This was a nice pallet cleanser.
Especially since there is not much happening plot wise, I liked the characters and the romance. I do wish we saw more of Kade and Mel's relationship but oh well. Thanks to NetGalley for the arc

Absolutely fabulous from start to finish! A truly wonderful romance with the perfect splash of genuine emotion. TJ Alexander never disappoints. This book is not only perfect for readers who are forever seeking to see more queer love on the page but also for all lovers of romance.
Even with a single POV structure you get a true feel for each character individually. This book gives you the space to not only learn to love each of them, but also see the love story for each couple develop and grow in a truly believable way. Every step they take together feels real and meaningful to their love story.
A romance that perfectly toes the line of sweet syrupy fun and the serious emotions that give the plot more weight.
You will find yourself unable to put this book down, forever chasing down the next chapter. Positively aching to find out how it will end for Mel, Bebe, and Kade. Definitely recommend to all!

A fun read but felt that some of the characters were more 2D than others and maybe needed a slower plot to develop them more.

Triple Sec was the book that just made my heart sing. The story line was FANTASTIC, the character development was *chef's kiss* and the love story that wrapped it all into one. It may be a romance but this book covered many issues plaguing today's society; monogamy, gender fluidness and acceptance, love after heartbreak, polyamory, and over love for oneself. This book was well written and gave a great inside view to the things that many people are looking to understand.

Now, with that said, the book had some confusion for me. All the gender fluidness and pronouns were mostly explained, but one character I didn't really understand till the end and even now I'm not sure what exactly they are. But other than that, this book is a must read! Covers poly lifestyle in a light that most people can understand at it's roots, the characters were loveable and relatable, overall a funny lighthearted read to start your summer TBR!

I loved every second of this story. I love the poly representation and how it brings up worries and concerns in a new relationships. Awesome for new poly readers.

A poly romance between a bartender, a lawyer, and an artist? In this sweet NB/F/F Romance, see how three people navigate a new relationship dynamic and find a sweet romance. The story follows Mel, a bartender at a fancy NYC lounge. She's seen so many relationships and having just gotten out of a divorce herself, she isn't convinced love actually exists.. until she meets Bebe, a stunning and funny lawyer who flirts with her... and then introduces her to her partner Kade, a nonbinary artist. Bebe and Kade are married, but invite Mel to a party... and then to lunch to ask her to be Bebe's new partner, as Bebe and Kade are in a open polyamorous relationship. Mel has never done anything like this and begins to discover more of herself as she gets into this relationship and begins to fall for Kade as well. The three of them will explore their connections and what it means to be in a polyamorous relationship. This was a overall fluffy and sweet read, it was easy to get through and the conflicts were minor. The story itself is a cute one for anyone who is starting to read poly relationship books and wants to learn more. The book itself spends a majority of time educating both Mel and the readers about being in a poly relationship. While it was a cute and easy read, I was hoping for a bit more when it came to Mel and the overall story. I guess I was expecting something more or the characters having a bit more depth or even giving Bebe and Kade POVS would have been great. It's a fine story overall but I was just hoping for a bit more. I would definitely recommend it though!

Release Date: June 4,2024

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Atria Books | Atria/Emily Bestler Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

If you're craving a poly cocktail this summer, wrap your thirsty fingers around this sultry, sapphic novel by TJ Alexander (they/them). TRIPLE SEC, the author's fourth published novel, is a twisty mélange of romantic intrigue with a splash of professional hijinx sipped from a heartwarming Nick and Nora coupe glass.

Recently divorced Mel, a stuck-in-a-rut bartender, is in the middle of her shift when Bebe, the high-powered lawyer provocateur, wends her way into her bar. With sex appeal in droves, Bebe gets to the point with Mel: she's a married, polyamorous lesbian who wants Mel to serve her up more than just creative concoctions. Unbeknownst to Mel, however, is that she and Bebe have more in common than superficial allure.

Although Mel plunges enthusiastically into this pool of multiple sex partners, societal guilt about dating a married woman soon surfaces. You don't need an open marriage to love this book, just an open mind. You should also set aside misgivings about polyamorous/non-monogamous relationships to pay attention to the developing plot. In short, it's a delightful love story that develops between three diametrically contrasting characters set in the world of New York City's fancy mixology scene.

Alexander’s mix of protagonists includes a delightful cast of queer characters not often represented in other sapphic books, much less in general fiction. The publishing community could use more authors like Alexander to inject much-needed LGBTQIA+ diversity, equity, and inclusivity into literature today.

Although I enjoyed the novel in whole, my critique is mainly with the prose. Alexander's writing style is verbose and unpolished especially when illustrating the sex scenes; I could have done without the tawdry language. Also, a few chapters seemed underdeveloped, even rushed.

