Release Day Review: Sink or Swim by Annabeth Albert, Performed by Greg Boudreaux and Joel Leslie

22 February of 2022 by ButtonsMom2003

Sink or Swim By Annabeth Albert, Performed by Joel Leslie and Greg Boudreaux

Genre: Contemporary Romance, GLBTQ, MM

Tropes: Military romance, single-dad, close proximity, opposites attract

Released: February 22, 2022

Publisher: Carina Press (Carina Adores)

Series: Shore Leave, Book 2

Length: 314 pages / 8 hrs, 28 mins

Synopsis

Winning and losing are subject to sexy interpretation…

Navy chief Calder Euler loves to win big. His latest score? A remote mountain cabin. Checking it out is supposed to be a quick trip, but Calder’s luck abruptly turns when a freak injury and a freakier snowstorm leave him stranded.

Oh, and the cabin isn’t empty. A silver fox caring for two young girls claims that the property is his, but Calder’s paperwork says otherwise.

Felix Sigurd is on a losing streak, and his ex-husband risking the cabin in a reckless bet is only the latest in a series of misfortunes. He’ll tolerate the handsome stranger for a couple nights–even care for his injuries—but that’s it.

Calder doesn’t know a damn thing about kids, but making pancakes for Felix’s girls is a surprising delight. Trapped in the cabin, the four of them slip easily into the rhythms of a family. But when the ice melts, they’ll have to decide if a future together is in the cards.

Carina Adores is home to romantic love stories where LGBTQ+ characters find their happily-ever-afters.

Review

Reviewed by ButtonsMom2003

Even better than the first book in this duet.

Greg Boudreaux and Joel Leslie did another fantastic job on this audiobook – the second in the Shore Leave duet. I love these two when they perform individually and now I love them performing together.

The first book in this duet was great but I loved this one even more. This story has a forced proximity beginning and also has a character who isn’t as interested in sexy time as he is in cuddling and just being with someone.

Caulder is the older brother of one of the MCs in Sailor Proof and he didn’t come off as a really great guy in that book. (BTW, Sink or Swim can easily be read as a standalone story.) Caulder totally redeems himself in Sink or Swim. In fact, I’d love to have someone with the organizational and fix-it skills that he has. Caulder has been removed from duty on a submarine due to a concussion and he’s not too happy about it. He’s been assigned to desk duty and even though he’s really good at it, he misses being deployed on a submarine.

Felix is a psychiatrist who became a single dad to his two nieces after their mother died. The two girls mean everything to him but he’s struggling a bit after his ex-husband left him because he didn’t want to be burdened with kids.

In the beginning Caulder is certain that he doesn’t want anything to do with a serious relationship, let alone one that involves kids. Of course, this changes as the story goes along and he ends up being a great and supportive partner; but Felix can’t seem to forget that Caulder didn’t want to be tied down and he has a hard time believing that has changed.

I really loved this story. Annabeth Albert remains firmly on my list of favorite MM authors.

Performance: ♥♥♥♥♥

Story: ♥♥♥♥♥

O Factor: Spicy

Shore Leave Series

♥ Amazon US ♥ Amazon CA ♥ Amazon UK ♥

About Author

Annabeth Albert grew up sneaking romance novels under the bed covers. Now, she devours all subgenres of romance out in the open—no flashlights required! When she’s not adding to her keeper shelf, she’s a Pacific Northwest romance writer of many critically acclaimed and fan-favorite LGBTQ romance series. To find out more, check out: www.annabethalbert.com. The fan group, Annabeth’s Angels, on Facebook is also a great place for bonus content.

Author Links

A review copy of the audiobook was provided by the publisher; a review copy of the ebook was provided by the publisher via NetGalley.