As a divorced bartender, Mel believes in craft cocktails not love. After flirting with a beautiful customer, she finds herself in the beginnings of a relationship with Bebe who happens to be a woman in an open marriage. Now she’s exploring a whole list of things she’d sworn off including forging a connection with Kade, Bebe’s aloof wife.

Triple Sec is well written. Each character is unique and wholly their own person.
The overall beauty of the story is that it’s a good reminder that no matter a person’s age, occupation, sexual orientation, gender, or relationship status that love and the ability to be vulnerable is hard damn work.

I enjoyed the subplot of Mel entering the cocktail competition and working on her entry through the book as well as the underlying metaphor of the uniqueness of individuals and spirits.

While I enjoyed the story, I found it to be a little bit too polite. It felt like it was missing passion or drama.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I am not traditionally a romance reader, and some may even go as far to say that I’m a romance hater. This book has made me realize that it isn’t that I hate romance as a genre, but that I just wasn’t reading the right romances for me. Because I ate, this, book. UP. It is fun and flirty and I was giggling and kicking my feet the whole time. The romance(s) worked so well for me and the dynamics between the characters helped me overlook some of the things that I didn’t enjoy as much. I found the points of tension in the story to be fairly inconsequential and they get sort of smoothed out very quickly, and honestly the plot is a very thin string threaded through the story but I really only noticed these things in retrospect, when I sat down to collect my thoughts. I was so wrapped up in the romance that these little details didn’t even really register to me. You essentially get three love stories here, so the other stuff outside of the romance kind of falls away. This book sparked a giddy little loverboy in me and I now need all of my books to be this deliciously queer and polyamorous.

Do you ever wonder how past experiences can potentially hinder your future? That’s what Melanie Sorrento (Mel) is experiencing. Working her bar tending job, witnessing failed love attempts she avoids any non platonic relationships. Until a beautiful blonde woman comes strolling up to her side of the bar. Mel is thinking she has a possible shot with her (Bebe), until her wife Kade appears.

This story had me getting so frustrated with Mel at times, even though I can relate to her actions. (I think I’d have felt the same way). This is a story of self discovery and realizing that loving and being loved isn’t just a cookie cutter thing. There are always levels to love. I loved that message.

This book has humor, some spice and it’s just overall a good read. Let’s just say there were times when the story line had me kicking my legs and grinning at my screen like a fool. I really enjoyed it.

A full review will come later but for now here are my quick thoughts:

•a meet cute AND a forced proximity, snowed in together during a blizzard romance… TJ Alexander is SPOILING ME
•Bebe genuinely seems like such a sweet, kind person. I love her.
•NON-BINARY REP!!!!!!!!
•totally relate to Mel’s feelings about the pressures of marriage put on humans by our society and culture. Kade’s whole “I can’t promise anybody forever, because we don’t know that” thing makes so much sense to me.
•the healthy communication skills between Bebe and Kade are goals
•”Damn why hadn’t they tried this sooner? Oh yeah, because of the trauma.” STORY OF MY F*CKING LIFE

This book is definitely something different. An HEA for a throuple? I haven't read that before. I had issues with the pacing, but ultimately I'll take the novelty.

Triple Sec is the compelling new romance from TJ Alexander. When bartender Mel sees a beautiful woman at the bar, Mel has a hard time believing that she is interested. Bebe is very interested, yet she’s also married. But Bebe and Kade have an open marriage and they’re willing to let Mel into their world. Before long, life is far better than Mel ever dreamed it would be. Bebe and Kade show Mel that the definition of love is bigger than she ever imagined.

I devoured Triple Sec! I loved the cover and immediately felt drawn in by Mel. Mel has had a rough divorce and feels guarded about love. Bebe is such a sunshine character, determined to use her lawyer abilities for good and intrigued by Mel. Kade takes a little longer to connect with Mel, which only makes it all the sweeter when they do. There is outstanding LGBTQ+ rep throughout, including many side characters. TJ Alexander includes such important conversations about boundaries and consent. I loved the ending and hope to see more stories from characters in this world! I can’t wait to see what TJ Alexander writes next! Readers looking for poly romance, lovable characters, and excellent spicy scenes will love Triple Sec.

