Title: Rough Terrain
Series: Out of Uniform: Book Seven
Author: Annabeth Albert
Publisher: Carina Press
Length: 384 Pages
Category: Contemporary
At a Glance: This final book in the Out of Uniform series gave me some mixed feelings. All in all, it was a good wrap for the series, but it won’t get a spot in my favorite reads.
Reviewed By: Ky
Blurb: The camping trip from hell may be the first stop on the road to happily-ever-after in Rough Terrain, the final book in Annabeth Albert’s critically acclaimed, fan-favorite Out of Uniform series.
Navy SEAL Renzo Bianchi has a soft spot for Canaan Finley, and not only because the man makes a mean smoothie. He’s the first guy to get Renzo’s motor revving in a long time. But when he agrees to Canaan’s insane charade—one all-access fake boyfriend, coming right up—he never expects more than a fling.
Creating a hot Italian SEAL boyfriend to save face seemed like a good idea…until his friends called Canaan’s bluff. Now he’s setting off into the woods with the very man who inspired his deception, and Canaan is not the outdoorsy type. The sparks are already flying when a flash flood separates them from their group, leaving Renzo and Canaan very much trapped…very much alone in the wilderness.
Working together to come up with a plan for survival is sexier than either of them expects. But back in the real world, being a couple is bringing its own set of hazards…
Review: It seems like yesterday that I read about this exciting new series about SEALs getting their HEAs, and now suddenly I’m looking at book seven and don’t want to say goodbye to one of my favorite series. It’s been two years since the release of the first book! Can you believe it? It wasn’t all smooth sailing and high ratings for me, but in general, I liked the stories we got. My absolute favorites were Wheels Up and At Attention, and they’ll keep their spot at my top-shelf for a long time to come.
The final book in the Out of Uniform series gave me some mixed feelings. There’s a fake boyfriend trope that doesn’t last very long, and two stubborn guys who don’t want to see what’s right in front of them. I liked the start of their relationship and their dates. Canaan’s friends are another matter, though, and didn’t win any prizes from me, especially his ex and Eric, who were annoying and obnoxious.
Renzo’s story was shocking, but I loved his brother and how they were together. His parents were pushy without meaning to be, and kept shoving high expectations at him that Renzo had no way of not trying to live up to.
Up until halfway, or even 3/4 of the way, I was engaged and wanted to see what would happen next, but then the ever-present break-up-near-the-end-of-the-book came, and for pages upon pages we went around in circles reading Canaan’s and Renzo’s thoughts that were the same thing over and over again. The book could easily be a couple dozen—or even more—pages shorter without the story missing anything important.
We got to see couples from the previous stories as always, but sadly no one from my favorite books. Still, Maddox and Ben made a special appearance, and I must admit that I had completely forgotten about meeting Canaan in their book for the first time. The ending was satisfying, and everyone got what they most wanted, so no surprises there. All in all, this was a good wrap for the series, but it won’t get a spot in my favorite reads.
I can’t wait to see what Annabeth Albert is getting ready for us next!
You can buy Rough Terrain here:
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