3.5 Stars!!
This was a super fun and fast read for me. We follow Mel who is bartending and navigating the heartbreak of her divorce while simultaneously getting swept up with Bebe who is married but poly. As this is something Mel never experienced before you learn through her character all about nonmonogamy and the dynamics of that relationship. I had never read a book involving polyamory before and was not sure what to expect. Honestly, this book felt like a special treat because you get to watch the FMC fall in love not once but TWICE. And it still has a happy ending, What a win for the gays! I thought the banter and dynamics between characters were fun. There were some times when a sentence would lean a little too cheesy and kind of take me out of it for a second. HOWEVER, I will acknowledge the fact that my cheesy line tolerance is pretty low and I have to own up to that lol.
Overall, this book was fun, spicy, fast-paced, and surprisingly educational about pronouns, different relationship dynamics, and polyamory. I loved all the food info and the fact that the characters often referenced NYC as their town. It was giving Beauty in the Beast.
(p.s. shout out to Netgalley for this eARC)

I was really interested in this book! I have read very few books about polyamorous relationships and love and now I’m not sure why! This was a fantastic and interesting read. The chemistry between Mel and Bebe was really hot and captivating. Really enjoyed the surprise of Mel and Kade figure each other out and falling in love. I wasn’t sure how the three would fit all together but it worked! I really liked this book and would for sure read more by the author and would for sure read more polyamorous love stories!!!

Just wanted to warn those who typically are wlw readers: there are sex scenes in this book that contain both erections and ejaculation, which was a bit of a surprise to me!

I felt like the Kade and Mel romance felt more real. They seemed to connect more. It felt like the Bebe and Mel romance was just physical and so the pacing felt a little slow for me at the beginning.

good romance about relationships and being poly. Loved the couple that was open for relationships. Loved that mel grew during their time with bebe and kade. I had a tough time liking kade. I really liked bebe and their openness . Loved her friend and that she was getting over a divorce. Kade was tough to figure out and finally got more information about kade up in the mountains. I did like that they had rules for the relationship and that it changed and evolved over the book.

I need more. Give me more of this dynamic: for I am obsessed with it.

Yes I am a lesbian; no I am not poly - but this story line. Ugh it makes you think. You gotta be a certain type of person to be poly. And that just ain’t me.
But the thought to have 2 lovers or multiple lovers. Well that would be the dream wouldn’t it.

Mel our little lesbian who is a bartender had ended things with her ex wife and was/is anti love. Until one day this lovely beautiful lady flirts with her. She asks Mel to come for brunch with her and her friends. Mel is thinking this is a date, until her partner shows up. Little does she know what she’s about to get into.

A new world opens up for Mel, a new way of thinking. A new mindset and life. Not only does she find the real her, but she is able to start truly living how she is meant too.

I really loved this book so much it really opens your eyes to different unconventional views. And I think it’s so important. For more people to read this and learn.

Thank you so much NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in advanced for exchange of my honest opinion.

Thank you to Atria books for this eARC! This was easily my favorite TJ Alexander book yet. It was really refreshing to read a polyamorous romance like this, this a pre established relationship existing and opening themselves up to our main character. I really enjoyed watching Bebe and Mel develop and fall for each other and getting a chance to root for them before introducing Kade as another romantic interest. It really helped solidify the dynamics of the individual characters as well as the distinct relationship dynamics that were being built. Like the perfect cocktail, this book is so well balances. Not only with the romance, but Mel's trouble at work and her friendship with Daniel and the cocktail competition, it all mixes together in a sweet and smoky combination that goes down so smooth. I can't say enough good things, what a refreshing read.

This book was so fun, well written, and spicy!!! This was a first for me by this author and I hope to read a lot more. Definitely a target audience though, but in my opinion, a topic/lifestyle that should be written more about!

I was NOT sure what to expect with this book, but -- let me tell you -- it was the convergence of quite a few very wonderful firsts:

- First TJ Alexander book. TJ is an incredibly funny, intelligent, inclusive, and aware writer. (I'll definitely be reading more of their books).
- First poly romance. We get to ride along with Mel after she explores her expectations of relationships, love, partnership, and her own self-imposed limitations.
- First time reading a non-binary amab character. Non-binary characters can often feel like an afterthought. Their experience is very rarely handled with much depth beyond a pronoun change, but not with Kade. Their identity was given nuance, care, and most importantly -- respect. A non-binary identity is SO MUCH more than slapping a "they/them" on someone, and Alexander gets it.

I would to read more about Mel, Bebe, and Kade in a second. I hope these characters get to come back to us in the future because they, clearly, still have a lot of love to give us and each other.

Compulsively readable and easy to get lost in. I stopped after chapter 1 (8%) but three to four stars for the target audience and five for the right readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for the ARC.

Having never read a polyamorous romance before, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I honestly had a love triangle in my head, and that is one of my least favorite tropes, but I love reading about experiences that are not my own so I requested the ARC… and I really enjoyed it!

