Outside the Lines

Starred review from October 16, 2017
Zabo (Close Quarter) makes a visit to the multiauthor setting of Bluewater Bay—a small Washington town where life is centered around the hit fantasy TV show, Wolf’s Landing, that is filmed there—with a creative, geeky polyamorous romance centered on a connection between two men. Local comic shop End o’ Earth provides Wolf’s Landing designer Ian Myers with the emergency paint he needs for tight-deadline repairs to a damaged miniature film set. It also gives him a place to work and an eager, attractive, and flirtatious assistant, shop owner Simon Derry, whose open marriage allows space for a romance to flourish. The dynamic among Ian, Simon, and Simon’s artist wife, Lydia, is warm and authentic in social spaces and blazing hot in the bedroom, with light kink dynamics that let Lydia be involved even though Ian is gay and only has eyes for Simon. Media geeks will enjoy sharing Ian and Lydia’s fannish glee in getting connected to Wolf’s Landing’s behind-the-scene happenings. Readers who want to see a successful polyamorous relationship will also be thrilled by this story, as the main drama centers around difficult emotions that get addressed by good communication. This is a wonderful depiction of dynamics not often seen even in ménage romances. Agent: Jennifer Udden, Barry Goldblatt Literary Agency.

October 15, 2017
The 22nd installment of the Bluewater Bay series, a LGBTQI romance series set on Washington's Olympic Peninsula, sticks to its winning formula of character, relationships, and sensuality. Once a quiet logging town, Bluewater Bay became a mecca for tourists when a popular paranormal television series, Wolf's Landing, began filming there. This is a small-town romance series with two twists: all of its stories feature queer characters, and they all touch on the intersection of small-town living and Hollywood dazzle. Ian Meyers is a miniature artist whose set was destroyed in a freak on-set accident. Luckily a local comic and gaming shop owner, Simon Derry, has the materials and skills to help Ian meet his tight timeline. Ian is thrilled by their instant mutual attraction, until he learns that Simon is bisexual and happily married to Lydia. When Simon explains that he and Lydia are polyamorous, Ian is only too happy accept their invitation. But as Ian's lust turns to love for Simon, and genuine affection for Lydia, he doesn't know how to settle into his feelings or live his life as one partner in an open relationship: "I didn't think he was lying when he said he loved me--but I knew that he couldn't love me like I wanted." Ian makes defensive moves that hurt both Simon and Lydia, although the conflict feels contrived. Like most other books in the series, the plot is inconsequential, though the author takes pains to create a believably interesting depiction of fantasy miniaturists. Fans will enjoy returning to the sensual comforts of Bluewater Bay, although the lack of conflict and plot may leave some wanting more.

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