Rocky Start by Annabeth Albert

Narrated by Kirt Graves

Rocky Start is the fourth installment in Annabeth Albert’s A-List Security series about a security firm whose mission is to provide jobs for veterans with physical disabilities and/or PTSD. Rocky Start follows two of the firm’s security specialists who have always considered themselves straight. Given the characters are twenty-five and thirty-one years old, the premise feels a little wobbly at first, but as we get to know them it becomes more understandable.

Former SEAL Avery Haskins has had nothing but bad luck in relationships. As the story opens it’s almost Valentine’s Day, and Avery is getting dumped by his latest high-maintenance girlfriend, an up and coming actress on the film set he and coworker Malik are working. Malik, a former Naval Intelligence officer and not long single himself, suggests the two of them should go out to a nice restaurant on Valentine’s Day so they don’t sit home alone. At the high-end restaurant a few days later, an anxious Avery lets the foodie Malik make all the selections and finds he feels more relaxed when not stressing about the choices. Afterwards, Malik invites Avery over to play a new video game they’ve been talking about.

While playing the game, which is inclusive and features a scene including two men kissing, Avery asks Malik if he’s ever thought about kissing a man. After a bit of discussion, Avery hesitantly asks Malik if he wants to “give it a try.” After a scorching makeout session that moves on to more, Avery freaks out and runs like a scared rabbit. The next day at work is even more awkward when Malik and Avery find out they are assigned together as security on a movie set in a Colorado ghost town.

Avery reads as having ADHD, with a fair amount of anxiety thrown in. He shares with Malik about his struggles in school and how he’s always wanting to be out doing something. His father is a well-known former sports star and is tall and muscular, as are Avery’s siblings. Avery, however, takes after his petite mother and from hints in the text I’d say he’s 5′ 8” or under. He’s never been interested in sports and feels like an outsider in his family. Now he’s working at A-List and trying to navigate a new life after an accident that left him without most of his right arm. While with Malik in Colorado, and with Malik’s encouragement and support, Avery gets to explore a side of himself that he’s never allowed himself to acknowledge, much less accept. At times, Avery’s emotions resemble ping-pong balls, ricocheting everywhere.

Malik is more sanguine about the new things he’s finding out about himself. One surprise is how much he likes taking care of Avery. It makes him feel grounded and needed. Still recovering from major PTSD and the recent break-up with his fiancée, Malik feels like he’s found a career and a home with A-List. Meeting Avery seems like another positive, if he can just get Avery to see it that way, too.

One thing I enjoy about Annabeth Albert’s work is her inclusion of non-typical protagonists and sexualities. Avery and Malik are not her first characters with disabilities or the first who are exploring their sexuality. In this book, I especially appreciated how Avery’s impulsivity and anxiety is portrayed realistically and compassionately. It’s there without taking over the story. Malik’s care of Avery is incredibly sweet and tells us a great deal about Malik’s character, as well.

Kirt Graves is a narrator I am enjoying more and more as his career progresses, and he does a great job here. His voice for Malik has a bit of gravel in it, and seems perfect for the larger, more serious man. Avery’s voice is a little higher pitched and Mr. Graves infuses it with just the right range of emotions as Avery goes from calm to frustrated to nervous, all within a few paragraphs. His female voices are strong, and his inflections and timing are spot on. My only quibble is that two minor characters are given non-American accents (one English and one Irish, I think), which he doesn’t quite pull off. The thing is, I don’t remember any tags in the text indicating they needed accents and it would have been better to forgo them. Thankfully, they are very minor parts in an otherwise excellent performance.

Even if the premise requires some suspension of disbelief, I can recommend Rocky Start for its lovely characters and sweet romance. It’s a great addition to Annabeth Albert’s backlist and is sure to please fans and new readers alike. Kirk Graves handles the narrator reins with aplomb and continues to rise on my list of go-to narrators.

Carrie