Rank & File

Anchor Point, Book 4

By: L.A. Witt

Narrated by: Nick J. Russo

Length: 7 hrs

Publisher's Summary

A standalone novel in the Anchor Point universe

Senior Chief Will Curtis is as straitlaced as they come. While his fellow Sailors have partied their way through their enlistments, he's had his eye on the prize - making master chief and retiring after 30 years of service.

Lieutenant Brent Jameson is a Navy brat turned Annapolis grad. He's lived and breathed the military his whole life, and he knows he's destined for great things - once he's done paying his dues at the bottom of the ladder.

When their paths cross, both men know better than to give in to temptation, but that doesn't stop them. It also doesn't keep them from coming back for more, even though being discovered would sink their careers. Something has to give - Will can retire, Brent can resign, or they'll both face court-martial.

But there's also the option neither wants to acknowledge: jump ship and walk away from each other instead of ending their careers over a fledgling relationship. And they should probably decide before they fall in love.

Except - too late.

©2017 L.A. Witt (P)2018 Riptide Publishing

Another Hot Military story not to miss

This is the fourth book in the Anchor Point series, but each book stands well on its own. The Base and town in the recurring factor and there are some instances of reappearing characters from the previous book, but there is enough backstory that you are never lost or feel you need to stop and go read the previous ones.
In this book, we have Will, a near forty enlisted that is wanting to stay and retire as a Master Chief runs into a sexy young officer when he is called to a domestic call. The attraction is there for both men and they run into each other again at a bar where though they know the rule of fraternization, they think if they have hot sex then it will get them out of their systems. The plan backfires and they end up seeing each other knowing what they have on the line. Their affair is smoking hot and Nick J Russo's narration makes it even hotter. If you have never heard Nick J Russo let me warn you, his voice, nuance and the way he acts out the scenes with, sigh grunts and moans are smoldering.
The storyline is pretty basic romance, with the rules on the line, careers on the line, lives that are changing and I love me a good May/December. I adored both of these men.
There are a few scenes here that are unforgettable. The guys go on a trip to Portland and the visit to the gardens is beautiful and steamy. The hot wing challenge is steamy in an entirely different way and I think one of my favorite scenes in the book. I had to wonder if Nick J Russo actually took this challenge to get the tastes, the sounds, and actions down the way he did. I couldn't help but laugh a few times. The trips home at Thanksgiiving where the guys were separated and we saw their personal lives n a different way was good too but still... That hot wing challenge!
If you like Military romance, May/December, hot man-sex and an allover enjoyable fun read and hot wings, this is for you! ( don't forget the first three just because they are awesome too!

Military men are so sexy.

An enlisted Senior Chief set on retiring after 30 years and a Lieutenant disillusioned with the Navy meet very unexpectedly and soon come to realize they are a perfect fit. Too bad entertaining the idea of something more than friendship could mean the end of both their careers. Unable to resist the pull to one another they begin a secret affair and grow closer with each passing day. Will and Brent have to face the very real possibility that their love could destroy everything they've worked for. Is it worth it?

An Officer and a Gentlemen... just kidding! These two are downright dirty and sexy as hell. A slow burning relationship evolves into something that Will and Brent can't live with out. But are they willing to pay the price if their secret gets out? That is this story in a nutshell. There were hints of another book by this author in this story so it felt a little repetitive at times, but overall, I really enjoyed this book. Witt has always been good at writing scenes so descriptive that you can get lost in the story and truly see what she's describing in her mind. Two words... hot wings. I laughed so hard, it was amazing.

Russo continues to give the characters in this series a voice and does it seamlessly, carrying previous characters over into this book using the same tones and nuances from previous books. Definitely a must listen for those that like this Author, narrator or series. Who doesn't like a couple of sexy, naughty boys in uniform?

Decent story. Great narration.

Really liked the narrator. The story was mostly a "when can we get naked together again" plot. Would have we liked a clearer resolution.

Great story

Love it when there's a good balance of Sex and story
I was enlisted dating an officer so really resonated!