Thank you to TJ Alexander, Atria/Emily Bestler Books, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For publisher: My review will be posted on Goodreads, Instagram, Storygraph, Amazon, Barnes & Noble etc.

Thank you to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster, and TJ Alexander for this A R C !!

I was so excited to read this from the moment I heard about it 💕

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️

Find more on my IG @kayreads_romance

⚠️ !! Please be sure to check any TWs before diving in !! ⚠️

Tropes:
* Queer rep
* Poly rep
* Romcom
* Divorced Bartender FMC
* Told in third person POV
* Pillow Princess Lawyer FMC
* Dirty talk
* Tatted up kinda grumpy but kinda a teddy bear MC


Spicy chapters:
8
22
29

My thoughts while reading:
🚨ALERT SPOILERS AHEAD🚨

“To all sluts everywhere - cheers”
Amazing dedication

“Yeah, he looked like a Darryl.”

Hell yeah loud talkers

“Last was Sawyer, who was just some guy” LOLLLLL

Bebe is so precious I love her

Kade is killing me they’re so matter-of-fact but awkward at the same time lol I hope we get to see more of them

Yay I’m so glad Mel is entering the competition!!

Screaming Mel is me. “Pre-eating” absolutely in unhinged and also genius

Holding hands holding hands 🥰💕🥰💕🥰💕

“My mouth can do fouler things than talk.” Oh shiiiiittttttt

TONGUE PIERCING

Pillow princess 🥰💕☁️

“Dating casually was pretty easy. All Mel had to do was pretend to be a completely different person forever.” Screaming

There is a third act breakup but only kind of and for like a chapter and a half!!!

“You make it sound like you’re in love with me or something” shut the fuck uppppppppppp omg

“I thought only women were nonbinary” screaming - my god

This book really does a great job of depicting the casual transphobia that masc nonbinary people receive on a daily basis.

Okay maybe I’ve read too many enemies to lovers books but I really am sensing tension between Mel and Kade and I hope they bang it out in the next few chapters so badddd y’all

Oh my god snowed innnnnnn???? Wisjsnwkzjjsjsk

I’m supposed to be doing dishes and then showering rn but I can’t stop reading!!!

HUGGING THEYRE HUGGING

“Yes. Thank you, you understand” OKAY NOW KISS

“I like you.” OH MY GOODDDDDDDDD YES YES YES NOW KISS

OH MY GODDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD
THEYRE KISSING KISSING

Service top service top 😍🥰💕

Mel Sorrento my girllllllll ily

Mel has pierced nipples too omgggggg

Mutual masturbation🥰💕🥰💕

“Senior smooching associate” love

God Mel is the cat that Bebe brought home that Kade didn’t think they would ever want but lo and beholddddddddd

Oh so Mel is uneasy ab them all going on dates together hmmm I hope she comes around I really do

“Comfortable clothing? What were they going to do, aerobics?” Obviously fucking not girl they’re gonna fuck the doubt right on outta you

“Fuck it. We ball.” Screeching

awe man okay I know that in real life things don’t always pan out the way we want but I reallllly wanted Mel to win ):

Adam Lavender wants to keep in touch omg what if wants to invessttttt

Queer after party hellllll yeahhhhhh

“I did care who saw us together.”
“I want the biggest audience possible. I went through hell to get you. May as well show you off.”

YAY MEL GOT THE BAR!!!!

So cute I loved it so much!!

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria books for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is my first TJ Alexander book, but it definitely will not be the last! I really enjoyed this one! The writing is beautiful and immersive. I love all the descriptions of the cocktails and food.

Mel is down on love when she meets Bebe while working a bartending shift at the hottest upscale cocktail bar in town. They have an immediate connection. Enter Bebe's wife Kade. Mel is initially caught off guard, but through a lot of open, Bebe and Mel begin dating. The relationship evolves as feelings grow, always a focus on communication.

With so much of the first two parts focused on Bebe, I wish we had a little more time with Kade. They are such a great character, and the three of them have such great chemistry, I want more of them as a trio.

All in all, I definitely recommend this one! Great spice, great communication, great cocktails! Definitely pick this one up when it is released in June!

