Wheels Up

Out of Uniform

De: Annabeth Albert

Narrado por: Greg Boudreaux

Their love is forbidden, but their hearts aren't listening to rules and regulations....

Lieutenant Dustin Strauss is a reformed man. No longer a 20-something hell-raiser, he's his SEAL team's new XO - and a man with a secret. Or seven. He's kept his bisexual identity under wraps for years, along with his kinky side and a fondness for the military-themed semi-anonymous hookup website Joe4Joe. His latest chat buddy is more than a sexy online distraction - they're taking their very not-safe-for-work relationship into real time.

Petty Officer Wes Lowe has a smart mouth, a take-charge attitude, and an uncanny ability for making things go boom. The life of an enlisted man isn't always enough to satisfy him, but one wild, no-questions-asked weekend with his online love comes close. When a transfer order comes in, Wes feels ready and centered. He'll make a good impression on his new SEAL team and keep his growing feelings for Dustin on the down low.

But as they log more time online and some very real emotions surface, Dustin and Wes struggle to pretend they're just a harmless fling. And when his commander introduces Dustin to his team's newest member, they're in for the shock of a lifetime...and a crushing disappointment: their difference in ranks means even a friendship without sexual contact could end their navy careers for good.

With their hearts on the line, Dustin and Wes may not survive their next mission, let alone find a way toward a future together.

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!

©2017 Annabeth Albert (P)2017 Harlequin Enterprises, Limited.

So Damn Good

I absofreakinglutely loved this story. Dustin and Wes are two of my favorite characters from Annabeth. Everything about this story hits all my buttons and the narration was so spot on. It was what I heard in my head when I read the story the first time.

Another winner!

I love the characters, and the ways the story builds on the previous books in the series. I actually put what I was listening to on hold to jump on this. can't wait for the next!

excellent

Love this struggle and the MCs ultimate commitment. I'll keep this one and come back and listen again in a while.

Greg Boudreau is great!

Another wonderful story!

Wes and Dustin are so heartbreaking yet joyful to read/listen to. I adored the spot on accent for Wes. The author did a wonderful job of making the enlisted/officer aspect understandable even to non-military folks. The ending is simply amazing!

Favorite of the series so far

I loved this! I have a hard time with high angst high drama when it comes to the relationship in romances. There is no question as to how these two feel from the first. All the drama comes from external issues rather than uncertainty and miscommunication. My only issue was a small narration choice… the texts are read disjointedly as if someone were reading the words at the pace and awkward cadence of reading a text out loud as you were typing it rather than as if it was an actual conversation. It wouldn’t be such an issue except so much of the important parts of their relationship takes place in text conversations.

Loved it!

I love love! Really good story. 21+ for this one but still really good

3 Stars: K!nks, Explosions, and Some Serious Caree

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3 Stars: Solid. Well-written and enjoyable, but I won’t text my friends about it.
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ 4 Chilis: Spicy and detailed—frequent steam that brings the heat.

So, Wheels Up is a forbidden Navy SEAL romance, and if you like your love stories with a side of “we’re breaking all the rules but still can’t stay away from each other”, you’re in for a ride. Dustin is your classic tortured SEAL: commanding officer, closeted bi, and subby behind closed doors (who knew Navy SEALs had such a k!nky side?). Wes, on the other hand, is the explosives expert with a mouth on him, privately out, but still semi-closeted on the job—the kind of guy to blow things up and your mind.

These two meet on a gay military dating app (because, sure, that makes sense) and keep everything under wraps, with Wes being the only person Dustin has ever opened up to about his k!nky side. They’ve got a sweet emotional connection, and I do love how they support each other, breaking regs and putting themselves in hot water because they need each other. It’s not some “I can’t quit you” obsession; it’s more like “you need me, so I’ll be here” and honestly, that kind of caring, protective dynamic is insanely sexy.

But... we need to talk about Wes’s job as an explosives expert. He’s supposed to be top-notch at blowing things up, right? Except 3 out of 4 times they’ve tried to explode something, it’s gone wrong. THREE TIMES. This guy is getting transferred for being a bomb expert, yet 75% of his explosions are a disaster. At this point, I’m more worried about Wes getting court-martialed for being bad at his job than his forbidden romance with Dustin. I get that tension’s supposed to come from the forbidden nature of their relationship, but honestly, why did we have to keep hitting the same note of “oops, wrong detonation” repeatedly? Couldn’t we come up with some other source of struggle that didn’t involve Wes being incompetent?

Now, let’s talk about the audiobook experience because I did listen to this one, and Greg Boudreaux once again nailed it. Seriously, this guy could read me the phone book and I’d be all ears. His performance in this book was stellar, and he really brought the characters to life in a way that just made the whole thing even better. Love him.

In the end, I liked the romance but the constant “oops” explosions kinda killed the “super sexy SEALs” vibe for me. The chemistry is good, the emotional connection is real, and the k!nk is there (edited for Amazon). But I couldn’t get over how ridiculous it felt that Wes was this supposed expert yet was practically a walking bomb disaster. Three stars, because while the romance was sweet and hot, I’m not sure Wes should be trusted with anything that explodes.

One of my favorite romances!

Narration: I just realized that I've been listening to a lot of Greg's books lately. He is such a great narrator! He definitely nailed the emotion in this one, especially during the spicy scenes.

Story: I adore Dustin and Wes. This book is hot and heavy from the start, but everything about their relationship is emotionally charged. Dustin and Wes have an intense connection and all they want to do is love each other and be together. There is plenty of delicious angst with some creative license and it only added to the romance. I love their love and found their HEA incredibly satisfying. Outside of the romance, this is a story about reevaluating the life you always thought you wanted and being open to taking risks and new possibilities.Highly recommend this book!

Ahhhhh-mazing series

And this one is the best on in the series so far... !!! Wes and Dustin are just perfect for each other... you have to feel bad about their circumstances.. but in the end they figure out a way to make it work... awesome couple... my favorite one thus far!❤️❤️❤️

finally a great reality story

first and foremost Greg Boudreaux does a fantastic job with the narration. I really enjoyed the story because unlike a lot of stories in this genre there is a reality to this. the story is not so far off the realm that you can actually see this happening.
I dont want to give too much away but both men are calught in a WTF moment when they discover that their online relationship has come into the real world.
there's anguish, there's hardache, there's laughter everything you need to make a good book.
there are only two sex scenes, but there's other kinky stuff in the book that makes up for it.