Recent Release Review: Catered All the Way by Annabeth Albert

Catered All the Way By Annabeth Albert

Genre: Contempoary Romance, GLBTQ, MM

Tropes: Military, Brother’s best friend, Christmas, only one best, forced proximity

Released: December 4, 2023

Publisher: Self-Published

Length: 250 pages

Cover Design: Reese Dante and Lauren Dombrowski (illustrator)

Synopsis

Tis the season for a hopeless crush on my older brother’s best friend…

This year will be different. I’m all grown up, my gaming channel is a huge success, and I finally have the confidence to make my move on Atlas Orion, the hottest chief in the navy.

However, I don’t intend for my smooth move to be covering Atlas in cranberry sauce. Not at all how I want to reintroduce myself to my new roomie and coworker. Atlas is in town to help save Seasons, my family’s historic holiday gift shop and event space. Seasons is booked solid with catered parties, so we need to avoid any more disasters.

Like my malfunctioning air mattress. We’re down to one bed, two dudes, and a whole lot of holiday-fling temptation. Atlas has never been with a guy, but I don’t have to do much persuading. And what better way to explore than a secret romp? No strings, and no one has to know.

The problem? With every passing week, I fall harder for Atlas, who’s far more than his drool-worthy muscles and heroic job. He’s kind, funny, makes me breakfast in bed, and each midnight snowball fight brings us that much closer to heartbreak.

Atlas can’t stay in Kringle’s Crossing forever, and I can’t imagine leaving the only place I’ve called home. Our feelings run deep, but is it a holiday illusion? Can we find our way to a lasting future?

CATERED ALL THE WAY is a brand-new, full-length holiday romance from the beloved author of THE GEEK WHO SAVED CHRISTMAS. Lovers of stand-alone swoon-worthy Christmas stories will fall for this geek + military pairing. Full of spicy first times, bisexual awakening, quirky small-town residents, and guest appearances from some fan-favorite characters, this only one bed, brother’s best friend romance is sure to find a place under many trees! Dual POV and the happiest of endings guaranteed.

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Review

Reviewed by ButtonsMom2003

Another great Christmas story from Annabeth Albert!

I’ve read a lot of great Christmas stories so far this season and Catered All the Way by Annabeth Albert is right up there with the best of them. Her books always get all of my emotions involved in the story which is something I really love about her writing.

Catered All the Way is a great older brother’s best friend story with forced proximity and only one bed thrown in for added interest. 😊 Zeb has had a crush on Atlas for ten years but he hasn’t seen him much during that time. This year Atlas is spending the holiday season with his best friend Gabe, Zeb’s older brother, and Zeb hopes to get himself noticed.

Atlas has never had a place to call home. His parents are nomads and he grew up without any roots. The closest he came to feeling like he was home was the time he spent with Gabe in Kringle’s Crossing. Being back there for the first time in years he is surprised to find Gabe’s younger brother all grown up.

I loved how these two threw sparks off of each other even though Atlas didn’t really understand what was happening. He’d never been attracted to men before but there was something about Zeb that he couldn’t resist. When he confesses to Zeb that sex has never done much for him in the past, Zeb offers to let him experiment with him to see if he might like guys better than girls.

The chemistry between these two was palpable but it was a little sad that they felt they needed to keep their relationship a secret from Gabe. There’s a lot going on this holiday season for Zeb, Atlas and Gabe. Gabe’s wife is pregnant with twins and this adds some interesting plot points for the story.

I loved the last two chapters where Annabeth lets us know what’s going on with Zeb and Atlas a year after they get together. It’s an epilogue to me even if they have chapter numbers assigned. 😊 There’s a reason that I love Annabeth’s writing so much and this story is just another example of why.

♥♥♥♥♥

O Factor: Scorcher

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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 multi-published Pacific Northwest romance writer.

Emotionally complex, sexy, and funny stories are her favorites both to read and to write. Fans of quirky, Oregon-set books as well as those who enjoy heroes in uniform will want to check out her many fan-favorite and critically acclaimed series. Many titles are also in audio! Her fan group Annabeth’s Angels on Facebook is the best place for bonus content and more!

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