I don’t even know where to start with this book. I loved the characters, I loved the character development, and I loved the entire plot. It was very evenly paced and incredibly realistic. The way the author allowed the characters to explore their feelings and emotions felt natural and was very unlike many romances of this genre. Abby and Sam were so real and honest that they could be anybody going through the same issues. I appreciated that the author wrote about main characters who were older and married (instead of the usual young and inexperienced). The author hit the nail on the head with this one. I truly enjoyed reading about their growth and experiences, and I look forward to reading more from this author. Visit my blog at Fireflies and Free Kicks Fiction Reviews for some more detailed (and dirtier) thoughts on this book. Thank you to Entangled: Scorched (via NetGalley) for a pre-release digital ARC.

I received an advance copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I have recently been hearing good things about Elia Winters' romance writing, and when I had the opportunity to review her new book, I jumped at it, and I was not disappointed.

Abby was the wild one at college, Abby Wood If She Could, almost dropping out and having to completely reinvent herself and rein herself in to graduate. As part of that reinvention, she's firmly tucked that part of herself and her past into a box and doesn't think about it. She has a handsome, loving, patient husband (Sam) who adores her, and a safe life. But when she attends her ten year college reunion, people who knew her during that time bring it up, and she has to open that box the tiniest bit to let Sam know about who she was. She's shrouded that time in shame, and is worried that if he knows, he'll be disgusted and leave her. But when they inadvertently see a couple hooking up on a balcony at the reunion, they both realize that maybe they aren't as vanilla as they tell themselves they are.

Married couple books aren't hugely exciting to me-- I'm married, and do I need to read about other married couples? But yes, if Elia Winters is writing about them, I do! Her exploration of the emotional and sexual journey of Sam and Abby is wonderfully written, extremely hot, and full of all that good stuff like consent, conversation, check-ins during their experiments, and reaffirmations of their devotion to each other even if there's physical intimacy with others. Abby's rexamination of her past, and Sam's confidence in his love for her regardless of what she's done feels wonderful and safe, exactly what she needs to be her true self to him. This is one that I'd recommend to people who think that erotica is just Fifty Shades and surly billionaires.

The writing was a little clunky, and therefore the story was choppy between the steamy sections. More character development would have helped with connection.

I love a story about a married couple, since most books in the romance genre are about singles finding love. Just Past Two is a hot and steamy story about Sam and Abby, married for 10 years, who begin to explore a sexier side of their relationship after her college reunion.

This book has LOTS of steam, but I didn't find it over-the-top as they explore not-so-vanilla relations. I thought Elia Winters wrote Sam and Abby's story well. There is a nice arc as they explore this new side to their relationship, both the ups and the downs of what their newfound activities means to their partnership and marriage. Everything flowed so well, and the hesitations/fears came out organically.

Just Past Two is the first book I've read by Elia Winters, and I'm definitely interested in checking out the rest of this Comes In Threes series! I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.

Wow, this was a super kinky fan-yourself-off type of book. I’ve read some pretty kinky stuff before, but I have to admit that this particular insight into polyamory was a new one for me! While the first book was also about a polyamorous couple, they were in a closed triad, something I’ve read about before (uh, extensively, thanks, Jekh Saga!). This book features a married couple who aren’t looking for a permanent partner, but more of an open marriage. While this is the second in the series, you don’t have to have read the first to enjoy it – Mitchell from the first book, does CrossFit with Sam, and he shows up to give him advice over beers.

After ten years together, Abby and Sam have settled into a loving (but somewhat boring) rut. But Abby’s wild past is revealed at her college reunion, and some unintentional voyeurism leaves them both hotter than they could ever have imagined. Worried that he’s not fulfilling Abby’s needs, Sam proposes a game – they’ll take turns acting out their fantasies. But while each new boundary pushed takes them to greater heights, Abby fears that their new explorations have broken their marriage forever.

“Even in the last month, things have changed between us. They don’t feel like they used to.”
“In a good way or a bad way?”
Abby hesitated. “I don’t know. Just different. Sam’s different. He’s not the same guy I married. It’s like there’s this whole other side of him that I hadn’t known, just hanging out there, waiting for kinky sex games.”


