Wheels Up by Annabeth Albert

Narrated by Greg Boudreaux

I’ve heard good things about Annabeth Albert’s Out of Uniform series of m/m romances featuring characters in different branches of the military. As usual, I’m coming late to the party, so audiobooks are my gateway into the series in which, unusually, each instalment uses a different narrator (the majority of series books tend to use the same one for each book). The fourth book, Wheels Up, caught my eye because it’s performed by my narrator-du-jour, Greg Boudreaux (aka Greg Tremblay), so it seemed a good place to jump in; it’s a standalone, although a couple of characters from the previous book (one of them the brother of one of the principals) make cameo appearances.

On a flight from San Diego to Washington, Lieutenant Dustin Strauss inadvertently lets slip his destination in a text message to the online chat/cyber-sex buddy he knows only as Saucer-Man. When Saucer-Man – whom Dustin suspects works in security – suggests they meet face-to-face, Dustin is nervous. He and Saucer-Man have been chatting regularly for the last six months or so and getting to know each other on Joe4Joe, a military-themed hook-up app, and Dustin is perfectly happy with the way things are. The relative anonymity of the app allows him the freedom to indulge his need to submit unreservedly with his sexual partner; he’s enjoyed months of no strings, slightly kinky cyber-sex and isn’t sure meeting up is a good idea for a number of reasons, not least of which is the fact that he’s bisexual but still closeted when it comes to his attraction to men. In spite of the fact that his brother (from the previous book, At Attention) is gay, Dustin has never told his family of his sexual orientation, and lately, he has found it harder and harder to supress that side of himself, and the strength of the connection he feels to Saucer-Man – which is not just about sex for him – is making him question his decision to quash that side of himself.

Chief Petty Officer Wes Lowe has been curious about ‘Godzilla’ (whom he suspects is a Marine) for a while now, and can’t resist the chance to meet him in person. He can tell from the guy’s replies to his texts that he’s a little wary, but Wes manages to put him at his ease, and they spend an enjoyable day together visiting museums (Wes is a wildlife documentary aficionado and wants to see a narwhal exhibit) and generally hanging out. As the day draws to a close, Wes invites Dustin to his hotel room … and is delighted and excited when Dustin accepts. Things begin a little awkwardly and Dustin is clearly nervous until Wes takes control and they settle into their familiar D/s roles to enjoy a night of passionate, hot sex. But weeks later, what was supposed to have been a one-time one-night-stand is still occupying their thoughts, and it’s clear that night was about more than the physical for both of them. They’ve not been able to meet up online since their night together as Wes has been away – but their lives are about to be upended and turned inside out. Neither Dustin nor Wes told each other what they did for a living, so when Wes arrives in San Diego to join Dustin’s company (of Navy SEALs) as its new explosives expert, the pair of them are knocked for six. The Navy has a strict no-fraternization policy and relationships – even friendships – are not allowed between officers and enlisted men; breaking these rules would lead to a court martial and possible discharge. And not only is Dustin an officer, he’s Wes’ commanding officer, which is an even bigger no-no.

Dustin and Wes are both devastated at the fact that their relationship is over, but there is no alternative – they can’t be friends and they certainly can’t be lovers. They try hard – and fail miserably – to stay away from one another; and here I have to admit that the story started to drag a bit and become a little repetitive. They know they’re playing with fire, but even so, Wes and Dustin manage to meet clandestinely a few times, each time telling themselves it’s the last time… until the next one. In addition to this, Ms. Albert piles on the angst for both characters, with Wes having to deal with being so far away from his family, especially his younger sister – who is in and out of hospital due to a serious heart condition – and with the fact that he’s in a secret relationship that could cost him his career with a man who isn’t out. Dustin is very conflicted; he craves submission in his sexual relationship with Wes, and yet in his job is expected to lead and command. He’s worried about coming out to his family and friends and dealing with the strain of keeping his feelings for Wes firmly under wraps is taking its toll, leaving him disillusioned and exhausted.

It seems as though there’s no HEA on the cards for these two – not if they want to continue to serve in the military. The solution to their problem seems obvious, but it’s not an easy decision to make; are Dustin and Wes prepared to make sacrifices in order to be together?

Wheels Up is an entertaining, well-told story, although it loses its way a little around the middle as Wes and Dustin indulge in several rounds of “we mustn’t do this” and then do it anyway. The secondary storylines are engaging and I particularly liked Wes’ sister, Sam; clearly, they adore each other, and their relationship is well-drawn. The two protagonists are decent guys; intelligent, capable and successful, they have strong chemistry and are obviously sexually compatible, although it seems that most of their non-sexual relationship is developed off-screen during the six months they spend getting to know each other online and I’d have liked to have seen a little more of that ‘getting to know you’ phase.

Greg Boudreaux – I have no idea why the pseudonym; he makes no secret of his alter ego and has such a distinctive voice that I’d have recognised it within five seconds anyway – delivers exactly the sort of accomplished and enjoyable performance I’ve come to expect from him. His pacing is spot on in narrative and dialogue, he differentiates extremely well between a fairly large cast of characters and his portrayal of the two principals fits them perfectly. Dustin, a big man, has an equally big, resonant voice, while the slight southern accent given to Wes is pretty much exactly as the author describes it in the text. His female voices are among the best I’ve heard from a male narrator; his portrayals of Sam and of Wes’ mom are simply superb. There’s no question that Mr. Boudreaux is extremely proficient when it comes to the technical side of his performances, and fortunately for us, he’s just as good when it comes to getting into the heads and hearts of the characters and conveying their emotions and motivations to the listener. He imbues each scene and interaction with exactly the right degree of emotion and quite honestly, he doesn’t put a foot wrong.

I enjoyed listening to Wheels Up, although the inconsistencies in the story prevent me from giving it a higher grade. The narration is excellent, however, and if you’re a fan of the series, Greg Boudreaux’s performance is more than worth the price of admission. I’m reliably informed that some of the earlier instalments are stronger in terms of the story, so I plan – at some point – to give some (or all) of them a try.

Caz