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 thirty 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.

After being underwhelmed by the third book in L.A. Witt’s Anchor Point series, I was happy to see that the fourth book of the series, Rank & File, returned to the storytelling style and the good balance between plot development, romantic development, and sexytimes that I’ve grown to expect and enjoy from this author.

Before I get too far into this review, I want to stress that each of the books in this series is completely standalone, so feel free to jump right in with this story if it calls to you. As with the other books in the series, the small fictional Navy base on the Oregon coast, NAS Adams, serves as the backdrop for the forbidden romance found in Rank & File. One of the main characters from an earlier book appears in a minor role here, and at least one other character from an earlier book is mentioned in conversation, but no prior experience with them is necessary to appreciate this story.

Senior Chief Will Curtis is approaching the twenty-year mark being in the Navy. Despite the challenges and stress of being a master-at-arms (MA), he’s proudly a lifer and is as dedicated as they come. During a domestic disturbance call resulting from a husband catching his wife cheating, Will meets Lieutenant Brent Jameson and is instantly drawn to him, but it’s definitely a no because Brent is obviously straight. As if that weren’t reason enough, Brent is also an officer, completely off limits for an enlisted man like Will. As the son of a highly decorated Navy officer, Brent’s life has always revolved around the Navy. Nearly a decade into his own career, he knows he’s going to be as great as his father was, but the drudgery of “paying his dues” in the lower ranks is messing with his dedication. Meeting the hot MA under less-than-ideal circumstances is a wake-up call, but not the sort it should have been. He can’t get the man out of his mind, but he definitely can’t risk his career chasing after an enlisted man. When their paths cross again at the only gay bar in the small town, the temptation is too much to resist. Walking away is tough after one scorching encounter, and it only gets tougher when lust turns into more. It’s only a matter of time before something will force them into the decision neither wants to think about.

I’ve lost count how many of L.A. Witt’s military-themed romances I have now read, but she is definitely one of the first authors I think of in the subgenre. I love how real her characterizations of both the people in the military and the bureaucracy surrounding it are. Her writing style simply suits it so perfectly. It also helps that her characters’ stories feel like the sorts of real-world problems any average military person could be faced with, especially when the stories deal with forbidden relationships, as is the case in Rank & File.

It also doesn’t hurt any that the pairing here is red hot. I love white-collar/blue-collar pairings, I love when there’s an age gap between the characters, and I always love switchy/vers characters, especially when I the characters’ voices have been established enough to be able to tell them apart regardless of what they’re doing with each other sexually. The characters comment more than once about the forbidden nature adding to their excitement, and as a reader, that was definitely part of it. But as Will and Brent develop feelings for one another, the compelling blend of hot sex, falling in love, and the ticking time bomb of being exposed became a story that I couldn’t put down.

Perhaps the only issue I had with Rank & File is that it was very early in the story when the solution for how Brent and Will would be able to stay together became obvious to me. In fairness, I don’t think this was an issue of the author being lazy. The hints are all incorporated well into the story, but if I was able to figure it out, I imagine others will too.

Of late, the romance novels I’ve read have fallen into two primary categories: those with characters that I can distinctly identify why they’re perfect for each other as they overcome whatever is blocking their path to being together—which, by the way, is my favorite type of romance—and those with characters that start with some major reason for why they shouldn’t be together and overcome it by the end of the story. Though Rank & File falls into this second category, it’s one of the better examples I’ve read lately of such a book simply because it’s a well-balanced story with a lot of heart where I not only felt like I knew the characters at the end but also wanted the best for them. It's another great entry in the series that has me looking forward to the next.

The author generously provided me a complimentary copy of Rank & File in exchange for this fair and honest review.

L.A. Witt is an abnormal M/M romance writer who has finally been released from the purgatorial corn maze of Omaha, Nebraska, and now spends her time on the southwestern coast of Spain. In between wondering how she didn't lose her mind in Omaha, she explores the country with her husband, several clairvoyant hamsters, and an ever-growing herd of rabid plot bunnies. 

She also has substantially more time on her hands these days, as she has recruited a small army of mercenaries to search South America for her nemesis, romance author Lauren Gallagher, but don't tell Lauren. And definitely don't tell Lori A. Witt or Ann Gallagher. Neither of those twits can keep their mouths shut...

Growing up the outcast in an infamous family of psychics, Nate Black never learned how to control his empath abilities. Then after five years without contact, his estranged twin turns up dead in New York City. The claim of suicide doesn’t ring true, especially when a mysterious vision tells Nate it was murder. Now his long-hated gift is his only tool to investigate. 

