Tough Luck: A-List Security, Book 1

Man, these two. Whew! They are perfect together and gave me all the feels. I love a brother’s best friend story, and this is that. As well as so many other fun tropes. Forced proximity, older/younger, one bed (kind of). So many of my favorites.Cash served with Daniel’s brother in the Navy. In fact, they were Navy SEALs. Now that Cash has retired, he’s not quite sure what to do with himself. Meanwhile, his friend has been out a bit longer and is starting a security firm. Cash doesn’t feel that’s the right path for him, but agrees to help out by protecting his friend’s younger brother while his friend is out of town. Daniel is a bona fide celebrity. He grew up a child actor and has never quite been able to get out of the limelight. There have been some addiction issues along the way, which means much of his family doesn’t quite trust him anymore. And, since he actually has legitimately cleaned up his act, he’s discovered he doesn’t have as many true friends as he thought. Daniel is being stalked and getting crazy, scary messages. He tries to blow them off, but whoever is doing these things is not going away.When Cash agreed to help his friend out, he didn’t expect to be instantly drawn to Daniel. It’s not that he’s straight, he’s just never really explored his sexuality one way or another. Plus, Daniel is a bit younger than him and his best friend’s little brother. But as the threats against Daniel escalate, Cash has to whisk him out of town and get him off the grid for a bit while they try to find out who is behind it all. Their time alone together helps them both appreciate the other so much and they eventual explore the chemistry that has been there from that first meeting. Cash only knew Daniel through the things he’s heard from his friend over the years, so he has to shed those preconceived ideas about Daniel to see who he really is now. Daniel has to find the confidence to be something other than what others have molded him to be his whole life, a role he’s never been comfortable with. Cash is also trying to discover himself after spending all of his adult life in the military. It’s beautiful to watch these two discover themselves and help each other gain confidence.I’m really never disappointed by the heroes in Annabeth Albert’s books. I’m really looking forward to more from this series.

Loved everything about this book. A gruff, directionless Navy SEAL and a lonely, ex-child star learning how to be a normal guy are thrust together when a stalker sets his sights on Danny.I actually enjoyed that the stalking plot was rather thin, because I was here for all the getting-to-know-you parts. Danny & Cash don’t seem like they would fit, at least not on paper. But people from wildly different backgrounds with different life experiences can be remarkably compatible. These two men get each other. One grew up with a silver spoon, the other probably went to bed hungry at night, but a crappy childhood helps them to get each other - even if those childhoods were at opposite ends of the spectrum of privilege.I loved how careful Cash is with Danny. Considering he’s about the only person who treats him like a capable adult, it’s not difficult to see why Danny would fall for him. And Cash is drawn to Danny’s brightness and carefree, loving nature. They find a home in each other and it’s beautiful.This is a new-to-me author and I can’t wait to read more.

Annabeth Albert's got a new series called A-List Security, and it gets off to a strong start with Tough Luck. Cash Erwin is thirty-eight and a SEAL who has recently retired and unsure of what the next chapter of his life is going to look like. His best friend and fellow former SEAL, Duncan Lubov, has been trying to get him to join A-List Security, the company Duncan created to provide close-in security for famous individuals. Cash has been hesitant to say yes, but he certainly couldn't say no when Duncan asks him to keep his half-brother who's got a stalker problem safe. While twenty-five-year-old Daniel "Danny" Love has chosen to step back from acting, someone's out there reminding him that he's being watched. Now that Cash is by his side, he can't help but feel protected...and cared for...and heck, he can't help but fall for the guy. The thing is, could Cash feel the same about Danny?This was a fun read, one with lots of romance, some suspense, and a pinch of angst just to make it even better. I liked the dynamic between Cash and Danny. These two were the sweetest, and it was clear from the get-go that they had a connection. It was interesting to see how Cash dealt with his own attraction towards Danny, especially since this was all rather new to him. I think Danny was the perfect guy to help him not only explore the physical aspects of said attraction, but as far as the more emotional side of it was concerned, they bolstered each other because Danny had never actually been with someone who would go all in for him. Tough Luck was a four-starred beginning to the A-List Security series, and I look forward to reading the rest of the books to come.

I read Iris by Eden Finley a while ago and loved it so when I saw a FB post asking for other similar books I took notice that Annabeth Albert was repeatedly mentioned. I have a KU subscription and not all of her books are available (notably the Out of Uniform series) so I decided to start with ones that are to see if I like her writing.So far the verdict is favourable, I enjoyed Cash and Danny's story very much. Cash has recently been discharged from the Navy at the ripe age of 38, at loose ends he's been staying with his friend Duncan while he tries to figure out what the next stage of his life should look like. Duncan believes his friend should come work for his security company, A-List Security and has the perfect first assignment/favour - to act as a bodyguard to Duncan's 25-year-old, former child-star half-brother, Danny. It quickly becomes apparent that Danny was downplaying his need for protection so the duo head for a secluded cabin to give the authorities time to track down and capture his stalker.I thought their meet-cute was adorable and liked how we jumped right into the thick of things before the boys headed for the literal hills. The tension was thick and I loved how they explored their growing feelings with each other, though the pace of the relationship was rather fast and I would have enjoyed a little more foreplay to the story, especially since there wasn't a whole lot else going on. This was very low angst so the age-gap and brother's best friends issues are barely a blip, which I rather liked since I'm less of a fan of drama for the sake of drama, however, I wish a little more had been done with the stalker plot since the book could have used a little excitement. At the end of the day, I liked the characters, story, and writing so I'm looking forward to reading the next in the series.

This is a quick reading book, everything here is simple, even the characters personalities are explained in a simple way.It does not have the prevention of digging deep into their stories and life facts. Sometimes it gets even shallow, but I truly believe this was the main intention here.It’s a “worry less about the past and wish more for the future” kind of cheerful plot. And, to be fair, that’s ok.

I really liked Cash and Danny together. Cash being at loose ends and needing to figure out his life helped keep it balanced for me, since at surface level he’s not only older but has it way more together than Danny does. The forced proximity gave them the chance to really get to know one another outside of their usual patterns of behaviour. I liked Cash’s faith in Danny and Danny’s genuine desire to help Cash figure himself out (mixed in with his desire for Cash of course, lol). The stalker drama was understated, but that was okay with me, as it felt like they got legitimate time to build the sweet romance.

I love books with military people in it and this one was so sweet that I feel a cavity forming. I loved Cash and Danny, both were amazing characters and their fast love story was very plausible and believable. The story didn't drag and every page was worth it. Too bad we didn't get a glimpse at Ezra, who will be in the next book with Duncan, but I also love a good brother's best friend story so I'm pretty excited about it.

I loved this book.I loved both the main characters and how sweet their relationship was. I loved how they understood each other, how they immediatly trusted each other and how they view each other as a gift.It was beautiful and sweet and I loved it.