I received a copy of this title to read and review for Wicked Reads 
 4.5 Stars. 
 Annabeth Albert is not a new-to-me author. Having loved the Gaymer's series, I quickly snatched this book up, going into it blindly. Other than the title hinting it involved a military man, I knew nothing of the premise. I was delighted to see a series crossover from the Gaymer's series. If I remember correctly, Zack and Pike were introduced to readers at an LAN party. 
 Zack is a Navy SEAL, still in training yet ready to put down some roots before he's deployed. Between being in the military and his religious family, he's so deep in the closet, he can't even admit the word to himself. This is done with empathy and respect on the author's part, with a solid foundation for the denial. Many books have an in-the-closet character to add angst, but as the reader, I understood Zack's POV. 
 Zack was bullied by his older brother all through childhood, allowed by his disillusioned parents who saw the siblings as the best of friends. This created the foundation for a man who allowed his SEAL teammate to bully and coerce him- allowed these events and people to dictate how he lived his life through the fear of disappointing his family and the fear of coming out. 
 Pike was raised by a free-spirit mother, never before putting down roots. At his core, he's a down-to-earth guy who seeks love and affection and the security of a solid relationship. But he wears a mask of the charming flirt. 
 Zack and Pike met through mutual friends. Pike is infatuated with Zack, but the flirty routine comes off as desperate to Zack and it also terrifies him a bit, because Pike is a man Zack could forget about his hangups over. 
 The bullying forces Zack to live Off Base, and Pike moves to the area to take a teaching job at a local college. Zack needed help renovating his CO's house (in lieu of rent) and Pike, who is a master at renovation thanks to his house-flipping momma, needed a cheap place to live. This doesn't come off as cheesy. I felt the book had a lot of empathy for the situations both of the narrators were living through, showing both sides of the issues accurately from their points of view. 
 The sexual tension was thick, the romance was organic, both adding depth to the storyline instead of overpowering it. Zack's denial and the bullying were heartbreaking, as was the added strife this put on Pike. 
 The reason I didn't give out 5 stars was simply this: Zack's parents seemed one-note, hyper focused. The only interaction/conversation was repeating the same lines heard in too many books, making it not feel accurate. Not all religious people are bigots. Some are, sure. But, to me, the parents needed some depth to truly add the layer of angst Zack was feeling at disappointing them. If there is nothing to them as human beings, why would it matter if Zack disappointed them or not? They had no personality, other than the mother asking him to marry a complete stranger from church, as if this was her only goal in life, and the dad spouting religious rhetoric and patting Zack on the back for being a manly Navy Seal. In this day and age, there aren't that many girls waiting around for a guy who's parents go to church with her- a guy she barely knows. Yes, there are girls and religious parents living under rocks somewhere, but not every parent in every book should follow this pattern. 
 The other reason- the conflict resolution seemed too easy, paved by everyone but Zack. They did it for him. 
 I highly recommend this book, and the previous Gaymer series, to MM Romance fans. This new series will surely please those who love the military subgenre. I cannot wait to get my greedy little hands on the next in the Out of Uniform series. 
 Please note: My review is of an unedited, pre-release copy of this book and assumes that errors were corrected prior to publication.