ARC review thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Triple sec was out of my comfort zone as a self-proclaimed prude. I felt a little like Mel, navigating my way around what poly relationships are like. I really enjoyed the characters and the underlying story beyond the relationships. It was written well and engaging. Great start to pride month!

🍸 I devoured this book in just over 24 hours. It was an absolute treat. Thanks to @atriabooks for the sneak peek. It’s out TODAY, and it’s the perfect book for the first pub day of #Pride Month!

🍸 A down-and-out divorced NYC bartender gets picked up by a customer— only to be pitched a polyamorous relationship. This one’s got:
- LGBTQ+ rep (obvi)
- polyamory and non-binary rep
- a deep personal journey

🍸 This was flirty and fun, and made me want to grab a cocktail, honestly! Is polyamory a lifestyle for me? Nope. But I enjoyed reading about how this one worked and the choices that went into everyone’s decision to be involved.

🍸 This also gave us a sneak peek into the thoughts of someone trying a different lifestyle for the first time. I enjoyed Mel’s journey as she sought out non-existent rules and tried to get everything right when there really was no strict right or wrong (minus caring about others, obvi). Her personal journey really made this book sing.

🍸 I’m glad books like this exist in the world. I hope it makes some people feel seen, and others expand their horizons. I’m grateful to authors like @tjalexandernyc for putting art like this into the world. Happy pub day!

I’ll start by saying thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book!
*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

This book follows Mel, a talented bartender who is still recovering from her divorce. She meets someone named Bebe at the bar, and thinks she might be flirting….. 👀

I loved this! The representation, the characters, the plot. I really liked this book! I really enjoyed watching (reading,) Mel’s character development. I liked her in the beginning, but liked her more by the end.

Also…I need Kade for myself 🤭

Absolutely A+ four stars.

And here are the reasons why:

(1) Let’s look to poly readers and reviewers to tell us if this is a fair and accurate portrayal of polyamory. In my limited exposure to polyamory in media, it seems like it’s so often portrayed as this titillating and even forbidden thing, when really is just one way to have and be in a relationship.

And I think this book illustrated that. We take the ride with these three as their romantic and sexual attraction evolves into a committed but open triad. There is a real focus on the level of honesty (both with yourself and with your partners) and communication needed to make a relationship like this work.

(2) I can’t say I’m a New Yorker. But having briefly lived there and having since spent a lot of time there, I get it. So often media only shows us the glitz and glamour, and that exists of course, but it isn’t everyone’s reality. So here I loved that through Mel’s eyes we see a gritter, more honest, more real side of NYC.

(3) Kade is the actual best. Kade says the things and wears the faces on the outside that I only allow myself to express on the inside. Bravery and class. Kade is the definition of living an authentic life.

(4) Finally, and this might be one of those iykyk things, but there’s this part where Mel and Kade are in the airport lounge. After a series of interactions with airport staff where Kade is misgendered and called “sir” again and again, both Kade and Mel have had enough. So when the bartender addresses Kade as “sir,” Mel, in true New York fashion, pops off and calls the bartender out. And then the bartender looks at Kade and says “oh, I thought only women can be non-binary.”

And for me personally, this was both horrible and perfect all at once. Horrible bc I know the pain (and sometimes devastation) that comes when you get hit with something like this, but also perfect bc this is exactly the kind of bizarre stuff that cis people say out loud to our faces. I’ve never had a comment just like this one directed at me, but, as an example, I’ve had more than one cis person ask me how I can know I’m agender when I haven’t yet had sex with a wide variety of cis men and cis women. What? Bc who you have sex with determines your gender???? Is that how it works for them? Where do they even come up with this stuff?

In conclusion, I highly recommend this book. It’s extremely readable and relevant. It gets remarkably deep in some places but overall it’s so much fun. This is the second book I’ve read by this author, and I would definitely read more.

Another excellent release from TJ Alexander - rivaling Port Stephen for my favorite of their books so far!

I’ve become more interested in the poly trope recently, and this one is a bit more interesting than others out there because it isn’t the typical MMF, MFM or MFF that you normally find. Nope! This one is FFNB (female, female, non-binary). It makes it so much more fun especially with a married couple (F/NB), in an open relationship, when the one wife and her new girlfriend become a poly threesome with the other wife - since the other partner doesn’t seem to like or get along with or really care for the new girlfriend, it is surprising.

Mel is a bartender when she meets Bebe, who she is instantly attracted to, but finds out the attractive person she is with is her partner (non-binary spouse she calls wife). Kade, the partner, convinces Bebe to bring Mel into their open relationship as her new girlfriend. Relationship rules are drawn up. Mel and Kade don’t really have much interaction and Mel is quite sure they don’t like her much…

A ski trip to Banff (thank you TJ for bringing part of the story here! It was extremely realistic to my area) and a storm ends up being the catalyst for Mel and Kade getting to know each other, when they are snowed in with no power and no Bebe to buffer them, and it’s how the entire dynamic in the thruple changes. It’s amazing what communication can do!

