I really like MMF romances and rockstar romances and I love Outsider even more because it's both. Trey, Reagan, and Ethan are learning to cope with their complicated relationship as well as Trey and Reagan's fame.

**Copy Provided by Netgalley and Vulpine Press, for an honest review**

We first met Trey, Ethan and Reagan in The Sinners series and i am so glad that we get to see more of this dynamic trio that compliment each other in all the ways that they are different.

Some parts of this book cross over with book one, however this book can very much be read as a stand alone story, however, if you then do not find yourself just having to read the rest of the series i will not be surprised.

We get the points of view from all three of our main characters the the reactions those around them who do not already know about their relationship.

The plot also thickens in regards to how rumours are being spread by an American magazine in spreading lies, half truths and damming true stories about the band that had not been release before, especially about Reagan.

The trio have to work harder with their relationship as they travel past jealousy, old loves, feeling left out or hurt as they are not allowed to share their feeling in a public place freely.

I really enjoyed this book and i am itching at the bit to read the next book in the series.

I love this author and this story, I absolutely love that the families. I enjoyed having more Dare and their parents,. I love how accepting they are of Trey and his relationship with both Reagan and Trey. I also love how his mom makes her feel important.

WOW! If you are looking for a hot, ménage rock star read then this book is for you!! I loved it! Loved reading Reagen's story!! This book will have you both laughing and crying! The writing was outstanding and the sex scenes are off the chart HOT!!! I highly recommend this one!

I have been looking forward to more from this threesome since the release of Double Time, and Olivia did NOT disappoint! This story was perfection, and felt more like "old school" Olivia, which i really appreciated.

I love this series, I love these bands and their worlds that interconnect, and I'll never get enough. Can't wait for more from Olivia!

These books aren't the best written in the world, but the characters are compelling.

I fell in love with Sinners on Tour, but Reagan was too much in this story. She made this relationship all about her instead of about them. I will continue to read this series as I love Olivia Cunning's story lines and characters.

As a huge fan of Olivia Cunning and her Sinner’s series, this book was such a treat for me. atruegemawardAlthough technically a part of the Exodus End series, this book was just as much about the Sinners. It had it all. It had the boys from both bands, it had the women we’ve come to adore, and it had a love story that was unique and so heartfelt that it made me ache.

While Double Time was Trey’s book and introduced us to Reagan and Ethan, Outsider was Reagan’s story and her struggles to find where she fit in with the other members of Exodus End. But more importantly, it was about the struggles that she, Trey and Ethan faced while trying to make their unorthodox union work. In Double Time, the three had to come to terms with their feelings for one another. They had to figure out how their relationship would play out and what they meant to one another. They had to decide who they were, and accept the people that they loved. Outsider continues their relationship, but with three people who are comfortable with the love they feel for one another. They are secure in their love and affection and express it in ways that are so sexy, so unbelievably erotic, both physically and emotionally. But their conflict comes from how they will disclose this love to the outside world who may not understand their relationship; how they will tell family, friends and fans that may feel hurt and betrayed by their love.

As I said, this book truly had it all for me and I couldn’t put it down. Trey was adorable and infectious in a naughty boy way. Ethan was dominant and protective and Regan was the bad-ass rocker chick with a sensitive soul. Any two of these as a pair were smoking hot and had their own dynamic, but put them together and they ignite. And while I certainly adored the sex scenes, it was the soulful looks and murmured words of love and commitment that got to me. This group was so wrapped up in one another that it was beautiful. To find a love that way between two people is incredible, but between three, it was magical.

I felt that Insider, the first Exodus End book, had a different feel from most of Ms. Cunning’s other books. Her hero was a little goofier (even than Eric Sticks!), her heroine oddly innocent, and the story just didn’t pull me into the same world as her Sinner’s series did. But Outsider thrust me right back in the limelight of rock gods and screaming fans and smoldering intense scenes. And gave me a backstage pass to two of my all-time favorite bands. I can’t wait to continue the tour!

I didn’t realize this was about gay men and bisexual people. I have gay and bisexual friends but I don’t really want to read a romance about them. It just wasn’t my type of story if I can still review this without a rating I will as I didn’t read very far before I realized this story just wasn’t for me.

I loved this book. Reagn, Trey and Ethan's story was amazing and I loved getting to know each of them better.

I would wait forever and a day for another story by Olivia Cunning.

This book was completely worth the wait. I adore Trey. This has never been made a secret. And his story with Reagan and Ethan in Double Time was immense and intense.

Things got turned up a notch in Outsider! Steamy fun times, some inventive situations and angst. Lots of angst. But also acceptance and compromise.

I understood their turmoil, both individually and as a partnership. I ached for their love to be accepted by all but there will always be bigots who just don't get it.

