Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

any asexual representation is always a pleasure! absolutely adore having asexual representation in books of all kinds we need more always!

***** I have received and read an advanced reader copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for giving my honest feedback. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.*****

The plot description of the book really drew me in, but unfortunately the book itself didn't deliver on the description.

The dialogue feels clunky and awkward, and there was a lot of repetitive exposition that could have been edited out.

The idea is there, but this feels more like a second or third draft rather than a finished novel.

Shep is a transmasculine, bisexual, asexual person who runs a restaurant called The Tire and is married to Elm who is a high school Principal and live together in a small town in Montana. Over time, in a bid to make one another happy, Shep and Elm attempt bringing a third person into their relationship. Along comes Willow, a bright and vivacious woman who is able to provide the sexual intimacy for Elm that Shep feels he is craving, and a best friend for Shep. As the story continues, all three people learn more about themselves.

This book was lacking a strong connection to any of the characters, but the exploration of diversity was appreciated

I'm a sucker for good rep and this book delivers! The writing could've used some work but the rep was everything to me soooo

This book has a lot of things I like: a character who is a good chef, a character who is an educator, and characters with different lgbtqia2s identities. I thought sometimes the pacing was slow, there was some awkward dialogue, and I was uncomfortable with the amount of the book spent on allo characters wanting the ace character to have sex.

I didn't really liked this book. I thought this book could have been interesting because it talkd about asexuality and the reality of being in a relationship with an allo person. But in this book Elmer kept pushing and wanted to change Shep's sexuality and tried to change him and even after they added a third person to fulfill his needs she also wanted to change him.

This was a really fun cute read. It was a bit slow and discussed a lot of the characters past….that was the only negative for me. I really enjoyed reading this book and it will make you smile and cry.

I wanted to really like this book based on the description, and I definitely got sucked in and enjoyed parts of it. But mostly I was frustrated and saddened by the characters.

For the first 5-10 chapters, I kept thinking these things on repeat:
- "but they made this book out to be a poly story...."
- "Why does this feel so much like a dry retelling of history?"
- "Elmer is bit of a jerk! I'd kinda like to punch him in the face!"

I did like Tank a LOT; he was a great guy. And I liked Shep mostly (though he really needed to learn how to communicate as well). Willow could have been fleshed out a bit more, but I still liked her a lot. I even kinda liked Elmer's brother; he was at least honest. There were times that I could like Elmer, but mostly I was frustrated with him over and over and over again. In particular, how in the world did you not read up on asexuality before rushing off to Vegas?!!?!?!? ARGH!

In the end, I'm glad I read it. It provides a lot of fodder for thinking about how to best treat people.
Plus I enjoyed meeting Tank, and I could really go for some delicious food now. However, if you decide to read it, go in remembering that people are incredibly fallible.

Note: I got a free pdf copy of this book to review thanks to NetGalley, but comments and thoughts are my own.

5 / 5 Stars

CW: Death, Transphobia, Acephobia, Misgendering, Deadnaming, Terminal Ilness, Pregnancy


I wanted - or needed to - read this book the second I read the title and saw that it was - indeed - an ace pun. It made me smile.
The blurb was longer than it needed to be but gave me all I wanted to know. In short:
Ace spouse suggests polyamory because his husband wants more sex than they are comfortable with giving/having

That line alone promised so much angst, drama & hurt. And boy was I absolutly ready for it.

But before that we got to know the players, their past & how they became an item.
Let me just say that Tank was the bestest husband ever. I loved him so much. You were missed. <3


The rep is perfect. All the ace stuff was just aakdkqifjdah . I dont know, sometimes you read something and it just warms your heart in all the right places. Its the highlight of the book for sure.

The forshadowing was so rewarding. Like, its not hard to figure out that this poly thing is gonna go crash & burn. But the way up to that point was just done so well. I'll give you all my fav quotes when I write the final Version of this review.

Now Willow. She was the weakest for me. Im not done but I doubt I'll change my mind about her. We were told a lot about her but the stuff we got actually shown wasnt making me grow fond of her. Too sexual & pushy for my liking.
Tells Shab she's fine with his aceness & then wants to have sex with him everytime they're alone. Read the room girl. If sex is the only way you can build a connection then maybe YOU'RE the problem.

Now, what didnt I like:
Well, hello person who was responsible for the cover. Now, you see, both Willow & Elmer were described as chubby in the book. Which makes me wonder ...why are there no chubby people on the Cover? Why did we need to throw six-pack dudes and a skinny girl on there when those dont exist in the book? When they dont look like the people in the book??? Could we maybe NOT skinnywash the few plus-size characters we plus-size people get. It would be highly appreciated. Thanks.


Final words:
How to not build a healthy poly relationship in 280 pages or less. Amazing book. Can reccomand!

The story is great for those looking for more polyamorous asexual stories with trans characters. Unfortunately, it is not for me. The story lingers too long on the past relationships of the characters unlike the proposed blurb where it starts immediately with the married couple looking for a third. Almost halfway through the book it decided to suggest meeting the third love interest and I had lost a lot of interest in the story. It didn't feel like any of the action was happening present tense and I was reading a summary of events which can really make the narrative feel like it's dragging.

A heartfelt but also heartbreaking read, I honestly really enjoyed this story despite the interesting dynamic explored. A good read

Shep and Elm's love story shows how even through severe differences and difficulties, love prevails. Despite the love that Shep shows, even though he doesn't understand Elm's emotions, he tries to make Elm happy and break his own heart. I cheered and sobbed through their love story. Loving someone, especially if you feel you cannot convey the feelings or feel if your love doesn't measure up. I rooted especially for Shep, his desire to love honestly and truthfully, not caring about the consequences of his heart, only about Elm. I cannot tell how enamored this book ever since I opened it. I hated it to end, but kept on reading, cause I couldn't put it down! 5 out of 5 kisses!!! A realistic perfect read!

Shep is a transmasculine, bisexual, asexual person who runs a restaurant called The Tire and is married to Elm who is a high school Principal and live together in a small town in Montana. Over time, in a bid to make one another happy, Shep and Elm attempt bringing a third person into their relationship. Along comes Willow, a bright and vivacious woman who is able to provide the sexual intimacy for Elm that Shep feels he is craving, and a best friend for Shep. As the story continues, all three people learn more about themselves.

This book was a fun take on exploring numerous diversities that can occur for individuals and relationships. I did not feel strong connection to any of the characters, but loved that it explored all these diversities with older characters showing how it’s never too late to discover ourselves.

Thank you NetGalley and eXtasy Books for the ARC of this book. 🤗

Acing the Game by Carey PW.
Shep Lee thought he had it all. A successful restaurant, a loving husband who understood his asexuality, and most of all, the ability to be himself, a popular chef in the small town of Cloverleaf, Montana. That is, until his husband, Elmer Eshler, began pushing Shep more on sex. Elmer doesn’t understand why he can’t turn his partner on—aren’t they perfect for each other? And Shep loves him, right? Shep, meanwhile, while confident with his body, is and forever will be sex indifferent. Why has Elmer suddenly changed his tune? But he doesn’t want to lose the man he loves so much. What can they do?
A good read. Slow but readable. I liked Shep. I did like the cover. 3*.