Off the Clock (Mount Hope #2)
Annabeth Albert
Starting over after retiring as an Army Ranger shouldn’t be this hard... For twenty years, I traveled the world as a special operations warrior. Newly retired at forty-two, I’m back in my hometown of Mount Hope, pursuing a second career as a small-town firefighter. My meddling sisters and best friends all have opinions about my life, but the only person who seems to truly understand me is Caleb, the younger firefighter tasked with my training. After a lifetime of denying my attraction to other men, Caleb reminds me of everything I’ve missed out on. I’ve never even kissed a guy. Until now. Until Caleb. Until I push our growing friendship to the next level. While sneaking around like a pair of teens, trying not to get caught by our coworkers, friends, and family, our sexy connection leads us to some...interesting places. And it turns out that I like taking risks. I’ve never wanted a relationship, and neither of us should be fooling around with a coworker, but we keep courting danger. The more time I spend with Caleb off and on the clock, the more I like him and the less certain I am about everything else in my life. The one thing I know for sure is that I can’t afford to lose this intense bond we share. Can we find our way from super secret to super real before the clock runs down on this fling? OFF THE CLOCK features two coworkers with an age gap finding out that opposites really do attract and that first impressions aren’t always accurate. All the big emotions, small-town feels, and hot romance readers expect from this acclaimed author. While certain subplot threads continue throughout the series, each guaranteed happily ever after stands alone!
Publication Year: 2024
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4.5 stars
Since Tony was still in the military when the previous book took place, we didn’t get to know him even a fraction of the getting to know the other people in this friend group. Now Tony is back, out of the military, and ready to help a recently widowed friend with anything he needs. But Tony also needs a job, so he’s diving into the first responder community where his friends all seem to reside.
Caleb is a young buck at the fire department, but he’s good at his job and friendly to all. His reaction to Tony is visceral from the start, as is Tony’s to him, but he’s been put in charge of showing Tony the ropes and helping him to prepare for his firefighter test. This all means these two do everything they can to fight their attraction. Another wrench in their attraction is Tony not being out. He’s never explored his sexuality due to being in the military and it being easier not to rock the boat. He wasn’t unhappy with his life, but he was lonely. Caleb is not one to live in the shadows or to be someone’s secret, so sneaking around is often emotionally hard for him.
This story deals with more than the relationship between Tony and Caleb. Although I love their connection and chemistry, I also enjoyed the other stories that shaped these two. Caleb’s teen nephew just came to live with him after some trouble back home and it’s a lot for him to deal with. He doesn’t want to screw things up on that front, yet has no idea how to be a parent. Tony is floundering in his post-military life. Not sure he wants to be a first responder, yet not having any other direction. The way Caleb and Tony support each other is beautiful.
The characters in this series are phenomenal. I loved getting to know the kids even more in this book. They didn’t just go up to their rooms one day and disappear, they are fleshed-out characters with their own personalities that help move the stories along.
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