Outside the Lines is a sexy, interesting tale. The romance is very passionate between Ian, Simon and Lydia. The first person narrative is not my cup of tea but is well used in this book. Overall a fun read.

Outside the Lines is my new favorite book from Anna Zabo. Out of all their books I think this one is the most well crafted and best written. It has a presence that comes alive and pulls you in. I have been burned by several polyamorus romances this year so I was wary going in but found myself blown away as I rather humorously was flying away from Washington state.

I found all three of the characters to be well rounded and fully fleshed out. I adored Ian, Simon and Lydia in turn with Lydia vying for top spot. The three of them fit together so well it made me smile. It was the little things in this story that just clicked for me like the puns about ethical polyamory and the heavy emphasis on consent when checking in during the kink scenes. It came across as refreshing that it was done every scene and it was tender and sweet and just so lovely.

From the blurb I had been worried that the lack of communication that breaks them up would take up half the book. And I can thankfully say that it does not. It is such a small but an important part but does not drag away from the story like so many miscommunication plots do. It is also part of the reason I like Lydia the most because she knocks some sense into poor Ian.

I also really appreciated how Ian and Lydia developed their relationship how it became romantic and nonsexual that they loved and supported each other as metamours of Simon.  This is also the first time in a romance novel I have seen the word metamours used and it made me so happy.

I also liked the final arc of the book in regards to fandom and fanart politics it was well handled and helped to flesh out Lydia as a character.

Overall I think this is the most realistic poly V I have read and I truly wish there was more of them in the genre.

This is my first Bluewater Bay read and I was intrigued from the cover and the blurb as it looked right up my street. The setting of the book in a comic shop just drew me in and I adore reading about a true poly relationship and I was so eager to read as to how this story would play out. TV show miniature set builder Ian meets comic shop owner Simon and the lust and attraction is instant. Simon is married to Lydia and they have an open arrangement and are polyamorous. With Lydia fully supporting this and having the foresight to see it’s exactly what Simon needs, he and Ian give in to it when Ian asks being for help repairing a set piece for the show.

The sex scenes depicted in this story between these two are so descriptive and so full of heat and while Lydia is not part of it, she is fully included in all other ways, especially emotionally. Ian, while not attracted to her sexually, is as thoughtful and as caring and as connected to her as Simon is. I honestly wasn’t sure how it would work initially but as we see the relationship deepen, this emotional connection between the three of them just seals it perfectly; they just fit.

Of course, it isn’t all plain sailing; Ian does have a case of cold feet at the beginning but is put straight, in the best way, from a certain Lydia Derry (in fact, she gave him a kick up the arse). To see her actively encouraging Ian and Simon to try, and fundamentally be the catalyst for this relationship was quite emotional. I really enjoyed this book, and it just hammers home that love and relationships come in all forms and varieties and with the right connection between partners, it can be quite wondrous.

Bluewater Bay is, hands down, one of my favorite series because of the diversity in characters and story arcs. I was so excited to see a MMF poly plot and I was not disappointed. Absolutely loved this title!

So this was pretty uneventful as far as romances go. Lots of sex and a bit of misunderstanding, but not a lot of drama. There wasn't really a plot until about three quarters into the book, and then it pivoted off of Simon and Ian and onto Lydia, which seemed to come out of left field as Lydia had previously been a mostly positive but undeveloped background character. This leads to my other issue, which is that the plot description makes it sound like there's more to Ian and Lydia than there actually was. And despite there being as much sex as there was, it would have been nice to show Lydia and Simon having some, just to make the lines of the trio more developed.

Loved this story. It is rare to see a realistic polycule depicted in romance novels, and this was really well done. The emotions and hardships that come with that kind of relationship were portrayed realistically and sensitively. I really appreciated the care that went into that.

I was intrigued enough to look for the other Bluewater Bay books, and will be recommending them to my friends!

I loved this book. Proper loved. I went in with high and hopeful expectations and this was one of those rare and unique times when I got exactly what I wanted. I couldn't be more pleased with this book.

Now, I noticed around halfway through reading that this book is part of a Bluewater Bay series, but it honestly reads as standalone. Ian is a miniature set maker on a TV show in town but, when his miniature gets wrecked by some horseplay on set, he needs to fix it within a week.

Happily enough, there is a place in town that sells the paints that he needs, and even has a pretty great painter on deck in the comics store called End o' Earth. That would be our second main character, Simon.

I've seen this pegged as a m/m novel, but it's also a polyamorous romance, and I wanna touch a bit on that considering that's the reason why I picked this up. Simon is bisexual and married to Lydia. She is the third main character of this book and is a sweet and well fleshed out character in her own right. Also, she doesn't just get shunted to the side pages of this book so that Simon and Ian can have their romance.

I LOVED that. Lydia embraces Ian with open arms because she can see that he makes Simon happy. The two of them have sleepovers both at Ian's house and at Simon's, where Lydia at times joins them for dinner and at other times makes herself scarce so that they can enjoy their own new relationship energy.

She is there for Simon when he is hurting, and then both Ian and Simon are there for her when she gets upset towards the end of the book.

