Somehow I missed writing my review for this novel when I read it back in August, so I had to do a reread to remind myself of the finer details. It was just as enjoyable on the second read as the first. I really loved both Derrick and Arthur, they were just perfect for each other. What starts out as a fake kiss, becomes a fake relationship that turns into something much more real than either of them expected. Derrick is sure he is a lifer in the navy and that he will never get married or have a family, Arthur comes from a naval family and is determined he will never have a relationship with someone in the services. It's amazing how life plans and expectations can change when we meet our perfect match, especially if you are willing to take a chance on love.

For the most part, I wasn't a big fan of Arthur's family, I found the way they treated Arthur a lot of the time pretty belittling and slightly bullying, but they did have their redeeming features, they really did love him and in the end, they helped him through a tough time in his relationship.

This was a feel-good romance with little to no angst (exactly how I like it) that I definitely recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Carina Press for a digital copy of this novel in return for an honest review.

This is the very first Annabeth Albert ARC that I've read!* (I think, there may have been one more in her True Colors series, but who cares I got one!) Generally I'm bogged down in other stuff and I don't realize when Albert's releasing new works, but after joining her Facebook group and signing up for her newsletter I'm much more on the ball than I have been in the past!

The only downside of reading this as an ARC is that I have to wait for the next book FOREVER!!!! I'm so used to blazing through her series, that I actually forewent reading the teaser for book two, Sink or Swim, because the publication date is SO FAR AWAY!!!!!!!

Albert posted a teaser to social media with a check list for this book and each one I was more and more excited:

Grumpy older brother's best friend
Fake boyfriends catch feelings
Public (VERY) displays of affection
Virgin nerd/ Caretaking Navy chief
Sexy first times with big emotions

I mean COME ON!? The only thing missing is . . . well nothing really, it's like all of my faves mixed into one.

Sailor Proof is Derrick's story really. He was dumped unceremoniously by his ex who shacked up with a fellow sailor on his submarine and Derrick really just doesn't want to get off the boat to no one waiting. His bff Calder steps in and calls a favor in from his little brother, Arthur, to meet him at the disembarkation and it just gets better from there. Arthur has his own woes in that he's been super focused on making a career out of his passion for music and composing and the few boyfriends he's had have abandoned him because he would get so sucked into his work and ignore the world around him.

And lord, the man could kiss. On a dock in full sunlight or in the world's most uncomfortable chairs, he could kiss. He kissed like he ate—slow and deliberate, like he wanted to taste each individual ingredient and like I was the feast he'd been waiting months for. Or rather, he kissed the same way I made music, like nuance mattered and no amount of time was too much to invest if it meant getting it right. (Chapter 12)

The first kiss goes viral and then Derrick and Arthur decide to keep pretending because they're both hooked and don't want it to stop. Derrick is on shore leave (duh!) and joins Arthur and Calder at their big family reunion and they get more entangled over the week. Arthur gets to experience a whole bunch of firsts and they have a couple of super romantic moments, even with kids yelling and screaming nearby and Arthur's family knocking on doors and windows.

I leaned in and claimed his mouth. He tasted like sunshine and laughter and mint, and I was done holding back. Inhaling deeply, I let myself get drunk on his coconut scent. I was going to get horny every time I smelled sunscreen after this, and it was going to be worth it. Kissing Arthur was like eating cotton candy, sweet and light, and not nearly enough to fill me up. (Chapter 15)

If there was one part of the book that was weaker than others, it was the bit between the reunion camp and the big crises of the novel. For some reason this part fell a little flat and just didn't have the amazing Albert-ness that her other works do. It felt a little rushed and not quite as built up as her other military books when something happens and it wasn't as sweet as some of her other books. Flat is the best way to describe it, but that amped up really fast when Derrick was called from shore leave to replace a sick sailor having to leave Arthur with a horrible heart wrenching speech for both of them.

Eyes full of wonder I wasn't sure I'd ever seen before, he kissed me so tenderly that a shudder raced through me. If I'd been composing a soundtrack for us, this would be the moment where the music swelled to something epic and rich, a melody to return to over and over. This was the sort of kiss that a lot of people probably lived their whole lives without, and the composer in me ached to capture the moment. And the human part of me simply ached period. It wasn't even a contest any longer. I was ruined for anything less than Derrick, and I kissed him back with a desperation I hadn't known I possessed. (Chapter 22)

In the end though, they get their happily ever after. Arthur realizes that even though he's sworn off military men because of the stress of deployments he realizes that Derrick is the one for him. And Derrick realizes while deployed that Arthur is the one, even if Calder wasn't super excited about it. I was legit holding my breath as I read the last chapter and the epilogue and totally would've burst into tears if the house they were assigned ended up having the exact same build as the clay house Arthur built at camp (it didn't, but it was damn close!) because it was just perfect.

