Josh and Benji have been together for several years, but they have always had an open relationship. Benji is the lead singer in a rock band and Josh travels a lot for work and the two are rarely in the same place. But Benji really wants to be exclusive and Josh has fears about closing their relationship and the problem has now caused a rift between them.

Josh has decided to take some time off work and rent a room in a friend’s beach house to have some time to figure things out. But it only gets more complicated when Josh meets sexy bartender, Van Holt. Josh is definitely attracted to Van, but when Benji returns determined to work things out between them, Josh knows he has to let Van go. And Van is not a man who does relationships, especially complicated ones. So knowing that Benji and Josh have a lot to work out between them, he is determined to stay away and let the men sort out their problems.

However, as the guys get to know each other better, it becomes clear that the attraction between Josh and Van is still there and it is becoming hard for both of them to ignore it. For his part, Benji is getting to know Van and realizes he is developing a bond with him as well. And Van is learning that it may be worth the complications to be with these two men. When Benji suggests he and Josh consider expanding their relationship to include Van, the men are surprised and a little wary, but also excited for the opportunity to explore what is growing between them. But making a triad work is not easy, especially for someone like Benji who lives in the public spotlight. Now the men have to figure out if they can transition a partnership into a triad and find happiness among the three of them.

Hot Licks is the third book in A.M. Arthur’s engaging Off Beat series. I have really been enjoying following along with this series and I think this is another great installment. We have met all three characters in previous books, and we have known for a while that Josh and Benji’s relationship has been strained, so it was really interesting to see it explored here in a way I didn’t expect, by transitioning it to a threesome. Overall, while the storyline stands alone reasonably well, there are so many crossover moments among the various characters in the three books, I think you would get much more out of this one knowing the history of the MCs here, as well as other side characters and plot points.

As I mentioned, I think the approach here is interesting, as we take an established couple who is having problems and add a third. I think what makes this work is that despite the fact that Josh and Benji are at odds over whether to close their relationship, we never doubt the love and commitment they have to one another. Even though Josh is wary of closing things, it is not for a lack of commitment to Benji, but a real fear that it would mess things up for them based on some past bad experiences. Josh is tender and caring with Benji and so clearly crazy about him that it immediately made me root for these guys to work it out. I also appreciated how the two men come to some resolution on their own feelings between the two of them before adding in Van. They could have easily been solid on their own, but Van adds a new dimension to their relationship that expands it, rather than “fixing” it.

Arthur does a nice job creating three distinct characters that I believed could work together. It does help that we have met them all before this book, but we also get to know them in much more depth here. I liked that the way these men interact with one another is different among them all, and we can see both the connections among all three, as well as between the pairs. That said, I do feel that Benji and Van’s relationship isn’t quite as well developed as each of their relationships with Josh. Part of that is that Van and Josh are much more sexually active together, but mostly it is that Benji is apart from them a lot, as well as that Josh and Van’s connection comes first and is much more intense then Van’s with Benji. So I did wish for a bit more time seeing Benji and Van developing their relationship together, but overall I found that the threesome works.

I also enjoyed that Arthur explores some interesting dynamics with regards to the men’s sexualities. Early in the story, Benji comes out to Josh as asexual. We see Josh’s initial shock, as these guys have had an active sex life, so he is both surprised as well as worried that he has perhaps pushed Benji into things he didn’t want. Benji is clear that he experiences arousal, as well as deep emotional attraction for Josh, and he has always wanted everything that happened between them. It makes for an interesting dynamic among the three men as Benji is not a guy who can just jump into bed with someone without a lot of time, care, and trust. So while Josh and Van start an intense sexual relationship right away, Benji takes a more spectator role. I liked the way this is all explored, and Arthur shows how these three men work together romantically and sexually in different ways. The other men are very careful with Benji, and at times I felt like they perhaps treated him as a little too fragile. Also, these guys are almost perfectly understanding and react ideally in virtually every situation. I also think they fall for one another awfully fast. It is about a week before they are feeling love and telling Benji’s family. It is hard for me to believe that kind of rapid intensity in just two people, but among three it is even more challenging, so I would have liked to see this all develop over a bit more time. But overall, I found I really loved these guys together and I found their dynamic really engaging.