Hitching from his tiny Texas town, Nate is picked up by Trent, a gorgeous engineer who thrives on sarcasm and skepticism. The heat that sparks between them is instant and intense, and Nate ends up trusting Trent with his secrets—something he’s never done before. But once they arrive in the city, the secrets multiply when Nate discovers an underground supernatural community, more missing psychics, and frightening information about his own talent.

Nate is left questioning his connection with Trent. Are their feelings real, or are they being propelled by abilities Nate didn’t realize he had? His fear of his power grows, but Nate must overcome it to find his brother’s killer and trust himself with Trent’s heart.

Nate Black's life has been miserable in his small Texas hometown with his family are freaks with psychic abilities that tend to spend their time drunk or end up missing or dead. Nate is a poorly controlled empath and has trouble filtering out other people's feelings and impressions, so he isolates himself. He is used to being a pariah and bullied, so he is paranoid. But when he is paralyzed by a vision, he learns his estranged twin is dead of apparent suicide and he decides he needs to follow the trail to New York.

He is picked up on the road by Trent, a man he ran into a couple of times and he got a positive vibe from. Trent is a grad student with a good sense of humor and outgoing personality. But he is also a bit sarcastic and skeptical. The offer of a ride ends up with them on a road trip to New York. They fall into a rhythm  of burgeoning camaraderie and underlying attraction and sexual tension.

But neither of them are prepared for what they will find in New York and how their lives will change. The investigation into his brother's death leads to a community. Maybe Nate is not as weird or unique as he thought, but with his new group comes layers of mysteries, secrets, doubts, lies, threats, danger, cover ups, and unexplained events. There are many new people with questionable motives. It is hard to know who to trust and what to believe. It is easy to get caught up in conspiracy theories, but hard to get actual, real answers. In a world where it is easy for someone to influence or lead another, it is hard to tell if they are doing it for good or nefarious reasons, and to determine who is friend or foe.

It will all come down to a chaotic chain of events where truths and loyalties are revealed. But who will escape unscathed and what will be the repercussions?

Throughout this is the burgeoning love story of Nate and Trent. And Nate trying to determine if he could be influencing Trent in any way or if Trent truly cares for him. Their bond and relationship felt real, but the romance is second to the solving the mysteries of the Community. I liked that Trent was more of an anchor for Nate who never really had anyone to lean on.

The cast of quirky, intense characters with various talents is interesting. I especially found Holden, Chase, and Elijah to be stand outs. The premise for the story is unique and compelling. I liked Trent, as he was the straight man and balance to Nate's chaos. Nate grew on me as he started coming out of his shell and becoming more invested in the world around him. The whole story was told in Nate's point of view so the tone was influenced by how he was feeling.

I will admit that I figured out some of the twists, but there were still a couple of surprises. I liked both the paranormal and romantic suspense components as well as the layered history of the characters and the community. I would have liked a bit more of the actual romance or love story. Although they had really good chemistry with a bit extra feeling due to Nate's abilities. There were a couple of rough transitions that had me re-reading them, and a couple of things I questioned or seemed inconsistent. And at times there was a lot of information and new people to process that slowed the pacing down for me especially near the middle. But the beginning pulled me in, and the last part progressed at a much faster pace.

Overall, this was an interesting start to this trilogy and the ending left me satisfied, but also intrigued enough to want to read book two, Oversight. The tease at the end already has me more curious about what will be coming next for all of these characters.

I was gifted a copy in exchange for an honest review. 

Oversight (book 2)

Sightlines (book 3)

Noah Landers wakes up one day with a headache and no memory of where—or who—he is. Jason, the man taking care of him, tries to fill in some of the blanks: they’re in a cabin in Colorado on vacation, and Noah slipped on ice and hit his head. But even with amnesia, Noah knows Jason is leaving out something important.

Jason O’Reilly is sexy as hell, treats Noah like he’s precious, and seems determined to make this the romantic getaway they’d apparently dreamed of together. But Noah’s more concerned that he’s trapped alone with Jason in the middle of a blizzard while his slowly-returning memories bring hints of secrets and betrayal.

Noah’s not sure what’s the truth and what’s a lie. But as he learns who he is—and who Jason is to him—he’s forced to reevaluate everything he believes about himself, about loyalty...and about love.

Whiteout is the debut novel from Elyse Springer, so I guess it’s  a little fitting that the main trope of the novel, a character with amnesia, is also something that I’ve not read before—something that came as a bit of a surprise to some of my fellow smutbook-loving friends. But the amnesia story isn’t the only thing this story is about. The result is a well-crafted and smoothly composed story that had me wanting things to work out for the story’s couple.

