Big fan of TJ Alexander and Triple Sec did not disappoint. It took me a moment to get invested, in part because I am unaccustomed to seeing healthy polyamorous relationships shown in media. I thought this was educational without being too preachy. I especially appreciated how the initial doubts Mel had while stepping out of her comfort zone and the ups and downs that come with any relationship, but especially one outside of what is expected in a monogamous society, were addressed. There was conflict while still respecting boundaries and avoiding the dreaded third act breakup.
Mel's mixology and the cocktail competition being threaded through the book was a nice slice of plot to complement the romance, though the competition itself at the end of the book was underwhelming.

I eat up anything TJ Alexander writes and this was no different. Easy-to-read, just enough spice, and relatable characters. A nice satisfying cocktail of a book.

Mel is a bartender that meets the gorgeous Bebe. They have an instant connection but due to her divorce she is a bit hesitant to jump back into the dating scene. She soon discovers that she is married to Kade and thinks that it was a lost cause. It is then revealed they have an open marriage. Mel is introduced to an offer she can't refuse.

Such a fun read!I loved the exploration of queer poly relationships and how it can work with healthy dialogue. All three characters are very different and find a perfect symphony together. The writing is excellent and hooked me right off the jump. The spice was extra steamy. A must read.

Thank you Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a fun polyamorous romance novel that I didn't know I needed in my life until now. I have read all kinds of books but I believe this is my first polyamorous book and I absolutely adored it. The characters are complex but thoughtful and the way they communicate and care for one another is admirable. Not only was the poly story cute but also the bartender creating her own signature drink storyline was great as well and now I would like to make and/or taste several of the drinks Mel created in her book. This book is "tastefully done".

This was my first book by this author and I can't wait to read more.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books | Atria/Emily Bestler Books for access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so much fun. It was cool AND hot. It was never too serious or too dramatic, but it had enough of both of those things to keep the story interesting. I think it’s super important as a polyam, queer, and trans story. It felt significant for me as someone who inhabits some of those spaces, and I was so happy to read it. I will say, it didn’t strike me as having a super diverse cast of characters, and it does hold onto a lot of cliché rom com features- everyone is very beautiful, the scenery is picturesque, the love interest(s) are rich, there are numerous unlikely miscommunications, etc. Honestly, I liked the main character the least (maybe I was just jealous)…but I was still rooting for her relationship and her career throughout the story.

Also, her gay bestie was excellent and I really appreciated the discussion of how important friends are, how all relationships with our loved ones (partners, friends, family) need time and tending.

I am definitely going to need a few of the drinks that are mentioned in this book, they sound absolutely delightful!

I really appreciated how the author gave us this story, how the main character, Mel, we get to see how she’s introduced to Bebe, and then to Bebe’s wife, Kade. The way their relationship evolves was done so well, and the reader is taken on the journey with Mel, as she figures out how to be a part of a poly relationship.

It isn’t all rainbows and sunshine, and I love how the author shows us that all relationships can be hard and messy. But the way Mel, Bebe, and Kade strive for open communication was amazing, and I loved their guidelines that were constantly changing as their relationship was evolving.

If you've been looking for a polyamorous romance that more closely mirrors how poly people might actually go about dating, you should check out Triple Sec. It's not a perfect book, but it's doing something kind of groundbreaking for a traditionally published romance novel. It intentionally sets out to be about polyamory and by having a main perspective character who is new to it, is able to teach kind of a poly 101 class to the reader. This is the second book I've read from TJ Alexander and they seem interested in writing romance that educates people about elements of queerness.

Mel is a talented bartender with tattoos, a shaved head, and certainty that love isn't real after her wife divorced her. But when Bebe drops into her bar and starts flirting, her life takes on a whole new trajectory. Because Bebe is warm and effusive, and in an open relationship with her surly, genderqueer spouse. Mel knows basically nothing about how this works and doesn't want to fall in love again, but is open to something more casual. She does not expect where things will go...