So this is another great installment in the Off Beat series. I like the way Arthur is connecting the books and developing these characters that we have met along the way. I am hoping that there is more to come (there is at least one bandmate whose story we haven’t heard), as I am finding this a really engaging series.

As a fan of rockstar romances I couldn’t wait to start reading this book! Add in a scorching romance between not two, but three, engaging men carrying their own emotional baggage and I quickly became consumed by their rocky road to HEA.

Lead singer Benji has been with his boyfriend Joshua since they met in college. It’s been a bit rocky for their open relationship lately though as Benji’s insecurities, and Joshua’s fears over his ability to commit, are putting their HEA in doubt. Add in the tempting bartender Van and readers have even more doubt about their future as Van is a temptation that neither can ignore. A drunken night and a lot of soul searching soon has Benji proposing an unconventional idea that slowly binds them together more tightly than ever before in a journey full of emotional ups and downs. Benji’s a sweet young man with a past full of pain that’s left its mark. He endured horrific bullying in high school for being gay, leading to feelings of betrayal by someone pretending to be his friend, and ending in an event that‘s made him feel insecure when it comes to sex. He’s shy, despite being a rockstar, but has a kind heart and a desire to do whatever necessary to make the man he loves happy...even if bringing Van into their relationship brings back his painful past. He seems a bit unsure at the start but gains strength to become more self-assured as the story progresses. As he discovers who he is, and admits what he needs, he finally starts standing up for himself in an empowering act late in the story that had me cheering.

Joshua has his own emotional baggage because of his rocky relationship with his family and has felt very much alone when it comes to familial love. He’s always enjoyed the openness of his relationship with Benji, but when Benji wants him to commit it leads to a break-up and a meeting with the sexy and soulful Van that changes all of their lives irrevocably. Time apart makes them realize how much they mean to each other, but it also leads to lots of soul searching and admissions about their sexual needs. Part of that need revolves around Van and how much better they are when he’s in the picture. From there it’s a juggling of needs and boundaries that scorched up the pages. Joshua’s a likable guy who’s going through a crisis of trying to find himself and what makes him happy. He never thought himself capable of commitment but he works very hard on making his relationship with Benji work through lots of honesty and heartfelt talks. He’s supportive and caring and I enjoyed his sweet side as well as his commanding one.

Van Holt’s the typical fun and flirty bartender, but his past is anything but typical. He was adopted by a farm family who were deeply religious, judgmental, and physically punished him for being gay. The only joy he found back then was music and the boy next door who introduced him to making music...along with other steamier things he taught him. It ultimately led to tragedy and years on the road that changed Van inside and out. He’s leery of opening up his heart again, content to go from one coupling to another, but the moment he meets Benji and Joshua he can’t get them out of his head. Not wanting to harm their close connection has him hesitant to agree to their unconventional proposal, but once he does it leads to lots of erotically-charged encounters and an opening of the emotional floodgates through quiet moments of talking. Van’s a wonderful balance to Benji and Joshua, the perfect conduit to both of their needs, and a good sounding board as they work through their relationship. On the outside he appears carefree, but his past is very painful as his father hurt him in the worst way possible by crushing his dreams and his hopes for the future. He clawed his way back to living and I was rooting for him every step of the way to find a chance to love and be loved again.

This was an entertaining read full of intense emotions and scorching encounters. Sexuality was discussed in all its various definitions, giving a wide spectrum that was never judgemental. At times the discussion pulled me out of the story, but it helped give greater insight into Benji and Joshua’s relationship. I enjoyed getting to know each of these men through glimpses into their pasts, the tragic stories they told, that have left them bruised but not broken. Together they found love and wholehearted acceptance and they were a formidable force when things got difficult. There was a perfect balance between the erotic interludes and emotional talks that kept me fully invested in the story too. The interludes were both tender and dominant with each man’s unique personalities shining through in the heat of the moment. Readers once again got to see the colorful members of Fading Daze and the affect Benji’s relationship has on their future. It leads to harsh words, hurt feelings, but ultimately makes them stronger. Though this is the third installment in the Off Beat series, I had no trouble immersing myself in this world. The characters were immensely likable, the feelings both raw and sentimental, and from the first page to the last I felt like I’d been put through the wringer alongside the characters. Though the story got a bit off track when delving into the definition of sexuality, and a reveal late in the story came out of nowhere, I still found this an appealing story that now has me wanting to go back and see where it all started.