I loved how the entire story played out, the spice, the trip here to Calgary/Banff, the entire chemistry and how it all came together, as well as the way Mel defended pronouns for Kade before they were even friends. Such a beautiful book, everything was exactly right, and pacing couldn’t have been any better (I think it would only have been better if TJ gave us some additional spicey scenes!). I absolutely recommend this book - a great one to break into polyamorous romance reading you’re not sure where to start but know you want to try. Perfect to add to your Pride Month TBR (but, still read queer all year)!

I received an advance copy from NetGalley and Atria/Emily Bestler Books, and this is my honest feedback.

This was my first TJ Alexander book and my first book with a Poly relationship and I really enjoyed it! Mel, Bebe and Kade are well written characters and good character development. I found myself relating a lot to Mel’s awkwardness! All in all I recommend this book!

thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this e arc in exchange for an honest review.

this was a fun enjoyable read that explored bisexuality as well as poly relationships, it seemed like it was done right in comparison to some of the other poly rep books i have read before. i enjoyed this book a lot it was perfect for the summer and put a smile on my face.

Triple Sec was an enjoyable book that had LGBT + representation throughout. I enjoyed the characters and how easily the story developed .

The “spicy” scenes were quite detailed and it made you want to keep flipping the pages . I will say that although the story was pretty interesting, it was too perfect in the sense where I was missing the drama . The conflicts didn’t seem complex enough because they were quick to be resolved with little to no impact to the story .

I can definitely see why this would become a favorite because it is a topic that is usually not written about , so for that TJ Alexander deserves great attention.

Triple Sec by TJ Alexander is another fantastic queer polyamorous romcom!
This was just a really fantastic book with a great cast of characters.
TJ Alexander does an incredible job having them navigate these uncharted waters with each other. The wit in this book was also incredible and I found the characters and the banter genuinely funny. I just love Alexander’s writing style.

Thank You NetGalley and Atria/Emily Bestler Books for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

This story is about Mel, who had just gotten divorced and is not interested in dating anyone. One night while working, she meets Bebe, a patron in the bar where Mel is a bartender. From there, Mel becomes interested in Bebe, and Bebe appears to reciprocate. However, Mel very quickly finds out that Bebe is actually married. The marriage is an open marriage and the relationship progresses from there, and Mel forms a relationship with both Bebe and Kade, Bebe's wife. This book follows the story of their poly relationship.

I loved the fact that there was healthy communication between the characters and the maturity in that was very great to see. The bartending aspect of the story line was also interesting and something I haven't really seen before.

This is my first book that I've read by this author and I really enjoyed the writing style and if this is how they write, I will absolutely be checking out more of their work. I really enjoyed every second of it.

I knew this book was going to be fun as soon as I saw the dedication: "to all sluts everywhere - cheers"

I am kicking off pride month CORRECT with this super queer poly romance read. Our main character is Mel, a mixologist who has long since written off the idea of romance. But enter Bebe and her partner, Kade, and Mel is in for a big surprise. Following Mel navigate the dynamics of her first poly relationship without any over the top drama was really fun. Add in the plethora of cocktail recipes / puns / references, and this former bartender was having a great time beginning to end.

This book was spicy, romantic, and I am going to have to go read more TJ Alexander books now!

**This review contains minor/vague spoilers.**

I really wish I could have given this book a solid three or even four stars. I really did try to overlook a few things but—I couldn’t. And this is why:

The book overall was very entertaining, fun, and informative. I will say I was extremely excited and looking forward to reading this for it is my first polyamory book! This book did a realistic and very frank way of explaining the concept to new readers or even those who have various kinds of relationships; conversations that were had were very realistic and refreshing to read. This was a very different and had a new perspective than other books. For this reason alone, I enjoyed reading it from start to finish.

The representation of LGBTQ/Queer was the absolute best! These were my favorite parts as well as the author doing a wonderful job of describing the life of a mixologist-the creativity and thought process that comes behind making drinks. There was art in each of the characters involved—represented in clever ways. In addition, the spice was given at the right moments of the story and helped move the story along. Would have not minded at all to see this part of the three characters lives develop further as they got to know one another though.

Now….the issues why this book didn’t leave me, in my opinion, happy or content at all.

