Rating: 4.5š
We meet Calder Euler in Sailor Proof, the first book in this series, and he wasnāt exactly a sympathetic character. Nor did he come across as anything but one dimensional. He wasnāt exactly someone whoās story I looked forward to.
However, Sink or Swim totally changed my perspective on Calder. Albert takes a bare outline of a man and fleshes him out into a individual who we get to know deeply and connect with once we understand the history and events that drove him into person he appears in Sailor Proof.
That man is now at a point where heās starting to question his goals in life, his career and his path forward. It happens to coincide with his meeting Dr. Felix Sigurd. Newly, bitterly divorced, with two children heās a guardian for, and still trying to figure his way through his life when a mixup finds himself, the kids , and Calder , all together snowed in at a cabin.
Albert starts a very complicated relationship process from this beginning. The foundation that each man is standing on is firm of character but each manās past has built a crumbly mound upon it that needs to be reconciled and resolved between them before they can move forward together and as a family.
The two pov format works so smoothly and well to help define both characters and assist the reader in understanding the difficulties each man faces in their lives, as well as the realistic obstacles they face in their relationship.
For Calder, itās not just perceiving where that uber competitive attitude came from, but how emotionally heās able to finally acknowledge it, and let it go. Importantly , its also the research and military career knowledge thatās Albertās done thatās goes into Calderās decisions that makes this so believable. The Euler family just comes off as military unit, at every level.
I canāt forget the fantastic children here too. Both girls, so very different, each with opposite emotional reactions to a new man in their and their Uncleās lives. They are so believable and a little heartbreaking. Itās the outgoing, exuberant Charlotte, ready to climb mountains and brave new realities, with a outlook that remembers love as well as loss. Itās the retiring Madeleine, who needs to be shown a path is safe before she takes a step, her reticence bourn of grief and instability. Sheās not yet ready for change. For change hasnāt meant anything good. Both girls are children we can believe in, connect to, and love totally. And in turn, they bring us closer to both men and their relationship.
I donāt know if Annabeth Albert is done with the Eulers. I hope not. They are quite the family. Iād love to see this series continue, along with the Eulers, so we can see more of these couples in future stories. And at the annual Euler camp!
Iām recommending both stories. Read them in the order they are written. Itās very interesting, especially for characters development and relationships.
Happy Reading!
Shore Leave
Book 1: Sailor Proof
Book 2: Sink or Swim
https://www.goodreads.com āŗ showSink or Swim (Shore Leave #2) by Annabeth Albert – Goodreads
Synopsis:
Winning and losing are subject to sexy interpretationā¦
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 Calderās luck abruptly turns when a freak injury and a freakier snowstorm leave him stranded.
Oh, and the cabin isnāt empty. A silver fox caring for two young girls claims that the property is his, but Calderās 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. Heāll tolerate the handsome stranger for a couple nights–even care for his injuriesābut thatās it.
Calder doesnāt know a damn thing about kids, but making pancakes for Felixās 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, theyāll 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.
They have nothing in commonāso why does Ryan feel most like himself whenever heās with Fabian?
A lovely addition to the Clean Slate Ranch series, this story features Shawn, the assistant cook at the ghost-town saloon who helped Miles when his abusive ex showed up in Saddle Up, book three. Robin, one of the ranch hands, befriends Shawn after an initial minor hostility due to the fact Shawn looks like Robinās former husband, Xander, who died in a rodeo accident three years before. But once Robin gets to know him, the resemblance takes a back seat because Shawn is a completely different personality: shy, sweet, virginal, and reclusive. Shawn has kept the fact he lives in his car a secret for two years, but now that itās out in the open and heās given the cabin next to Robinās, the two slowly become friends, and then more. 
A lasting connection needs more than simply surviving a winter togetherātheyāll have to outsmart danger, let down their defenses and open their hearts.
The minute I saw this book was available I grabbed it. Book one, American Dreamer, was so outstanding I knew Iād be in for a treat with more. Could the author top her debut book? Oh yes. Miloās story is highly entertaining and fulfilled my fantasy of having everyone find Mr. Right to make them happy. 
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 