Tag: At the Brink

T’s Interview with Anna del Mar

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T: You are known for your bestselling romantic suspense. Why do you write erotic romance?

AdM: You are absolutely right. Most people are familiar with my romantic suspense novels, The Asset,  The Stranger and The Guardian. But I also love to write erotic romance for my more audacious readers, novels like At the Brink, To the Edge and now Beyond the Rules.

My erotic romance novels feature sizzling, heart-warming romances and graphic, kinky, really intense sex scenes. But they also have a strong element of suspense, intricate plots, and characters who matter in and out of bed. Whether I’m writing romantic suspense or erotic romance, quality matters.

I write erotic romance because I think that sex is an important, natural part of our lives that should be celebrated, not suppressed. I’m always shocked by how we, as a society, continue to be so repressed and repressive on the topic of sex. We are constantly projecting sexual and sexualized images in all of our media and yet most aspects of sex continue to be taboo. Why? Let’s talk about! Let’s embrace sex in all of its positive expressions.

In my erotic romance, sex is a good thing–cathartic, transformative, healing; fun and panty-melting hot, but also meaningful. In the context of love, sex is a sublime subject.

T: Your latest erotic romance release, Beyond the Rules, is a ménage a quatre. Why a ménage and how was it different to write?

AdM: I love to explore sex and love in all of its forms. Beyond the Rules is a ménage that features three very sexy, brawny alphas and their mission to conquer one woman’s heart. In the story, Nina Leon is a brilliant hacker who crash-lands in the rugged mountains of Montana while fleeing from a deadly enemy and a painful past. She runs straight into the arms of three hot, brave, mysterious ex-SEALs who have an agreement to share everything. And now, that includes her.

Writing a ménage meant I had to juggle four POVs, four completely different characters, and four different approaches to life, romance, and sex. But, hey, I do love a challenge. I really enjoyed writing three very distinct alpha males, Tanner Vazquez, Aiden Black, and Zar Flint. I loved getting into their heads and understanding who they were and why. Each guy has his own set of strengths and weaknesses, traits and quirks. Each guy is attracted to Nina and appeals to her in a different way. And each man is eye candy in every way.

In addition, each guy has his own very specific sexual preferences. Aiden’s generally vanilla, Tanner’s flexible, Zar is all about kink. Variety only added layers to the story, fun, sexy, supremely erotic layers that caught this novel on fire.

T: How does Beyond the Rules fit in with the rest of your work?

AdM: Beyond the Rules is in the vein of At the Brink and To the Edge. The cool thing about all of my novels is that you don’t t have to read them in any particular order. If you’ve read the other novels you may recognize a character here or there, but you won’t be missing a thing. I promise.

Beyond the Rules-SM

Available now from Amazon and your favorite bookseller

 

The Playlist for Beyond the Rules

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If you’ve followed my posts before, then you know that my playlists are all about the characters, which songs make me think of them in the story, which songs somehow reflect their lives and emotions as they move through the story.

My latest erotic romance, Beyond the Rules, is a ménage a quatre that entails three very sexy, brawny and brainy alphas and their mission to conquer one woman’s heart. In the story, Nina Leon is a brilliant hacker who crash-lands in the rugged mountains of Montana while fleeing from a deadly enemy and a painful past. She runs straight into the arms of three hot, brave, mysterious ex-SEALs who have an agreement to share everything, and now that includes her.

Tanner Vazquez is a healer at heart, a kind, giving, thoughtful personality profiler, a man who soothes Nina’s broken heart. Aiden Black is sweet, earnest and straightforward, a techy with an off-the-charts IQ who understands how her mind ticks. Balthazar Flint is an enigma, passionate, hard, intense. When he glares at Nina, she has to repress an impulse to kneel at his feet and ask for mercy. He’s a man who could very well unlock the darkness in her soul.

I’d like to introduce you to Nina, Tanner, Aiden, and Zar through the songs that speak to me about their characters.

Nina

Just like Fire by Pink

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7uLC9UeTbw

Fight Song by Rachel Platten

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8qDOGLCSFo

 

Tanner

Am I wrong? by Nico & Vinz

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1tPjEOvAbE

Counting Stars by One Republic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yim4–J44gk

 

Aiden

Use Somebody by Kings of Leon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAaUo9FVpVI

When I see your face by Bruno Mars

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rExJ6j5OeCo

 

Zar

Take me to church by Hozier

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0imaSCnSuA

Believer by Imagine Dragons

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MJAg0VDgO0

 

And finally, a happy endings for all.

Shut up and dance with me by Walk the Moon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjdIJ5ZSpSk

 

Beyond the Rules-SM

Available now from Amazon and your favorite bookseller.

