Review: Emotionally intelligent erotica
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 18, 2013
Three: A Family Affair by Michelle Devon is the start of a series exploring a poly-amorous relationship between a woman and two brothers.  The novella is a contemporary romance with erotic content, but the relationship between the three main characters remains the center of the story.  Sex accentuates rather than overtakes the central themes of jealousy and insecurity, love and trust.The cover is tasteful and restrained, suggestive of sensuality, and an excellent representation of the story's contents.  As always, Farah Evers has done a beautiful job in creating attractive imagery that accurately ties into the themes of the story.  All of the THREE books have covers with a congruent appearance, which unites the entire series on a visual level.There are three key relationships--Joli and Brad are a happily married couple with an active and imaginative sex life. There's a fantastic bathtub mutual masturbation scene near the start of the story, which helps set the playful tone. Of course, as with any marriage, there is real life stress, some of it associated with the demands of Brad's job.Brad and Paul are brothers. The interaction between the brothers is close without being incestuous, and it is easy to see that the two depend on each other. Their strong bond is tested when it is revealed that Paul is in love with Joli, Brad's wife. The fallout causes a lot of angst and some funny moments, but eventually allows for growth within their relationship.Joli dated Paul prior to her marriage to Brad. The pair shared intimacy but for the last several years have been friends. Both are extremely loyal to Brad and wouldn't do anything to hurt him. It isn't until Paul reveals his secret feelings for Joli to his brother that the door is opened to change.The story contains light erotica scenes but as much or more attention is paid to the dynamic between the primary characters. Where another author might have reduced the complicated situation to a simple orgy, Michelle creates a highly charged and complicated emotional interaction between Brad, Paul and Joli. She provides intellectual insight into the main characters as human beings, creating gut wrenching angst, and leaving the reader caring about what will happen to them next.I'd definitely recommend Three: A family Affair for a reader seeking an interesting and emotionally intelligent erotica story about two men and one woman who are genuine individuals.I downloaded Three: A Family Affair from Amazon where it is available for free.