Off Base by Annabeth Albert

After trading the barracks for a fixer-upper rental, navy SEAL Zack Nelson wants peace, not a roommate—especially not Pike, who sees things about Zack he most wants to hide. Pike’s flirting puts virgin Zack on edge. And the questions Pike’s arrival would spark from Zack’s teammates about his own sexuality? Nope. Not going there. But Zack can’t refuse.

Pike Reynolds knows there won’t be a warm welcome in his new home. What can he say? He’s an acquired taste. But he needs this chance to get his life together. Also, teasing the uptight SEAL will be hella fun. Still, Pike has to tread carefully; he’s had his fill of tourists in the past, and he can’t risk his heart on another, not even one as hot, as built—and, okay, yeah, as adorable—as Zack.

Living with Pike crumbles Zack’s restraint and fuels his curiosity. He discovers how well they fit together in bed…in the shower…in the hallway… He needs Pike more than he could have imagined, yet he doesn’t know how to be the man Pike deserves.

I cannot stress enough how much I enjoy reading about navy guys. There's something about them so appealing to me. How they can be so tough and so sweet at the same time, how adorable they are when they leave their guard down, how much they trust another person, both in the field and in private. I just love this hard exterior paired with a soft interior, it makes me instantly love the characters. And there's no exception here.

I felt for Zack. Poor guy was cornered into a closet by the people who should have cared for him, and that gave way to a lot of second guessing, sense of failure and internal struggle. Annabeth Albert did a very good job at portraying all this, everything that was going on with Zack, and it really made me feel anxious and sad for him.

Pike is such an easy going guy. He shows to the world his funny side, the part that can joke about anything, but on the inside he struggles too. With this adulting thing, with his hopes and dreams, and with his feelings. I loved how different he was with his friends, with Zack, and at work.

Both main characters are very relatable, and I liked seeing them working things through, bonding and then coming closer to what was really going on between them.

Cobb made me nervous every time he was on the page. I really didn't like the guy (doubt anyone would) and I don't even want to know what his problem is, I just want him to stay far away from these two precious men. Or anyone else, really. I was a bit sad about Harper, but it might not all be lost with him so there's that.

And, of course, I was glad Zack had someone like his best friend, and his CO around. Sometimes things are not as bleak as they seem.

I know the next books in the series feature different couples, and somewhere in there I would like to find out who was the other person who reported Cobb. At first I thought it might have been Harper, but after he talked to Zack in the pub, I don't think so. Whoever that was, I really want him to have a good outcome, just by having to be in the presence of that a-hole, he deserves someone to hold him tight and tell him everything's going to be alright.

Off Base was a great start to the series, I just loved everything about it. Zack's character growth, Pike's nudging, and the way Annabeth Albert dealt with (tw) homophobia and created this beautiful couple.