Review: Wheels Up by Annabeth Albert
SYNOPSIS:
Their love is forbidden, but their hearts aren’t listening to rules and regulations.
Lieutenant Dustin Strauss is a reformed man. No longer a twentysomething 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 semianonymous 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.
REVIEW:
Another just okay read for me from Annabeth Albert. I feel rather indifferent as I finished up this book and I think that several factors played into my apathetic feelings.
First off, I think these characters lacked depth. In terms that since their relationship is forbidden, every in-person, private encounter they have is sexual in nature. This resulted in a lack of emotional connection in my opinion. They had sexual chemistry in spades with plenty of details on all their kinks, but I don’t really know any details about these men past the superficial level. While it is said that they spent months chatting and getting to know each other, I needed to see some of that in the actual story…and I didn’t.
Secondly, I didn’t really care of Dustin as a character. The man has a lot of complex emotions but he keeps everything bottled up and throughout the book he felt robotic at times. His inability to be honest with Apollo or Dylan was frustrating to say the least. And when he finally does start opening, the book was coming to a conclusion and it felt like too little too late. He spent 8-10 years carrying his bisexuality secret from the people who he rationally knows would accept him regardless.
Finally, I felt like there was some unnecessary drama. The storyline was just pulled in so many different directions and Dustin and Wes’ relationship seemed to put on the backburner. There was the whole forbidden aspect, Wes’ family drama, Dustin’s personal struggles, the closeted aspect, and along the way, their relationship was just a side instead of the main course.
LINKS:
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
