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cleo_reads's review against another edition
4.0
Really enjoyed this compelling poly m/m/m romance, despite a few author quirks.
unwise_samwise's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
So wonderful and wholesome, the guys have such a healthy relationship and it's so good to see representation of all sorts of relationship dynamics in this series
katiemulcahy122's review against another edition
3.0
This could have been cut down to 100k words and it still would have been longer than needed. I liked all the characters, but it got so repetitive hearing the same things discussed three times each. So my actual rating is a 2.5 because it took me like a month to get through, but I'm rounding up because it's still among the better entries in this series.
annas_sweets_and_stories's review against another edition
5.0
5+
This morning I was slightly whiny about the fact that this book is almost 500 pages and now after spending my entire day off reading it, I am no longer whiny. I fucking loved this book so much. It is by far my favorite in this little series and I am probably going to actually spend time writing a coherent review, which is wild because I seldom do that anymore. This book follows a married couple who is looking for a third person to provide a kink that one of them needs and the other can't provide and they don't intend for it to be poly, they don't want it to be poly, but of course we all know what happens. The reason this book is a five plus star for me is not only the comprehensive writing style and the multiple POVs but bc of the casual normalizing of a huge range of topics that do not get enough credit or space within media including but not limited to asexuality, poly relationships, kink, jobs versus careers versus passion, anti-capitalist conversations about doing what you love. There's really in-depth conversations about family dynamics. It was just SO GOOD. I still have two more to read from the series but I am fairly confident that if I had to recommend one book out of this ten book series it's going to be this one. So if you are a rational human being and are capable of reading a single book in a series or not getting sucked in and forcing yourself to read all of them go read this book.
This morning I was slightly whiny about the fact that this book is almost 500 pages and now after spending my entire day off reading it, I am no longer whiny. I fucking loved this book so much. It is by far my favorite in this little series and I am probably going to actually spend time writing a coherent review, which is wild because I seldom do that anymore. This book follows a married couple who is looking for a third person to provide a kink that one of them needs and the other can't provide and they don't intend for it to be poly, they don't want it to be poly, but of course we all know what happens. The reason this book is a five plus star for me is not only the comprehensive writing style and the multiple POVs but bc of the casual normalizing of a huge range of topics that do not get enough credit or space within media including but not limited to asexuality, poly relationships, kink, jobs versus careers versus passion, anti-capitalist conversations about doing what you love. There's really in-depth conversations about family dynamics. It was just SO GOOD. I still have two more to read from the series but I am fairly confident that if I had to recommend one book out of this ten book series it's going to be this one. So if you are a rational human being and are capable of reading a single book in a series or not getting sucked in and forcing yourself to read all of them go read this book.
punkrockromance's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
mousie's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars, rounded down
I loved each of the characters, and watching them all slowly fall in love together was lovely, but the overall pacing wasn't great. I felt that inordinate amounts of time were spent on Kelly's family issues, and the story as a whole lagged because of it. I adore a slow burn, so I'm not complaining about the pacing because of that, but the narrative itself felt slow when multiple pages in each of Kelly's chapters were dedicated to the same issue over and over again, namely the house he'd unwillingly inherited, his father's disapproval, and his bad relationships with his siblings.
The "oh no, we got feelings" fight and angst at the end before the happy ending was expected, even if it got a bit tedious how insistent Will and Aaron were that they weren't looking for anything poly, all the way to the end. They've been together 20 years, and clearly understand that desires can change, or at least their awareness of desires, since a night of more heavy pain play is what lead them to where they are now. For a couple that so heavily emphasized the importance of healthy communication, it was unrealistic to me how much the entire thing blew up on them. And Will's side of their fight thay night felt completely out of character to me.
I was very, very annoyed by the fact that Aaron and Will didn't text Kelly before just showing up on his doorstep for their reconciliation scene. Again, they were so big on honest communication from day one, but then literally left Kelly on read, even after they resolved their issues with each other and decided to talk to Kelly. I honestly have no idea how either of them went to bed that night, knowing they had left Kelly hanging. His texts were clearly concerned, and they just...had makeup sex together then went to bed?
In the same vein, it seemed unrealistic to me that Kelly so quickly and easily accepted their offer to join them without speaking to them about how hurt he was that they shut him out? He explicitly said he was terrified of becoming a third wheel to them, then they completely kept him out of the loop after they had resolved things on their end.
Outside the pacing, I had no issues with the story. I am a total sucker for slow burns, so I really enjoyed that aspect of watching them all gradually fit into a life together and fall for each other.
I loved each of the characters, and watching them all slowly fall in love together was lovely, but the overall pacing wasn't great. I felt that inordinate amounts of time were spent on Kelly's family issues, and the story as a whole lagged because of it. I adore a slow burn, so I'm not complaining about the pacing because of that, but the narrative itself felt slow when multiple pages in each of Kelly's chapters were dedicated to the same issue over and over again, namely the house he'd unwillingly inherited, his father's disapproval, and his bad relationships with his siblings.
The "oh no, we got feelings" fight and angst at the end before the happy ending was expected, even if it got a bit tedious how insistent Will and Aaron were that they weren't looking for anything poly, all the way to the end. They've been together 20 years, and clearly understand that desires can change, or at least their awareness of desires, since a night of more heavy pain play is what lead them to where they are now. For a couple that so heavily emphasized the importance of healthy communication, it was unrealistic to me how much the entire thing blew up on them. And Will's side of their fight thay night felt completely out of character to me.
I was very, very annoyed by the fact that Aaron and Will didn't text Kelly before just showing up on his doorstep for their reconciliation scene. Again, they were so big on honest communication from day one, but then literally left Kelly on read, even after they resolved their issues with each other and decided to talk to Kelly. I honestly have no idea how either of them went to bed that night, knowing they had left Kelly hanging. His texts were clearly concerned, and they just...had makeup sex together then went to bed?
In the same vein, it seemed unrealistic to me that Kelly so quickly and easily accepted their offer to join them without speaking to them about how hurt he was that they shut him out? He explicitly said he was terrified of becoming a third wheel to them, then they completely kept him out of the loop after they had resolved things on their end.
Outside the pacing, I had no issues with the story. I am a total sucker for slow burns, so I really enjoyed that aspect of watching them all gradually fit into a life together and fall for each other.
jayceejarvis's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Cute small town romance with a heavy dose of kink. I loved how the struggles in the character's lives were very relatable and realistic. Stress at work and difficult family dynamics played a huge part to add drama and tension to the story, without losing focus on the characters and their relationships with each other. This story followed a common pattern in threesome ("polycule") romances where an established couple finds a third that "completes them." The power dynamics were more honestly explored in this story than some I've read, and the author didn't shy away from any difficult conversations between the main characters. I really enjoy the warmth and sweetness that accompanied that total honesty, giving a story that satisfied on many levels. Bonus points for excellent depictions of safe-word usage.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse
Moderate: Death of parent
iamltr's review against another edition
4.0
Menage done well
I loved all three of them. My only nitpick was that Kelly was written too young to be a 32 year old. It would have been fine if he was actually younger.
I loved all three of them. My only nitpick was that Kelly was written too young to be a 32 year old. It would have been fine if he was actually younger.
craftyhilary's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0