Why has it taken me this long to discover Annabeth Albert?!

This is only my second read by her but she's quickly becoming one of my favorite authors, so far I've been really impressed with her MM romances. She strikes this perfect balance of moments that are really cute, heartfelt & tender with moments that are very sexy - the steam in this book was ON POINT, hands down the steamiest out of any of the gay romances I've read thus far (not including erotica or indies)! Arthur & Derrick will easily go down as one of my favorite fictional couples, I just adored these two so much & was rooting from them right from the get go - love that we got dual POVs from both! Their chemistry was amazing & their relationship & the issues they faced just felt so real, despite having started with the whole fake dating trope (one of my favorites, btw). I can't even begin to imagine how tough deployment is on military couples & families, I liked that we got to see multiple sides of the conversation, particularly from Arthur's mom. The emphasis on being a team with your partner through the good times & the bad is one I'm sure we can all relate to. & I really, really enjoyed the supporting cast of characters, especially the Euler family - I'm so excited to see Calder be the focus of the next book!

All in all, this encompassed everything I love about reading romances - it was funny, sexy, & sweet, & I've been sitting here feeling super giddy ever since finishing it. I highly recommend picking this up & putting the series as a whole on your radar! Thank you so much to Annabeth Albert, NetGalley & Harlequin for providing an ARC in exchange for a honest review.