In Triple Sec, by TJ Alexander, bartender Mel somewhat reluctantly agrees to date Bebe, who is in an open marriage with Kade. Mel and Bebe fall in love, and then Mel and Kade also fall in love, and all three of them are in love and HEA.
That this would be a lazy, dull book became apparent on Mel and Bebe's first date, when Bebe suggests that they don't discuss anything uninteresting about themselves, which would include their childhoods, their families of origin, their past relationships . . . . Um, okay. So we have three largely undeveloped characters living in a vacuum, occasionally having sex on the page and more frequently treating the reader to a discourse on how poly relationships work.
There was an okay side plot about Mel entering a contest to create a quintessential New York City drink. But in the back of my mind I was worried about which characters may already be or would perhaps one day become alcoholics, given that Mel's job and passion require providing and consuming and foisting on friends lots and lots of mixed drinks.
I get that Alexander's own passion is normalizing poly relationships. That's fine. But their book would be better if the poly part were a backdrop to a plot instead of the whole thing.
Note from Jasmine Gold: As the name of this blog indicates, I write erotica. Check out my dark, dystopian novel about naked sex slaves, Mindgames. Your darkest fantasies, with a phenomenal plot and characters you will come to think of as beloved friends. Available on Kindle and Kindle Unlimited and in paperback. Or read my book of short stories about hot, consensual sex, The Mature Woman's Guide to Desire, available on Kindle and Kindle Unlimited.
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