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Review

“Complicated love stories are the best kind.”

5 stars

Wow, what a fantastic read!

So many of my friends have read and loved this book, and I’ve been so excited to get to it. I admit, I’m always intrigued by the dynamic in a ménage relationship, and I’ve read more than one book with this set up. This one is hands down, the best. But it’s so much more than an erotic romance. It’s a wonderfully written story with well-developed characters and absolutely sensational writing! It totally took me by surprise, and I loved it.

The book is written in the POV of the three main characters. Each very unique but equally and instantly endearing.

Jane Chapman is a feisty, independent, can-do girl. She’s had a rough upbringing and a mostly lonely life, but she’s working hard to make a better life for herself. When her foster brother lands her in trouble at the strip club she’s managing, she walks away and takes on a job as a maid, cleaning houses for the ridiculously rich.

Maxwell is ridiculously rich. He’s a semi-celebrity, working as a news anchor and from an affluent family – his father is a retired senator, and his mother is aiming for the White House. All his life he has been expected to confirm to their expectations of him, which is why he hides his bisexuality and his relationship with Wesley.

Wesley is a well-respected chef. Effortlessly charming, he is a lot more easy going than his partner, and despite the fact that they love each other deeply, he is content to keep their four year relationship a secret in order to keep the peace in both of their lives.

When Jane accidentally sees the two men getting hot and steamy, she’s intrigued and all kinds of turned on. Turns out they feel the same about her, and that’s when things get really interesting.

“You can’t like two people equally,” she whispered as I leaned into her.
“Watch me.”

This isn’t one of those books where the characters are all so overcome with lust that they fall into bed with each other – this is an actual relationship, and the progression of things between the three of them is talked about before anything even happens. There are a lot of different dynamics in play, and I loved how that was explored.

“I think she just might like you more than she likes me.”
…”If she likes me, she has to like you, because you’re part of me.”

“I’m in love with a man who can’t be honest with his family or anyone in his life outside of this penthouse. I desire a woman I barely know but crave more than I can understand. On top of that, the man I love wants her too, and it makes me want her more, if possible. How is any of this practical?”

“Some people have resting bitch face.  I have what Wes calls ‘resting asshole personality’.  For him, people just melt in his hands.  It is goddamn annoying because even I do it.  He is the people person and I’m the Grinch.”
“Um…”
“What I’m saying is … He likes you.  I like you.  I don’t know how to open up to people like he does, and so…so…don’t go falling just for him.  Okay?”

I cannot express how much I love these characters! Of course the boys are amazing – seemingly cold and uptight Max and sweet and cheeky Wes, the boys have hidden sides which are revealed when they get intimate, and I loved seeing the other sides of them unleashed. They are both total alphas, but they are also sweet, tender and protective with their own their vulnerabilities and I loved that we got to see all of the different facets of them.

And Jane is a total smartass. It’s not often that I love a heroine as much as I do the hero(es), but in this case I did. She’s a perfect match for the boys, bold and brave, yet still vulnerable, eager to explore and willing to risk her heart, and I thought she was absolutely sensational!

“You both are attracted to me,” she said boldly. “I’m attracted to the both of you. Now I thought I could run away from you both but that failed. Then I thought I’d just be a friend, but now that I’ve seen and touched you both, it wouldn’t be enough. So I’ve decided to make you my lovers. This could end horribly, horribly wrong, but until then I’m going to have the best goddamn sex of my life. Don’t hold back, and cheers.” She clinked her glass against ours.
God have mercy.

The sex, of course, is hot and heavy, but there’s not as much of it as I thought there would be. It doesn’t overpower the story, and does a great job at showing the personality of the characters and the amazing connection between them all.

I wasn’t a good girl.
I wasn’t a bad girl.
I was their girl.

And that connection is so much more than sex. There is a true emotional bond between them. There’s no jealousy or any hint of cheating, it’s a true partnership that is shared between them and it develops beautifully.

“I’m in love with her and I’m in love with Maxwell. I don’t know if it’s equal. How do you measure how much you love someone? If they were both hanging off a cliff and I could only choose one, I’d join them on the cliff and hope we could go together. I can’t divide myself from them.”

I loved every moment of this book! Of course seeing the three of them trying to make a relationship work was fantastic, but I loved the build-up and anticipation, and even before that, just getting to know the characters. I was honestly captivated from the very beginning, and there wasn’t one part of this book that I didn’t enjoy.

There is a bit of a political side story outside of the relationship that is nicely woven into the story, and the book builds to its inevitable climax that comes with a whole lot of drama. The ending is a cliffhanger, but it’s the perfect end point to leave us desperately hanging for more. I can’t wait for The Anatomy of Us to be released later this year.

Absolutely fantastic read! I loved it – 5 stars.

An Advanced Review copy was generously provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

 

The WJM Duet