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A review by mweis
Triple Sec by TJ Alexander
3.25
*I received an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*
I really enjoyed Alexander's Second Chances in New Port Stephen when I read it last year so I was thrilled to get an advanced copy of this year's release. I was even more thrilled when I saw that this was a poly romance centering a jaded bartender.
Overall, I think this was a fun summer read. I envisioned reading this poolside with a fancy cocktail the whole time and honestly, I think that's how this book is meant to be read. Mel is a jaded bartender that we meet at work where she's getting flirty vibes from a customer and she's into it. Then she finds out this customer, Bebe, is married and her and their wife Kade are in an open relationship. What follows is Mel navigating a relationship with Bebe (and later Kade) and an exploration of how expansive love can be.
I really liked the discussion around polyamory and how important communication is, not just when you have multiple romantic partners but in any situation. You can see that as the book progresses both in conversations Mel has and with the evolving guidelines written out as major changes to the relationship occur. I also loved Kade a whole heck of a lot.
I also really enjoyed all the cocktail talk. Throughout the book, Mel is working on perfecting a signature cocktail for a competition and Alexander definitely knows how to write food, drinks, and flavors.
I do think Alexander fell a little too deep into teaching about polyamory. Yes, a lot of it is important because Mel is new to the concept and as a traditionally published romance many readers are probably new to the concept as well. But I think sometimes the explanation took over the actual plot of the story. I also struggled with Mel's friendship with Daniel. We know from the start that they're close but we never actually see them being close. To be honest, Mel is kind of a shitty friend to him for most of the book and then it's "solved" super quickly with a one-line recognition that relationships take work.
I really enjoyed Alexander's Second Chances in New Port Stephen when I read it last year so I was thrilled to get an advanced copy of this year's release. I was even more thrilled when I saw that this was a poly romance centering a jaded bartender.
Overall, I think this was a fun summer read. I envisioned reading this poolside with a fancy cocktail the whole time and honestly, I think that's how this book is meant to be read. Mel is a jaded bartender that we meet at work where she's getting flirty vibes from a customer and she's into it. Then she finds out this customer, Bebe, is married and her and their wife Kade are in an open relationship. What follows is Mel navigating a relationship with Bebe (and later Kade) and an exploration of how expansive love can be.
I really liked the discussion around polyamory and how important communication is, not just when you have multiple romantic partners but in any situation. You can see that as the book progresses both in conversations Mel has and with the evolving guidelines written out as major changes to the relationship occur. I also loved Kade a whole heck of a lot.
I also really enjoyed all the cocktail talk. Throughout the book, Mel is working on perfecting a signature cocktail for a competition and Alexander definitely knows how to write food, drinks, and flavors.
I do think Alexander fell a little too deep into teaching about polyamory. Yes, a lot of it is important because Mel is new to the concept and as a traditionally published romance many readers are probably new to the concept as well. But I think sometimes the explanation took over the actual plot of the story. I also struggled with Mel's friendship with Daniel. We know from the start that they're close but we never actually see them being close. To be honest, Mel is kind of a shitty friend to him for most of the book and then it's "solved" super quickly with a one-line recognition that relationships take work.