When I read the blurb for this one I was instantly intrigued and it didn’t disappoint. In fact, I couldn’t read it fast enough. There were many layers between their relationships and the overall story and I enjoyed all of them. The communication was so open and refreshing, the details were the perfect balance between not enough and too much, and the steam was extra steamy. The end felt a bit rushed and I could’ve easily enjoyed a few more chapters which just shows how much I liked reading this one.

I feel extremely mixed about this book. The first 1/3 was really engaging and fun, and I was starting to feel like we were getting some good development with the characters. But then the usual 3rd act break-up happened ~40% in, when we didn't have enough emotional development or investment in either of our main characters for that to pack any punch.

From there, things feel like they go INCREDIBLY quickly, especially with the 3rd love interest. I felt extremely uninvested in the trio as partners because that hadn't been properly developed. By the end, I just felt kinda meh -- that there had been a possibility of it being a good book, but it steeply declined after ~40%.

Also, I felt soooo weird about some of the dynamics going on. Mel, our main character, is firmly working class in the service industry; meanwhile, her two love interests are rich as Midas. There's a glancing reference to that, but no proper discussion among the three main characters of how that affects the dynamics of their relationship. Maybe it's just reflecting my background, but that made me incredibly, incredibly uncomfortable -- because money just does affect power balances, which wasn't talked about at all!!

I also felt kinda weird about how Kade was described through the book. It seems HEAVILY implied that they are autistic, but it's never actually addressed. If it had been addressed, their characterization would be a lot less uncomfy imo. The way disability was glancingly discussed (multiple mentions of ADA non-compliance, but no actually disabled characters) was also kinda off-putting.

Overall -- it was great to see a sapphic poly book with trans characters from a major publisher!! But also I did not enjoy it as much as I had really, really been hoping to. If you can get past those hiccups, it's def worth giving a try.

i received an e-arc of this from netgalley and i am so glad i did. the polyamory representation in this is amazing, i love it so so much. i love mel, bebe, and kade so so so much.

Triple Sec by TJ Alexander releases June 4th and is a sweet, uplifting, queer rom-com featuring recently divorced high end bartender Mel who enters into a polyamorous relationship with Bebe and her partner Kade. Not only do we witness Mel navigate her first polyamorous relationship, but we watch her compete for a $200,000 prize by creating a high end cocktail that embodies the NY spirit. I’ve never read a book with this concept before and I loved it. The maturity of the three main characters was unmatched. All the characters in the book were so uplifting and supportive. The whole vibe of the book was healthy and open communication with your partner and Alexander accomplished that in a witty and thought provoking way. This will not be my last Alexander book and I’m begging for a second book featuring these main characters!

this is the first T.J. Alexander novel i've read, and i'm absolutely blown away!!

TRIPLE SEC is a fun, sexy romance novel with a compelling and lovable queer cast, and it definitely earns all five stars i'm giving it! if you like polyamory, queer romance, or mixology, do yourself a favor and pre-order this book!!!

this is definitely one of very few polyamorous novels i've read that feels like it's written FOR polyamorous people, and not primarily a curious monogamous audience. alexander touches on a lot of the key "poly" topics--for example, the characters write out the agreements for their relationships, discuss jealousy, and use terms like "metamour" with ease--and i think alexander strikes a good balance between showing characters communicating and having heavy/less "sexy" conversations (since real-life non-monogamy requires a LOT of that), and letting the characters just enjoy their fun new relationships.

i don't know very much about bartending or the beverage world, so i can't speak to any accuracy in that way, but it was still very interesting to read about, and i left the novel with a new appreciation for mixology. (tip your bartenders!!!)

i also love how transness, queerness, and sexuality were represented in this novel. i think kade's genderqueerness was handled with a lot of care and thought (which makes sense from what i know about alexander's other books), and i LOVED the conversations about topping/bottoming and what each character's preferences were, almost even more than the actual sex scenes themselves - although those were of course great, too!

anyway, i'm off to read the rest of t.j. alexander's work!! thanks so much to the publisher for letting me read an early copy!! <3

