Jaded bartender Mel is instantly taken with flirty Bebe when she takes a seat at the bar where Mel whips up high-end cocktails every night, but that interest comes to a screeching halt when she learns that Bebe is married. But Bebe and her partner Kade have and open relationship, and soon Bebe has convinced Mel to go on a date. As casual blossoms into more with Bebe, and eventually Kade, Mel has to decide whether she can open her heart again to the possibility of love.

Sometimes a book doesn’t work for me because of its weaknesses, and sometimes a book does work for me despite its weaknesses. TRIPLE SEC fell into the latter category for me.

This was fun, engaging, quite light despite Mel’s lingering pain from her divorce, and easy to zoom through. All of which I enjoy in a contemporary romance. Moreover, though I usually prefer multi-POV, I think Alexander’s decision to tell this story exclusively through Mel’s POV was a smart one. Yes, this is a romance, but it’s also about Mel opening herself up to the possibility and actuality of love again, and the single POV highlighted that for the reader nicely.

I have mixed feelings about what I see as the major weakness of this book. On one hand, the romance is so wildly lopsided. We don’t see even a spark of romantic - or even sexual - interest between Mel and Kade (a disadvantage of only getting Mel’s POV) until nearly 75%. As a result, I wasn’t particularly invested in their relationship and, instead, found myself wishing that either it had sparked earlier in the book OR that the central romance was FF with Kade remaining a metamour. The first is the obvious solution for a book published by (an imprint of) one of the Big Five, and I can’t help but wonder how this book might have been different if it had been self- or indie published. On the flip side, I did really appreciate that Mel’s relationships with Bebe and Kade progressed at different rates, which was a stark departure from most of the throuple romances I have read.

Overall, I had a good time reading this. And if I shut my brain off and just let myself ~enjoy~, I might even be tempted to say I had a really good time.

A couple quick nitpicky things about the synopsis: 1) Mel was NOT wooed by a couple; and 2) this is not a romcom. I am begging publishers to quit calling any romance that isn't heavy and Serious a romcom.

Thanks to Netgalley and Atria Books for the advance copy!

Brilliant, charming, and so adorably loving! Alexander does a wonderful job building the relationships in this story and making something that showcases love, beautifully and naturally, even to those who have no interested in/experience with non-monogamy.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of Triple Sec!

What a sweet, sexy, & funny ride! I enjoyed everything about this. The dynamic between Bebe and Kade was intriguing to me and I enjoyed seeing how TJ was able to emulate a healthy, communicative, and trusting marriage. I enjoyed Mel’s character although they irked me at times, I enjoyed seeing her development and how she was able to open her heart back up to love.

This was a fun, romcom type story with polyamorous relationships. I don't always go for these type of books but this one turned out to be very entertaining. I liked Mel's storyline the most, as she was trying to better herself and turn her mixology passion into something more. The characters were all very different but what they did have in common was how much they cared for one another. This is a more light hearted read but still has plenty to offer. This was my first T.J. Alexander story but it will not be my last!


Thank you to NetGalley, T.J. Alexander & Atria Books for this ARC!

This is an interesting look into the world of polyamorous relationships and the New York cocktail scene. There’s even more chances for misunderstanding when there’s three in the relationship but if things go right there’s even more love to go around.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review of Triple Sec. I enjoyed this book and a "look" into what a queer poly structure might look like with romantic book flare. Overall, a quick enjoyable read.

I really had a hard time getting into it. I guess it just wasn't for me. It was had to hold my Attention.

Last year, I picked up TJ Alexander’s Second Chances in New Port Stephen as one of my final holiday reads, expecting a quick and cute Christmas rom com. It was certainly cute, but I was not prepared to be as moved by the story as I was. As soon as I finished, I added all of their other books to my TBR.

Flash forward to this year and Alexander is back with Triple Sec, a rom com set in the world of NYC cocktail bars. The story follows Mel, a jaded bartender who becomes involved in a polyamorous relationship as she’s embarking on a journey to open her own bar.

I’m not up on the NYC cocktail/bar scene, so those elements of the story didn’t hit as hard for me (but if that’s your thing, I’m sure you’ll love all of the details!). BUT…I was super impressed by how Alexander wrote the relationship between Mel, Bebe, and Kade. A lot of romances sometimes struggle with having two well-developed leads, so to have THREE leads that all felt like real people you could meet around the city today, really underscores Alexander’s strength of character development. The story is well-paced and there’s lot a of great romantic tension, along with Alexander’s signature witty prose. In short, this is a near perfect rom com, and as Alexander said themself, you get three love stories for the price of one!

Triple Sec is out now. Thanks to Atria and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

"𝘙𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵: 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘺 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴' 𝘴𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴. 𝘚𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘛𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘮 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘨𝘺𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘱𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤 𝘔𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘦..."


First and foremost, this book was most definitely outside my typical comfort zone, with the different lifestyle and level of spice...

BUT I truly enjoyed it! And I learned SO much about a lot of things. There WERE a couple... shocking... moments, but I'm absolutely thrilled I got to experience these 3 goofballs!

