3 stars

Synopsis:

Tommy has recently been released from prison, and completed his post-incarceration requirements. He is hired to work at a ranch, and ends up cooking there when the regular cook leaves. He meets Cash and Red, two other hands who work there, and goes with them to an event for closeted men. When Tommy is thrown by something that happens at the event, Cash and Red give up their plans to stay with Tommy and calm him down.
Then a body turns up on the ranch, and the police are looking closely at Tommy, since he has a record. Through it all, Cash and Red remain by his side, supporting him. Tommy can see that Cash and Red are interested in each other, and doesn't want to get in their way, but they insist that they wouldn't be complete without him.

What I liked: that even though the police looked hard at Tommy, they weren't obnoxious or solely focused on him as a suspect. I liked that the three men communicated with each other once they decided what they wanted, and were there for each other. The idea of a place of work that gives people second chances at a life was intriguing, and I wish that we could have seen more of that aspect of things.

What I didn't like: there wasn't much character development, as the story was fairly short. Basically the guys were attracted to each other, and then pretty much in love, with no real time in between. The mystery was kind of weak, more like a plot device to bring everyone together, rather than a viable aspect of the story.

Overall impression: told from all three MCs POV. I wish that we could have seen more of everyone together, and actually working the ranch.

*I received a copy through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*

This book just did not work for me - the dialogue felt stilted and I had a hard time telling each character apart as they all spoke similarly. DNF.

It looking at the description of this book, it is not clear that the story is about three men. I mistakenly thought Laurie was a female and that the book was about a MMF relationship.

Once I realized this was about a MMM relationship I stopped reading. No review posted.

Menage stories can easily be a mess, especially if you're introducting a third to an already established couple. However this was done really well, written thoughtfully and with care to show their growing feelings towards one another.

The three MCs were great, with well fleshed out characters and backgrounds and I immediately felt a connection to them.

Their journey was both heartwarming and heartbreaking at times and their chemistry was definitely HOT.
However I did feel there too many sex scenes and felt it did overtake the story of the book too much, which was a shame as the story was done really well. I will be continuing with the series though.

Menage gay romances are my jam so I was looking forward to reading Love Plus One. But reading it was like seeing a car crash...I wanted to turn my head but kept watching anyway. No substance, revolved around sex, poor writing. Thoroughly disappointed.

*I received the copy on NetGalley in an exchange for an honest review*

~Brief mentions of graphic violence and oral gang rape after the fact~
Just putting the warning at the beginning so that everyone knows what they are getting into. It is copied from the beginning of the book.

I loved the first sentence in the book. 'Laurie and James were monog-Al-mous.' It is from the first part, obviously, which is told from Laurie's viewpoint. However, I disliked the fact how thrown into the book I was. The only character that was really, at least partly, introduced, was Al. And that Laurie and James slept with him together.

Laurie is later introduced as a professor and has a good relationship with his boyfriend's mother. Which was actually how he knew James. And while it was nice to read about their relationship, it bugged me a little that he's known James since James was really young? I mean it does get through this and all is well, but it just felt a little weird to me. I also felt like the characters were not introduced or described enough for me to really care for them, and at first I did not even know who's who from page to page.

There is a lot of sex in the book and I must say that I enjoyed it. What bothered me the most is that Al has oral sex with Laurie reeeeally soon after he was sexually assaulted. I think the book did not deal with it enough. It looked like more of a way to get Al to live with Laurie and James than an actual plot thing. I think that there is a better choice to do just that than mentioning sexual assault, and if it is mentioned, it should somehow be dealt with more than it was. The author pretty much just breezes by it and it did not sit well with me.

It wasn't a great book, but it wasn't a bad one either. I just did not know the characters as well as I would have wanted, that sexual assault thing wasn't dealt with enough or in the best way, but the sex scenes were good and I DID like the ending a lot.

There is a warning at the beginning of the book that alerts the reader to "[b]rief mentions of graphic violence and oral gang rape after the fact." It's a good warning for those who would benefit.

Laurie and James are in a monogamous, committed relationship. About once a week they add Al, James' childhood friend, to their mix. Al enjoys playing the field and doesn't want to settle down.

Al gets sexually assaulted one night and turns to Laurie and James for solace. He eventually comes to the realization that he is in love with Laurie and James and wants to be an exclusive part of their relationship.

For me, this book was just weird and uncomfortable. Laurie is older than James and met James through his best friend, Gillie. Gillie is James' mother. Yeah, weird. The age difference doesn't bother me so much as the whole bff/mother-in-law thing.

The morning after Al's sexual assault, Laurie and Al engage in oral sex. That was uncomfortable for me, but I guess that fits the book as more than half of the pages are dedicated to some sort of sex act. While I do not have an issue with lots of sex in the books I read, the frequency of the sex in this book felt excessive. The emotional connection between the three seemed to be absent. I needed more feeling.

I'm sure this book is perfect for others but it wasn't for me.

James and Laurie are in a loving, committed, monogamous relationship, with the exception of their sometime addition of James' best friend, Al. Al is a free-wheeling guy who doesn't believe in love, commitment or relationships. His only close relationship at all is with James, his long time best friend. He has fwb and ons's with both men and women, but is always up front with them about not wanting commitment or a relationship, so at least he's honest.

I love the concept of this book. But I just couldn't get into this. The writing style (telling instead of sharing) was hard for me. The second half which was more Al's POV was easier.

Love Plus One is a different kind of story.

James and Laurie are in a loving, committed, monogamous relationship, with the exception of their sometime addition of James' best friend, Al. Al is a free-wheeling guy who doesn't believe in love, commitment or relationships. His only close relationship at all is with James, his long time best friend. He has fwb and ons's with both men and women, but is always up front with them about not wanting commitment or a relationship, so at least he's honest.

When Al shows up at Laurie and James' home one night after having been assaulted, it turns the tide in the relationship among the three. Throw in some random light BDSM elements, and the mens' relationship ends up being steamy, intense and emotional.

For the most part, I enjoyed Love Plus One, but I definitely do not like the ending, and it's why 3 instead of 4 stars. I respect that not everyone has the same views about relationships as I do, though, so I can't fault them too much, even though my first thought was to 2 star this simply because the ending irritated me so much. For the most part, Love Plus One is an enjoyable, steamy MMM story. It's not particularly romantic, but it has some sweetness and I like all three leads a lot, especially Laurie. If you're looking for something a bit out of the box, give Love Plus One a try.

This was a hot book that includes a lot of sex between a gay couple and their mutual male friend. I liked Laurie and James, and they were an awesome couple. When you add Al to the mix things really get interesting. Laurie’s Dom personality comes out and Al’s submissive side and James enjoys the ride.

I was disappointed that there wasn’t more follow up with Al’s assault. It sorta seems that leaving the case hanging doesn’t give Al any closure or feeling of security.

I liked the ending and I’m glad that Al didn’t change who he is to be happy.