I have to admit that the idea of an erotic romance following a married couple initially seemed odd, but this worked so well. Despite their long relationship, Sam’s never known anything but straight-laced vanilla Abby. At one point, he mentioned that he didn’t like bugging Abby for sex during the week because she needed her sleep! For her part, Abby conflated her sexually free college girl self with failure after nearly failing out of college, and assumed that Sam would think less of her for it. While they both enthusiastically enjoy their sexual explorations, it also triggered changes in their relationship, and Abby worried that she was being irresponsible again and going to ruin their marriage. For his part, Sam worried that he was not enough for her, and was surprised by how much he enjoyed the game. While there’s lots of ways this could potentially have gone bad, thankfully, the communication between Abby and Sam was excellent, both in terms of making sure sexual boundaries were being respected and for their relationship itself. This was especially important when they discovered that they both got off on Abby having sex with other men, and Abby has a lot of guilt and shame over the game in general and what she saw as “cheating.” She also worried that Sam was only going through with this to satisfy her, but Sam’s quick to reassure her. So while I wouldn’t say Abby’s guilt is a small thing, the book is surprisingly low angst due to how well they’re able to communicate with each other, which I loved. While I think that degree of communication would come off as unrealistic with a new couple, since they’ve been together for so long, it just worked.

“Guys. We’re at brunch. It’s the least sexual meal of the day.”
“Maybe the way you do brunch, it is.”


My main critique is that things did seem to progress very quickly. Abby and Sam go from ten years of vanilla sex to going to a sex club to hanging out with another couple with an open marriage over the course of just a few months. While I certainly enjoyed the escalation, I wasn’t surprised that Abby had a lot of misgivings about the stability of their marriage given how quickly it all happened. And while it is specifically addressed in the book, I did roll my eyes a bit over the fact that Abby and Sam seemed to just trip over polyamorous people everywhere they went in their small town.

Overall, this is ridiculously sexy book, and I can’t wait to see what’s explored in the next book in the series. In the meantime, I’ll definitely be checking out Ms. Winters’ backlist!

I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Scorching hot fun! I enjoyed the first book in this series of interconnected standalones (Three-Way Split), but I absolutely adored Just Past Two. It's another super-steamy "non-traditional" relationship story, but the uncertainty and exploration is more subtle, mostly involving inner turmoil and open discussions.

Abby and Sam are wonderful together, and I loved the secondary characters, including Mitchell!

IF you're looking for something steamy hot and kinky then this book won't disappoint you. The story revolves around a couple who have been married for ten years and only now realizing that there is so much they don't know about each other. The wife has a past that is full of embarrassing stories and the husband has fantasies he isn't comfortable sharing with his wife. However, all of this changes when they attend Abby's college reunion. Suddenly, Sam knows about his wife more than he ever has. Although she claims to have changed but soon they both will realize what a lie it was. Good thing is that instead of being turned of, it seems Sam actually loves to hear stories about his wife's past adventures. They both decide to have some new adventures of their own.
Basically, this is a story about sexual discovery of two people. They're finding out new things that they may or may not enjoy. And because they love each other, it is easy to be open to new ideas and not give in to their personal misgivings. All in all, it's a good story but not really a sweet mushy kind of romance. ;)

Just Past Two is an interesting, engaging story about a married couple who are completely in love but perhaps their relationship isn’t all it could be. After college, Abby buried her wild past like it was a shameful secret, determined to become what she believes a successful, respectable person should be. When her secrets start to come out at her college reunion, she’s scared of what her straight-laced husband, Sam, will think of her. Abby is shocked to learn that not only does Sam not judge her, he’s intrigued and the two of them begin to explore their fantasies and reevaluate how they’ve defined their marriage.

Elia Winters always writes sex-positive books and Just Past Two is no exception. While Abby does judge herself, I loved watching her work through this and come to the understanding that there is nothing wrong or shameful about her desires, even if they don’t fit the conventional lines society has drawn. It helps that she has such a supportive partner in Sam. Sam has a vanilla past, but once he’s given the freedom to explore his desires, he isn’t afraid to communicate with Abby about what he wants and to listen to what she wants. It isn’t always easy for them, as neither wants the other to get hurt or feel like they don’t completely love them.

It’d be remiss of me to write about Just Past Two and not mention how hot the book is. As Sam and Abby explore their fantasies, things get wonderfully dirty pretty quickly and they stay that way. The one niggling issue I had with this is that I wish the book were a bit longer. Abby and Sam explore multiple kinks and since we don’t dive too deeply into Sam’s character I would have liked to spend more time in his head. Abby’s journey from beginning to end felt earned and at times I felt like Sam’s was glossed over. Still, I enjoyed Just Past Two overall. I loved the communication between Sam and Abby, the way they addressed their fears, expectations, and feelings honestly. And it doesn’t hurt that erotic moments were sexy as sin. I finished this book a well-satisfied reader and I cannot wait to see what the next Comes in Threes story brings.