Post goes live 3 JUL

A.M. Arthur Never disappoints- I love each an every story written by this author and Hot Licks is no exception. I love how each story unfolds, we get romance, all the feelz and hot as hell sex. What more could you ask for in a romance book? I know I never hesitate to pick up a book by A.M. Arthur and I really enjoyed this one! 5 stars!!

I really enjoyed this, so much that I had to go back and read the rest of the series, well done.

Very much enjoyed these three together, I felt like they fit. Loved the sexuality variety (bi/pan/ace) and that was done well, too. Their scenes together were quite hot and were done very smoothly (let's be real - sometimes scenes with more than just two people can turn into "Wait, who is doing what?" but that wasn't the case here).. I loved that Benji had the power over the relationship here, and that both guys never pressured him beyond his limits; made for a lovely road to a HEA for them.


My biggest complaint was the three backstories. I felt like Van's, the worst of them all, was more than enough angst/tragedy for the story, and having Benji and Joshua also have dark moments in their pasts was a bit of an overkill for me. Then again, I know that Arthur does high angst, high tragedy, so it wasn't surprising, and admittedly it worked out better here than the angst of book 2, which did not work for me at all.


For a first M/M/M romance, Arthur did a solid job and I'll definitely be checking out her new upcoming triad as well.

Hot Licks is a super sexy, emotional ménage rockstar romance. Benji, Josh, and Van each bring something different to their triad, each has different needs. Originally, Benji and Josh were in a committed, but open, relationship for three years. Its openness was only at Josh's insistence, not because they didn't love each other. Josh didn't think he was capable of fidelity because his whole family has cheated on their partners his entire life and it's left a significant impact on Josh. Benji wanted the relationship to be closed, and when Josh couldn't agree, they broke up. Along came Van into their lives, at the perfect time. He helped Josh and Benji get back together and to realize just how much they mean to each other.

But, something is missing in their relationship, even now that they're in a committed, closed relationship. Van is that missing piece, in his own unique, sexy way. I think what I love most about Hot Licks is that each man identifies himself as something different. Benji has come to the realization that he's asexual to a degree, Josh is bi and Van calls himself pan. I didn't know much of the degrees of sexuality other than gay, straight and bi, so Hot Licks gave me a really good education of the entire sexual spectrum. It's these differences that give the three men's relationship its depth, their connection is really strong, not just physically, but emotionally and mentally as well. Seeing Benji, Josh and Van make their way through their poly relationship is so interesting, unique in its emotional intensity, and of course, the sex is off the charts hot! If you like m/m and/or m/m/m you really should pick up Hot Licks, you will not regret it!

Rosalie's review:

Benji Moore has everything he wants in life. He is the lead singer of a band, traveling where people know him, and a great boyfriend. But that great boyfriend, Josh, has been burned in a past relationship. He’s been hurt beyond belief and is scared to commit. Even though he’s happy with Josh, his logic (?!?!?!?!!?!?!?) is to take a break to see if he IS the ONE that he wants to be with forever.
Staying with a friend gives Josh time to think. Visiting a bar he meets the oh so sexy Van Holt. Van Holt is a one night stand kinda guy who refuses to do complicated. The more he finds out about Josh and Benji, the more he realizes they define the word complication. But he is really wanting to spend more time with Josh, and in turn Benji. Could the three of them work together and not have issues? Would that possible? All three men have different needs and different wants to fulfill them; can the three of them make each whole?
I don’t read a lot of books that have people kind of stepping out. It’s not a hang up of mine, but it’s not something that I’m all about. However, the amazing author that A.M. is made this relationship seem like the mold was made with the three of them in it; the three really completed each other. Their past issues, heartaches, hangups, they all were able to help each other cope and move on. This book was so incredibly hot and the dynamics and heat between Josh, Benji and Van Holt was completely off the Richter scale. This is definitely one you don’t want to miss!!