One of my favorites

Terrific romance + super sexy + medium-level, grown-up angst (mostly about their careers) = already a great m/m read. Add in the narration, which is probably the sexiest I've ever read IMHO and it's one of my favorites.

awesome!!!

just what I've come to expect from LA Witt. Nick J Russo disagreed job of narrating as usual .

Didn't enjoy as much.

Characters not as well developed; therefore story not as good. While the ending was good, I like stories where struggle to win the prize is obvious.

Solid 4/4.5 for the story, 4.5/5 for the narration

I really like that the stories in this series all take an in-depth look at the various problems that can face those in long-term military service and that (so far) no two stories have been the same. In this one, we've got a forbidden romance between an older, career enlisted Master at Arms (a Senior Chief), and a younger Lieutenant - when officer/enlisted "fraternisation" is strictly against the rules.

The two leads first meet when Will Curtis and some of his MAs are called to a domestic dispute; he arrives to find a heated situation between a husband, wife and another man, and fortunately is able to de-escalate the situation before it becomes more serious. Lt. Brent Jameson is the other man in the situation; he met the woman on a hook-up app and had no idea she was married - which he admits later was pretty dumb of him. Will gets him home and that's that - except that he can't stop thinking about the younger man, even though he's obviously straight.

Around a year earlier, Will got out of a long-term relationship with a guy who cheated on him, and he hasn't been interested in anyone since; deciding to get out of his funk (and to try to divert his thoughts from Brent Jameson), he goes out to the nearest thing Anchor Point has to a gay bar looking to hook-up... and who should he see there but the object of more than a few of his recent night-time fantasies.

Brent (who is bi) hadn't been able to get Will out of his head either and he’s just as surprised to see the supposedly straight MA at a gay bar as vice-versa. They both know it’s incredibly stupid, but the intense attraction between them is undeniable and leads to an equally intense f**k in the bathroom. They then head back to Brent’s place to do it all over again… and realising that sex like that doesn’t come along very often, they decide to risk seeing each other again.

L.A. Witt writes sex scenes incredibly well – and there are a lot of them here, which serve to show just how sexually compatible (and combustible!) Will and Brent are, and why they keep coming back for more despite the very real risk they’re running. But she also does a great job showing the development of an actual relationship between them and their growing feelings for one another outside the bedroom. Of course, they’re not going to be able to continue to sneak around for ever and are bound to get caught; they both know this and think they really should stop seeing each other before they get in too deep. The trouble is they only see that line in the sand once it’s way back in the rear-view mirror.

The dilemmas that face Brent and Will are very real and the consequences they could incur if caught are potentially career-ending. Will is career military and having served nineteen years, plans to stay in until the thirty year mark; Brent on the other hand was brought up living and breathing the Navy – his father served and so does his older brother – and was never really allowed to explore any other options for his future. Nine years in, he’s not feeling it and tells himself that’s due to the fact that he’s still at the bottom of the ladder, and that things will get better as he starts to climb through the ranks. But the longer he’s involved with Will, the more he starts to question that belief; and only when he finally realises what it feels like to actually want something for himself is he finally able to distinguish between what he wants and what others want for him; and I loved the way he handled the situation in every respect.

I’ve been dipping in and out of this series – I’ve listened to books 1-5 so far and plan to finish it – but Rank and File is possibly my favourite of the series so far. Nick J. Russo does a great job with the narration; he always provides clear, distinct voices for the main characters, and differentiates well between the secondary characters, providing believable female voices when needed. He’s extremely good in the sex-scenes as well; he doesn’t hold back but neither does he go stupidly over the top, which is important in a book like this where there’s such a lot of it!

A solid 4/4.5 stars for the story, and 4.5/5 for the narration.

Superb book.

loved it from start to finish. You will enjoy listening more than once. Definitely worth the money.

Awesome! Defo recommend

Great story. Great characters! Amazing narrator plenty of blushing moments and happy squeals!!
Highly recommend