Title: Sailor Proof (Shore Leave 1)
Author: Annabeth Albert
Published: September, 2021
Publisher: Carina Press
Readership: Adult
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Rating: ★★★★
I received a copy of Sailor Proof from Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
The sexy Navy chief and his best friend’s adorkable little brother…
It’s petty, but Naval Chief Derrick Fox wishes he could exact a little revenge on his ex by showing off a rebound fling. His submarine is due to return to its Bremerton, Washington, home base soon and Derrick knows all too well there won’t be anyone waiting with a big, showy welcome.
Enter one ill-advised plan…
Arthur Euler is the guy you go to in a pinch—he’s excellent at out-of-the-box solutions. It’s what the genius music-slash-computer nerd is known for. So when he finds out Derrick needs a favor, he’s happy to help. He can muster the sort of welcome a Naval Chief deserves, no problem at all.
Except it is a problem. A very big problem.
When Arthur’s homecoming welcome is a little too convincing, when a video of their gangplank smooch goes enormously viral, they’re caught between a dock and a hard place. Neither of them ever expected a temporary fake relationship to look—or feel—so real. And Arthur certainly never considered he’d be fighting for a very much not-fake forever with a military man.
.
There’s something reassuring about know that you’re going to get exactly what you set out for with an author. Having read plenty of Annabeth Albert’s books now, I know that when I pick up one of her books I’m going to have a fun read with minimal angst and I appreciate that.
Albert has returned to writing military romance books with her newest series, Shore Leave. Sailor Proof is a fun MM romance featuring fake dating, brother’s best friend and only one bed tropes. Chief Derrick Fox is returning home after his most recent deployment aboard a submarine, and, determined to show up his ex-boyfriend, ends up finding a ‘fake’ boyfriend for the return. His best friend convinces his younger brother, Arthur, to play the part of the boyfriend, and it’s all fun until everyone around them begins to think of it as a real relationship. The two decide to continue the ruse through Arthur’s family camping trip, which forces them to confront their mutual attraction to one another when they get stuck in a cabin with only one bed.
This book had some really lovely scenes between Derrick and Arthur. At all points, they’re respectful to one another, through the initial ‘ruse’ to the extended stay amongst Arthur’s family. Derrick, who’d previously thought he would never be cut out for a serious relationship, begins to see the appeal in it, and how that might change his career focus. For Arthur, spending time with Derrick gives him the extra push to stand up to his family on some of the things that have bothered him for a long time.
I absolutely adored the scenes between Arthur, Derrick and all of Arthur’s much-younger cousins, as they put on a talent show for the families during the camping trip. Arthur, a musician, is constantly seeking to show his cousins that they all have talents and that they all deserve to be appreciated for who they are and it’s just gorgeous.
I’m looking forward to reading the second book in the Shore Leave series, which follows Arthur’s brother (and Derrick’s best friend).
Sailor Proof will be released (at this stage) in late September, 2021.
Noveltea Corner 