While the story was funny, informative, creative, unique, and well balanced in some areas, I do not agree with some of the decisions taken when it came to choices that were made by certain characters. Though this is coming from someone who is new to reading about polyamory, I would argue that one should not keep the person they care for/are falling for, back from doing what they love or pursing their dream of justice. I highly support those who choose their career and want to succeed-I love it even more when a partner see’s that and doesn’t stand in the way of it and instead pushes the other forward, even if that means they have to sacrifice something themselves. This book, did NOT do that. (Small vague spoiler: Mel was selfish with not understanding and making a certain character have to “drop a case” because of a conflict of interest.) A new person who is starting into an already established pair shouldn’t make it all about them and start indirectly demanding one to give up something important that IS helping other people and justice to be found simply because she believes she comes first. This really bothered me-but again, it is my opinion.

Then there was the fact of an unrealistic insta-love situation with Mel and the other married partner. The story did a good job of developing the first couple-showed interactions between them and gave them a large chunk of story time. But when it came to having Mel interact with the other wife, it felt forced. Which is a shame because I truly wanted to learn more about the other wife, the artist, and learn what made them who they were with more than one scene. In addition to this, I would have liked to see the THREE of them together as real paramours. Perhaps this is how it’s is normally done?

The side, but important, plot line in the story was also wrapped up rather quickly. The way it was weaved into the start of the story and towards the middle was perfect, but then it was forgotten about until the very end. It just left me wanting more and to see it play out instead of it just being stamped at the end of the story.

Overall, the true realistic conversations, the communication, the side characters, the self exploration and learning done in the story was very satisfying. The married wives, their open honesty and realistic and excellent communication skills, were truly what kept me reading until the end.

Thank you to @netgalley for allowing me to read this before June 4th, 2024 in exchange for an honest review!

Triple Sec
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Author: T.J. Alexander

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Atria Books and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: As a bartender at Terror & Virtue, a swanky New York City cocktail lounge known for its romantic atmosphere and Insta-worthy drinks, Mel has witnessed plenty of disastrous dates. That, coupled with her own romantic life being in shambles, has Mel convinced love doesn’t exist.

Everything changes when Bebe walks into the bar. She’s beautiful, funny, knows her whiskeys—and is happily married to her partner, Kade. Mel’s resigned to forget the whole thing, but Bebe makes her a unique since she and Kade have an open marriage, she’s interested in taking Mel on a date.

What starts as a fun romp turns into a burgeoning relationship, and soon Mel is trying all sorts of things she’d been avoiding, from grand romantic gestures to steamy exploits. Mel even gets the self-confidence to enter a cocktail competition that would make her dream of opening her own bar a reality. In the chaotic whirl of all these new experiences, Mel realizes there might be a spark between her and Kade, too. As Bebe, Kade, and Mel explore their connections, Mel begins to think that real love might be more expansive than she ever thought possible.

My Thoughts: I love Alexander’s books and have read every single one. This is the first polyamory romance, but not my first queer romance, that I have read and I really enjoyed it. Mel is a bartender at Terror & Virtue, an upscale cocktail lounge in New York with a romantic atmosphere. Mel has definitely witnessed her share of disastrous dates, along with her own love in shambles. Mel has become cynical in the love department. Mel rethinks everything when Bebe enters the bar, well until Mel finds out that Bebe is married to Kade. Mel is trying to forget the whole exchange until Bebe makes Mel a unique offer. Bebe and Kade have an open marriage and Bebe wants to take Mel on a date. Mel agrees and before she knows it, her cynicism is reversed and she wants all the romantic things. Things take an interesting turn when a spark unites between Mel and Kade. Mel has always had the dream of owning her own bar, being a true mixologist. When New York has a cocktail competition, Mel goes all in. Through this, Mel discovers that maybe love isn’t singular or follow one path. This follows the tropes of queer romance, friends to lovers, and polyamory.

The story is narrated by Mel, in her POV. Mel is loyal, hardworking, and a tad insecure after a divorce depleted her and made her cynical towards love. Bebe is wealthy, sunshine, eccentric, and lovable. Kade is reserved, quiet, and introverted. The two MCs would be Mel and Bebe with Kade’s voice appearing in the latter half of the story. This is a slower burn building romance storyline. The characters were well developed, fleshed out, had witty bater, chemistry was off the charts, and were intriguing. The supporting characters were superb, especially Kade and Daniel. The authors writing style was complex, intricate, spicy 🌶️🌶️, and kept me engaged cover to cover. Alexander’s writing is just beautiful and heartfelt.

TW: Divorce and co-dependancy. While I am straight, I love to read queer romances. I discovered Alexander with their debut novel, Chef’s Kiss, and was in love with their writing since then. Now anything that they publish, I immediately request and/or preorder. I love how Alexander educates us in the polyamory world by taking a character new to the concept and walking her through the relationship.I also loved that the relationships were built separately before uniting as a three unit. It really gives an authentic vibe. This was a beautifully written romance novel full of loud out loud moments balanced with tender heartfelt moments. I really enjoyed this book. Chef’s Kiss is probably still my favorite, but this was an excellent read. I highly recommend picking up today!