REVIEW: Up All Night by Annabeth Albert (Mount Hope #1)

UP ALL NIGHT

Mount Hope - Book One

by Annabeth Albert

Release Date: March 28, 2024

Review

This was like a warm hug. Just a delicious coming together of two older (40ish) men who have found themselves drawn together.

Set in Mount Hope (love small towns!) with a group of friends and first responders who are at the centre of it all.

As this is book one we get an introduction to the friends, who are largely brought back together again over the desire to help one of them after his husband dies, along with his children (who are wonderful).

I liked the narrative around our Irish fighter, Sean. He’s come to Mount Hope needing a change after his divorce, which was amicable (no ex-drama here!). He’s a bit of an eager puppy which is sweet and endearing from our burly 40ish ginger. And he has to figure out how to reign those instincts in so as not to scare Denver away.

Because Denver…he’s a skittish one. Having grown up being moved from foster home to foster home has set his path for him. Afraid to hope for more is always a scary place to be. Add that Sean isn’t out yet.

This was a wonderful slow burn, with some delicious spicy moments, and so much warmth.

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Synopsis

What happened to my predictable life?

I had a stable life as a fire captain in Seattle, married to one of my best friends and raising two awesome kids. Now, my kids are grown, and my marriage is toast. I'm solidly past forty and back in my tiny hometown of Mount Hope, Oregon, filling in as a firefighter. My future is one big question mark keeping me up at night.

Also keeping me up? The short-order cook at Honey's Hotcake Hut.

Denver might be close to my age, but we're total opposites. The former rock roadie runs from stability, never puts down roots, and lives for the moment. Point in case, we barely speak before he invites me into his shower.

I've never been with a man, but my fresh start has me trying all sorts of new things—including Denver’s shower.

Our future? Hopeless.

Denver doesn't do repeats, but I convince him to have a fling since we're both in Mount Hope short-term. The more time we spend together, the deeper our friendship and bond grows. Our time together outside of the bedroom, reveals a caring side to the grumpy cook. Even better, my sunshine-y optimism softens him like butter.

Should a fling give me these deep feelings? Nope.

Worse, the feelings are mutual. Big decisions loom for both our futures, and our time together grows short. I might have Denver's heart, but his trust is far harder to win. He's the answer to all my question marks, and I need him to believe in us. Can I convince him to give our love a chance?

UP ALL NIGHT features a grumpy/sunshine pairing for a forty-something firefighter on a path of self-discovery with an UP ALL NIGHT short-order cook. It contains loads of first-time feels with sexual awakening and exploration with a heaping helping of personal growth and deep connection for this opposites-attract couple.

About Annabeth Albert

Annabeth Albert is a multi-published Pacific Northwest romance writer of over thirty-five published works. 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 military heroes will want to check out her many series. Her critically acclaimed and fan-favorite LGBTQ romances include the Hotshots, Out of Uniform, Frozen Hearts, Perfect Harmony, and Gaymers series along with several stand-alone titles.

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