I admit I had a hard time understanding the dynamics of Joshua and Benji's relationship at first and even all of the different sexualities between the pages of this book. My only excuse is I live in my own little world and hardly ever peek out. I wanted research them even though the book did a good job explaining them. I think I am just ignorant of a just about anything that isn't in a book that I have read and I have never read anything like this one. I found each and every character facinating and even though I had read the other books in this series this one for some reason was the one that made me take a moment to soak up what all the different sexualities were rather than reading them and moving on. I liked understanding and in turn understanding these characters better.

Hot Licks was in a word riveting! The love story that unfolded is so uncommon and so full of emotion, love, and true mutual feelings as well as some seriously hot steamy sexy scenes. This was an extremely emotional and heartfelt book. I absolutely loved Benji and after I understood him I loved Joshua and I of course fell hard for the broken one, Van. If you are looking for something off the beaten pat, at least for me, and is extremely entertaining and full of romance, this is the book for you.

Joshua and Benji have been in open relationship for several years. Benji wants an exclusive relationship and Joshua has his own issues that make him fear exclusivity. Taking a break from each other they both meet Van, the bartender at “off Beat” the local bar.
Van is instrumental in getting Josh and Benji back together and they realize that he is the missing link in their relationship. They each fight their own issues as their triad develops, overcoming their obstacles together.
This is the 3rd book in the “Off Beat” series, it is a well written, with 3 strong leading characters and a supporting cast that enhances the story.

Readers of A. M. Arthur's male/male romances will enjoy this one, which includes a menage twist. Benji and Joshua are working on a committed relationship, but they both find things in Van that they are missing with each other. How these three men develop into an even more loving and committed relationship is at first hard to imagine, but the author pulls it off with great, believable characters. This is a novel worth reading, even if it may target a selected audience.

This book was so hot and sexy! It also had a really good story to go along with the steamy parts. Benji and Josh have been together for many years but are currently on a break mainly due to Josh's inability to say they will be exclusive. During this last break while out with his friends Josh meets Van, al local bartender. There's an attraction there, but with Josh, Benji still lingers in his mind. When Van actually helps reunite the two, they realize both have an attraction to this guy. But Van has no desire to be anything than a one night stand, definitely doesn't want to be part of their relationship. Or does he?
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book provided by NetGalley.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Kris – ☆☆☆☆
This is the third book in this series and this one is about Van! FINALLY! I've loved Van Holt's character in both previous stories and really needed his background/story. So. Hot Licks starts with Benji (lead singer of Faded Daze after Trey left) and his geeky IT tech boyfriend, Joshua. They have had an open relationship for years. After the car accident that almost killed Josh, Benji has been wanting to close the relationship between the two men. But Josh comes from a pretty messed up family and he's worried that without the open end on the relationship he's bound to hurt Benji and cheat. Just like Josh's parents always did to each other. They take a "break" and Josh moves to the beach house with Lincoln while Ben's on tour. Lincoln drags Josh to Off Beat, the little local live music venue where Faded Daze got their start. Van has been the bartender at Off Beat for years, he's very popular and the perfect flirt who's openly pansexual. Josh and Van hit it off, but a hook up goes astray when Emmett tells Van that Joshua is in a relationship. Van doesn't do "complicated" and never shows for the booty call.

Van is a character I have quite enjoyed reading. He's kind and generous, a total flirt, and open with his sexuality. I fell for his character two books ago. He tries to help Benji and Josh get back together rather than break them apart, and by doing so ends up in the middle of a "throuple," a triad, a threesome. These books really venture into all the small subsets of personalities with pansexual, asexual, and bisexual. That being said, I’m not certain I really bought all of Ben's asexual/demisexual and felt that Josh's bisexuality was sorta put to the wayside completely. The boys were definitely hot together and really kept my interest piqued with scenes that burned up the pages!

