Triple sec is a refreshing portrayal of polyamory relationships. It did a great job exploring a polyamorous relationship with depth and humour. I enjoyed the characters of Mel, Kade and Bebe and what each of them brought to the book. The book focused on open communication and dynamics for a mutually respectful relationship.

Quick, funny, and delightfully queer. I absolutely loved reading Triple Sec - I think it did a wonderful job presenting poly relationships and community with nuance and care. Each of the couples were well-developed and explored, as were the individual characters, and it was so satisfying to see them come together in a triad. I also loved how Mel's experimenting and preparation for the cocktail competition seemed to parallel the growth of her relationships with Bebe and Kade.

It's also worth noting that this story easily could have geared salacious and extremely sex-forward - I've certainly come across romances where the plot was just a vehicle for smut (and there's nothing wrong with that, it's just not my taste). But in Triple Sec, each sex scene marked a milestone for the characters and their relationships. The scenes weren’t too short or too long, they didn't feel gratuitous, and they were well-written.

Overall, this was an excellent book full of great queer rep and lovable characters. I look forward to reading more of TJ Alexander's work.

TJ Alexander DOES NOT MISS. I absolutely will read anything they put out. The sex scenes in this one were amazing. However, I found the main character insufferable.

Triple Sec charmingly explores a polyamorous relationship with depth, humour, and heart. The novel stands out by focusing on healthy communication and the dynamics of a mutually respectful and loving relationship among the characters Mel, Bebe, and Kade. Bebe's charisma as a lawyer and Kade's open-mindedness complement Mel's journey into understanding polyamory, blending personal growth with romance. While it prioritises emotional maturity and communication, sometimes these aspects slightly overshadow the raw emotion of the relationship. Nonetheless, it's a refreshing portrayal of polyamory in romance, offering a nuanced take on love and partnership.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Atria Books for a copy of this novel. ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

This was so cute!
The epilogue felt a little rushed or hurried but was all together in the same vein as the book and matched well with the pacing.

I absolutely adored the exploration of relationships between Mel and Bebe and then later the relationship between Mel and Kade and then as a Triad. This whole book felt like a wonderful exploration of how Poly can work and what polyamory can be safely..
* The resolution of the argument between Mel and Bebe roughly halfway through the book felt a little rushed when the next chapter was the snow storm with Kade.

I'm genuinely glad the cocktail competition wasn't an easy win at the end of the book. I liked that much better than feeling like everything was just handed to Mel.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this ARC. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Mixologist Mel is working her normal shift at the bar when a gorgeous stranger, Bebe, walks in and flirts outrageously with her. Mel thinks she's gotten the wrong idea when Bebe then introduces her to her husband, Kade. 

Confused but intrigued, Mel decides to show up for a dinner party at their home, where she learns Bebe and Kade are in an open, polyamorous relationship, and Bebe is indeed interested in dating her. After some negotiations, commitmentphobe Mel agrees to casually date Bebe. But Mel soon begins to fall head over heels with Bebe and struggles to figure out how to handle her blossoming feelings. When Mel and Kade find themselves stranded alone together in a cabin during a severe winter storm, they explore their unexpected attraction and end up forging a strong connection.

Now they all must navigate a relationship where all three are in love with each other. This unconventional arrangement is not only more complex, but more fulfilling than they’d imagined.

Told in three parts, and featuring a wide spectrum of LGBTQIA+ characters including a strong nonbinary love interest, this fresh take on the genre is a must buy for any well balanced romance collection.

This was my first book featuring a polyamorous relationship and I really enjoyed it! Such an uplifting and tasteful take on love and life. If you like an emotional read with great representation, I would highly recommend this!