Recommendation: Albert is a must read for me. This one had so many of my favorite tropes wound together into one and she really hit the right notes on all of them. There was a little bit of a lull in the story for me right before the crisis and I'm not sure if it was my reading it or the story itself. I cannot wait for Sink or Swim and really want to go back and read her Out of Uniform series because military romances = fan myself and clutch my pearls the entire read.

*I received a copy of Sailor Proof from the publisher via NetGalley in return for my honest opinion. No goods or money were exchanged.

Wow! This book gave me all the feels. This is a beautiful, laugh-out-loud, and genuinely amazing M/M romance. The story is funny and contains some of the fun romance tropes such as fake dating, best friend's little brother with this little pinch of forbidden love. You mix the whole with one funny big, borderline overwhelming family, and you get one heck of a story.

The characters are relatable and fun to get to know. They are absolutely perfect for each other. I very much enjoyed the trust, respect and connection that they share from the beginning. It may have started with lust, but these characters are good for each other. I absolutely love reading it.

I really enjoyed this story. It was a fast and fun read and would highly recommend it.

There were many things I liked about this book:
- The sweetness of the romance
- The lack of miscommunications
- The low angst
- The double POV
- The steam but also how many kisses there were (I'm a fan of kisses!)

Fake boyfriends to lovers, insta-attraction that becomes feelings, the way the characters notice the little details that made the other smile or how their whole faces glowed when they did what they loved. The romance was cute and I loved how Derrick couldn't resist the temptation of Arthur literally throwing himself at him. And they talked. They used their voice to communicate what they were feeling, maybe not right away but nothing that could've brought unnecessary drama. I liked how genuine it felt.

There was only one thing I didn't like:
- The whole "virgin nerd" trope.

If you like sex and are interested in it, you'd want to do it; you can do it whenever you want with whoever you want. The virgin trope was maybe took a little too far at first, luckily only for a bit, then it turned into trying new things which was something I appreciated. I really liked how they talked and did everything they wanted to do, first time for Arthur and Derrick being very attentive and guiding him whenever it was needed.

All in all, this was very sweet and I liked the navy side of it since I knew nothing about submarines and whatever they do. The first kiss thing was nice! The next book from Arthur's brother POV sounds great and I can't wait to read it.

I love Annabeth Albert’s writing so much, that when I saw this on NetGalley I clicked “request” before I even knew the plot of the story!⁣
⁣
Sexy Navy Chief (Derrick) + best friend’s brother (Arthur) + fake relationship + only one bed = ALL. OF. MY. CATNIP.⁣
⁣
I really enjoyed this! I loved how they worked as a team and even though they were faking a relationship, they were honest with each other. I loved how Derrick and Arthur stood up for each other and how they each worked through their own issues in order to become a couple without a lot of angst.⁣
⁣
Would recommend!

This super sweet low angst book is exactly what I needed 18 months into a pandemic. It’s evident that Derrick and Arthur are perfect from each other as soon as their staged kiss goes viral. Maybe it’s all that genuine chemistry, guys!

These two (loveable) dorks couldn’t even do fake dating right. “Oh, we should do stuff to act like a real couple to make the fake dating more believable.” (Not a verbatim quote).

The stuff: Physical activity in the privacy of their room that no one actually sees. More believable for whom, guys?

Speaking of unbelievable, I’m astounded by Albert’s ability to squeeze so many tropes into one book: best friend’s brother, fake dating, and virgin hero. Okay, so it’s only three, but these are some of my most favorite tropes, so I was thrilled to get them all at the same time.

Derrick and Arthur get along really well from the beginning, which is a bit surprising considering that Derrick is a Navy guy who deploys on submarines and Arthur is a musician and a bit of a geek. But they both make a genuine effort to spend time doing what their partner wants to do.

As I mentioned, this book is low angst. There are some deep feelings about “I like you a lot, but deployments are tough, and it’s okay if things don’t work out.” Again, that’s not a verbatim quote, but more of a mindset—and it’s not in a dismissive way, but more like, “I don’t want to hold you back from your career, which is very different than mine.” Despite any trepidation on the part of the two protagonists, this is an effortless HEA. And you know what? It was just as satisfying as a high angst full grovel HEA.

I would absolutely recommend Sailor Proof. This is the first book in a new series, so it’s an excellent place to start. I thoroughly enjoy all of Albert’s books, and this was no exception. I am already eagerly awaiting the next book in the series, which features one of the secondary characters from this book.

