This book was such a unique experience. I loved it. The relationships between the characters just felt so real and I had such a good time with this book.

thank you to net galley and atria books for this eARC!

i love love loved this book! this was so fun. the characters were amazing. i love bebe, she is so lovely but still has some flaws (and also perceives herself to have flaws) which was really great. i love how kade show’s the possibility of difference in communication styles, and how a person can not be super emotive but still care. i love them. mel also was an amazing character, she was a very entertaining main character. i maybe have only one note, in that mel and kade’s relationship felt a little rushed? i love them together and their relationship was very good, but i can (off the top of my head) recall only a couple of instances before they get together where mel acknowledged some kind of feelings towards them. but overall it was a lovely lovely book. i would 100% read again and would certainly recommend it. beautiful representation of parts of the queer community you don’t often see represented.

Mixed feelings about this book - I will caveat with that I am not poly so I cannot speak to all/any poly relationships, but I don't know if the representation of the relationships between the main character and her partners is the best depiction of a poly relationship. While it started out good/interesting, the introduction of the second partner (*being vague on purpose) felt forced and didn't make sense for the individuals involved. Then the continued development of the relationships felt forced too and like it tried to be "How to Be A Picture-Perfect Poly Person!" story - AGAIN, this type of poly relationship is absolutely possible, and not at all something I have experience with - it just did not seem to fit with the characters.

Also, Mel was a bad friend throughout the book and it seems like it will be addressed later on, but it then it corrected with one line. Additionally, her cocktail competition storyline takes a back-burner to the point where I forget she still had to complete at the end. Overall, the book fell for me in the middle somewhere and did not redeem itself at the end.

I typically enjoy TJ's books and will continue to read them, but this one wasn't it for me.

Cue Three’s Company theme song….

Mel, a longtime bartender, in the City that Never Sleeps meets Bebe, an employment lawyer, one evening. Sparks fly until she meets Bebe’s wife Kade, a nonbinary artist. Little does Mel know, Bebe and Kade are polyamorous, therefore, when the sparks caught fire, Mel and Bebe begin dating. As time passes, Mel and Bebe get closer and closer and Mel is certain Kade hates her as all she can seem to do is put her foot in her mouth. Until their own sparks begin to fly, much to the excitement of Bebe.

This book is the perfect low stakes, low angst palette cleanser. After reading a series of slow, tedious reads, this book was a breath of fresh air that I devoured in two days. Chocked full of fun tropes (forced proximity anyone?), this book focuses more on burgeoning relationships and boundary exploration, rather than external plot progression.

This is my second bartender romance this year, and both have been remarkably similar in plot while total opposites in the romance department. Both have made it clear that I’m in dire need to try a Paloma this summer for those hot summer nights. I just wished I liked tequila though… maybe if I could convince someone to make a Rock Dove for me.

A bartender meets a poly couple and begins relationships in this FFNB romance.

So, I’ve had a hit by this author and I’ve had a miss, and this was another miss.

This is an excellent look at kitchen table poly and anarchy poly and for that I salute it. I can’t believe this is traditionally published. What a world we live in these days.

But the story was missing any real excitement and the characters were missing some zing as far as I’m concerned.

I really love what the author was trying to do here: making genderqueer and polyamorous people part of the conversation. As someone queer and poly I felt seen. But it just lacked heart for me.

Medium burn with spanking, biting, spit-roast, strap-on.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️
POV: Solo 3rd

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!