I have had this arc for a while and finally got around to reading it. I finished this book SO FAST. I love seeing poly romance get some love. I think it was great to see the diversity of sexualities & gender expressions. I also loved that this wasn't a unicorn situation, but 3 separate relationship and then together. I think the spicy scene were also written really well and didn't get repetitive. What I didn't like, I felt like there was little to no conflict. It felt unrealistic that a person new to polyamory would experience no jealousy, no internal conflicts or questions about how to go public. Every minor conflict was solved within the next chapter. Everyone in the story was a great communicator, polite, understanding, but that didn't make for a very exciting story. Also, there was a huge financial difference between the characters that was never discussed.

Overall I had a good time reading this. It was my 2nd book by TJ Alexander, and I will continue to read their books in the future!

This is an absolute delight. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the three novels by TJ Alexander and went into Triple Sec expecting to enjoy it, and I did! Alexander’s writing and characters are currently some of my favorites.

I love when books are a joy to read, and Triple Sec was.

I’ve also been looking for positive polyamory representation, and am so glad that Triple Sec exists and will be recommending it.

I will most definitely be pre-ordering the audiobook and look forward to enjoying that version too.

I ADORED this novel and highly recommend it.

Mel, a bartender, thinks that Bebe is flirting with her. But when Bebe is joined at the bar by her wife, Cade (an AMAB non-binary artist), Mel assumes she misinterpreted Bebe’s comments.  

Mel is surprised to learn that Bebe and Cade are polyamorous, and that Bebe was indeed flirting with Mel and wants to date her. I loved watching the relationship between Bebe and Mel develop through the novel – they are so sweet together and have amazing chemistry.

Mel is new to polyamory, so the reader follows Mel as she learns about polyamory and corrects the misconceptions she has. That aspect of the book felt educational, without being preachy.

Mel and Cade eventually realize that they too have feelings for each other. The book carefully shows how their relationship between all three characters grows and changes over time. We get to see their polyamory negotiations, including their frequently revised relationship guidelines.  

The sex scenes in this book were great and added a lot to the character development and plot. I loved seeing such open communication about sexual preferences and body positivity (yay having sex without shaving your legs). Plus, the sex scenes are super hot.

This book is charmingly flawed. The premise felt new and a welcome modern addition to a genre that can get bogged down in traditional gender norms. I loved how the book made room for nuanced sexual expression. While the smut may be sparse, it is full of chemistry. Also, maybe it’s because I’ve read a lot of insta-love lately but I deeply enjoyed the build of the first relationship. There wasn’t pressure to make it fit into a timeline that happened entirely on page (although pacing had other issues as noted below). The issues that came up felt organic and understandable but also, unfortunately, frequent.

For being a romance novel, this book seems more comfortable in the conflict than it does in the love. It’s almost like watching a movie where someone keeps pressing fast forward anytime things get emotional in a positive way. Time jumps summarize the happy stuff where the relationships form to get back to the part where our narrator is uncomfortable in whatever phase she finds herself in.

This is especially egregious when it comes to adding the second relationship to our narrator’s life. There are no hints of attraction or small moments of affection leading up to the confession. They simply aren’t until they are, miscommunicating every step of the way in between.

Speaking of Kade, the author never names Kade as being autistic but she does have a line comparing someone else’s neurodivergence to the character and they’re certainly coded as such in mannerism. As someone who is autistic, I didn’t love this portrayal. Kade is written in a way that seems almost incapable of feeling joy. They aren’t just devoid of expressions on their face, they give very little verbal emotion too outside of sex. They’re given the chance at depth in philosophy alone, constantly intellectualizing every moment of vulnerability. It is hard to capture the nuance of autistic emotion but this landed very one dimensional. If the narrator had been able to pick up on the subtleties of Kade without so much judgement or dismissal, maybe I’d feel differently.

Despite all of that, I genuinely enjoyed this book. It depicts polyamory in all its messy glory. The philosophy of poly vs the practical execution of it often takes a lot of communication and I appreciate how the author emphasized that. I liked the constant checking in with other partners as new lines were crossed. The running gag of the agreement was a perfect representation of that.

