Off Base

Lovely. Absolutely lovely. The AB by [a:Tyler Stevens 6519636 Tyler Stevens https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] was as usual a delight. This is one of those series I kept seeing on every list and bouncing around my feed. I've been pretty sure I'd like it because I've read [a:Annabeth Albert 6477494 Annabeth Albert https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1497461817p2/6477494.jpg] and I like her style. Gentle but not sappy, hopeful but not unrealistic, and beautiful humans who aren't perfect specimens. The first chapter starts off pretty funny but at the same time it gave me pause, Zack and Pike are young guys (I think Zack is 24 and Pike a bit older) which sometimes translates into narratives about dithering and bro behavior, which I'm not saying isn't true, but I'm just not up for it. But this isn't that story and I'm glad.Zack has just officially become a SEAL, a monumental achievement he should be proud of but instead he feels like he has Damocles Sword hanging over him: the worry that his fellow teammates or his religiously conservative family may find out he's gay. The salt on the wound is that he's never done anything about his sexual urges, NADA, thinking he can change who he is to please un-pleasable people. Poor baby. Pike is a math wiz with a PhD who somehow comes off as all jokes & flirtyness to his friends, but he has uncharted depths. He has a weakness for military men and muscles. Zach has both. Heaven.What did I like about this? Everything. A virgin who is commanding, vulnerable, and tender at once. A ginger who doesn't suffer fools, but can be the patient storm in port for his partner, and is a loving human to two cat babies, Gizmo & Nectarine, to boot. I loved how Zack and Pike never really stopped being honest with each other, they're young and human but also good people. I loved how their social/professional careers where fleshed out in a realistic way, and how they both understood and cared deeply about the other's career path. Of course I just realized that some of the people mentioned come from a previous series so I'll have to go back. Big chore. Not.

Spoiler-Free Review:

There's something about Elle Kennedy's books that is just so comfy and cozy. I've read the Off-Campus series and the Briar U series, and those were both excellent! This book was no exception. Making my way through Elle Kennedy backlist, I decided to pick up the Out of Uniform Series. This series has undergone some republishing recently, so some of the titles and the order is a bit different that originally published. This story follows Jen, a young woman trying to find her purpose while dealing with familial pressures, and Cash, a Navy SEAL who has a hard time talking to women and is a bit of a grump. When Jen's ex begins stalking her, her brother decides that she needs better protecting. Enter Cash! This is a forced proximity romance with amazing and funny banter and grumpy/sunshine vibes. I've read nine of Elle Kennedy's books so far, and this (in my opinion) is the spiciest. There is steam and spice throughout the book, and it ranges from fun and playful to extremely romantic. I can't wait to continue with this series and see what Seth's story has in store for us. This is an adult romance, 18+ for language, sexual content, and themes.

I actually liked this more than I thought I would. After the first couple chapters I did seriously consider DNFing it because these two guys make a seriously poor first impression. Added to that is the fact that they were already attracted to each other at the start of the book (and their first interaction that we get to see reads like a failed one-night-stand/hook-up) and...left me very unhappy. I did eventually care a little, but not nearly enough.