In the glittering world of high-end cocktail bars, jaded bartender Mel’s belief in love is as shaken as her own romantic life. But when the charmingly quirky couple, Bebe and Kade, stroll into Terror & Virtue, everything changes. Bebe, happily in an open marriage, invites Mel on a date, igniting a whirlwind romance. As Mel dives into a world of grand gestures and steamy adventures, she finds herself drawn not only to Bebe, but also to Kade. With newfound self-confidence, Mel pursues her dreams of owning a bar and discovers that love might be more expansive than she ever imagined.
Polyamorous romance in traditional publishing? You know I had to get my hands on that!
Alexander has a talent for showing how connections grow over time between characters. I really felt like I was watching Kade, Bebe, and Mel grow closer together and understand each other in a way you just don’t do in the beginning when attraction or intrigue is all you can go off. Whenever I read a story where an established couple adds a third, I’m worried about the power and emotional dynamics, but not to worry, everything is well balanced and altogether wholesome here. What I will say is that I wanted a bit more cheekiness from the romance overall. The dates the three had were fun and cute and I could have done with more of them. Their relationship progression and communication was just so healthy and still kept me wanting more. Not necessarily drama, but more time spent with all three of them. I was so invested in Mel believing in love and the good of a romantic relationship again and could have spent even longer with her.
A small caveat for me was how Mel, Bebe, and Kade were acting with other people. A lot of the interactions of the characters, for example between Mel and people at work making her life troublesome—just felt very black and white to me. There was always a right way to go about it and a wrong way, and at times I felt like this book more so explained how to be a “good” queer person or a “good” ally or how to respect someone’s pronouns rather than show me just that. The same goes for everyone being very polite when something was wrong and then them apologising and everything going back to normal. There was potential for conflict and growth here but it always got capped at that small interaction, which then left me wondering what it meant to do to advance the story. I think it was meant to be subtler than for example telling two dudes that having feelings doesn’t mean they’re not manly etc. but it just always took me out of the story for a moment there.
Nevertheless, what Alexander excels at and what’s also super present in this book is normalised, casual queerness. There isn’t this need to come out because all characters are established and firm in their queer identity and to me, that is such a wonderful thing to read. I love and will always advocate coming out stories but it’s also wonderful to see—especially in adult romance—how queer people can find love even after having faced a hard divorce or people who are happy in their marriage exploring what could add even more joy and contentment to their lives.
Following a queer divorced bartender who learns to find love again—with a married couple—Triple Sec is a sweet romcom filled with queer joy and down-to-earth characters that is sure to make you crave a tasty cocktail…or three.
Tripe Sec is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of June 4th 2024.
Will you be picking up Triple Sec? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
A jaded bartender is wooed by a charmingly quirky couple in this fresh and sizzling polyamorous rom-com, set in the glamorous world of high-end cocktail bars—from the acclaimed author of the “tender, decadent, and sparklingly funny” (Lana Harper, New York Times bestselling author) Chef’s Choice.
As a bartender at Terror & Virtue, a swanky New York City cocktail lounge known for its romantic atmosphere and Insta-worthy drinks, Mel has witnessed plenty of disastrous dates. That, coupled with her own romantic life being in shambles, has Mel convinced love doesn’t exist.
Everything changes when Bebe walks into the bar. She’s beautiful, funny, knows her whiskeys—and is happily married to her partner, Kade. Mel’s resigned to forget the whole thing, but Bebe makes her a unique offer: since she and Kade have an open marriage, she’s interested in taking Mel on a date.
What starts as a fun romp turns into a burgeoning relationship, and soon Mel is trying all sorts of things she’d been avoiding, from grand romantic gestures to steamy exploits. Mel even gets the self-confidence to enter a cocktail competition that would make her dream of opening her own bar a reality. In the chaotic whirl of all these new experiences, Mel realizes there might be a spark between her and Kade, too. As Bebe, Kade, and Mel explore their connections, Mel begins to think that real love might be more expansive than she ever thought possible.
With TJ Alexander’s signature “witty and insightful voice, complex characters, and full-throated celebration of the joy of queer community” (Ava Wilder, author of How to Fake It in Hollywood), Triple Sec is a passionate, thirst-quenching love story that will have you asking for another round…or three.