 

What Readers Are Saying About At the Brink

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I’m so pleased to share some of the awesome At the Brink reviews that have been posted by readers just like you. In the current publishing environment, reviews play a vital role to help a novel rise through the all important and very competitive Amazon ecosystem. So I really want to thank all of you who have posted such glowing reviews for At the Brink. You guys rock!

Five Stars by Pinky1979 on Amazon

“A scorching and intense read!”

“Wow, wow, wow!!! This book far exceeded all my expectations. To be fair, this was my first book by Anna Del Mar and even though the description drew me in; the narrative, the characters, the love scenes and the surprises along the way were delightful and unexpected…

A story full of dark moments and deep emotions. Josh may seem like a control freak with issues at times, but as we get to know him -through his friends and family – we start to understand the sexy man behind the flashy suits. He not only knows how to lead a boardroom, but he is also a legend in the bedroom wink emoticon And trust me, there are plenty of scorching love scenes to prove it. If you like reading about rich and successful CEOs who have a dominant streak, than this book is definitively for you! Can’t wait to read more form Anna Del Mar!”

Five Stars by Donna Repsher on Goodreads

“If I could give it more than a 5-star rating I would”

“Ms. del Mar is certainly quite adept at writing some of the hottest and most compelling erotic scenes I’ve read…but At The Brink is so much more than just another erotic romance novel about a billionaire and his whims. Instead, At The Brink touches on subjects near and dear to this reader’s heart, issues of honesty, trust, forgiveness, and the PTSD that now plagues so many of our returning veterans. It’s a novel filled with intrigue and danger, it’s masterfully written and plotted, it has memorable characters about whom you come to care deeply, and I cannot recommend it highly enough.”

Five Stars By Tammy S on Amazon

“An intense and emotional read!”

“Josh is a successful business man with a haunted past. Lily has done her best to take care of her parent at the expense of her own happiness including, marrying a man who is willing to trade her for money. The chemistry between Josh and Lily is sizzling and the sex scorching. Loved it!”

Five Stars By Erica on Amazon

“A Tantalizing, Scorching Read”

“At the Brink by Anna Del Mar was such an intriguing read. It’s scorching, intense, and simply demands readers’ attention. With a fairly unconventional plot, I was drawn into the dynamics of the story almost immediately. After the initial hook, the continued delve into a deeper storyline and a deeper relationship between Lily and Josh had me consistently coming back for more.

Lily has so many great qualities, and she loves her art. Josh is the soldier who is successful in life but still has his past that haunts him. Together, they just work. There are so many explosive scenes between the two of them. And despite how they initially get together, they are meant to be.

It is totally scandalous and 100% awesome. This was a definite hit from Anna Del Mar, and I would definitely be interested in reading more in the world of Josh and Lily.

Five Stars By C. McSWAIN on Amazon

“Really loved this!”

“This book is my kind of BOOK. I couldn’t believe it when I started reading and it turned out to be my favorite story line. Very hot guy and the lady of his choice burn up the pages, extremely page turning… can’t wait for book three.”

Five stars by Heather on Goodreads

Another fantastic book by Anna del Mar!!!! This is the second book by this author that I have read and it did not disappoint!!!!

Five stars by Pam on Goodreads

“I really enjoyed this. I loved Josh, a former Navy SEAL with the weight of the world and the death of two friends on his shoulders. I understood why he was so emotionally stunted and just wanted to hug and cuddle him…poor guy. And his father provided some of the best comic relief…

I loved the settings (the Cove) and the supporting characters (Mac, Amman, et al). I shed a few tears, laughed some, and occasionally wanted to yell at the characters. My husband did ask me who I was talking to on one occasion, “Why Josh of course.” He shook his head and returned to his television program.”

Five Stars by Jeri’s Book Attic on Goodreads

“Josh and Lily are such interesting characters – and their development takes place throughout the whole book. It is only on the last pages that their picture becomes complete for the readers. What a rare gift – to tell a story like this.”

Five Stars by Maria11 on Goodreads

“What a gripping powerful story! It starts out very scandalous and some parts outrageous but turns into a heart wrenching romance with a back story that explains it all…

Great emotional read loved it couldn’t put it down even read some at work…but don’t tell. First book from this author and I will check our more from her.”

Five Stars by Sissy’s Romance Book Review For You on Goodreads:

“At The Brink by Anna del Mar is a really hot, emotional book that I could not put down. This is the first book I have read of Anna del Mar and now I am dying to try to get more!… I would ask that you give this book a chance. It has more to it then what can be put down in words. I think you will enjoy the emotional roller coaster ride you get here.”

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