First, a note: This book is a little difficult to review because everything we learn about the characters in the first 60% of the novel forms the backbone of the plot, so in my effort to keep this review free from spoilers, I apologize for being intentionally vague.

The story begins with Noah Landers waking up with no memory of his life, not even his identity, and it is told entirely from his point of view. The man taking care of him, Jason O’Reilly, tells him they are trapped in a cabin in the Colorado Rockies because of a blizzard and that Noah sustained a head injury while shoveling. It’s clear to Noah that they must be a couple, but his gut tells him it’s not that simple. The little he remembers conflicts with the things Jason has told him, so when more of his memories trickle back, the secrets they reveal only heighten his suspicions until suddenly everything about who they are—and who they are to each other—becomes clear, and his gut was right: nothing about what they are is simple. At this point, the novel changes gears completely and becomes a story of trying to fix the problems caused by everything that happened in the first part.

As much as I enjoyed the story in Whiteout, the biggest question I had after reading it is whether or not I think it was a romance. I’m a big sucker for the firsts found in the typical romance: the first meeting, the first looks, the first kisses and touches, and so on. Because Noah and Jason are already a couple at the start of the novel, none of these firsts are present in the novel except as bits and pieces of memories as Noah remembers. The only one of the big things that does appear within the story is Noah’s realization that he is in love with Jason. While this is a big one, thinking of this as a romance leaves me with a feeling of being robbed a little. It’s also worth noting that while there are a few sex scenes in the story, the focus of their relationship is not their physical attraction, again because they have been a couple for six months prior to the start of the story.

All this being said, it’s hard for me to use these complaints as any sort of justification for rating Whiteout differently, because there’s really no way the story could have been set up in the more traditional romance style without ruining the story the author tells. Keep that in mind as you approach this novel. There are still plenty of emotions and feels to be found, especially toward the end, but from a romantic standpoint, it’s more about the second chance than anything else.

Fans of the musical Rent will be happy to find that not only is the name of the series, Seasons of Love, a nod to it, but the author also ties bits and pieces of it into the storyline as well. Speaking of the series, the four books, conveniently enough, will be released one each season during 2017. Books 2 and 3 are F/F pairings before returning to M/M for book 4. Based on the blurbs of these books, Whiteout introduces one member of each of the coming pairings, so this is a good place to start if you would like these introductions, provided that reading romances on both sides of the fence appeals to you.

Even putting aside the fact that this is a debut novel, Elyse Springer weaves an interesting and well-written tale in Whiteout about a character who is complex enough to be realistic and who has a plight worthy of the reader's sympathy. It's a book that I would recommend to romance readers who are okay with reading romances that fall outside the normal progression the genre typically follows. While I will likely skip the next two books in the series—I’m a gay man who reads an occasional M/F romance, but F/F is just a little too far outside my comfort zone—I do look forward to the final book, as well as reading something else of this author’s in the future.

The author and/or publisher generously provided me a complimentary copy of Whiteout in exchange for this fair and honest review.

Elyse is an author and world-traveler, whose unique life experiences have helped to shape the stories that she wants to tell. She writes LGBTQ+ characters and relationships, and believes that every person deserves a happily ever after. When she's not staring futilely at her computer screen, Elyse spends her time adding stamps to her passport, catching up on her terrifying TBR list, and learning to be a better adult.

Once a fearless fighter pilot, Commander Travis Wilson is now confined to a desk. It’s been eight years since the near-fatal crash that grounded him, and it still rules his life thanks to relentless back pain.

Lieutenant Commander Clint Fraser almost drowned in a bottle after a highly classified catastrophe while piloting a drone. His downward spiral cost him his marriage and kids, but he’s sober now and getting his life back on track. He’s traded drones for a desk, and he’s determined to reconcile with his kids and navigate the choppy waters of PTSD.

Clint has been on Travis’s radar ever since he transferred to Anchor Point. When Clint comes out to his colleagues, it’s a disaster, but there’s a silver lining: now that Travis knows Clint is into men, the chemistry between them explodes.

It’s all fun and games until emotions get involved. Clint’s never been in love with a man before. Travis has, and a decade later, that tragic ending still haunts him. Clint needs to coax him past his fear of crashing and burning again, or their love will be grounded before takeoff.

After enjoying my first exposure to L.A. Witt a few weeks ago, getting another dose by reading the next book in the series, Afraid to Fly, was quite welcome. The book has a much different feel to it than its predecessor, Just Drive, but the realism of the issues was something both books had in common. So too was my enjoyment of their stories.