Warning though, these characters are all quite flawed. All three have horrible backstories dealing with abuse, hate crime violence, and parental issues. It's a lot to take in in one book and Arthur doesn't hold back, pulling out all the stops. A bit emotional overkill to the point where I became a bit numb to it all but I did keep reading since I needed to see them have a happy ending!


Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
This is the third book in the series – and follows on from the last one. We get to see our favourites from them, but this revolves around three men who were in the periphery before. It would be easy to read it as a standalone, but all the books are so good that you should read them all.

I am a huge fan of ménage stories, and am always delighted when an author mixes things up a bit – and of course, with three people involved, that can be done really effectively (or become a tangled, contortionist's mess). Here we get a lot of convoluted pasts that have had significant impacts on our trio, both emotionally and sexually. As they, and we, get to understand just what they mean for how they feel right now, the story demands and deserves the reader's attention. I really enjoyed how things came to light, and how each of the men had to come to terms with their past to engage in their future.

On occasion I can become annoyed with lots of detail about what people are eating, and why, but here it was a fundamental issue, which kept reminding me just what Van was facing, and why. Those little jolts were incredibly effective at keeping the tension high, and the need for a good outcome high.

There is only ever one problem with a new Off Beat book – I immediately want the next one! Thank you, Ms. Arthur, for a very good read.

Copy received via Netgalley for an honest review

I have enjoyed the first 2 books in this series, but Hot Licks had a different feel to me.

That's not a bad thing, I just felt that this one was a bit heavier than the other two.

Benji and Josh's story is not all rainbows and butterflies, they are struggling at the moment and my heart just about broke for them as they tried to come to terms with where they were at.

Enter Van, and man oh man what a guy. He could so easily have been a character that the reader hated, but the direction that the author took the guys made him all the more lovable.

It was a bit slow going at first, and it was around 50% of the way through before things really took off. The story wasn't slow, there was just so much that the characters had to get through to really start moving forward.

I loved the way the story unfolded, I felt unsure of things along with the boys, I felt the love, the fear, the friendship.

The poly relationship is another thing that could have come across as crass or tacky, but again the author tackled the subject well.

And besides, who doesn't want to read about a little bit of man on man on man action :D

I really enjoyed Hot Licks, and I can't wait to see what A M Arthur brings us next.

4.5 stars -- I received a free copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review/opinion.

Well damn, that was even better than I was anticipating. Again, with this series I dove in to the 2nd book without reading the first, and I had some conflicting feelings about that story and the amount of angst it contained. So when I was offered a widget for this book, I took it with some trepidation. Because I don't mind angst, but I don't seek it out as some do. But I was really intrigued finding out that this was Van's story, and while I didn't really know much about Benji and Joshua b/c they were probably more heavily featured in the first book that I missed, I still really wanted to find out what their story would be like.

And can I just say before I get to the meat of my review that the blurb really doesn't give a good feel for the story and what all in contains? Because it's really just a taste of the very beginning of the story, but there is so much more to it. And as another side niggle, they usually called him Joshua, rarely Josh. And also, can I just say I'm not a fan of the guy on the cover? I'm assuming that's supposed to be Benji, but I really didn't get the impression that he was that cut. Van's really the only one that would fit that physical description for me. OK, enough with the superficial.

So while this book still had the problem of having angst up the hoo-ha, it didn't have a lot of the side story angst that the previous book was bogged down in. I still feel like it seemed a bit much for each main character to have their own tragic childhood story, but I could deal with it a bit more for some reason. Maybe because I expected it? Or maybe it just was because at least there wasn't outside tragedies happening as well that we had to encounter. And even though Van's tragic story was left til the end, it fit with his character and I wasn't surprised by this. I thought each of their childhood traumas were given the proper respect and resolution within their relationship.

I had no idea that this story was going to deal with the gray asexual spectrum, and I actually found that it was dealt with quite well, b/c it is really complicated and all over the place, and Benji's story gave us a flavour of someone within the spectrum. I ADORED that part. And I was satisfied in the way it played out in the story. I was a bit disappointed that Van's pansexuality was never explored, but I guess it didn't really need to be.

