Kaetrin's Musings has moved

The brand spanking new Kaetrin's Musings is live.  A new platform, a new theme, same content. You will be automatically redirected in 10 seconds.

Newsletter subscribers and RSS feeds have been changed to the new site so you don't need to do anything.  But you might want to update your site bookmark.

Visit me at KaetrinsMusings.Com

Bye Bye Blogger.

Hello WordPress!

I'm Over at Dear Author...

with a review of Full Moon by Mari Carr.

See what I thought here.

Tea for Three by Anne Douglas

Why I read it:  This book was recommended to my by one of my Twitter friends when we were having a discussion about m/m/f menage stories, so I went and bought it.

What it's about: (from author's website)   Straight, gay or in between, turning thirty’s never easy.

Craig wonders just where his life is heading. His relationship with Jack is satisfying, to say the least. But deep down, he sometimes still craves the soft touches of a woman.

Something’s bugging Craig, and Jack knows it. Some sort of pre midlife crisis that he just can’t understand. The sex is hot and demanding. Their home life is comfortable without being too familiar. But he just can’t help feeling he might be about to lose the love of his life.

Then they meet lovely, loyal and slightly broken Wren Browne. It doesn’t take long to realize, they might have just have found the solution to both of their problems.

Love isn’t tidy or simple; it doesn’t come packaged in neat little boxes. And sometimes you have to set the table with tea for three.

What worked for me (and what didn't): If there are two men and one woman in a romance, my personal preference is that it is an m/m/f rather than an m/f/m story.  I have enjoyed m/f/m stories but I think they work better where there is a sexual connection between all three parties - it has something to do with my sense of equality I think.   When GrowlyCub said that she thought this book was one of the better examples of the genre, I couldn't resist.  I didn't end up liking it as much as she did, but I did enjoy it.

July Round Up

On Paper/eBook

Mad About the Boys by JL Merrow and Jo Myles - B  This anthology is a collection of 1 new and 4 previously published short stories featuring m/m/f romance (which is my favourite kind of menage story).   

Dinner for Three (Merrow) is a wonderful start to the anthology, a contemporary about two happily coupled guys who are interested in expanding their relationship to include their oblivious housemate Claire - I could happily have read a full length novel about this trio.  Because of the very short word count, the characterisations are necessarily very thin and the story doesn't take us beyond one day of encounters.  What there was however was so very engaging, I was sad when the story ended - I really wanted more.
   
In the Greenwood (Myles) is a paranormal fairy tale of a wood sprite who brings two men together and then manages to become real - again, this story suffered a bit from the short length but it's fairy tale quality meant that a certain air of unreality was to be expected and made the story work better than it would have otherwise.

The Antithesis of Magic (Merrow) is about a man with no magic in a world full of magic users, who finds he is the perfect third for a fairy and a werewolf who need him.  I wasn't clear exactly on why Gus was needed and there wasn't really any relationship between the three so it was the least satisfying in terms of romance.  If it had been expanded to a longer story so I could see a courtship/developing relationship, I would have enjoyed this much more because the set up and the tone of the story was great.   

Changeling (Merrow) Another fairy tale type story, this was a lot more successful for me.  The connection between Meg and Adam/Thistledown was apparent and, I felt the characters were more developed. Certain character-types were representative/short cuts, but this works in a fairy tale so that's not a criticism - rather a clever use of the style.    

Kiss Mark Two (Myles) This contemporary story was a delight and, in my opinion, the best of the book.  Like my other favourite, Dinner for Three, it is a contemporary, but this time it is an m/f couple who hook up with his best friend.  Like the first story in the anthology, I could happily have read a whole novel about them, but the story did feel remarkably complete for all of the short word count.  I enjoyed the tone and the characters very much. I think I'd quite like a friend like Ruby.

All in all, the anthology was a lot of fun and perfect for when you're time poor or perhaps having trouble deciding what to read next.

BUY IT:

AMAZON       KOBO