Tight Quarters

By: Annabeth Albert

Narrated by: Greg Boudreaux

Length: 8 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

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: babysitting a silver fox journalist, who 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 title is part of the Carina Press Romance Promise: all the romance you’re looking for with an HEA/HFN. It’s a promise!

©2018 Annabeth Albert (P)2018 Harlequin Enterprises, Limited.

Amazing story and narration!

If you have been following my reviews (either on my blog, goodreads, or Amazon) you'll know I am a fan of Annabeth Albert's work, and with stories like this one it's no surprise. But I did something different this time, I didn't read the ARC given to me right away because I knew that I had a few days after the release before I would be posting this Blog Tour Promo Post so I waited and purchased the audio book, and I am sooooo glad I did. WOW! Greg Boudreaux did a phenomenal job with the narration of this book. I enjoy audio books, the way they envelop you into the story, it really adds another layer to the enjoyment I get from reading and this is why I am so glad I decided to go this route with Bacon and Spencer's story.

We've had glimpses of Bacon in a couple of other books in the Out of Uniform series but we really didn't know much about him until now, and I really really like him not only as a SEAL and Fellow Team Member but as a human being, a man to look up to. He had a rough go of things as a kid and teenager but he didn't let it keep him down, he did what he had to do to become the man he is today and that includes being a good friend to some that may not deserve it.

Spencer, now there is a silver fox that would catch many eyes both of the female and male persuasions but it's Bacon that has caught Spencer's eye. Spencer is a man of substance, he feels its his duty as an investigative journalist to get to the bottom of things that some may not want you to know and shed light on the subject, so to say not many are thrilled with him being embedded with the SEALS would be an understatement but it is something that needs to be done.

Tight Quarters is the sixth book in the Out of Uniform series but it can be read as a standalone. I recommend this entire series, each of the couples have their own different struggles to overcome in order to get their HEAs and the common thread between each of the books are that some are SEALs together and others are friends. Happy Reading!!!

I so love this series!

I'm not sure how Ms. Albert does it but this series just keeps getting better. I liked how even though there is a 15 year age gap, it was never an issue. I hate when the older MC in books consistently obsess about it and calls the younger MC kid. Bacon, doesn't like Spencer when they first meet as he looks at "babysitting" him as a punishment. But, the more time they spend together the more they find out that they just might like each other. The mission they go on goes horribly wrong and once they are back from it Spencer is told he can no longer stay with the team. Once he is no longer embedded, the mutual attraction between the two goes wild & they burn up the pages. I love how Spencer is his safe harbor. When Bacon returns from a particularly rough mission, and I'm glad that the author did not go into great detail about it, that causes him some very serious anxiety, Spencer is there to hold and soothe him. Things were not always easy going. There was something that Spencer wanted to do that Bacon didn't & they go their separate ways, bitterly. But love does prevail & they do find their HEA. I liked seeing some of the guys from the previous book pop up. I can't wait for the next book in this series.

My favorite in the series (so far)!

Told from Navy SEAL and sharpshooter, Petty Officer Bacon, and silver fox, award-winning journalist, Spencer Bryant’s, POVs Tight Quarters is hands down my favorite story in the Out of Uniform series.

I loved the way their relationship progressed, I loved their chemistry, I loved their age gap didn’t affect their relationship at all, I even loved the little bit of angst that got worked through dealing with Spencer’s job possibly impacting Bacon’s future in the Navy.

There’s some action, plenty of passion, and it’s all brilliantly narrated by Greg Tremblay under his sexier Greg Boudreaux brand. He brought me to absolute tears, fat, gasping tears, at one point – and if that isn’t the sign of great writing and a great performance, well, I don’t know what is.

I loved the audio and absolutely recommend it.

P.S.: I hope Rooster gets his happy ending next.

Good Story, Not My Fave of Series

3.5

This one is a hard to review b/c for the most part it's a good story. Albert is a solid story teller and very good at creating compelling characters and emotional journeys. I was interested to read Bacon's story given that he is the cause of the fraternization suspicion in "Wheel's Up" and he and Wes never seemed to bridge that breach in trust. So, I was surprised by them basically being best friends in "Tight Quarters" and how upset Bacon/Del gets at Spencer for a potential conflict Spencer’s interest in their history could cause without any self-reflection on what his own actions did, but chalked this up to a time jump of some sort and in the grand scheme of Bacon/Del’s story arc, it doesn’t matter. However, it’s a similar inconsistency in his character towards the end that tanked this book for me.