The biggest reason for the different feel is that instead of the big age difference found in the first book, Afraid to Fly features not one but TWO silver foxes: 45-year-old Commander Travis Wilson, whom we met as one of Paul’s close friends in Just Drive, and 40-year-old Lieutenant Commander Clint Fraser. Perhaps it’s because I’m a gay forty-something myself, but whatever it is, I love reading older men in romances. Besides being Navy lifers, these two have many other things in common. To name a few things, they’ve both been “benched” into desk jobs, they’re both divorcés with kids, they’re both fighting their demons and suffering from PTSD, and, because of these issues, they’re both hesitant to let themselves get too close once they start seeing each other.

There are several things I really appreciated as this story developed. One of these is that while there’s the typical military machismo in the background—things like working through the pain in order to keep hopes of promotion alive and so on—both of these guys do a pretty good job of communicating with each other. Sure, they hold back at the beginning about their issues out of pride or embarrassment, but the longer they’re together, the more they share and realize their fears of rejection are unjustified, and it results in a lot of comforting of each other.

Another thing I liked was the positive portrayal of a relationship in which the sex was limited due to Travis’s chronic pain. This definitely had the disadvantage of the sex scenes being much less steamy as they are in most other M/M romances, but at the same time, it allowed the story to focus on the two guys dealing with their various issues in a realistic way in order to build their relationship. For me, this is the part that makes the sex scenes hotter anyway, because I’m one of those romantics who believe that sex that means something is always better, even if it is, in this case, limited to manual and oral sex.

Unfortunately, though, the sex wasn’t the only thing that was a little repetitive in Afraid to Fly. The process of these two dealing with each other’s issues is no big deal—they’re both very understanding of the other’s problems—but when it comes to dealing with their own issues, it’s almost painfully slow. Sure this is realistic, but the result in the novel was repetition to the point where the book felt a good bit longer than it needed to be. This impression also came from the fact that I had some issues with the point of view (POV) here as well. Travis and Clint have a lot of similar life experiences from being life-long Navy men, so their voices and personalities were also very similar. This similarity, and the fact that it is written in alternating first-person perspective, meant that it wasn’t an uncommon occurrence for me to forget whose POV I was reading within a given chapter, particularly during intimate scenes. For the most part, this was okay, though, since they fit together so well, but it still caused me to be pulled out of the story at times in order to look back to the start of the chapter to find out which “I” it was this chapter.

The book is longer than average for romances, so I was a little surprised when I got to the end that I didn’t have the same sense of completion that I got from the first book in the series. I certainly wasn’t expecting all of Travis and Clint’s individual issues to be resolved—they do, after all, have way more unsolvable ones than any single person should—but it would have been nice to have their loads lightened even a little by the end (for example, without spoiling, the issue that caused Clint to be “benched”.) The ending is also something more along the lines of a happy-for-now (HFN), unlike the last book’s clear indication of a happily-ever-after (HEA) for its characters. Normally HFN endings don’t bother me because the HEA often comes in a future book of the series, but I’m not entirely certain that there will be a third book in the series. Though I do have to say, if there is a third book, I will eagerly read it.

If I had to compare how much I liked the two books in L.A. Witt’s Anchor Point series, I would say I liked Afraid to Fly just a smidgeon less than its predecessor. That being said, I highly recommend both of them, especially if you like military stories and silver foxes. Yum!

The author and/or publisher generously provided me a complimentary copy of Afraid to Fly in exchange for this fair and honest review.

L.A. Witt is an abnormal M/M romance writer who has finally been released from the purgatorial corn maze of Omaha, Nebraska, and now spends her time on the southwestern coast of Spain. In between wondering how she didn't lose her mind in Omaha, she explores the country with her husband, several clairvoyant hamsters, and an ever-growing herd of rabid plot bunnies. 

She also has substantially more time on her hands these days, as she has recruited a small army of mercenaries to search South America for her nemesis, romance author Lauren Gallagher, but don't tell Lauren. And definitely don't tell Lori A. Witt or Ann Gallagher. Neither of those twits can keep their mouths shut...

For Sean Wright, driving a cab in the tiny Navy town of Anchor Point isn’t an exciting job...until he picks up just-dumped Paul Richards. A drive turns into a walk on the pier, which turns into the hottest hookup Sean’s had in ages.

After a long overdue breakup, Paul can’t believe his luck. Of all the drivers, he’s picked up by the gorgeous, gay, and very willing Sean. Younger guys aren’t usually his thing, but Paul can’t resist.