The progression of the story was slow in places and for those who want an in depth and full-on plot with twists and long monologues, you won't get this here. If you want a storyline with some of the hottest sex known to man, man and woman alive then this is for you. It is best to have read the Sinners series beforehand to fully grasp and understand the backstory of all of these wonderful characters!

Thank you, Olivia for allowing us into the Sinners/Exodus End world once again. I await for Steve's story next!

Unable to finish. Therefore will not review as this would be unfair

Title: Outsider

Author: Olivia Cunning

Genre: Romance (M/M/F; M/F; M/M,) LGBTQ+ (and polyamorous,) Contemporary

Series: Exodus End (#2)


A few starting notes:

I received a free digital review copy of this book via NetGalley. NetGalley provides review copies from publishers in exchange for fair and honest reviews.

This book is #2 in a series, but they're more companion novels - focussing on different characters - rather than one continuous story.

Plus, even the publishers say that it can be read as standalone (so it's not just me this time!)

This book is 18+ only, on account of the amount of graphic sexy-times.

Huge thanks to Naz @ Read Diverse Books for taking the time to discuss queer and Latinx rep with me - any mistakes are 100% mine.

If any Latinx, queer male, and/or polyamorous reviewers have reviewed this title, let me know - I would love to link to your review.

This was a difficult one to review (which is why I keep procrastinating!) because there's so much the author got right, but also so much she got wrong, and I have to somehow explain all that!

So let's give this a shot!



Premise:

Meet Reagan, the new guitarist with Exodus End. She's kind of feeling like an imposter right now - after all, Exodus End are rock legends.

She's also trying to keep the fact that she's dating both Ethan and Trey, together, as a unit, a secret.

Meet Trey, guitarist with Sinners. Though he's Reagan's public boyfriend, he'd prefer things between him and Ethan to be public too.

Meet Ethan - Reagan's body-guard.

Ethan's still in the closet, so admitting he's in a relationship with both Reagan and Trey is out of the question.

But with the tabloids around, and the music business to navigate, things are not going to be plain sailing!




Best bits:

Trey is a beautiful character - he's such a darling, and Cunning writes him with real affection and a real understanding of his feelings and his vulnerabilities.

Basically, if I had to pick the best aspect of this book, Trey would be it. He's amazing.

I also loved the way the romance wasn't the only thing going on here - each of our trio has their own life, their own hopes, their own personality. They're complete people, not just defined by their relationship.

I liked that we get scenes from each of the characters' points-of-view (POVs,) without the other main characters present, and that we get an understanding of their relationships with family members, friends, etc.

Can we also point out that polyamory is portrayed as a viable and healthy relationship (albeit not perfect)? I think we can. Guys, that's just awesome.

And the relationship itself is not 2-dimensional. People say the wrong thing, they mess up, but they also make things better, comfort each other, make each other laugh etc.

Of course, the rock music was one of the draws of this book to me - obviously, you can't hear it, but the whole rock-star deal gave this book a centre and a vibe that was pretty cool.

Cunning also explores the issues of being in the public eye, and the problems with being a woman in what is still predominantly a male industry.

People think you got where you are because of sex, because of your looks, etc. - not because of your talent.
Reagan's frustration at the sexist press, fans, and the band management who want to turn her into a sex symbol, is more than justified.

She knows she's good enough to be there. But everyone else seems determined to undermine her achievements.



Not so great bits:


The potentially distressing content in this book is:



- homophobia

- homophobic slurs

- biphobia

- bigotry against polyamory

- sexism

- sexist insults

- grief

- parental rejection/abandonment

- press harassment

- libel

- being closeted

- coming out

- being outed

- past emotional abuse (sexual-related)

- jealousy/overprotectiveness

- rough sex

- one brief but graphic instance of gore

- references to gangs

- references to bad neighbourhoods and guns

- references to past stalking and physical assault


I think that's everything - sorry if I missed anything.




There's also a lot of swearing, and a lot of graphic sex, often involving three people. And there's some references to BDSM.






OK, there were some issues with the representation of various themes/groups of people in this book, so I'm gonna try and break it down for you the best I can, and as efficiently and clearly as I can.

Spoilers are marked in square brackets [] - and written in white.

























Relationship issues:





[Trey] recounts a tale of emotional abuse with a very sexual element when he has a relationship with [Brian.]

Despite that, he's still friends with [Brian] and sees him in a generally positive light.

Look, this emotional abuse involved (this is potentially triggering as well as spoilerific) [turning him around, refusing to look at his face, and telling him to be a girl during sex.]

From where I'm stood, that's messed up.

The way Ethan acts towards Trey can also be very possessive and jealous - I didn't find it over-the-line, but it wouldn't surprise me if others did.


