I liked Spencer and I liked getting to know Bacon/Del. I liked the slow burn and the evolution of their relationship. It really was the post (oh so obvious) “conflict” that just really showed Bacon/Del in a poor light and rubbed me the wrong way. It was clear from how the interaction is written that Spencer is in the wrong, but it’s not that cut and dry to me and something that Bacon/Del says to him when they see each other after the break-up seems so out of line and hateful that it is not only uncalled for but doesn’t seem like Bacon/Del. From that point on, to me at least, Bacon/Del proceeds to act more like a spoiled brat in some Daddy kink story than the character he was before, and the reasoning given in an emotional scene at the end felt contrived since Spencer’s agreement with Bacon/Del’s words feels tacked on as something Albert meant to convey in the story, but didn’t really manage to get across. Frankly, had the narration not been so good, I probably would have rated the book even lower, but such is the power of Greg Tremblay/Boudreaux. Given that I can be oddly picky and I know I got hung up on the last bit of the book, I’m sure most people will really enjoy it; I just couldn’t get past that shift in character.

Another great book in this series!

I kind of feel like I cheated with this book. I listened to book 5 and discovered vocal performer Greg Boudreaux. And because of that, I decided to listen to this book instead of reading it (and that is a RARE thing for me, trust me). I honestly think that gives me a whole different perspective on the story because Mr. Boudreaux is a game changer. His performance…man, he brings these characters to life. I honestly think he made Spencer more…likeable? I don’t know that I would have liked Spencer nearly as much if I had read the book as I did listening. I hated what Spencer did…what he chose. When Del told him how much he hurt him…man he just broke my heart and you FELT that with the performance.

Spencer…confused me. He took such loving care of Del (Bacon) when he had time off and they spent time together; spoiled him; helped put him back together after missions or hard training sessions. But then to make the decision he did, with such a simple solution available really made me wonder if he just didn’t, or couldn’t, be in a relationship where someone had to come before his career. And God bless Del for making him work for his forgiveness. I hate when characters just forget all the hurt but Del sure didn’t. All in all, I liked them together when they worked out their issues. They’re sexual chemistry is off the charts. Their banter is cute. Thankfully, they figure it out.

There is quite a bit of action in this book. And Curly stands up and shuts down the BS comments we continuously hear which was awesome. I love that in this series each story is so different from the rest…each with a unique plot and characters and can be read as a standalone. We get a hint for a future story which I can’t wait for. This is absolutely another must read in a fantastic series!

My Favorite in the Series...thus far!

Annabeth Albert has struck gold again. I love that there's military intrigue and action alongside developing friendship and love. Greg Boudreaux is one of my favorite narrators and he has, once again, done a stellar job.

Even the Great Greg Boudreaux Can’t Save This

It’s nearly impossible to tell one of Ms Albert’s military romances from another. So listen to one of them - doesn’t matter which one - and you’ve heard them all.

Lousy

Bad story. Same old same old sappy love story wrapped up in bad acting. Don’t buy

one of the best

I've listened to all of Annabeth series on Seals while I loved them all, this one ranked right near the top.

Epic

Best I've read. Huge love story. Like most of these, the sex scenes are generic. That said the story was amazing. Again, every gay man does not wear boxer shorts... please... details... ok I'm a retired chief...

I still have this feeling that the author is writing under many names. The language The use of Canadian English I e NOBoDY in CA calls it Cali!!!! That's like Ne Vaaah daaa. The intimate knowledge of USN. Anyway

The style is great. The story lines compelling. As an E8 casualty of DADT all these books speak to my heart.

Story was nice

I enjoyed the story, especially the parts on a mission. In this case I did not enjoy the narrator as much. In the tender moments he sounded too light an dreamy, making it cheesy.

😮‍💨 Bland

As l expected military action and adventure, l was stunned by the near absence of it. I didn't recover from the shock because plot, characters and story beats fell flat. Bacon is pansexual but for no apparent reason that mattered to the plot. Spencer is 43 but being silver foxed was irrelevant. So if no plot, what about steam? If you like it dull and perfunctory, then yes, plenty of it. Finally, both guys have many near death, dying or dead friends. It means that our MCs have soul, depth, motivation and fall in love because, folks, life is too short to not live fully? 🙄 All the story you need is in the blurb and quite frankly, it is far more interesting then the book. Save your credit.

🎧 The characters are dull, the story is bland, emotional beats are predictable, and inner monolguing is repeated at the 10 minute mark in case we forget, say, that Bacon hates baby sitting Spencer. Greg Boudreaux sounds bored and lifeless here. I can't blame him. 🤭 This material is way, way, way below Greg's skills set.