I received a copy of this book from Carina Press/NetGalley.

I love Annabeth Albert's military romances, so I was really excited for this. This was kind of like the first book in the Out of Uniform series for me. It was well-written, the characters were likable, the romance was sweet, but it didn't really wow me as much as I expected.
The relationship developed realistically, it had a fake relationship, and only one bed, and it was really hot, but I wasn't that invested in them as a couple. Another thing that bugged me is the family members who, while they were perfectly nice characters, took up a lot of on-page time, and I found myself skimming.

This is (for the most part) me, not the book, so if you're looking for low-angst sweetness with great writing, I would suggest this. It was still a nice read, and I'm definitely continuing with the series. Calder's book sounds awesome, and hopefully I have the same experience I did with Out of Uniform, where I didn't like the first one that much, but the other books went to my faves list.

*I have received an ARC from Netgalley and I am leaving an honest and unbiased review*

I wasn’t sold on everything in this story, but I absolutely loved Arthur and Derrick as a couple. Cute, sexy, adorable, bringing a positive message about relationship, sacrifice and compromise, it was one of the best gay couples I’ve read recently.

What bothered me the most was how it all started. The reason behind the fake relationship, and how they justify giving it a real try just for the fun of it… it didn’t look quite as mature as two men in their mid- to late twenties would act. Even a virgin one, and one with only one serious boyfriend in his past. It’s true though, that they are inexperienced in relationships, and that they don’t have many friends–they aren’t people persons. Which makes the way they connect truly inspiring. They clearly found each other.

And they understand each other. Not at first, and not all the time, but they learn–trials and errors–until they get it right. That wasn’t exactly plausible, as their relationship doesn’t last long, and they’re supposed to just have a fling. But they obviously cared for each other.

Though the sexuality acceptance level was quite high–even with the extended family, there’s never even a tiny bit of homophobia–it wasn’t the same with Arthur’s special kind of nerdiness. The young man deserved all the hugs. It was nice to see how everyone grows up during the story. Arthur’s relationship with his family, the way Derrick sees his future and his career, it all shifted at one point. The scenes that changed everything, often honest conversations, had ‘life lesson’ written all over them. It wasn’t unpleasant though. The author clearly had something to say.

A beautiful romance, plus some inspiring and positive messages about life and love, isn’t it great?

Quickie

- Series: Shore leave #1 (can be read as a standalone)
- Hashtags: #MM romance #best friend’s little brother #fake relationship #military man #nerd #virgin
- Triggers: past cheating
- Main couple: Arthur Euler & Derrick Fox
- Hotness: 4/5
- Romance: 4/5
- + I loved how attentive Derrick was with Arthur
- – that was a fast evolution of feelings!

A really sweet, romantic story. Lots of delicious sexual tension and so much love! If you're looking for escape, this is a great option.

I have never read a military romance or a book from Annabeth Albert, but I am so glad I took a chance on this book!

This book is sweet, funny, and sexy! It is very clear that Albert is an accomplished writer. I loved Derrick and Arthur, and found their romance to be very sweet and convincing. I also loved how there was no huge misunderstanding in the third act...I know it is a staple of romance fiction, but I felt Arthur and Derrick were too level-headed for drama like that!

The Euler family was very fun. It was clear how much they all loved each other, and seeing Arthur grow to bond with his mother more was very satisfying.

I am sure long-time fans of this author will be pleased, but if you're new like me, this is also a great jumping off point!

Rainbows and Sunshine Book Blog
September 26, 2021

This is the first book in the new Shore Leave series and I absolutely adored it. It has some of my favourite tropes:

🚢Fake relationship
🚢Brother's best friend
🚢Opposites attract
🚢Navy
🚢One of the best first kiss ever
🚢Family camp fun
🚢Dual POV

Derrick and Arthur have great chemistry from the start and I loved how their relationship developed. Fake relationships is one of my all time favourite tropes and I totally loved it. I like how they don't take too long to decide on their feelings and the ending was swoon worthy!!!

If you like low angst and sexy romance with fake boyfriends, definitely recommend this one!!! I'm looking forward to the next book in the series!

*ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review

5 stars

This was sweet and fun and so heartwarming!
Just what I needed to be honest.
This lovely friends to lovers story was full of steamy and heartwarming scenes.
This is why I love Annabeth Albert books because they made me believe in love and good things.
Definitely a new favorite.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Annabeth Albert creates amazing characters who then invite us to share their story. Within the first three chapters, I knew I was going to love Sailor Proof. Give me a character who can get revenge on an ex by a fake relationship welcome-home kiss that goes viral. Add to that the kisser himself: the younger brother of the sailor’s best friend, a geek with a heart of gold, a sense of humor, and a mad crush on the sailor and, voila, a romance “starter” that rises to perfection. (Pardon my sourdough pun.)