Mel may have been the main character here but I loved Bebe and Kade. Bebe being extroverted, energetic, and chatty. Kade being introverted, calm, and quiet. Perfect example of opposites attract.

If you don’t know anything about polyamory, give this book a read. It may not be the same for every poly relationship out there, but it seems like a good representation in general terms.

Please note, it’s spicy 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. Watch for Triple Sec to come out June 4, 2024.

At points the character growth felt weak but it’s still a gorgeous, beautifully done romance and I would recommend. Thanks for the arc!

this was lovely! the personal growth all the characters went through... i am in awe. i loved it so much. i loved seeing each of the individual relationships develop and not only focus on one relationship. would definitely recommend for fans of the hookup trope and for the rep<3

WHEW this book was beautiful. First, each of our three main characters were richly developed and original to themselves, a delicate balancing act to achieve. They each had their own struggles and traumas that were all handled gently and with the respect deserved. In reality, this book itself is a masterclass on polyamory, with all three main characters being wholly finished beings, none out of balance with the other. Mel was of course our narrator and main overall character but this story read like it belonged to all three of them equally. A beautifully realistic depiction of the triumphs AND struggles of #PolyamoryLife. Thank you SO much to the publisher for the advance copy.

Love is Love !

I went into this book blind like I do most reads and did not know what I was getting myself into ( my bad)

This was my first time reading this author and my first LGBTQIAP+ read!! So thank you 🙏

Triple Sec is a very fast paced read that had humour, drama and a little spice 🌶️ and the author left me with a bit of a cliffhanger thinking that this could be a series 🤷🏻‍♀️!!

If you like a little spice and cat and mouse chase romances then this is a read for you !!

I feel like there’s a new type of online queerness that I just do not understand where everything is so literal, everything is so black and white, with a clear right and wrong answer to every question. It’s a book that doesn’t quite work for me and this fell into the trap.

Triple Sec a romance novel follows Mel, who hasn’t been interested in dating after divorcing her wife. She meets Bebe at the bar where she works and instantly feels a connection, only to find out that Bebe has a wife. However, she finds out that Bebe is polyamorous and the rest of the book follows the three of them trying to figure out what they want from each other. I wasn’t expecting a breakdown on polyamory or queerness or an exploration of how different dynamics can function, but there’s a lack of tension and genuineness to this book that made it difficult to care about anyone or any of their relationships. There are multiple scenes where characters get mad at other people, but they’re so simplistic that it feels like a slap on the back for being a good person. I don’t know what these scenes are meant to convey. Breaking up a loud, drunk argument between two straight NHL bros with therapy-speak and getting them to admit to having feelings and hugging adds nothing to the story. Yelling at someone for using the wrong pronouns and having statements about undiagnosed ADHD making people special doesn’t feel necessary. I could easily be missing something and maybe these are important to demonstrate the importance of something, but I find it hard to read books that feel so simplistic about how the world functions. I don’t mind romances that deal with realism and I know the world sucks, but it’s hard to buy into a novel where people aren’t people but are their sexuality, their gender, their trauma, and their mental illnesses. I know all of these are aspects of what makes a person, but when they’re nothing more than them and one more funky trait, it’s really hard for me to care. It feels like a caution against people who assume the worst, but it takes so much away from stories.

More specifically to this novel, I didn’t connect with any of the three main characters. The writing wasn’t bad, but some metaphors stood out from the cleanness of the rest, making parts of it clunky. It’s a book that I am sure will be loved by lots of people, but it did not work for me.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for giving me the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Absolutely delightful!

This is my second TJ Alexander book and I loved it! I read their debut and enjoyed that, so reading this has been a treat. Their writing has grown so much, making me love this cast of characters even more than I expected.

Triple Sec is a treat! Fun, sexy, and beautiful relationships. The entire cast is electric and it was so easy to envision them as real people. I had a blast and breezed through this is 24 hours

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

I would recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS)

-f/f/NB contemporary polyam romance
-this is just a hookup
-opposites attract
-snowed in
-what happens on the rooftop pool stays at the rooftop pool
-denial

I adore TJ Alexander's writing and they are just such a relaible read of well drawn characters, incredible chemistry and a great plot. When Triple Sec hit my Kindle I had to start it. This book had me laughing out loud with Mel's staunch denial of being in love or a relationship but falling for Bebe and Kade. I won't give too much away but I loved how this book was paced, how things were broken up. Mel's relationship and caring about Bebe and Kade as individuals and then the ultimate HEA were so well established.

These three were just there for each other, gave each other what they needed, time, space, patience, and a great cocktail thrown in. I will read anything TJ Alexander writes.

Sweet, queer and proud!!
As much as I love to read queer love books, this was my first time reading a book with a non-binary main character. I loved that it was with TJ Alexander. They crafted such a wonderful, spicy and unique story with an interesting plot. I loved Bebe(so much), Mel was incredible and Kade was such an interesting enigma. It was so interesting to see the dynamics from Bebe and Mel to Bebe and Kade, to Kade and Mel and then all of them together.

This was spicy, sweet and tender. Such a good book!