DNF 30%…just wasn’t feeling it or any type of connect to the characters.

The writing was done well, the characters seemed cool and the story was there! I just couldn’t get into it.

Thank you netgalley for the eARC!

This was an entirely unique romance for me, it was such a refreshing and honest read and I absolutely fell in love with TJ Alexander's witty and fun writing style! It kept the perfect balance between light hearted and diving deeply into different kinds of relationships in a very respectful way.

I also felt like there was a perfect balance of getting to know the characters, having the plot well thought out and followed through and a very enjoyable romance. If anything I just wanted this book to be longer so we could follow the characters even more!

This book will also make you immediately crave every cocktail they describe making!

This book was the queer novel I have been waiting for. It was light hearted while exploring sometimes complicated situation.

All the characters showed emotional maturity and clear communication styles.
Tj Alexander understands their characters very well and I truly enjoy that.

I really enjoyed this book and it was not a genre that I usually would read. I felt while reading this book I didn't want to stop reading. The inclusiveness of characters that aren't usually mainstream in books was exciting to read. I think what I liked is seeing the connections between Mel and Bebe and then see it developed with all three characters. The author did a great job with explaining polyamory in the book.

I loved this book so much! I immediately went and preordered a physical copy. Such a joyful book that truly celebrates queer love in all of its form and brings so much light on poly relationships and their validity!

This story has so much going for it. Whiskey and cocktails, lots of queerness, and polyamory. I loved the representation of Lesbian, Bi, non-binary, and other LGBTQIA+ characters. Mel is working at bar when she falls for a lawyer that comes into the bar for drinks. Bebe isn’t a prissy lawyer, she doesn’t mind getting in the middle to break up a fight. Mel discovers that Bebe is married to Kade, and that they have an open relationship. She decides to give polyamory a shot, which she did not expect after not dating for so long after her divorce These characters really show how to keep the lines of communication open. Is it easy? No. However, they keep working at it. Mel gets to the point where she feels settled enough to enter a cocktail making contest, in hopes of opening up a bar of her own. I really felt it was a great story, and enjoyed the writing.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Book for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Reading TRIPLE SEC by TJ Alexander was a joy. It is a very well-written story of relationships and the sometimes complicated roles of profession, likes, and loves set in New York City. The main character is a mixologist still suffering from a breakup, a sunshiny lawyer who befriends her (and more), and a grumpy non-binary artist who is the latter’s live-in lover. Careful and loving coupling and throupling ensue, with some corporate drama and a mixology contest thrown in for fun. It’s really fun! The treatment of polyamory feels true and authentic to an outsider. This reader sees it as carefully handled, with lots of communication and respect. I really loved this book and recommend it to folks wanting to read about queer joy - and especially if you’re shy about reading about polyamory. It is really well-done.

[I will be posting a more thorough review to Goodreads soon.]

4.5 stars rounded up!

The way in which Alexander’s writing blends together the absolute best parts of romance as a genre is what I imagine it would be like to take a sip of a Mel cocktail—perfection!

The book had absolutely everything anyone could want from a throuple romance: emphasis on communication; chemistry between all parties; lots of genuine, believable connection; and the perfect amount of steaminess! Although, with how well Alexander writes steamy scenes? Let’s just say I would’ve been perfectly happy with another fifty pages.

I will now be exploring the rest of Alexander’s novels! Absolutely loved it.

Thank you so much to Atria Books and NetGalley for the digital ARC! All opinions are genuine and my own.

When Bartender Mel meets, and flirts, with her customer Bebe, she's enchanted and thinks this could be something. Then she meets Bebe's partner Kade and shuts that down. But then Bebe asks her out. Mel's journey into the world of of a poly couple becomes one that will get you hooked into her day to day life and her romance with Bebe, and more.
The depth of these characters and plotline will keep you reading and make it difficult to put down. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes mixology, poly romances, and drama!