Reviewed by Donna

TITLE:Three’s Company

AUTHOR:N.R. Walker

PUBLISHER: Totally Bound

LENGTH:53,548 Words

BLURB: When looking for someone to help heal his broken heart, Wilson Curtis never dreamed he’d find two someones. Love isn’t always conventional.

After being publicly outed and his restaurant business in tatters, instead of vacationing with his lover, Wilson Curtis goes to Key West alone where he meets Simon and Adam. Fascinated by this couple, he strikes up conversation and is soon invited into their bed for some holiday fun.

But once isn’t enough, and the offer is extended for the remainder of his stay. As they get to know each other, in and out of the bedroom, sparks fly and ten days is all it takes to change their lives.

When it comes time for Wil to leave, with outside tensions closing in and time running out, tempers flare and emotions fray. Beneath the misunderstandings and lack of communication is the realisation these three men aren’t ready to say goodbye.

REVIEW:Before you read my review, I should probably share a few things with you. To begin with, I first read Three’s Company when it was previously released through a different publisher. I hadn’t been reading m/m long, I’d never heard of NR Walker and I’d definitely never read a ménage romance. In fact I went back to Amazon again and again to read the blurb, I’m sure I giggled and gasped (because it makes my story sound better) and eventually I found the balls to press that one click button and buy what was surely the kinkiest book I’d ever come across. Pfft, you should have seen me discover BDSM.

Anyhow, I devoured that book. I now readily, and with a satisfied smirk, blame NR Walker for my rabid obsession with reading ménage. Three’s Company instantly became one of my favorite stories to the extent that when it was removed from publication I sort of took it personally. I was pissed. From my reaction you would have thought I’d written the thing myself.

So, when I saw Three’s Company on Totally Bound’s list of books for review I cheered then hesitated. To review or not to review? Am I impartial enough when it comes to this story? Hell no. But I was. When I first read the book I truthfully didn’t expect to like it. I couldn’t imagine a romance between three people working for me, but I gave it a try anyway. And I surprised myself by rating it five stars.

Am I impartial enough when it comes to NR Walker? Probably not. Since discovering this book I’ve read pretty much everything she’s written, including some fanfic. She’s easily one of my favorite authors and definitely one of the nicest authors I’ve spoken to. But again, the first time I rated this book five stars I didn’t go into it as a crazy NR Walker fan girl.

And I figured, how could I not be the one to write this review? What if one of my fellow reviewers had a different opinion to me and a star or two went missing? I could end up like that crazy Brittney Spears guy crying into a camera to “leave Wil, Sy and Adam alone!” No one needs to see that.

Okay, so, having just unburdened myself all over you poor unsuspecting readers, are you all still with me? Without further ado (Sid or Dani can we discuss a drumroll?) this is my review for Three’s Company by the fantabulous NR Walker…

This wasn’t what it was suppose to be like. It wasn’t the vacation I’d planned, but when Rod told me he wouldn’t be coming with me, I had two choices. I could either stay in Dalton, Alabama, and face an entire town full of people who had their homophobic pitchforks at the ready, or I could come to Key West and take the vacation by myself. So that’s just what I did.

Wilson Curtis didn’t realize it at the time but being outed in his extremely homophobic hometown and subsequently dumped by his closeted boyfriend was the best thing that could have happened to him. Leaving his suddenly struggling restaurant (who’d want to eat gay man food?) in the hands of his best friend, he heads to Key West to enjoy the vacation he had intended to share with his ex. Wil’s wonder at the sight of two men being able to kiss and even just hold hands in public is freakin’ adorable. He is freakin’ adorable, and I’m not the only one to think so because he instantly draws the attention of gay couple, Simon and Adam, who work at the hotel where Wil is staying. Wide-eyednaïve Wil is soon getting a thorough lesson in gay relations. I was suddenly half-nakedbetween two men with their hands all over me. I didn’t see where he threw my shirt. I didn’t fucking care.

Simon Stanford and Adam Preston have been together for years and are very much in love but every now and then they’ll invite a third man into their bed for a night of fun. Which is all Wil is meant to be, one night of fun. However one night isn’t enough for any of them and they decide to spend as much time together as possible in the ten days Wil has left at the hotel. While Wil can’t get enough of his two lovers he’s very conscious of the fact the other men are a couple and he keeps worrying that he’s going to come between them. At the start he has a little trouble wrapping his head around the concept of three people being together. “And is love only for two people?” he retorted. I thought about that for a moment. Despite the preconceived idea of what a relationship is- or should be- I could see just how happy three people could be. “No, I guess it’s not.” Simon smiled. “The only rules in love are the rules we set for ourselves.”

This story is told exclusively from Wil’s point of view. Usually when that’s the case with a book I feel a stronger connection with that one character than with any of the others but that wasn’t the case with Three’s Company. And I think that’s because Wil’s thoughts are so often focused on Simon and Adam. I feel as though I know the two of them just as well as I get to know Wil. Actually one of the things I like best about this book is the fact that I can’t choose a favorite character from the three. Or a least favorite, for that matter. Obviously every reader has different opinions but for me, the measure of a well-done ménage story is whether or not I could easily pluck out one of the characters and enjoy the book just as much with a couple rather than a trio. There’s no possible way I could choose between the men in this story. This time Adam climbed up and sat in the middle, and Simon walked around to the side near the window while I stood at the door. Adam looked at me and smiled like he always did as he patted the bed beside him. “Your side,” he said. I climbed up beside him and tried not to grin. Simon was now sitting on his side. They were both smiling at me. I burst out laughing. The happiness just bubbled out. Adam laughed and Simon shook his head, but we all lay down, snuggled into each other, each of us touching the others, and fell asleep.

As you may have assumed, three young men in one relationship equals a hell of a lot of sex. However, at no point does it take over the book. Although they have a lot of sex, especially in the first half of the book, most of it is off page and what is described is kept fairly brief. And that’s not a complaint. As a rule I’m not a fan of stories that are taken up with too much sex. What we’re given is hot but doesn’t require pages of detail to get the point across.

This book is all about the sweetness and the happy feels and the three men just being ridiculously in love. No insta-love but definitely instantly loving, if that makes sense. Simon pulled his mouth from Adam’s, only to press his lips to mine. His kiss was lazy and languid, soft and sweet. And then Adam joined in. The three of us kissed. This is one of my favorite books to reread when I’m feeling down because the way these three men feel for each other can leave me with nothing other than a sappy smile. This is classic NR Walker writing in my opinion. Very low to no angst and characters so damn lovable you want to squeeze them till they pop. Yes, she writes brilliant angst too, but sometimes you just don’t feel like crying.

But of course, it can’t all be smooth sailing, and eventually the ten days they have together are all gone. “I’m asking you not to leave,” he cut me off. “I’m asking you to stay, Wil. Don’t go back to Alabama.”

Well obviously I can’t tell you how the rest goes. You’ll have to read it and discover those delicious, cuddly, awww moments all for yourselves. The book is due for early download release through Totally Bound on the 21^st of March, which also happens to be NR Walker’s birthday, so if you’re a fan maybe pop over to her Face Book page and show her some love. General release through all other sites will be the 18^th of April. And who wants to wait that long?

RATING:

BUY LINKS: Totally Bound