Review: Some hot stuff.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 06 6, 2011
Stars: 4.5/5OverallTriads tend to be very good or very bad, as it's difficult enough to balance out one relationship, and adding another person just complicates things further. Raines impressed me by pulling together a very good threesome both in and out of bed, taking three different character types and exploring the challenges of their relationship all together and in pairs. The writing was steady, the story development was strong, and the characters were enjoyable. A pleasurable read that I look forward to re-visiting in the future.StrengthsHandling of BDSM topics. Raines' approach to telling the reader about, and having the characters learn about, BDSM was unique and I enjoyed it. We see the scene from a Dom's perspective, then we see it from someone who knows nothing and is informed by someone outside the relationship about it while learning about himself. Also, while understanding the lifestyle is important, the author also takes the time to make little jokes between characters that lighten the mood at just the right moment. The scenes felt good and everyone was happy with their level of involvement, which helped the dynamic.Handling of threesome. Raines handled the complexities of a threesome admirably by recognizing the difficulties both internally and externally (although the latter is only mentioned in passing). The spark that initially brings the three together burns through out the book, even as the characters go their separate ways. The emotional ramifications of being in a triad (jealousy, favoritism, 'there first' attitude, and being replaced) are all addressed and looked at seriously, getting to the important elements that make this particular relationship work.Characters/development. I think I fell in love with these characters almost immediately. They are all good men who have minor faults (most of which includes being embarrassed about something and lack of communication), and by the end of the second or third chapter I wanted them happy (and preferably in a big pile of naked...which is related to them being happy). While some of the head skipping was confusing (it may be my copy, but there was no indication sometimes when we went from Philip's head to Cameron's, etc), it wasn't confusing enough to disrupt the flow of story. Fun characters to spend the afternoon with.WeaknessesFinancial believability. There was a bit too much money floating around at times, which worked for the plot, but left me wondering where it came from. Philip obviously came from/had loads of money, but Mark and Cameron weren't in high-paying jobs (necessarily), and at one point they seemed to get a week's vacation without much notice, unless I missed a time skip. This is a minor snit, but too many stories depend on magic money that it feels necessary to mention. However, it doesn't distract from the overall story and the issue only arises once.