Reviewed by Sadonna

TITLE:  Extra Whip

SERIES:  Bold Brew

AUTHOR:  LA Witt

NARRATOR:  Michael Ferraiuolo

PUBLISHER:   Self-published

LENGTH:  13 hours and 36 minute

RELEASE DATE:  August 3, 2021

BLURB:

Will and Aaron Taylor have a perfectly imperfect marriage. For 20 years, even when their desires haven’t quite matched, they’ve always found ways to adapt…until now. When Aaron’s needs push past his Dom’s limits, their best hope for compromise is finding a unicorn — a third person who checks both men’s boxes.

After his estranged father wills him a house he doesn’t want in a town he doesn’t know, Kelly Griffith is itching to find his place in this unfamiliar new world. When he finds an ad from a couple looking for a sub like him, he jumps at the opportunity. A chance to be what someone needs and wants instead of being a perpetual disappointment? Yes, please.

The chemistry sizzles from the get-go. Will and Aaron insist they don’t want to be poly, and Kelly doesn’t want to be anyone’s third wheel, but playing together? Any time, any place. All they have to do is keep emotions from joining the party as the trust and intimacy deepen between them.

But by the time they realize they’re in over their heads, hitting the brakes is no longer as simple as using a safe word.

Extra Whip is a Venti-sized (140,000-word) stand-alone novel in the Bold Brew shared universe centered around an inclusive coffee shop set in a fictional small city. Each steaming hot coffee shop romance can be enjoyed alone, but collect all 10 for the most fun! This ménage romance contains a happily married couple in their 40s, a sassy 30-something submissive, lots of fluffy steam, and a guaranteed happy ending!

REVIEW:

Will and Aaron Taylor are a happily married couple.  Aaron’s job as a criminal defense attorney is at times grueling and taxing.  Will’s job as a graphic artist with his own business and teaching art at the local college keep him busy.  he’s got ADHD that his husband is good at helping him manage.  He’s a good Dom to his sub husband as well.  But Aaron is also a masochist and he needs more pain that his husband is willing to give.  But another Dom doesn’t work with their dynamic.  So the hope to find another sub that is a sadist and would be able to give Aaron what he needs but not impact the D/s dynamic.

Kelly Griffith has returned to his home town because his father died suddenly and he has inherited the family home.  This home wasn’t a particular happy place for him.  His mother walked out on her family when he was younger and his father was more into molding his children into what he wanted them to be than what they were happy with.  Kelly is 32 and he does not know what he wants to do with his life, but he definitely knew what didn’t want to do – and that resulted in an estrangement from his overachieving siblings and his disappointed father.  To say that the whole family situation is awkward is an understatement.

Kelly sees and ad in the kink board looking for a sadist sub and he answers it.  He’s been at loose ends and he’s like to meet people.  When he meets Will and Aaron he’s immediately intrigued.  They make it clear that they aren’t poly and that they would like someone to play with them from time to time who could fulfill Aaron’s needs.  They all get along well and agree to try things out.

The first encounter doesn’t go as expected.  But everyone is honest and agrees that it was situational and not something that anybody did.  Kelly is relieved as he has a tendency to blame himself – after all he’s been told forever that he’s the f*ckup of the family.  He’s not treated well by anyone in his family and has truly been on his own.  He begins to spend more time with Will and Aaron and they become friends with quite the benefits 🙂  But are they getting too close?

Friends and colleagues begin to notice that things have moved beyond casual with Kelly.  Will and Aaron are a bit in denial, but they both have come to have feelings for Kelly.  In the meantime, Kelly is dealing with a lot of self-doubt and family drama with his siblings.  Will is instrumental in helping him to move on with his life and realize that he doesn’t owe these people anything.  But will these feelings that are developing between the three men derail a marriage?  End friendships?  What can and should they do when the dynamic and course of the intention of their relationship changes?

Ooooo this story had so much!  Kelly has a lot of issues thanks to his kind of crap family.  He has never felt supported and loved by them and I certainly saw no evidence in this story.  People do a lot of not nice things when dealing with a sudden death, but honestly I was glad that Kelly did not let his family bully him in the end.  Will and Aaron are great together, but they know they can be even better.  They really love having Kelly in their lives, but they each worry about the impact on their marriage.  Will somebody be left on the outside looking in?  For Kelly’s part, when will he be thrown away like yesterday’s garbage by this established couple?  I thought all of these questions and more were handled well and sensitively in this book.  The sex is hot, but the cuddling was just as hot.  I was so happy that these three were able to work through their misgivings and insecurities to figure out that there was a way forward.  Recommended!

Once again, Michael Ferraiuolo’s narration elevates what is a good and engaging story into something that is even better.  Kelly, Aaron and Will are all struggling with different aspects of this new relationship and what it means.  They each have insecurities and baggage that make them vulnerable and negotiating this new dynamic is not easy.  I  loved how Michael’s narration of each character reveals the different sides of this relationship and pulled me in to how their feelings were developing over the course of the story.  Outstanding!

RATING:

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