Erryn reviews ‘Outside the Lines’. The ebook was published December 16, 2017 by Riptide Publishing. A copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.
***Check out the giveaway at the bottom of this review for a chance to win a $25 gift card from Riptide Publishing***
Why I read this book: How could I pounce on the opportunity to read a book about polyamoury?
Miniature artist Ian Meyers has one week to rebuild his damaged set. Needing help, he goes to End o’ Earth, the local comic and gaming shop. Owner Simon Derry pushes all of Ian’s buttons, and he also has steady hands and the skills Ian needs.
Before they can even grab a beer, Ian meets Lydia Derry, Simon’s wife. If Ian had any interest in women, he’d suggest a threesome, but then Simon explains that he and Lydia are polyamorous, and if Ian wants Simon, neither of them will complain. If anything, Lydia encourages the relationship.
Ian’s all in, and it’s fantastic working with Simon to piece together his set and then take each other apart at night. His friendship with Lydia grows too. The only problem is, the more time he spends with Simon, the more he wants everything Simon already has with Lydia: A house. A cat. A commitment. So Ian runs, and shatters the trust he has with them both—right when they need him the most. Piecing their relationships back together might prove harder than a smashed set.
About Bluewater Bay
Welcome to Bluewater Bay! This quiet little logging town on Washington state’s Olympic Peninsula has been stagnating for decades, on the verge of ghost town status. Until a television crew moves in to film Wolf’s Landing, a soon-to-be cult hit based on the wildly successful shifter novels penned by local author Hunter Easton.
Wolf’s Landing’s success spawns everything from merchandise to movie talks, and Bluewater Bay explodes into a mecca for fans and tourists alike. The locals still aren’t quite sure what to make of all this—the town is rejuvenated, but at what cost? And the Hollywood-based production crew is out of their element in this small, mossy seaside locale. Needless to say, sparks fly.
This collaborative story world is brought to you by eleven award-winning, best-selling LGBTQ romance authors: L.A. Witt, L.B. Gregg, Z.A. Maxfield, Heidi Belleau, Rachel Haimowitz, Anne Tenino, Amy Lane, SE Jakes, G.B. Gordon, Jaime Samms and Ally Blue. Each contemporary novel stands alone, but all are built around the town and the people of Bluewater Bay and the Wolf’s Landing media empire.
Check it out at Riptide Publishing!
Book Links: Amazon | Add to Goodreads
My Review:
Polyamory (from Greek πολύ poly, “many, several”, and Latin amor, “love”) is the practice of or desire for intimate relationships with more than one partner, with the knowledge of all partners. It has been described as “consensual, ethical, and responsible non-monogamy”. People who identify as polyamorous reject the view that sexual and relational exclusivity are necessary for deep, committed, long-term loving relationships. {From Wikipedia}
I really enjoyed this book. I have friends who are polyamourous in both open and closed relationships. They choose not to be bound by societal norms that claim you can only love one person romantically at a time.
Simon is an unabashed bi-sexual man who loves his wife. He also enjoys sex with men. This could be contradictory if it were not for the amazing woman he married.
Lydia loves her husband and is very happy in her marriage. The one thing that makes her even happier? Knowing her Simon is getting all of his sexual and emotional needs met. She knows she can’t do that without opening their marriage.
Ian is tired of one-night stands. He works on a television show so he either hooks up with other guys on the show or wannabe hangers-on. Neither is satisfying. When he meets Simon, sparks fly. Finding out his crush is married could have doused the combustion with a bucket of cold water…until Lydia makes it clear Simon is available.
This book could have been simply about two men scratching an itch. The complexity of the relationship and the depth of the love preclude that. Many bi-sexuals are accused of either really being gay, but straddling the line until they come out or, even worse, wanting it all. Simon is neither of those things. For him, it is the person he loves. The body parts are very much secondary to the equation.
This is the next-to-last Bluewater Bay book and I am going to miss the series. I am glad I got to meet these three great characters. One more note – the cover is very different than most of the other books in the series, but it is completely appropriate. Not only is it an MMF, it is also about three unabashed characters who love comics, paranormal, science fiction, and all other things in the world of geekdom. These attributes are to be celebrated.
Great book!
My Rating:
10/10 Points of Gold (100% Recommended) – Compares to 5/5 Stars
To celebrate the release of Outside the Lines, one lucky winner will receive a $25 Riptide credit! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on December 23, 2017. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!
Website | Twitter: @amergina | Goodreads
Thanks for the review!
vitajex(At)Aol(Dot)com
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I have been meaning to jump into the Bluewater Bay world for a while now! This looks like a great addition!
Sheila
psshepherd(at)earthlink(dot)net
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Thanks for the review!
jlshannon74 at gmail.com
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Great review. I love this series, so I’ll certainly read this one
susanaperez7140(at)Gmail(dot)com
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congrats on the new release
leetee2007(at)hotmail(dot)com
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Thank you for the review!
humhumbum AT yahoo DOT com
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I have enjoyed the Bluewater Bay books I have read. This sounds like it could be a pretty complicated relationship! Thanks for the review (and the giveaway).
elewkf1 at yahoo dot com
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Like it when covers really reflect characters.
mmf is different, looks enjoyable.
open to hearing new thoughts.
good review..
Thanks for the giveaway.😮
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fidesfox@gmail.com
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From your review this is a book I want to read.
cvsimpkins@msn.com
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Congrats, Anna, and thanks for the good review. Sounds like a great penultimate addition to this entertaining collaborative series. Although I’m not built that way myself, I don’t mind learning about mature polyamorous relationships. – Purple Reader,
TheWrote [at] aol [dot] com
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Pingback: Outside the Lines by Anna Zabo Blog Tour, Excerpt & Giveaway! – MM Good Book Reviews
Congrats on the new release! And thanks for the review.
serena91291@gmail(dot)com
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Thanks for the review!
legacylandlisa at gmail dot com
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