🍸 Opposites Attract
👭🏻 Polyamorous
🍸 Bartender / Cocktail Competition
👭🏻 Life After Divorce
🍸 Lesbian/Nonbinary/Gay
👭🏻 No Real Third Act Breakup

A huge thank you to @atriabooks and @netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for a review!
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#bookstagram #booksta #books #booksbooksbooks #avidreader #ilovereading #thetwistedlibrarian #professionalbookworm #triplesec #tjalexander #book70of2024 #whatsnikkireading #atriabooks #netgalley #polyamorous #lifeafterdivorce #oppositesattract #bartender #cocktailcompetition #readingoutsidemycomfortzone

3.5 stars

Cute, not very spicy. Dynamics changed a lot but was good.

Favorite lines:
“Who tries to pick someone up on the subway? You make eye contact with me on public transportation, I’m gonna assume you want to fight.” - truth!!

“I dont want to live in a world without little nice little things.” - agree! Let people enjoy what they want to enjoy

“Hell was empty. All the devils were at the Javits center.” -HILARIOUS! Having been to many events at Javits, agree.

This story was cute, but NOT one of my favorites from TJ Alexander. I honestly found the characters all kind of unlikeable. I ADORED the premise, and like watching the three interact and fall together, but there was just no real connection there for me.

I was given and ARC by NetGalley and Atria Books. All opinions are my own.

I love this book so much. I am always excited to read what TJ Alexander writes, but something about this book was so charming. Mel, Bebe, and Kade were all such fleshed out and real characters. The relationships between them all felt so loving and respectful, and the poly representation was so beautiful. I could feel how much they all cared for each other, and the conflicts felt necessary without being a stereotypical third act breakup. My only gripe is that this book wasn’t 50 pages longer so I could’ve gotten to read more about all three characters in a loving relationship.

A fun read! Interesting topics and well written. Great characters!

Thank you NetGalley and TJ Alexander!

Overall, I enjoyed this book. Besides the basics, I honestly didn’t know much about polyamory but I felt that the author did a great job of informing readers on it through Mel, Bebe, and Kade’s relationship. I loved how well the communication was between the three of them and seeing their relationship develop. As for the characters themselves, I did wish for a bit more depth that went beyond their jobs. We got bits and pieces, but I just wished those areas had been explored more.

I can see where a certain type of reader would love this but unfortunately, this book did not work for me. I think that the characters were well developed and the story was well planned out I just did not find myself falling in love with the main characters falling in love.

This is the first romance I have come across that has featured a polyamorous relationship as the main focus of the book, and it was way more intriguing to read about than I was expecting. While this may not be a type of relationship I would think about entering into, I loved the levels of respect and communication that these characters had for each other. This was such a beautiful example of how honesty and communication in any relationship can make everything easier. I truly enjoyed this read so much more than I was expecting to since I was a little hesitant to even read it. Mel, Bebe and Kade were so incredibly lovable. I even enjoyed the use of the bartending competition for the plot to move along with. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised with this read.

Many thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

this is my first encounter wtih tj alexander’s writing, and i find myself pleased to say i had a great time!! a unique poly romance here where our main character mel dates a woman in an open/poly relationship, and then ends up falling for her metamour as well. the steam was steaming, the characters and their chemistry had me fanning myself and kicking my feet, and i love a romance with a wonderful personal growth arc. i also love how food and drink got incorporated and we got to know mel through her bartending journey. i am excited to pick up more of tj alexander’s work!

This was such a fun romp through New York with three very distinct, very well-written characters. It felt like such an honest interpretation of how one could stumble through learning about polyamory for the first time, to being in a polyamorous relationship and learning to thrive.

There were so many little, fun moments and laugh out loud moments. The nod to Mrs. Doubtfire was much appreciated.

“First dates were the worst. It was like having a job interview where you were also expected to be hot.”

I stuggled a little with this one I think only because it is so outside my little boring bubble (white, married to a man for 17 years, 2 kids, living in a suburb of tampa florida!). These people are so cool! I am an ally for sure. You do you, boo, you know.? Maybe i just struggled to connect to the story. I think this author is doing amazing things by writing stories about inclusivity and I commend them for it.!

TJ Alexander is the one author that never fails to bring a smile to my face from the opening pages! In their newest contemporary release, Alexander explores a polyamorous relationship between Mel, a NYC bartender at a swanky cocktail lounge, and married couple Bebe and Kade. I have never been in an open or polyamorous relationship, so I truly learned a lot from reading this book about a F/F/NB romance. That is why I will always read what Alexander writes because I trust their inclusivity and realistic portrayal of a range of topics including gender fluidity, identity, while challenging traditional conventions of heterosexuality and monogamy. There is humor, passion, vulnerability, character growth, and a delicious cocktail competition, making this romance refreshing, fun and sexy!

PS: did you know TJ is writing a regency romance next?! I cannot wait for their take on that subgenre!