I also really loved the way the story addressed poly relationships, and how much time and thought all 3 men took when considering it for themselves. I was especially intrigued since this story contained an established couple, but I never felt like I missed out on anything. It all flowed really nicely, and I loved the way it all expanded when Van was added to the mix. I felt the chemistry between all 3, and the steamy scenes were fantastic.

Honestly, I have no idea why it doesn't get full 5 stars. Just a gut feeling. Probably because of my personal preference away from angst. But yeah, it was nice to see all the things that bothered me about book 2 not becoming a problem in this book as well. And it was nice to see glimpses of the characters we knew from the other stories, I always love that. One tiny note: if you read this book first, you will get a bit of a spoiler for book 2. But I don't think it would spoil it enough that you couldn't go back and read it and enjoy it.

This is probably just me. But all three of them were such sad sacks I couldn't stand it! They all had bad things in their past that scared them from opening up. They all were timid little boys, and I prefer reading about men.

4* An unexpected tale, but not an unwelcome one, to the series. Believable, but for me, a little overly-label-y.

This is book 3 in the Off Beats series, and can be read as a standalone, but the previous characters and groups from the first two books make a few appearances, so it's best if you have read those to avoid being confused at the sudden proliferation of names, and also for your own enjoyment. I love it when past leads turn up in newer tales in a series, especially when you get to see that they're living their HEA.

This one for me was a bit of a surprise, but that's on me as I saw the AMA name and went all grabby, and didn't bother checking out the blurb. In way, I'm pleased as ménage tales aren't always my fave, as not always do they feel as an equal relationship - sometimes they're more like a Venn diagram with only one wholly central character. AMA has done pretty well to avoid the latter, by creating a slightly differing from pairing to pairing, but still equal relationship between the guys. I can't go into too much detail, or it'd Spoiler the tale, but Benji and Joshua don't lose what they had, however they do grow it, and what they build with Van complements those....areas where perhaps a little more was needed. I believed in how she portrayed things, as she gave us a good idea of the various characters' personalities, needs, pasts and preferences, and yes, a happy medium was achieved.

As to the tale itself - there wasn't a huge amount of drama, as this was more about the leads building something as a triad. Each guy's needs did get taken into consideration, and two of the three didn't have the best start to life, and therefore had slightly skewed ideas of relationships, and I did think they'd found something that would work for them, especially as not all would end up spending the same amount of time together, due to one's work commitments. But, they were very young - 22, 24 and 28 and it was the tiniest bit idealistic.

I couldn't see where the series might be going next, as there weren't any standout characters introduced, though there was a side-character's romance going on quietly in the background. Not sure I need to read more of that person's tale, as what was there was low-key enough to make it seemingly happen believably, which suited them, and me.

I got a little tired of all the labels that ended up bandied about in here - bi/ace/demi and pan, and I'm not sure it was all really necessary. I had no quicker gotten my head around the non-standard ace person's wants/needs, that that morphed into demi and then we got examples of the other guys' sexuality, too. TBH, I'd have enjoyed the tale equally well with just knowing that they had feelings for each other, without the need for so many explanations, but perhaps it was the tiniest bit necessary in one's case.

ARC courtesy of SMP Swerve and NetGalley, for my reading pleasure.

http://redzworld.blogspot.com/2017/01/hot-licks-by-am-arthur.html

If you want some sexy men who have learned to overcome some very intense past experiences you will love this book. Benji and Joshua have been in a relationship for some time even if it is an open relationship but all that is about to change. Benji is lead singer in a band and is gone on the road quite a bit since they are at the cusp of making it big which leaves Joshua home waiting for his boyfriend to return. Even though it is an open relationship Joshua has a rule of “one and done” but all of a sudden it seems like Van might make this rule hard to follow. He met Van at the bar where Benji and his band got their start and little does Joshua know that Benji and Van have also crossed paths making the other stand up and take notice.

Each of these men have had some pretty traumatic experiences in their past which has left them with various degrees of commitment issues. Will they be able to overcome their pasts and who will be the odd man out? Even though this is book three in this series I don’t feel that I wasn’t able to follow and it just made me want to read the first two books ASAP.

I received this book from NetGalley as an ARC for a freely given honest review.