Latinx (Mexican-American) representation:



(Ethan is Mexican-American, and both Trey and Reagan are white.)





- Negative trope of the homophobic and unaccepting Latinx family - something which gives the impression that all Latinx people are somehow homophobic, and really shouldn't have been tackled by a non-own-voices author.

- Ethan fears that his Latino brothers will beat up and harm his precious white boyfriend - I can't be the only one to see a problem there.

- Strange references to being in a Mariachi band as something shaming to the family, and the family's heritage. This seems inaccurate as Mariachi players take pride in their music, and the music is part of Mexican culture.

- Ethan has a different last name to the rest of his family. In context, this serves as a distancing of Ethan - who has a more Anglicised name - from the rest of his family, and makes that part of his life and heritage seem more 'Other.'























Polyamorous representation:


My main problem with this aspect was that, even though I know this is an 'erotic romance,' the polyamorous people here are written as being heavy on the sexy times, and 'not satisfied' by only one partner.

While of course polyamorous people can have high sex drives, so can monogamous people.

The linking of libido with polyamory gives the wrong impression about polyamory as a whole.

And the repeated portrayal of sex-hungry polyamory in media can lead to some very persistent stereotyping.

















Queer/LGBTQ+ representation:


- Ethan takes more offense to the word queer than the word perversion. While I get that queer was being used as a slur in this context... are we just supposed to let the perversion comment slide...?

- Being gay or bisexual is described as a lifestyle more than once. As I've said before, I don't like this, but it's a personal thing.

- The author gave the impression of confusion between the terms gay and bisexual (more in the 'sexual fluidity representation' section.)















Sexual fluidity representation:



Look, you guys know that I'm all for sexual fluidity in books. But you've gotta do it right.

If Reagan is the only girl Ethan has ever been attracted to, then fine, but you've really got to know what you're doing when you write that. And Cunning doesn't seem to.

I like that Ethan is questioning, rather than just going, 'ok, I'm bi now!' but in places, Cunning doesn't really seem to understand that there's a difference between the term gay and the term bisexual.

If that's supposed to be because Ethan is questioning, then say that. Don't just casually put gay in when he's in a relationship with a man and a woman.

(And yes, I know it can be an umbrella term, but since Ethan previously identified as gay, it might be an idea to be clearer about these things.)

It gives the impression of Ethan's sexuality changing simply for the purpose of the plot, and so that Cunning can write three-way sex-scenes, rather than because she supports fluidity or homoflexibility/being gay-fluid.

That's disappointing.









Verdict:


There need to be more polyamorous romances. And I'm glad that this presents a largely positive view of polyamory.

It's an enjoyable book, but there are a lot of problems with it.

These are problems that can't be ignored, and should be learned from.

I LOVED the first series and now I'm in LOVE with the second series. Trey - ah, the man knows how to make your heart flutter! More please!

“Love is not always easy or as we expect it to be, but it is worth the struggle. Love is always worth a fight. Just because it's a challenge doesn't mean it's wrong.”

3.5 stars

This is the second book in the Exodus End series, but it is also a sequel to [book:Double Time|12710106]Double Time from the Sinners on Tour series. It’s the continuation of the intriguing, heart-warming and hot-as-f**k love story between Trey Mills, Reagan Elliot and Ethan Connor.

Trey is guitarist for rock band, Sinners, Reagan is the stand-in rhythm guitarist for metal band, Exodus End, and Ethan is Reagan’s bodyguard. They are madly in love and deeply committed to their menage relationship – which is well established in Double Time (and I would recommend reading that book before starting this one).

This book overlaps a little bit of the last book of this series, Insider, and we get to see the trio loved-up, sexed-up and happy, living their lives together. But knowing that the outside world would not understand their unconventional relationship, to the general public it’s just Reagan and Trey in the relationship, and Ethan is the bodyguard. But when rumours start to fly and the press take an interest in the relationship – mistakenly thinking that Reagan is cheating on Trey with Ethan – it’s going to put them to the test in ways they aren’t ready for.

Not only is there the issue of the enforced public secrecy of their relationship, but Reagan and Ethan are also hiding their lovers from their families. It’s a tense situation as they try to balance their happiness, the feelings of their partners and security of their relationship, with the fear of public opinion and backlash, and I could understand the concerns that each of them had.

And on top of that, Reagan is facing uncertainty in her future with Exodus End. She was only ever bought in as a temporary band member for their world tour, and though they guys treat her as one of their own, she still feels like an outsider. And then the band’s manager starts trying to use her unwanted publicity to push her as a sex symbol. It’s an uncomfortable situation for Reagan, who just wants to play music, and not be the focus of the relentless paparazzi and their devastating lies.