I liked how this integrated mixology and Mel's passion for creating interesting cocktails. It also does a decent job exploring the class differences present in the relationships here. And what this book ISN'T is a preexisting couple looking for a third to join them. It's about individual relationships developing fairly organically. Sometimes I do think the teaching element can make things feel a little stilted, and I don't know that I felt a whole lot of emotional depth from the character relationships, even if we were being told it was there. But I enjoyed this and like what it's doing. I received a copy of this book for review via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

This was my first TJ Alexander and I enjoyed it! It’s been a while since I’ve read a poly romance and I’m reminded why I love them so much. Sometimes you need a contemporary romance that isn’t super angsty and this romance truly fit the bill. The inherent queerness of the characters was wonderful as well and I think most people who ready queer romances regularly, will enjoy just how well written the queerness of the characters is. Don’t get me wrong, coming out stories are still vital but sometimes it’s good to read something where people don’t have to explain who they are. I can’t wait to read more by this author!

Triple Sec was a very wholesome story with the right amount of spice! I enjoyed how the relationships between the all of the characters unfolded in their own ways, and how their personal/professional hobbies were woven into the storyline.

The book feels complete on its own but for my own preference, I wish we learned more about some of the characters backgrounds and histories. It was covered well for the main character, but I would have loved to learn a little more about all of the primary characters.

I just read my first T.J. Alexander book late last year and really enjoyed their inclusive writing, so it was a no brainer for me to pick up Triple Sec. It was sweet and nice and polyamorous spice! Like 3 romances in 1 and I loved it!

Mel is a bartender at a top bar in NYC and loves her job including the drinks she pours and sometimes the people that come in. But her thoughts on love are down in the dumps after her recent divorce. When Bebe walks in, they have some sort of connection, or so Mel thinks. Until Mel's spouse, Kade walks in and ruins any thoughts Mel had of what she was reading into Bebe's actions. When Mel is invited to Bebe and Kade's place for a brunch, she soon learns that things aren't as black and white as they seem.

I really enjoyed this story, the amazing cocktails, and the delightful characters. I loved the progression in the relationship(s) and each little scene that brought each of them closer. The characters are mature and show very open communication throughout. In their sort of relationship, that's a must. Even when there is a hiccup in said communication, they bring it all together to figure out. It was such a breath of fresh air to read in a romance. I also enjoyed that while this was a polyamorous romance, it also included a variety of LGBTQIA characters that represented the spectrum and it flowed with the story easily. Each character was very different and that's what made their relationship work. I also loved Mel's roommate Daniel. He helped balance out the romantic aspect of the plot while also being a support system to his BFF, Mel while she navigated new relationships AND her entry into a cocktail competition.

Overall, this was just a fun and enjoyable story with some great characters that worked together as a whole. Mel, Bebe and Kade were solid characters separately, but as one unit, they sparkled. And as for all the instagrammable drinks that were mentioned? I want one of Mel's concoctions. I can only hope that perhaps one of the fabulous cocktail recipes is included in the final draft. Pretty please??

4.75 stars

A cute and fluffy romance about a mixologist diving into her first polyamorous relationship.

Divorced before age 27, Mel is working as a bartender when she meets a striking woman named Bebe who is giving off seriously flirtatious vibes. And then meets Bebe's genderqueer wife Kade. Mel explores polyamory while preparing for a drink concoction competition to hopefully win money to put towards her dream of owning a bar.

This was super lighthearted and fluffy with a few spicy scenes and a great introduction to polyamory. I loved the balance between the romance and Mel's goals. The book is broken into a 3-part romance between Mel and Bebe, Mel and Kade, and then all three of them. This is my second read by TJ Alexander and definitely won't be the last!

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

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 offer: 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.

This was an interesting dive into polyamory. I haven't read many, since most of it (reverse harem stuff, primarily) holds little appeal to me. While I felt the plot could have been stronger, I enjoyed these three finding their way around their complicated relationship(s). There wasn't a ton of real conflict in the book, but I still enjoyed it quite a bit!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced digital reader's copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review!

Triple Sec was a desperately needed breath of fresh air in the trad pub romance genre, because I'm always looking for more romance focused polyam stories and I'm hoping this will encourage publishers to see that there's an audience for them! Alexander created such unique and interesting characters, and some of the humor in this was genuinely SO funny. The writing really pulled me along for a quick read too, and I liked how the book was split into three sections, one for each stage of Mel's love life.

