is a bit misleading, I expected the straights they end up in to be a lot more dire. But I liked how no nonsense the main characters were. They had lines they wouldn't cross and they actually didn't cross them....completely. They respected each other. That seems like such a simple thing but it's really not. They eventually get it together and refuse to let themselves run. I loved the side characters, who were mostly new to the series. I got a little emotional at one point, you'll know it when you get there. All in all this is a solid entry in the series.

Tight Quarters by Annabeth Albert is an excellent addition to the Out of Uniform Series.

-Age gap
-Hurt/Comfort/Healing
-Navy SEAL falls for a reporter looking to write a story about the military
-Scorching hot chemistry
-Action but not so much of it overtakes the romance part of the story.
-Communication. No childish miscommunication here. These guys care and respect each other.
-Strong relationship development.
-The end was sweet and believable.

Books like this further cement why Annabeth Albert is a go-to for me.

5 Stars

Trigger Warning: Both main characters have discussions about PTSD, and have had suicide impact their lives greatly. Their discussions are thoughtful and intense.

Tight Quarters is another hit from Annabeth Albert. I enjoyed this one a lot and it largely had to do with how organic, or natural, the relationship between Bacon and Spencer progressed.

Bacon. Yea, that’s his name… or is it? Bacon is a Navy SEAL, a sniper on his Team, and working toward becoming a Chief. He’s ambitious, loves what he does, and is a great supporter of his brothers, even the ones who are really difficult to deal with. He identifies as pansexual, and only one person on his team knows. Bacon’s sexuality hasn’t been too much of an issue, mostly because he’s not been seeing anyone… and then he met Spencer.

Spencer is a journalist who’s been given the ultimate opportunity to embed with a SEAL team, through some training exercises, and a mission. He’s determined to stay professional, learn as much as he can so he can write a great story about the Teams. He’s sophisticated and so different than Bacon, yet they match up so well together.

Their relationship is what this story is all about. There is more to it, sure. And some of that other stuff really hit me in the feels, but the relationship building, the issues they had to deal with, and things they needed to get through and overcome, that’s where the story shined for me. From where they start out, Spencer going into a situation where he is not wanted, and Bacon having to be Spencer’s guide due to a small injury, it’s a frustrating situation for both men, but they find common ground time and time again. When things change, and the opportunity to see if the attraction they felt while Spencer was embedded could lead to something, the intensity builds and becomes so tense and wonderful.

I really enjoyed this a lot. Moments with side characters only enhance the story and relationship, making everything that Bacon and Spencer are going through so much more real and palpable. Choices have to be made by both men, and they are not easy decisions. Compromising seems impossible, so the struggle they go through to figure out a way to make things work had me falling in love.

I love a good book with an intense relationship building and a happy ending, and Tight Quarters hits the mark.

I kind of feel like I cheated with this book. I listened to book 5 and discovered vocal performer Greg Boudreaux. And because of that, I decided to listen to this book instead of reading it (and that is a RARE thing for me, trust me). I honestly think that gives me a whole different perspective on the story because Mr. Boudreaux is a game changer. His performance…man, he brings these characters to life. I honestly think he made Spencer more…likeable? I don’t know that I would have liked Spencer nearly as much if I had read the book as I did listening. I hated what Spencer did…what he chose. When Del told him how much he hurt him…man he just broke my heart and you FELT that with the performance.

Spencer…confused me. He took such loving care of Del (Bacon) when he had time off and they spent time together; spoiled him; helped put him back together after missions or hard training sessions. But then to make the decision he did, with such a simple solution available really made me wonder if he just didn’t, or couldn’t, be in a relationship where someone had to come before his career. And God bless Del for making him work for his forgiveness. I hate when characters just forget all the hurt but Del sure didn’t. All in all, I liked them together when they worked out their issues. They’re sexual chemistry is off the charts. Their banter is cute. Thankfully, they figure it out.

There is quite a bit of action in this book. And Curly stands up and shuts down the BS comments we continuously hear which was awesome. I love that in this series each story is so different from the rest…each with a unique plot and characters and can be read as a standalone. We get a hint for a future story which I can’t wait for. This is absolutely another must read in a fantastic series!

Told from Navy SEAL and sharpshooter, Petty Officer Bacon, and silver fox, award-winning journalist, Spencer Bryant's, POVs Tight Quarters is hands down my favorite story in the Out of Uniform series.

I loved the way their relationship progressed, I loved their chemistry, I loved their age gap didn't affect their relationship at all, I even loved the little bit of angst that got worked through dealing with Spencer's job possibly impacting Bacon's future in the Navy.

There's some action, plenty of passion, and it's all brilliantly narrated by Greg Tremblay under his sexier Greg Boudreaux brand. He brought me to absolute tears, fat, gasping tears, at one point - and if that isn't the sign of great writing and a great performance, well, I don't know what is.

This was a fantastic listen. I loved the audio and absolutely recommend it.

P.S.: I hope Rooster gets his happy ending next.

If you have been following my reviews you'll know I am a fan of Annabeth Albert's work, and with stories like this one it's no surprise. But I did something different this time, I didn't read the ARC given to me right away because I knew that I had a few days after the release before I would be posting this Blog Tour Promo Post so I waited and purchased the audio book, and I am sooooo glad I did. WOW! Greg Boudreaux did a phenomenal job with the narration of this book. I enjoy audio books, the way they envelop you into the story, it really adds another layer to the enjoyment I get from reading and this is why I am so glad I decided to go this route with Bacon and Spencer's story.

We've had glimpses of Bacon in a couple of other books in the Out of Uniform series but we really didn't know much about him until now, and I really really like him not only as a SEAL and Fellow Team Member but as a human being, a man to look up to. He had a rough go of things as a kid and teenager but he didn't let it keep him down, he did what he had to do to become the man he is today and that includes being a good friend to some that may not deserve it.

Spencer, now there is a silver fox that would catch many eyes both of the female and male persuasions but it's Bacon that has caught Spencer's eye. Spencer is a man of substance, he feels its his duty as an investigative journalist to get to the bottom of things that some may not want you to know and shed light on the subject, so to say not many are thrilled with him being embedded with the SEALS would be an understatement but it is something that needs to be done.

Tight Quarters is the sixth book in the Out of Uniform series but it can be read as a standalone. I recommend this entire series, each of the couples have their own different struggles to overcome in order to get their HEAs and the common thread between each of the books are that some are SEALs together and others are friends. Happy Reading!!!