The blurb describes the opening scenes perfectly, but what it doesn’t capture is the personality of the characters—their depth, their experiences, their humor, their actions and reactions when they meet. These men sure captured my attention and, ultimately, my heart.

What starts as a fake relationship soon turns to more. Derrick and Arthur end up in a cabin with a single bed when Derrick agrees to come along on Arthur’s family’s annual camp vacation. Derrick’s bestie is Arthur’s brother so he’s been like one of the family for years, but their fake boyfriend act looks like it may hit a wall with that single bed. However, Arthur is not one to let a little thing like that ruin his enjoyment of spending time with this gorgeous sailor on whom he’s had a huge crush for years. And Derrick is not one to back down from a challenge. Together they navigate those waters (Navy pun!) and while spending time in each other’s company, Derrick comes to appreciate Arthur for who he is. Completely different from the rest of his family, always the black sheep, Arthur has depths Derrick needs to explore. (And a submarine pun—forgive me!) Making Arthur happy becomes Derrick’s goal and he learns valuable life lessons along the way—among them, how to be himself and enjoy life in the moment.

The ending is just as wonderful as the rest of the story as these two men come to appreciate making a home in each other’s heart.

Welcome to this BLOG TOUR !
I was so excited when I learned this book would be coming out, it had two of my favourite elements,
1. fake dating
2. military romance
Even better than that, written by the amazing Annabeth Albert, her out of uniform romances contain one of my favourite books to re-read. So this was sure to be a hit.
Mixed with all that we got, best friends little brother, making your ex jealous but oops caught feelings moments.
It was so cute and heartwarming, while funny and the heat was just perfect. It was a great balance of romance, content and cheesy-ness if that makes sense.
I will definitely be re-reading it soon. The premise reminded me of the true story of the first gay sailor kiss we got from them coming back home. This was it and more. Because the characters felt real and while I could see somethings coming in the plot it did not hinder my enjoyement, I highly recommend this book if you loved her other military romances , vice versa.
I hope you get into it just like me knowing not too much about the plot, just a vague description of the synopsis.
EVEN better was the fact it was the older brothers (the bff) idea for them to fake date !
5/5 stars
Bookarina
Thank you to Carina press for the opportunity to have an ARC and be a part of this blog tour !

Lots of tropes to start the Shore Leave series off. Primarily, this is a fake relationship romance, but Annabeth Albert has thrown in some opposites attract, military, and best friend's brother, and it all comes together wonderfully. I always love this author's characters, and Arthur and Derrick do not disappoint. These two have such good chemistry, and the romance is pretty low angst, so it's really a settle-in and fall into the story type of read. To sum it up, the characters are lovable and engaging, and the story is well-written and entertaining. All in all, a hard combination to beat.

Nobody does a military romance quite like Annabeth Albert. This was such a cute opposites attract, fake relationship turned real story with such extremely likable characters and a sweet HEA. Stoic, reserved, and a career military man, while Arthur is artistic, free spirited, and while he comes from a military family, his one rule is he will never date a military man. However, the absolutely explosive chemistry Albert throws at you with that very first kiss proves that these two are destined for more than just a fake relationship. Very low angst, so many tropes done in the best way, a HEA that left me with a small, and the start to a series I'm very excited for!

This is my first military romance by this author, although I am aware she has a popular military romance series in Out of Uniform. After reading this one, I’m really looking forward to getting to those books. My husband was in the Navy for the first 10 years of our marriage and I often have issues with authors just getting things so very wrong. Now, I’m not saying this was accurate down to the last letter. There is, of course, some artistic license that is needed to be given. But this author gets the bigger, underlying things right and I love that attention to detail.

Being as this book dealt with the families of the servicemember, I can attest to the feelings and thoughts of those “left behind”, so to speak. Again, the author does a wonderful job with these things and I’m so very thankful for that.

As to the actual story, it’s so much fun. Not only do we have a fake relationship story (one of my favorite things), but also an only one bed story (another of my faves). With the chemistry Derrick and Arthur have from the very moment Derrick steps off the submarine, I just couldn’t get enough of these two. They are both such loveable characters on their own, and together they are out of this world. Derrick has this surprising innocence to him that was endearing and helped the coupling of these two to feel more authentic.

One of the things I really love about this story is the journey Arthur takes with his family. There is an invisible curtain drawn between him and the rest of his siblings. Arthur has always felt he was on the outside of his family. Sometimes he’s right, but things aren’t as cut and dry as it seems at first. I love the growth that is shown as this story progresses.

