Guest Author Annabeth Albert and Favorite Military Romance Books

Greetings! I’m so thrilled to be here celebrating the release of TIGHT QUARTERS which is book six in my Out of Uniform SEAL series. This series can be read in any order, but fans of the series have been waiting for Bacon’s book, as he first made minor appearances in both WHEELS UP and SQUARED AWAY. Bacon’s co-hero is a silver fox older journalist who gets to embed with his SEAL team. This book has more military/action scenes than some of the books in this series, and I loved doing the research required to really bring their adventure to life.

I’m a huge military romance fan, both in books of all subgenres and in film. I love all men in uniform and trying to find some of my favorite military men to share with you today was hard! I’m including some veterans in here too because they deserve recognition and make super-sexy heroes in their own rights! My favorite military men include Mr. Annabeth who proudly served our country prior to our meeting, along with these great heroes:

John from THE DEFIANT HERO by Suzanne Brockmann—this SEAL lieutenant is everything I need in a military hero. Loyal, heroic, but not afraid to break the rules when everything is on the line, and deeply, irrevocably in love with his love interest, despite all the obstacles standing in their way. Her other SEAL series also has so many perfect military heroes, but my favorite is Bobby from TAYLOR’S TEMPTATION. He’s such a good guy that he’s determined not to fall for his best friend’s little sister, and he’s such a good teammate to boot.
Holmes in BBC/PBS’s reboot of SHERLOCK HOLMES. I loved that they made him a veteran of modern warfare and that having seen war and his experiences there influenced several episodes.
Daniel from LA Witt’s BACK PIECE—like Brockmann, I could easily pick about twelve Witt heroes for this blog and still come up with more I’d like to include. Few do LGBTQ military as well as Witt and Back Piece is one of my absolute favorites from her. Tattoo artist co-hero, shy navy sailor, angst, and a really sexy first-time scene… So good! What makes Daniel one of my favorite military heroes is that he’s not a SEAL. He’s an enlisted man with a fairly boring sounding job. Just like thousands of other military men and women. And he still deserves a HEA and is heroic and admirable in his own right.
Nathaniel from Pamela Clare’s SKIN DEEP. This is one of my all-time favorite books and I’ve re-read it so many times I’m surprised the eBook file hasn’t corrupted. I adore this wounded warrior hero so much, and I love his equally battle-scarred heroine.
Helo from BATTLESTAR GALACTIA. This remains one of my favorite TV series. It’s a military drama… in space. With cylons. And everyone always goes nuts for Apollo (and his chemistry with Starbuck), but it was Helo and his relationship that truly defined the series for me and remains one of my favorite parts of the series. He’s a solider and a military man, but it’s the sensitive soul inside that I found really captivating.
Quinn from KA Mitchell’s BAD BOYFRIEND. I’m delighted to see this series back in print and Quinn is my favorite type of veteran-as-hero. He’s defined by his years in the navy, but he’s also forged a new life and identity for himself as a teacher. I love his co-hero, Eli, so much too, but Quinn will always have a very special place in my heart.

I could go on and on—I love historical war veterans (Lisa Kleypas has a few particularly good ones as does Tessa Dare. Cat Sebastian’s military man hero in TWO TO TUMBLE is also a favorite), and contemporary ones too along with sci-fi and fantasy. I’ll always be intrigued by veteran heroes too. Share some of your favorite military men in the comments! Thanks so much for having me today, and I hope you enjoy TIGHT QUARTERS!

Title: Tight Quarters by Annabeth Albert
Series: Out of Uniform #6
Publisher: Carina Press
Release Date: ebook: July 9, 2018 | print: July 31, 2018
Subgenre: M/M Contemporary Military Romance

Links: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Kobo

Book Synopsis: Petty Officer Bacon, a navy SEAL and ace sharpshooter, has been on the front lines of more than his fair share of dangerous ops. Yet when a minor injury relegates him to the beta team, he’s tasked with what may be his riskiest assignment yet: the silver fox journalist he’s babysitting is the hottest, most charismatic man he’s ever encountered.

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.

This book is approximately 82,000 words

One-click with confidence. This title is part of the Carina Press Romance Promise: all the romance you’re looking for with an HEA/HFN. It’s a promise!

Excerpt

“Is something up with you and the reporter?” Curly demanded as they walked to the building where the LT and the rest of the leadership had a situation room for planning their strategy.

“Nope. We were just talking.” Bacon wasn’t lying—they had been talking. And Curly sure as hell didn’t need to know how close to rage-kissing Spencer he’d been. He’d been more pissed off than he’d been in years, and Spencer was a threat on so many levels, and yet somehow, he’d been turned on. It was fucked up, and the impulse to lean in and kiss the living daylights out of Spencer had been stupid and impulsive, things he tried hard not be anymore, and he needed to make sure it didn’t happen again.

“Good. We don’t need any of us getting all buddy-buddy with the reporter, right?”

“Yeah.” Bacon hoped his reluctance didn’t show in his tone. He wasn’t overly friendly now, but there on the bluff, telling him about Jamie, he’d felt something more than animosity. And in a way, that had him madder now. He’d let his guard down, and he wasn’t sure whether Spencer would take advantage or not.

“I talked to Donaldson. He’s going to try to can it with the wisecracks.” Curly was slightly out of breath—he was probably even more bushed than Bacon felt. It had been a long ass forty-eight hours, and the night was muggy and smelled dank, like a basement full of plants.

“Try isn’t as good as will.” Bacon frowned. “But thanks. And it’s not just him, you know? On the plane, no one was stopping him.”

“It wasn’t really offensive,” Curly protested. “Just him running his mouth.”

“It was to me,” Bacon said with a sigh. He hated that they needed to have this conversation. “I’m probably going to come out as pan to the team soon, and I need to know you’ve got my six, man. You staying silent when people are homophobic—even if it’s just a joke—fucking hurts.”

“I’m sorry,” Curly said quietly as they reached the building. “I’ll try—will—do better. And you coming out, that’s probably a good thing, yeah? That alone might silence some of it. And who knows whether someone else is also wondering whether or not to come out. Good role model and all that.”

“Yeah.” Bacon really didn’t want to be a diversity poster-child, but he also wasn’t sure how much longer he could quietly seethe.

About Annabeth Albert:

Annabeth Albert grew up sneaking romance novels under the bed covers. Now, she devours all subgenres of romance out in the open—no flashlights required! When she’s not adding to her keeper shelf, she’s a multi-published Pacific Northwest romance writer. The #OutOfUniform series joins her critically acclaimed and fan-favorite LGBTQ romance #Gaymers, #PortlandHeat and #PerfectHarmony series.

To find out what she’s working on next and other fun extras, check out her website: www.annabethalbert.com or connect with Annabeth on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Spotify! Also, be sure to sign up for her newsletter for free ficlets, bonus reads, and contests. The fan group, Annabeth’s Angels, on Facebook is also a great place for bonus content and exclusive contests.

Emotionally complex, sexy, and funny stories are her favorites both to read and to write. Annabeth loves finding happy endings for a variety of pairings and is a passionate gay rights supporter. In between searching out dark heroes to redeem, she works a rewarding day job and wrangles two active children.