Reviewed by Jen
TITLE: It Takes Three to Tango
AUTHOR: Jem Wendel
PUBLISHER: Self published
LENGTH: 342 pages
RELEASE DATE: December 15, 2024
BLURB:
They say it takes two to tango, but for us, three is the magic number.
When I was sent to Barcelona to be with my ageing aunt, I wasn’t thinking about love and romance, let alone falling in love with two men. But I never imagined men like Rafe and Constantin existed. Older Constantin with his quiet, intense demeanour and voice that entraps me, and Rafe whose sweet expansiveness hits me harder and quicker than I ever thought possible. When Constantin’s bar needs repairing, we realise my life and Rafe’s betrayed, wounded heart also need some tender love and care. It’s then I start believing the only way we can fix all of it is together . . . the three of us.
Three men from different countries, shaped by different experiences, and with varying visions of life are brought together by the need for companionship. Set against the backdrop of Gaudi’s city, It Takes Three To Tango is the story of three men who discover each other and learn the meaning of life and love. Add in an indomitable ageing star, tango dancing, Spanish lessons, and a dash of silk, and it’s going to be the journey of a lifetime.
REVIEW:
This story takes place in Barcelona when three men are drawn together, each a different piece of a puzzle that only works when all pieces are present. Florencio is the one taking care of his aging aunt, at the orders of his father. Once there, he realizes his aunt is someone special who has been missing from his life and that, as the pawn of his father for many years, he has been tasked with a not so honorable task of securing his aunt’s inheritance for his father.
Constantin is a widower who runs a Tango bar (honoring the dream of his deceased husband and love of his life). This is where he meets Rafe, a young English author drowning his sorrows while away on his solo honeymoon after being jilted by his ex-fiance. Rafe and Florencio meet and hit is off as well. It takes some doing, but the three forge a friendship and Constantin and Florencio both sort of have their sights set on the up-til-now straight Rafe. They eventually decide they are like the Three Musketeers, all for one and one for all. They hit a few snags along the way, but they work through them and find a way to make things work.
This was a sweet story, but it felt a little long to me. Perhaps it was the slow burn feeling really slow, but it took me a bit to get through it. I enjoyed the interactions with Florencio’s aunt and learning about her Hollywood past, but I was really eager to find out how everything played out with the distribution of the Will. It pretty much goes how you would guess, but everything is wrapped up pretty nicely and the epilogues are a nice touch to show how things end up a bit farther down the road.
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