Breaking Rebel's Walls (Nerd Squad Book 1) by Dani Gray

Welcome to King Arthur hacking group where five hackers function as one to be the best at what they are. Breaking Rebel's Walls kicks off the series in this low angst slow burn mafia light romance.

A new start to a series of novellas surrounding a group of hackers and the men protecting them. Amato may have lost his first love, but he doesn't intend to let Tommy be harmed or slip through his grasp as he falls for the young and scrappy hacker.


From the blurb:

Tommy “Rebel” Reeves lived with five other men who he considered to be his brothers. They all worked together as hackers under the name of “King Arthur”. They worked for the three different mobs in the city, as well as the different types of governments who came knocking on their door. They were that good and were considered a kind of “Switzerland” to everyone. But the one day their coffee machine dies on them when they need it, Tommy is sent to get them coffee from a local shop. Little did he know he was going to walk into someone’s fist and gets his ass kicked.

Amato Genoa was sent by his don to guard the hacker known as King Arthur. When he arrives at the hospital, he finds a hurt young man, but also some of his brothers. Still hurting from the loss of his lover, he’s sent to guard Rebel as an intervention by his childhood friend, Don Ferrone.

Will these two men be able to find a way to open themselves up to one another? Will they be able to survive what’s to come, now that a new Cartel is trying to move into the city? Find out if Amato can break through Rebel’s walls that he’s built around himself.

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Word count: 44,540
Warning: Gay erotic romance. The material in this book contains explicit sexual content that is intended for mature audiences only. All characters involved are adults capable of consent, are over the age of eighteen, and are willing participants.


Molly Otto's review:

If you are looking for mafia light with a bunch of hackers pairing up with their bodyguards this is the series for you. The boys have worked as one unit, as a family and with their success comes some backlash. When Rebel is injured the mobs send in someone to protect him, they weren't prepared for all 5 men. So they work with the Russians and Irish to equally protect these men at all costs.

You get a whole lot of snark and banter mixed with men doing the right thing under not great circumstances. I for one am hooked and cannot wait to see how each of these relationships play out.

SNik's review:

First in series (The Nerd Squad). Slow burn. Bodyguard. Instalove. Found family. Quick read.

Amato is assigned by his mafia boss to protect an injured hacker, and he becomes very interested in keeping Tommy safe. Tommy is just one hacker that makes up a team, but he happily falls for the tough bodyguard that is protecting him and his group of friends.

There is a lot of telling in this story and not showing which is too bad, but I did enjoy the underlying concept of a group of young hackers involved with the criminal underworld and become attracted to the men that are meant to protect them. Amato revels in his protectiveness of Tommy, and Tommy is attracted to Amato’s dedication to protect the group and himself. This is a short story, but introduces a lot of interesting characters with a little action and a little steam.


Kjnrose's review:

What a fantastic start to a new series by Dani Gray, one I started I could not put it down. I adored all the characters and can't wait until each of the guys get their own stories.

Wlf_forest's review:

I absolutely enjoyed this book. Loved the mystery of King Arthur but also how the main characters get together and how protection of one becomes love and care of each other. Amato is so gentle with Rebel but the heat between them once it starts is hot. Rebel’s own past is still a mystery but has shaped him to be one smart cookie. The lost of Amato’s love has set him on a path to destruction but having to protect Rebel has given him a new meaning to life. The subsidiary character of Don Ferrone is a great off set.

I love how Dani has built this world where the 6 hackers will eventually get their own story (hopefully). The story of the cartels continue in the next book and there is a slight cliff hanger at the end. Lucky for me I didn’t have to wait for the next book (Doc and his shadow).

Lori C's review:

Rebel is one of a six man team known as King Arthur, a hacker known as Switzerland to the mob bosses in the city they live in. When Rebel is badly beaten, the Don Ferrone and the other leaders decide that he must be protected. Only they don’t know the true situation until after the first guard Amato is in place.

Amato is in a tailspin. He has lost his husband and is on a binge of one night stands and drinking. Don Ferrone is also his childhood friend and he is determined to make him wake up and realize that he is in trouble. To that end, he sends him to watch over Rebel not knowing that sparks will fly.

I have to start by saying I love this kind of story. It is a story with suspense and romance thrown in the mix. I can already tell that this will have a long suspense arching through six books in total based off the number of hackers. This makes me extremely happy as I am a huge fan of series books like this. I also like the instalove factor of the protectors to their charges. Yes, it is instant, but there is more to their story than just lu$t and s3x.

With Amato and Rebel, we saw the true beginning of the story. Amato became a big brother to all the men. I feel like he truly wants to make sure all the men are safe and cared for. The Nerd Squad is a found family type of story that is totally worth reading. I can’t wait to get my hands on the rest of the books.

Breaking Rebel's Walls is currently available as an e-book and paperback