Award-winning journalist Spencer Bryant may have been named one of Pride magazine’s most eligible bachelors of the year, but he’s not looking to change his relationship status. He’s a consummate professional who won’t risk his ethics or impeccable reputation by getting involved with a source. Even a sexy-as-hell military man. But while Spencer can resist his physical attraction to Bacon, he has less control over his emotions—especially when the mission goes sideways and the two men are trapped alone.
Getting out of the jungle alive turns out to be easy compared to facing the truth about their feelings for one another back in the real world. And whether or not they can build a future is a different story altogether.
Comment: This is the sixth installment in the Out of Uniform series by Annabeth Albert. I have been going through this series, but only the full length novels, although there are several novellas in the mix.
In this story we finally have petty officer Bacon as a protagonist, after several books in which he was a secondary character. Bacon has had a slight issue during a training and that is the main reason why he is assigned a special mission: journalist Spencer Bryant, an award winner and cover of a LGBT magazine, was given permission to follow a team of Navy Seals around and even to participate in an ordinary mission and Bacon is his babysitter. Some elements in the team aren't happy about this and Bacon reluctantly accepts, not expecting Spencer to be as captivating as he is. He even feels they could have something outside of this situation, but can they match their feelings with each others's very specific careers?
I had a good enough time reading this novel. I think Bacon and Spencer were good individuals to follow and I liked it that they did make an effort to be in a relationship, but I will say that sometimes the obstacles they set up for one another felt like too much work, and the reward didn't always seem to be that strong. I can believe they would get a valid HEA but I wasn't always convinced of it.
I liked the story but my favorite part was definitely the beginning, until Bacon and Spencer admit they desire each other and become intimate. Until this happens, it's all a great "game" of flirtation and wondering if the other feels/thinks the same. Added to the fact that Spencer is in a situation that is uncommon for civilians and that certain rules and expectations need to be met, I think the dynamics were quite interesting.
Bacon is a likable guy, sees himself as pan, and I was curious to see how he would feel while falling in love. I also liked how the story portrays the situation in which he felt he wasn't being treated right by some elements of his team but he had not admitted he is pan, so the need to see his self validated while debating the consequences of saying he was were adding interesting complexity to the plot. We also have several references to the characters of book #4, whose relationship caused some fraternization issues among the team and what that would mean in a setting where trust is key.
Spencer was not as complex to me, although we are told he felt the pressure of his career choices, opposed to what his parents imagined for him as an important part of his character development. He was a good guy but he is aiming to write a book on Navy Seals and how the mental health issues are not discussed and dealt with properly. Of course this had to increase the antagonism with others, if it were to be known, but the more he gets to know Bacon, the more he debates if such a book would not cause more harm than good, at least the way he wants to expose more the negative aspects.
Individually, both the guys had interesting issues to deal with and had serious thoughts about what they could do vs what they should do, but where things kind of lost steam for me was when the romance comes into place. I'm sorry to say but I was not convinced a relationship between them would work long term, mostly because they are too different and their jobs would always clash, if Spencer is to keep up with his writing ideas. Certainly, the author solved this, but I was not sold on how.
The romance was also a little after the moment they become intimate. It no longer felt as exciting or as thrilling to imagine what they would do next or how would they evolve as a couple.... I mean, there's nothing wrong about them together, but it wasn't as fun as it was before and the emotional aspects no longer seemed as solid as the promise of them... I can't explain better. Anyway, in spite of my personal issues, of course it was a general good addition to the series.
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