This was good for exactly what it was... a supremely sensual, super HOT erotic romance about a married couple unearthing a world of sexual fantasies they'd never considered. It's well written. It's sexy. It's a story I devoured in one shot. I enjoyed it.

I thought this was an interesting take on a popular topic in the erotic end of the romance genre at the moment. This looks at an established couple expanding their sexual relationship into a more open one and is an angle I haven't read before. However I didn't feel like the ends were sufficiently tied up by the end of the book which made it a less satisfying read all in.

I read the first book in this “series” called Three Way Split in preparation for this book but I later found my mistake where it wasn’t necessary to read these in order.

The couple that this book follows as the main characters, Sam and Abby, were both really delightful to read about. In the beginning it’s a slow warm up to their first sex scene and the reader gets to see what each character is like and how they work together as a relationship. From there, there are different interactions with different characters and some of that magic is lost because these characters want to interact sexually with others and it calls for some problems.

I honestly enjoyed this particular novel more than the first one, Three Way Split, however, it was not by much. I thought the dialogue between Sam and Abby was very mature, one like a married couple, and that the care for one another was very open in the book and straightforward. However, when it came to interacting with other characters, it was all very awkward and uncomfortable to read as well. There was one particular conversation between Sam and another woman which gave me second-hand embarrassment because her texting was so awkwardly done and I just don’t like parts where it says “winky-face emoticon” or something like that *shudders*. I don’t know, maybe it’s just me and how particular I am with my likes and dislikes, but it’s just so uncomfortable to read.

The sex with the various characters in this book was steamy, I will give it that, but it wasn’t really more than just smut. I didn’t feel any emotional connection and I felt like as soon as the sex was done, the characters tended to disappear. I will also give a warning that there are some scenes that might seem demeaning to women but it is all written for the sake of sexual satisfaction/sexual kinks being fulfilled. Again, definitely out of my comfort zone but it was interesting to read and the story line was well done.

Overall, the story line was very well written and well done. Some sex scenes were steamy and good to read while others were a little out of my comfort zone and/or uncomfortable for me personally. The characters Sam and Abby were great and I appreciated them as a polyamorous/experimental couple.

In general, I’m not interested in romances about married couples. I’m single and one reason why I read romance is to see how it works out for other people. But none of my romance reading preferences are hard-set and when an author I love has a book with my least favorite trope or I’m won over by a premise that’s the opposite of my usual tastes, I’ll give it a shot. In this case, Elia Winters made a believer out of me. This was amazing!

They say you never stop learning about your partner, no matter how long you’ve been together. That is especially true for Abby and Sam who have been together for 10 years and married for 7 of those. After attending Abby’s college reunion, Sam hears stories about Abby’s wilder side and after a chance experience with voyeurism, the two decide to spice up their relationship and I was here for it.

This book is deliciously steamy and it does a great job of exploring kink and polyamorous relationships. But what I really loved was the way it delved into Abby and Sam’s sense of identity as individuals and as couples. They each had an idea of who the other person was, particularly Abby’s belief that Sam was predictable and dependable and would think less of her for her past exploits. Abby has to work through her shame about her past and figure out whether some parts of her adventurous side are worth resurrecting. Sam, on the other hand, has to work through and accept that what he thought was off limits and wrong is actually just right for him and for their marriage. As they try out their fantasies, they have to keep checking in with themselves and each other. Their reactions and fears and interests felt so organic. Their ability to be honest with each other through each evolution of their relationship was wonderful to see and a great roadmap for any relationship.

Elia Winters is quickly becoming one of my favorite erotic romance authors and this book is a perfect example of why. I can’t wait to see what she does next in this series!

I give this book 5 stars. The storyline between Sam and Abby was well written and a great HOT must read book. Can they be adventurous and experiment? You will love this book. I whole heartedly recommend this book. I voluntarily reviewed this Advanced Readers Copy of this book.

I'm not sure how it's possible, but Just Past Two is even hotter than Three-Way Split. The plot is fairly straightforward: a married couple goes to a college reunion and events there set off a very sexy chain reaction. Their sex life has been reliable and consistent, but now they can be honest about their needs and fantasies and the results are a rollercoaster of sexual gratification and fear of rejection.

