Earlier this year I read TJ Alexander’s Second Chances in New Port Stephen and I loved how they told that story and built those characters so I was very excited to read Triple Sec. And this book didn’t disappoint. I enjoyed watching Mel’s discovery of her finding love again and finding out what love can mean. I enjoyed how TJ developed Mel’s relationship with Bebe and Kade it was an interesting dynamic between them. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a poly romance novel that has a tiny bit of spic and characters you’ll fall in love with.

This was great to read more about a poly relationship! It’s not for me, but I thought this book portrayed the ups and downs of it pretty well (from my unknowing perspective anyways), but I wish it would’ve been at least dual pov. Mel as an MC didn’t quite click for me, and I feel like I could’ve related a bit more if we had gotten at least one more characters pov

One of my goals for the year was to incorporate more LGBTQ+ books into my rotation and I couldn’t have been luckier to experience my first polyamorous romance with this book. Mel, Bebe, and Kade’s love for another is comforting and genuine as they all show up for one another and assess the other’s needs.

The author does an incredible job explaining the nuances of the different characters and their gender identities, making it an easy read to follow, especially if this is your first foray into the world. I really enjoyed how each character stuck out in their own way with distinctive quirks and features, making the three fit together in a harmonious puzzle. The instant gratification of Mel and Bebe’s chemistry was just as good as the slow burn between Mel and Kade. I only wish we could’ve experienced the three of them together more before the novels end, but I also loved the pacing that kept things moving without growing stale. I really loved the authors writing style and cannot wait to check out their other offerings.

The title is so cute and PERFECT!

What I like about this book:
•So much rep! I think it’s wonderful that so many different people might feel seen reading this romance.
•All the SIN talk really tickled the has-been bartender in me!
•The thoughtful and healthy communication between characters.

This was totally charming and sweet. Mel is such a character that you can relate to, she’s passionate, full of millennial angst, and terrible with names. I thought her relationships with Bebe and Kade were very heartwarming and cozy, both of them unique and enriching.

So here we have Mel: Mixologist, Millennial, with dreams to have her own bar someday. Currently working at the “Terror and Virtue“ Mel is immediately enamored upon meeting the lovely Bebe on her nightly bar shift. There are definitely sparks. Numbers exchanged, a date planned. In walks Kade, Bebe’s wife?? Shocked and confused, Mel decides she could use some friends and takes a leap of faith. Mel joins Bebe, Kade, and a group of their upscale friends for brunch and discovers a way of life and love she hadn’t considered before. Along Mel’s journey of romance and self discovery she tries brave new things, including entering a cocktail competition that could make her dreams come true.

I have mixed feelings about this read. The book is split into three parts, and I struggled to get through part one. It was super slow and not very interesting to me, but parts two and three were much better. I loved the characters, though I felt like Bebe’s character fell a little flat. I would have really enjoyed first-person POV and see other characters' perspectives and voices.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I wanted to love this book, I really did. The concept sounded so sweet, and the idea of a romance surrounded by NYC bar culture sounded like a wild ride– the ride was wild, but I wanted to hop off so many times.

First and foremost, I think this is a lovely poly romance book– it’s the first I’ve read, but I think it can be helpful to questioning queers trying to find their niche and what counts as a “relationship” in queer culture. It handled these tough subjects with grace, and I think the end-game relationship is a beautiful “blueprint” of sorts. Alexander handled pronouns, sexuality, labels, and the like so well. As a bi girl, I felt safe with this book, if that makes sense.

Mel’s inner voice is relatable and goofy, and at first I found her to be a likable, down-on-her-luck lesbian bartender looking for her second chance. But in all actuality, she’s a little selfish– ignoring her best friend’s problems, being rude to a service worker, being snooty to her partner’s wife– it made it hard for me to like her despite her being such a cool character.

Also, the plot of this book was lacking. Any conflicts were brought up and either squashed or forgotten within pages. But then again this book dropped banger lines like:

“You [think you have to] have to tick all the boxes. That your relationship has to look a certain way. Even if you’re– no, especially if you’re queer.”

Beautiful message and something so many in the LGBTQIA+ community can relate to! However, it felt like we couldn’t come to this conclusion on our own, as it was sort of “proved” time and again with various scenarios.

Overall, Triple Sec felt like a bunch of oneshots rather than a cohesive novel. Things just worked out and were okay. Lovely in reality, but makes for a dry novel. Maybe this one just wasn't for me.

Triple Sec, by T.J. Alexander: Mel is an expert bartender at the hottest cocktail bar in New York, when a woman named Bebe walks into the bar. The two are immediately drawn to each other, and Mel THINKS Bebe’s flirting, but then she finds out Bebe is married. In fact, Bebe and her wife Kade are polyamorous, and Bebe IS interested in dating Mel. I didn’t know almost anything about polyamory before reading this, and it was fun to learn about it alongside Mel, without the book feeling didactic. Mel was a little bit of an annoying character, in her constant refusal to admit her true feelings, but I still thoroughly enjoyed it – and especially the mixology element, with a lot of attention paid to the different drink recipes, and the culmination of a big cocktail competition at the end. I love books about cooking competitions (like TJ Alexander’s other novels), and this didn’t disappoint.

This was a fun read!! I will say, I enjoyed Mel's own story more than her relationships. I liked seeing her growth! also, please let me try her drinks :( I also liked the queer & poly rep, and the prioritization of healthy communication & boundaries.

I felt like the pacing and focus fluctuated for me, it wasn't consistent in keeping me engaged. I also felt like Bebe became an afterthought once Mel and Kade's relationship got started. I just wanted more, you know?? Also, very weird to not name Kade's autism. I thought we were building up to Kade sharing that, but nope, never happened.

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for a copy of this eARC in exchange for my honest review!

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!