Derrick has his own realizations he must come to eventually. Thankfully, he does open his eyes and his heart and gets his HEA. I can’t wait for the next story in this series.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.

This or That:
💕 Sibling’s best friend or workplace romance
💕 going viral for something you’ve planned or keeping things private
💕 working on a family talent show or playing a competitive game of family volleyball

I’d like to take this opportunity to declare my love for best friend’s sibling romance & its many variations & Annabeth Albert’s Sailor Proof does it so well.

Derrick Fox—a Navy man who works & lives in a submarine—wants to make his ex jealous by staging a fantastic kiss at the dock when his sub returns. His best friend arranges for his brother Arthur—a man Derrick remembers meeting years earlier—to be that man.

When Derrick sees Arthur again at the dock he likes what he sees. He really likes how he kisses.

Arthur, a musician for video games, can see his own appeal for going along with a fake dating situation, even after (maybe especially after) his Navy-loving family invites Derrick to come with him to their family reunion.

Tropes abound in this one: best friend’s sibling, fake romance, only one bed. There are interesting sibling dynamics & tension, especially as Derricks starts to see how his best friend treats the man he’s starting to have feelings for & how his treatment contributes to Arthur feeling overlooked in his own family.

Sailor Proof’s emphasis on the importance of home, its softness, the open communication between leads at the end, it’s all lovely. More of this, please!

4.5 ⭐️. Release date: 09/28.

[ID: a white hand holds up a copy of the book in front of a park view: a white wooden bridge is in the far background & white & black ducks are in between the book & the bridge.]

Sailor Proof by Annabeth Albert
Shore Leave #1

What fun this book proved to be! I fell in love with Derrick and Arthur but also with Arthur’s family and the look into what it must be like to be involved with someone in the Navy. I knew that the men on the LST that evacuated us from Lebanon were missing their families, appreciated the effort they made to keep us safe, and thought of them again today while reading this book and realized even more the sacrifices they and their families make every day to do the jobs they do.

What I liked:
* Derrick Fox: Petty Naval Chief working with sonar in a submarine, orphaned as a youth, raised by his grandmother, the Navy is his career, and he is focused, sweet, kind, gentle, confident, and perfect for Arthur.
* Arthur Euler: musician, different from other family members, fun loving, lives for himself, kind, generous, interesting, perfect for Derrick.
* The Euler family: large, loving, boisterous, competitive, do-gooders, there for on another.
* The look into part of what it might be like to be in the Navy and/or to fall for someone in the Navy.
* The growth of the relationship between Arthur and Derrick
* That the obstacles to overcome were dealt with honestly
* The communication between the couple
* The support of Arthur’s mother
* That the relationship between Derrick and Arthur was healthy and normal and believable
* The family reunion and the activities and situations that occurred there
* All of it really!

What I didn’t like:
* Can’t think of anything except maybe the undervaluing of Arthur by some of his family.

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read more in this series? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and Carina Adores for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

4 stars
This is the first book in a new Shore Leave series featuring Navy submarine personnel.

Derrick Fox is a Chief in a Navy sub. He is smart, honorable, dependable, reserved, but commanding. He is a bit of a broody loner, but also has some friends. His ex worked him over so he has trust issues and is not looking for a relationship. But he would not mind showing up his ex and his new boyfriend at homecoming. His best friend, Calder has just the answer...a photo op/fake boyfriend situation with his younger gay brother.

Arthur Euler does not mind doing this favor for his brother or his best friend. He is a video game music composer and a bit of a nerd that does not always fit in. He does not have much experience with men at all and one of his personal rules is no dating military men, but would like to engage in some no-strings fun.

What harm can come from a homecoming kiss or a bit of a fake relationship for show?

One super hot kiss, one week spent in close quarters together as "boyfriends", and some amazing chemistry just might make things a bit more complicated.

This is a sweet, slow-burn, best-friend's-little-brother, fake-relationship, opposites-attract romance. It also has a recurring theme about winning not always being the most important thing and that you only truly fail if you do not try.

I really liked Derrick and Arthur individually and together. They were kind of opposites, but totally appreciated the other's strengths and issues. But they also could be a bit geeky and have fun together. They help balance each other out and live more in the moment. They are supportive and caring. They are patient and kind to each other. They inspire each other and make the other feel like they can be their true self. I thought they were totally sweet and adorable.

But eventually, vacations end, and real-life beckons. They will have to decide if they are willing to compromise and try for something more.

The whole Euler family added humor and fun. I am looking forward to more with his friend, Calder.