Book Details
Title: Squared Away
Series: Out of Uniform #5
Author: Annabeth Albert
Genre: MM Romance
Length: 292 pages
Publication Date: April 16, 2018
Format Read: Kindle
This book was not provided free
Review
Warning! This review will contain spoilers!
After coming off the high that was last book, this one didn’t quite reach its mark. No pun intended.
While Squared away had less to do with military theming, it still had enough references and scenes to make it military enough, compared to the first book in the series.
Mark. Wizard. You may remember him as the medic in Ben and Maddox’ book, On Point (#3). He doesn’t know what he is, but his sexuality is not the main topic of this book. He gets called home because his sister and her husband are both killed in a vehicle accident. They have three kids that now have no parents. Mark is used to working on a team, and being the medic, his duty to make sure his team is safe and protected. And he takes that home to the kids, and Isaiah.
Isaiah is cousin to Cal, Mark’s sisters (Danielle) husband. When Cal dies with his wife, Isaiah is there watching the kids, taking care of them, while Mark is working his way back home. Isaiah has been there for Cal and Danielle ever since they got married six years ago, and has helped take care of their three kids. So he knows what he is doing.
What neither of them expected, was to fall in love with each other, putting the kids first. But circumstances out of their control, by the wills left after the deaths, to state laws, and miscommunications, issues arise. So they have to navigate those issues, along with the feelings they have with each other to work it out. And oh boy did they work it out.
Scoring
Characters: 4.5 / 5
I will just say it first. Miscommunication.
Both characters do well, they have their strengths and weaknesses, their past, and their inevitable futures. What they lack however, is communication skills. I’ve said it before, and I will say it again, but by now I feel like the author may always end up using lack of communication as a source of conflict quite often. There is a line between common communication issues, and just overly miscommunication that has negative effects on each other, relationships, and others.
I will add, I do appreciate the addition of Mark being demisexual/grey-ace. Not sure he ever got a concussion on that, but it doesn’t matter in the end. Labels.
Story: 3 / 5
On top of the communication issues they have with each other, the pacing seems too fast at the end. There seems to be a long build up of taking care of the kids, exploring their own feelings and sexualities with each other, to thinking about what they are going to do. Then…boom married, court judgement, ending.
Spoiler. They get married. The author tells us through Mark that it’s love, and not convenience. But the way the author wrote the last third of the book, it’s hard to see anything but a marriage of convenience. The way they issues compounding with them essentially splitting up, straight into a marriage seems a bit like forcing puzzle pieces together.
If I were to rewrite the ending of the book, I would have had them talk about the real issue – Mark’s uncle fighting for custody. And where they will live, and financial issues, and the court investigation. Mark and Isaiah needed to sit, plan, talk it out, while continuing to love and explore each other. That would have made the marriage better in my opinion. Make it seem like their reward for working together, as a team, LIKE GETTING MARRIED IS SUPPOSED TO BE ABOUT, and fight the system. Rather, they let the system get in between them, and split them apart, only for them to once again in this series…come together and it’s all better now.
Writing: 5 / 5
I don’t think I will give Annabeth Albert any less than a five. The writing continues to keep me engaged in the story and wanting more. Chapters are easy to follow, and short enough to have breaks in between.
Romance: 5 / 5
They are so sweet. Isaiah has had a crush on Mark since Cal and Danielle got married, and continued when they had to work together for the kids. Isaiah was so sweet with Mark, as Mark tried to figure out his feelings and sexuality. And the scenes that made Isaiah’s heart melt with big bad strong Navy SEAL Mark holding cute little baby Liam…so good.
Steam: 🍵🍵
If it wasn’t for the few scenes of on screen orgasms, it would have been rated a one.
This story was not one to be hot or spicy. This book was for the characters to find themselves and each other. Isaiah got around. He previously slept with Mark’s teammate, Ben, before Ben got married in Book #3. So Mark always saw him as a partier, someone that needed to sleep around. Mark didn’t think he was good enough for Isaiah. But they were.
Mark identified as demisexual and/or grey-ace. He didn’t really do sex, didn’t really have the need to want to have sex. What he did want, was to make Isaiah happy. Isaiah wanted Mark to be happy too. The steam level of this book comes from the passionate kissing and making out, to the frotting. There is only, if I recall, one penetrative sex scene in the book. The rest is frotting and hand jobs, and a blowjob or two.
Overall: 4.38 / 5
I don’t count the steam level in my final score, because how graphic and detailed sex scenes don’t determine how much I like the book.
Final Thoughts
While the book regressed a bit from the previous one, I still believe it is a strong story. I didn’t feel like the lack of sex scenes detracted from the story, as I was so invested in their growing relationship and everything else going on in their lives. I just wish the ending had played out a bit different.
If you read the first four books in this series, well you have to read this one too.
Tea Suggestion
I was sipping on a sweet Iced Thai Tea during this book.
Thanks!
Thanks for reading my review of Squared Away by Annabeth Albert. If my review inspires you to read it, let me know! If you have read the book, leave me a comment below or on any of my socials letting me know what YOU thought of it.
Until next time, enjoy a book and a drink.
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