One taste and neither man can get enough...right up until they realize that Paul is Sean’s father’s commanding officer and the last man Sean should be involved with.

With two careers on the line, their only option is to back off. It’s not easy, though; the sex and the emotional connection are exactly what both men have been craving for a long time. But Paul has devoted twenty-four years to his career and his dream of making admiral. If he’s caught with Sean, that’s all over. He has to choose—stay the course, or trade it all for the man who drove off with his heart.

I seem to be on a little trend lately of reading romances that have a significant age difference between the main characters. This time, it’s a full generation of difference. Just Drive is my first exposure to L.A. Witt, and this well-crafted story leads me to wonder why I’ve not picked up one of her books before now.

Sean Wright is a full-time college student who uses his car in his spare time to taxi people around the Navy town of Anchor Point, Oregon. He’s a Navy brat himself, so it’s just another town in a long list of places he’s had to live in and eventually move from because of his dad’s career. Paul Richards is also a career Navy man, which means until recently he’s had to keep his sexuality on the down low, and since the end of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, he’s not been able to make anything stick long term. The night of a long-time-coming breakup, Paul calls for a cab, and in spite of the fact that Sean is half his age, neither man can resist hooking up for the night. That’s all it should have been, except for the fact that the electricity between them is undeniable. So they keep hooking up, and feelings start to develop… and everything looks good until they realize Paul is Sean’s dad’s commanding officer. They both know they must stop seeing each other or both Paul’s and Sean’s dad’s careers will end, and Sean’s caught yet again in a situation where the Navy steals something good from his life. And after spending his entire adult life in the Navy, the promise of something that will outlast that forces Paul to choose what’s important to him.

Usually I cringe a little when there is sex early in a book. I dunno, call me old fashioned, but I like it when the sex means something, so when they’re fucking the first time they meet, it takes away some of the magic for me. And there is a LOT of sex in the first third of this book. Granted, it’s a lot of pretty hot sex. But it was starting to make me wonder if there was going to be more than that. Fortunately, and this is also the case with the better immediate-sex books I’ve read, the plot establishes a good reason for the need to start the book like that. Once the big dilemma is announced, which isn’t really a secret to the reader because the blurb says Paul is Sean’s dad’s boss, they’ve developed strong feelings for each other, something the sex serves to solidify in the mind of the reader. As such, I’m good with it in this case. The story turns into forbidden love at that point, and as hard as they try, neither of them can force himself to stay away from the other. It’s a trope I haven’t had much exposure to, but it’s easy to understand why it’s a popular one. Pair that with the age difference and a bottoming military silver fox? Delicious.

There’s nothing about the drama in the story that’s contrived. Even keeping the blurb in mind so that you know what’s coming, it’s still painful when it happens because the characters and situation are easy enough to understand and even relate to, especially when Paul talks about what he’s done in order to further his career and keep his sexuality a secret. And the connection between them is scorching. All of this is made possible by the clean and smooth storytelling. If I had to point to one thing that bothered me in the story, though, it’s only a small thing, but I can’t be specific about it without spoiling, so I’ll say it had to do with Sean’s dad’s behavior after he found out about the two of them being together, pretty much from that point on. It just didn’t sit quite right with me. But like I said, not a big deal, because he wasn’t a main character. In fact, he really played no role until that stage of the book.

L.A. Witt is a name I’ve seen many times in the year I’ve been reading M/M romances, but for some reason, Just Drive is the first book of hers that I’ve picked up. It’s also a book I wanted to read in time for its release a month ago, but passed because I was participating in NaNoWriMo. Anyway, as prolific as this author is, I’m happy to see my first experience was a good one. This story is certainly good enough that I’m looking forward to reading the next in the series, which I’m pleased to say I will be reading in time for its release in a few weeks.

The author and/or publisher generously provided me a complimentary copy of Just Drive in exchange for this fair and honest review.

L.A. Witt is an abnormal M/M romance writer who has finally been released from the purgatorial corn maze of Omaha, Nebraska, and now spends her time on the southwestern coast of Spain. In between wondering how she didn't lose her mind in Omaha, she explores the country with her husband, several clairvoyant hamsters, and an ever-growing herd of rabid plot bunnies. 

She also has substantially more time on her hands these days, as she has recruited a small army of mercenaries to search South America for her nemesis, romance author Lauren Gallagher, but don't tell Lauren. And definitely don't tell Lori A. Witt or Ann Gallagher. Neither of those twits can keep their mouths shut...