Unfortunately I had some issues with the book feeling kind of clunky due to two main things. The first, is that the writing was really straight forward. There was absolutely nothing left for the reader to infer on their own, which distanced me from the story because rather than exploring the world through Mel's eyes, everything was stated factually. All tell, no show. Which I know is becoming more and more common these days in the media we consume, but it was still frustrating to me. The second, is that while there was a lot of representation in Triple Sec, it felt really forced at times. This might sound like me going all "Old Man Shakes Fist at Cloud," but please, bear with me for a sec (heh). While I really appreciated some of the representation in the novel, such as Kade's discussion of their neurodivergence, and Bebe questioning if she'll be comfortable in a booth, a decent amount of it stuck out as unnecessary. Now, I think part of this was also do to the tell, not show style going on, but there were a bunch of moments that felt preachy, similar to a Tumblr post circa 2012. Rather than feeling like part of a streamlined narrative, they stuck out almost defensively, as if to try to prove a point that the book was inclusive - which it was without them.

Overall I enjoyed Triple Sec, it was a fun romcom, and I'd be willing to try another one of Alexander's books in the future!

I had high hopes for this one, but it reads like a straight man writing a fantasy of what a poly relationship looks like to them. I'm not going to be finishing and will be returning my preorder.

Another poly romance that was a fun time! We meet Mel, a mixologist with dreams of opening her own bar, as she begins dating and falling in love with Bebe. Bebe is in a open, poly relationship with her wife, Kade, who Mel also eventually falls for (👀), and we follow the three as they embark on this new dynamic together.

It was interesting seeing Mel navigate her first poly relationship! I loved the fast burn between Mel and Bebe while simultaneously watching the slow burn unfold between Mel and Kade. Both couple’s dynamics were drastically different, but so intriguing that I was never interested in one relationship more than the other. I also loved the emphasis on open communication, honesty, and consent within the relationships. It was so refreshing to see!

I was also surprisingly engrossed in the cocktail competition portion of the story. Even though you see the resolution coming from a mile away, the focus on the competition never felt unbalanced with the rest of the plot because Mel’s passion for mixology shines throughout.

I wish we got to explore a bit more about Kade and Bebe’s personal lives, since I really liked them as characters, so I definitely wouldn’t mind seeing more of these three in the future!

You can tell that Alexander really treats all of their topics with care and I’m looking forward to reading more from them!

Rating: 2.5

This book wasn't bad. I was just bored the entire time. The only character I cared for was Kade.

Triple Sec is a one-of-a-kind polyamorous tale with endearing characters and many sweet and spicy moments. Mel’s a hard-working mixologist serving drinks at one of NYC’s finest cocktail bars when she meets the captivating Bebe. Several minutes of flirting leads Mel on a journey she never expected.

The story is told from Mel’s third person point of view giving readers an up close and personal look into her thoughts, feelings, and actions. Her past made her wary of anything more than casual which is perfect for her to date Bebe, a married woman in an open relationship with Kade. What we learn about Bebe and Kade comes from Mel’s interactions with them leaving an air of mystery surrounding them.

The unique nature of this story makes it a real winner for me. The depth of character development and the evolution of relationships are a compelling aspect of the narrative. The gradual unveiling of Kade's layers adds an intriguing element to the dynamic between the characters.

I highly recommend Triple Sec as it’s different from the usual fair. The characters, plotline, and romance are exquisitely detailed. So grab your favorite cocktail, get comfy, and settle in for a wonderful time!

⭐️: 3.5/5
🌶️: 4/5

I had high hopes coming into this book as I had seen somethings saying it was so fun and hilarious! I was also excited for a polyamorous rom-com! This book got off to a pretty slow start. It did get steadily better as the book went, but it took a long time to get going. By the end it was so cute and happy that I (almost) forgot how slow the beginning was.

I don’t know that I would use the word hilarious to describe this book. It was cute and fun by the end but it really did take a long time to get there. And the frustrating part is that some scenes were SO rushed! If the whole beginning of the book hadn’t been so long and dragged out, those rushed scenes could have been given more time and depth. Even though the end was totally predictable, it was still absolutely enjoyable.

I am happy to see a poly book get somewhat main stream attention and hope to continue to see more books like this showing diverse relationships.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest rating and review.

I enjoyed this book, even more than I thought I would! The characters were strong, fun, and witty, and their individual relationships along with the collective one were sweet and sexy.

Read this if you like:
•fantastic poly rep
•cocktails
•a bit of forced proximity

This book was SO FUN!!! The polyamorous rep was chefs kiss. The pronoun usage (& explanation of & how to talk about) was so so good - everyone should read this book!

Thank you Atria for the eARC!