Title: Beyond the Rules
Author: Anna del Mar
Year of publication: 2017
The heroine: Hacker Nina Leon
The heroes: Ex-Navy SEALs/furniture makers Tanner Vazquez, Aidan Black and Balthazar ‘Zar’ Flint
The blurb: When Nina Leon crash-lands in the rugged mountains of Montana, she’s fleeing from a deadly enemy and a painful past, desperately searching for the legendary hacker who can help her defeat the ruthless terrorist stalking her. Instead, she’s rescued by three brave ex-SEALs who will do anything in their power to protect her.
Standalone or series: Book three in the At the Brink series, but can be read as a standalone
The review: I bought this book because it sounded intriguing and I’m a sucker for menage/reverse harem romances, although this book is much deeper than many other reverse harem romances I’ve read. Nina Leon is a masterful hacker, one of the best out there. She hacks into government websites and databases, because she’s trying to do good for people who are thwarted by the system.
When she stumbles upon something involving a famous billionaire app developer and she finds herself in danger, she runs to find Ulysses, a hacker known for being one of the best in the business – and one of the most well connected. If anyone can help her expose this guy, it’s Ulysses. But when her plane crashes in rural Montana, she’s rescued by three ex-Navy SEALs, each battling their own demons. They live off the grid, in a house they designed with a furniture shop attached, where they hand make their own pieces.
For her own safety, and because she was injured in the crash, she is forced to stay with them until her foe is captured. She learns they know Ulysses, so she eventually turns over her information to them and they act on it. Nina finds herself instantly attracted to one of them, Tanner, but soon comes to understand that they share everything their lives – their home, their jobs, their shop… and their beds.
Tanner, Aiden and Zar are all drawn to Nina’s feisty spirit, her incredibly smart brain, and her beautiful body. But it’s all or none with them, and so Nina must decide if she can accept being in a sexual relationship with all three of them.
All four characters have burdens to bear, and the weeks and months they spend together means they must adapt and adjust. Yes, there are plenty of sex scenes: Nina with each guy separately and Nina with all three. But there’s more to this complicated and unusual relationship than just the sex; it’s whether they can overcome all the obstacles thrown in their path, including their enemies, PTSD, and a vengeful ex and decide if what they have together is something they want for good.
This is definitely one of the better multiple partner romances I’ve read, and I look forward to enjoying more books from this author.
the romance shelf 