The word 'metamor' gets used in reference to the relationship Ian and Lydia share on page, and all the way through, this book just details a whole lot of feelings and experiences I myself have lived through but rarely seen on the page of a book.

I loved it. The only thing keeping it from a full 5 star rating for me was that there were times when Ian and Simon's characters were difficult to tell apart due to being too similar, apart from the fact that Ian was obviously gay.

This story was so much MORE than I ever expected it to be. I loved the main characters—ALL of them, including Lydia—a FEMALE in my MM romance! I loved the secondary characters, including recurring Bluewater Bay characters like Carter and Levi and Hunter and Kevyan and the new characters who helped in Simon’s store—Dexy and Jesse. And most of all I loved the storyline and the brilliant execution of a polyamory relationship involving a woman and two men, with the romance and love between the two men taking the forefront, yet both men’s love and friendship for the woman being realistic and not detracting at all from the love between the men.

Prior to reading this, I would have said it couldn’t be done, but I was so wrong. Simon and Ian took one look at each other and it was lust at first sight. Ian was psyched because he’d found an off-site location where he could rebuild the miniature set he was working on for Wolf’s Landing—and not only a perfect location but a perfect (and perfectly stunning!) man to help with the project. Simon, the owner of End o’ Earth, sells and paints models and miniatures. Watching him do the superlative work on a model when they first meet and seeing that gorgeous face and stunning body—what more could Ian ask for in the perfect specimen of manhood? Well, being unmarried would have been ideal, but Simon is not.

Finding out Simon and Lydia have a polyamory marriage is shocking but it allows the men to be together guilt-free and once Ian gets past the novelty of a lovely, friendly woman not only allowing her husband to have sex with him, but encouraging it? It seems too good to be true.

As time goes on and they all get to know each other, Ian and Lydia become friends, and their mutual respect and admiration transcends the romantic relationship developing between Ian and Simon, allowing Ian and Lydia to grow to love one another as well—in a completely different way, of course. But nevertheless, they do eventually find that love is the only word they can use to describe the unique relationship they foster.

I really appreciated the way the author took the time to build this story. The dynamic between the men together, and between each of them individually with Lydia, and then the full threesome together was fantastic. The story was hot—sizziling at times!—and yet it was also tender and loving and compassionate, showing the love of a man and woman, a man and man, and one friend for another. It was just superbly done. I’m totally impressed, and I highly recommend it to lovers of MM romance.

For those who don’t like F in their MM, don’t worry—lady parts aren’t included. At it’s core, the story really is a beautiful romance between Ian and Simon and told in alternating POVs so we get to experience all the emotion—from angst to love.

One more thing: I picked this up because I’ve read all the books in the Bluewater Bay series and I didn’t want to miss one, even though I was worried it was MMF. As I state in my review, that’s really not a concern. And it most certainly can be read as a standalone despite the fact that a few characters from previous books are included in this one. Not knowing them should not detract from one’s enjoyment of this story so please don’t miss a chance to read this gem.

I'll start off by saying that this book isn't anything like I've read before really, which was a nice surprise. I was completely expecting this to be about a guy who is attracted to both the guy and girl, but in fact, he's gay and only likes Ian. So that whole dynamic was an interesting one and I wasn't sure how it would work. Turns out, it ends up working perfectly for them and they're all happy. I rarely give books 5 stars, but this one was well worth the rating and the sleepless night to finish.

I hadn't read any of the previous books in the series, but this can totally be read as a stand-alone. There are some old characters who play minor roles, but I didn't feel as though I was missing a whole lot by not knowing their back stories.

The occupation of the characters also deviates from the norm, but I enjoyed the geek factor of a professional miniature movie set builder, comic book store owners, a hobby paint expert and a graphic artist/novelist. If you're not into any of those (I'm not), you'll still enjoy this without feeling too lost since there isn't too much technical jargon used.

Simon Derry and his wife Lydia have been married 10 years and are the owners of the local comic book/gaming shop. They are also in a polyamorous relationship, meaning they can date/hook up with other people and not get upset. Simon hasn't had much luck in finding a permanent male addition to their marriage. He falls hard and fast and then ends up getting his heart broken, so when he meets Ian, he just knows he's in trouble.

Ian is the miniature set builder for a popular TV series that is filmed in town. He's gay and hasn't had much luck finding his HEA, so when he walks into the comic book store and sees Simon, he knows he has to have this guy. Only he's getting mixed signals, then he finds out that Simon is married and gives up hope on anything happening there, even if Simon was flirting. When he's told that it's okay, Simon is bi and his wife is fine with it, then of course that doesn't stop Ian from taking what he wants.

The sex between Ian & Simon is hot - Ian is a naturally dominant guy and Simon is so adorably submissive - it just works perfectly for them. They fall for each other very fast and of course that scares Ian and he goes running. It all works out in the end, but not without a couple weeks of heartache for all of them.

I found Ian's interactions with Lydia to be incredibly sweet and caring. He loved her too, but not in the romantic way. It was great to see how the three of them worked, despite the initial awkwardness and hesitation on Ian's part. Lydia was certainly a very accommodating and thoughtful woman who loved her husband dearly. I wish we had more of an epilogue, instead of the predictable one that we received, but that's really my only complaint with this one.