Because Elia Winters is well-versed in a variety of different types of romantic and sexual relationships, she presents the characters and situations to the reader without judgement. The characters make some judgements of themselves and of the ways in which they're pushing the boundaries of their marriage, but it's all done in a considerate and careful way. I never felt that the author was pushing the characters into situations, or that she was pushing readers to accept or reject those situations.

So yeah, all fuzzy feels and a depth of love between the main characters that made my cynical heart go "ew gross, they love each other." As for the sex, there's power exchange, voyeurism and exhibitionism, wife-sharing (hotwifing), edging, etc. There's a lot of sex, and it's all consensual and safe and will set your ereader on fire.

If you want an erotic romance without tons of angst, this is absolutely a good pick.



Content Warnings: heroine slut-shames herself, kink



I received a copy of this book from the publisher for review via NetGalley.

This book was just so good. I just couldn't get enough of it. I'm so excited to see what's next from this author.

I've followed Elia Winters on Twitter for a while. She's hysterical and gives excellent advice about sex toys and other love-related topics. So, when I heard the first book in this series recently - and that the second book was available through NetGalley. Well, I pounced. I received an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

And, honestly, the writing is top notch, with lots of humor and heart. We really see and understand the characters emotional journies. We also get full views into their scorching hot bedrooms, which was a delight to read.

The first book in this series focused on a closed triad relationship coming together (Hannah, Mitchell, and Ben). This book explores a different facet of the polyamorous scene. This time, the hero and heroine, Sam and Abby, have been together for ten years and married for seven. While attending Abby's college reunion, they watch another couple having sex. From that catalyst, they begin exploring their own sexual fantasies, which lead them towards an open marriage. Happily enough, Mitchell and Sam are CrossFit buddies and we see him again - happy and healthy - and he's able to help Same understand his emotional journey. That being said, they could be read out of order or independently of each other.

If you're sensing a but, though, you're correct. I had one problem with this book, and it is something noted by other reviewers as well. Up to the scene on the balcony when they watch another couple for the first time, Sam and Abby have lived a rather Vanilla, quiet, dare I say predictably boring sex life. It takes this scene for them to jumpstart their relationship. And, once that happens, things escalate VERY quickly. I don't like what this implies about their past relationship - specifically their abilities to section off or ignore their own needs AND their hesitation to talk about how dissatisfied each of them found their love life to be. For them to go from vanilla sex on the weekends to inviting others into their bedrooms, they have to jump through some huge emotional hoops - which they do, but I worry that they don't quite take the time to fully process everything being said and done. I think what I'm saying is that I'm fine with the content, I just wish the timeline had been a little more extended so we saw more of the internal journey beyond "No, I'm ok and I don't think we can go back" which seems to encapsulate every conversation Sam and Abby had on the subject.

Overall, if you're looking for an introduction to polyamory and open relationships, this is a great first book. I look forward to reading more by this author and more in this series.

ARC provided by NetGalley. I don’t know where to start this book was hot hot hot. Not what I was expecting at all. If you’re in the mood for a happily married couple who are looking to spice things up look no further this book will definitely light your kindle on fire!! I can’t wait to go back and read this first book of this series. Also this is my first book by this author.

This book was hot, hot, hot!!! Abby has a past she would rather her husband not know about. Once he hears about her college antics at her 10 year college reunion, he is, to say the least, intrigued. Each sexual experience these two experiment with is hotter than the one before.
This is the first book I have read by this author but I will be going back to be sure I read everything she has written. The characters are likable and the storyline is well written. Definitely a book you won't want to miss!!

I usually like to read these somewhat erotic romances. Winters' Just Past Two was not a win for me. It was about a married couple exploring some wild encounters that included additional persons in their bed. Can't say I really liked Abby and Sam Burke at all. "A copy of this book was provided by Entangled via NetGalley with no requirements for a review. Comments here are my honest opinion."

Thank you Netgalley and Entangled Publishing for the online copy. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This story is about a married couple who indulge in various sexual fantasy which escalate super lightning fast to the extend that is hard for my prudent brain to accept. Maybe they are couples who are like them in real life. Maybe. But even knowing that it doesn't make it easy for me to accept how easy (and fast) Sam changes from Mr. Vanilla to setting up his own wife with another man.