“I’d die for you.”
“Dying is easy … Living with who you are is the hard part.”

I really enjoyed catching up with these characters again. I’m always intrigued by the dynamics of a menage relationship, and I liked that we got to delve into that a bit more as they are now past all of the initial experimentation, wonderment and excitement of their relationship and are now settled into the no-less-intense phase of steady commitment. The love between them is beautifully written, and of course the sexy time is steaming! These three are insatiable, and we get to see that over and over again in all kinds of ways. But through all of the super hotness, there is a strong emotional connection that is absolutely gorgeous.

“Separately as individuals, together as a couple, the three of us united. You belong to each other and to me, and I belong to you.”

I have mad love for all things Trey Mills, he’s such a great character. Funny, sexy, and charmingly filthy, and he has the biggest heart! He’s open and loving with everybody in his life, and none more than Ethan and Reagan who mean the world to him.

Loving had always been one of the biggest parts of who he was, and now he was twice the lover. He finally felt whole and refused to change for anyone.

Ethan may be less demonstrative than his boyfriend, but I love his confidence in this relationship, and his strength in being the ‘outsider’ when it came to the press. He is happy to take the back seat in the public eye, but he has a controlling hand with Trey and Reagan, and his absolute certainty of his love for them is beautiful to see.

And Reagan….. I have to admit that she annoyed me in this one. Sure, there’s a lot going on with all of the drama that they’re going through, but she came off as selfish and whiny. It’s never in doubt that she loves her men, but her unwarranted insecurity and constant whining just annoyed me. I kinda felt that she wasn’t worthy of Trey and Ethan.

And through the drama-rama, my heart broke for Trey who just rode it all out with nothing but his two lovers in his mind and the need to make them happy and build a good life for the three of them.

“I love you. Even if no-one else in the world ever sees it, you need to see it. You need to believe it.”

There’s no doubt that they’re in a unique and difficult situation, but I enjoyed watching them work through it all to get the happy end together that they all so desperately want.

“Love is not always easy or as we expect it to be, but it is worth the struggle. Love is always worth a fight. Just because it's a challenge doesn't mean it's wrong.”

My other issue with this book is that it was just too long. There’s a lot of repetition with the drama, and other parts of the story are too drawn out. The same story could have been told in a lot less pages, and it started to drag a lot for me. But it ends well and though there was some slap-worthy behaviour there towards the end, I was happy with how it all finished up.

As always, I loved catching up with the boys of the band. The Sinners feature heavily in this one, and I loved seeing where each of the couples are at, as well as seeing some story progression for them. And I loved getting to know the Exodus End boys better. This is a great bunch of guys with a wonderful sense of camaraderie (brothers Trey and Dare just make my heart melt with their close relationship!). There are some interesting stories just begging to be told, and I’m so excited to get their books.

An uncomfortably steamy, but enjoyable (if a little long) story. 3.5 stars.

I love Olivia Cunning and the rockers books that she graces us with!! Exodus End is so much like the SInners but there is so much more to them that I enjoy! I loved the interaction that Reagan had with Ethan and Trey but this was more about them. Trey is my favorite and both books and I love him being in both worlds. I need Trey to find his HEA and this book has given me a little closure. I want so much for this one character and my heart bled for him.

The trials that each of them had to face and the twists and turns made you second guess yourself. Just when you wanted to blame one person you dived more into the story and just couldn't point the finger. Just when you though you knew something else popped up. I wanted more information between Brian and Trey. I am missing something that is not in the book and for the live of me I can't figure it out. The love these two have for each other is pure but something is there.

I want to tell the entire story so this is a must read!!

I can't wait to continue down this path of Exodus End's journey and read more about the other band-mates!!

I don’t think I’ll ever get enough of Reagan, Ethan or Trey. I hope the rest of the series will be as good as Outsider. In the second book in the Exodus End series we find all three characters dealing with the trials and tribulations of their polyamorous relationship. Each one of them deals with the relationship differently. I fell in love with Gwen Mills and found myself wishing more children had a parent like her. There would definitely be more love and understanding in the world. I am looking forward to not only Steve’s upcoming story but getting to know the rest of the guys. Now I’m left hoping that we will see more of the Elliot/Conner/Mills gang!!

Eh I had to give up on this title. I'm not sure if it was a timing thing of what as I always loved this series. I'll try t; open it back up at another time. Thank you for the chance to read and review it. Best wishes.

Damn! I forgot how freaking fantastic Trey, Reagan and Ethan were. Outsider proved just how much these 3 need to be together. It also demonstrated why I can't wait for Dare to get his book. I was giddy each time Dare showed up on the page. His love for his brother, his bandmates and his family make it very hard not to love him.

Bring on more Exodus Ends!