I was so excited to see that TJ Alexander's newest novel dove into polyamorous romance. After reading their other books, I trusted them wholly with capturing a slice of this community in a way that was accurate, uplifting, and accessible to people unfamiliar with polyamory-- and they did spectacularly well. I loved the inclusion of their Guidelines for Poly Living in the text and the way it was changed as the characters' dynamics changed. I am a bit conflicted on the treatment of jealousy in the novel. On the one hand, dealing with jealousy and compersion is such a common issue in polyamory that it feels a bit idealized to write it off with one conversation, but on the other, it feels so revolutionary to have a book so wholly focused on poly joy. This book truly was a joy to read. If anything, I felt that the dedication of the first half of the book to Bebe left me wanting more scenes showing the relationship between Mel and Kade. Definitely enough material in there for a sequel!

Was very excited for this book and it held up to the expectation! TJ always does a great job of balancing past trauma, new experiences, and relationships. They did a great job showing a poly relationship in a beautiful way. This book took turns I expected and didn’t expect and kept me engaged the whole way through. It should definitely come with a cocktail recipe book though!

Meet Mel, a seasoned bartender with a wealth of experience. She's a central character in TJ Alexander's latest romantic comedy, "Triple Sec", and works at a high-end cocktail bar located in the heart of New York City. Mel has seen countless dating disasters and has experienced her own failed love life, which has left her jaded and skeptical about the existence of true love. Things take an unexpected turn when Bebe enters the scene. Bebe is a charming and humorous woman who shares an open marriage with her spouse, Kade. Despite Mel's initial reluctance, Bebe presents her with an intriguing proposition: the chance to explore a romantic connection without the usual limitations that come with conventional relationships.
As Mel navigates this unfamiliar territory, she's forced to confront her own beliefs and biases about love and relationships. The situation sets the stage for an exploration of love, desire, and the complexities of relationships beyond traditional boundaries. I was initially interested in this book because of its dedication ["to sluts everywhere lol"] and I must say, it did not disappoint! "I actually found myself staying up until the early hours of the morning to finish reading this book. Alexander's writing style is a perfect blend of wit and heartfelt emotion. They have a real talent for writing queer love stories that are both joyful and balanced. This book was an absolute joy to read. The endearing characters, engaging storyline, and fantastic communication scenes make it a true pleasure from start to finish."
Thank you to TJ Alexander, Atria Books and NetGalley, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a cute story! I'm so excited to see more poly books being published. This made my queer heart very happy. The one tricky thing about poly romances is you're balancing multiple connections that need developing. I could have used some more emotional development from the characters since I felt like we hadn't seen much of them by the time they started catching feelings. However the rest of the story was so cute I didn't really mind. The author did a good job giving us time to get to know Bebe and time to get to know Kade which I greatly appreciated. If you've ever been curious about starting a poly romance this would he a fantastic first choice. It has all the wonderful elements of a romcom leveraged to tell a story of multiple people finding love which is twice as fun 😉

I have loved all of TJ Alwxander’s books thus far and I really liked this one as well. The first half was a bit slow going for me, a lot of figuring out the first relationship and what being poly means but I stuck with it because I know this author is good. Once part two starts, I was more into it seeing the polycule become what it is and the accepting of that newness for all of them. There were times Mel irked me but I ended up really loving all of the characters. Also the spice was good and just enough for the story without over-sexualizing polyamory.
Thank you to NetGally and the publisher for this ARC!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. This was my first book by TJ Alexander and it definitely won't be my last. The queer, trans, and poly representation in this book was amazing to read. I'm also a sucker for food (and in this case, drink) descriptions in books, and we got so much of that here that made me wish I could actually taste them. It was well written, spicy and easy to read. Each chapter flowed seamlessly into the next. I didn't want to put it down. Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for this ARC.

I've never read a poly amorous romance before but I have enjoyed TJ Alexander's work and this did not disappoint! I came to really appreciate the couple that the MC gets into a relationship with, and the nuanced way that the author described their different perspectives and life experiences which allowed this unconventional relationship to work. I actually came to like the couple more than the MC. The NYC setting was great as well although it didn't play a huge role in the book. I would recommend this to romance readers looking for something new and different.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!