What do you think?
Rate this book
Beauty In The Ink #1
Twisted Ink
Being a romance writer means drawing inspiration from many things, and when I met Dallin, I knew I had the perfect muse.
He was everything women read about— tall, tattooed, and irresistibly delicious. Oh, did I mention successful too? He swept me off my feet and right into his bedroom where he awakened things in me, I had only ever wrote about.
He was the bad boy who rode a motorcycle, I was the good girl next door, yet together we were perfect.
Or so I thought.
When he invites his childhood best friends, Trey, and Parker, to stay with us, I realize right away there is more than meets the eye to their lifelong relationship.
Dallin wants to share me. Amongst all three of them.
But there’s more than that, because it turns out they like to share each other too.
He was everything women read about— tall, tattooed, and irresistibly delicious. Oh, did I mention successful too? He swept me off my feet and right into his bedroom where he awakened things in me, I had only ever wrote about.
He was the bad boy who rode a motorcycle, I was the good girl next door, yet together we were perfect.
Or so I thought.
When he invites his childhood best friends, Trey, and Parker, to stay with us, I realize right away there is more than meets the eye to their lifelong relationship.
Dallin wants to share me. Amongst all three of them.
But there’s more than that, because it turns out they like to share each other too.
352 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 16, 2023
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 866 reviews
November 16, 2023
This was just a bunch of smut and four people who don’t need to be in a poly relationship together. But at least I was very entertained.
November 3, 2023
I didn’t rate this low because it was poorly written. I rated this poorly only because I am not the target audience.
BDSM, dubcon, primal play, none of that float my boat and while that is not the fault of the author it effected my rating.
The MMMF I was here for, the emotions, the angst, yes please.
The manipulation to get her into a poly relationship? Didn’t like that. The lies by omission which negates how dedicated he claims to be to her, the fact that he chose his ex over her the first time the shit hits the fan even though he said he would always choose her, the fact that she gets yelled at and punished for setting a boundary and defending it, didn’t like any of that.
It’s not a bad story, the character’s personalities were stated and followed so you saw the drama coming but it didn’t keep me from getting frustrated.
BDSM, dubcon, primal play, none of that float my boat and while that is not the fault of the author it effected my rating.
The MMMF I was here for, the emotions, the angst, yes please.
The manipulation to get her into a poly relationship? Didn’t like that. The lies by omission which negates how dedicated he claims to be to her, the fact that he chose his ex over her the first time the shit hits the fan even though he said he would always choose her, the fact that she gets yelled at and punished for setting a boundary and defending it, didn’t like any of that.
It’s not a bad story, the character’s personalities were stated and followed so you saw the drama coming but it didn’t keep me from getting frustrated.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 29, 2024
Smut smut and only smut 🤭
September 18, 2023
I was looking forward to this. But extremely disappointed. Trey needs to get out of the pic, so immature, and annoying af. Bailey Dunn is the best, so I feel like this one can’t even come close.
May 14, 2024
DNF at 77%. Trey is a toxic POS and not in any kind of redeemable way. D brings his lovers into their home under false pretenses and makes Reyna two promises: it’s him & her forever, and Trey isn’t allowed to treat her poorly. Well surprise, surprise—all Trey does is treat her poorly and then Dallin chooses Trey over Reyna when Try has YET ANOTHER shit fit. Then when they finally decide to come home, does he see Reyna first? Nope. He’s gotta go fuck Parker first. D never wanted Reyna. He was just sick of moving around and then moved her in with him and finally called his boys when he got bored of Rey. But instead of breaking things off, he drags her into this toxic af mess and then lets her be treated badly and tells her it’s her fault. Gross. This book is so infuriating
Edit: Forced myself to finish because I hate DNFing a book. The rest still stands. Reyna deserves better. This why choose is more like “why would anyone ever choose Dallin or Trey???”
Edit: Forced myself to finish because I hate DNFing a book. The rest still stands. Reyna deserves better. This why choose is more like “why would anyone ever choose Dallin or Trey???”
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 6, 2024
This is a Wattpad fever dream. This will take you back to long nights under the covers reading After (Anna Todd) until you felt a brain bleed coming on. This is just smut and 4 people trying to be polyamorous that shouldn’t be poly in the first place. This is the equivalent of what 50 Shades of Gray did for the BDSM Community and it was nothing good. I want to be able to write a full review but I can only write one up to 50% of the book so here it is.
First the names, maybe I’m more of a judgmental bitch that I thought but in my option they’re all stereotypical names for the “biker, bad boy, tattoo artist” trope we have going on here. I hate the choice of names, for ALL parties involved. Secondly, the “oh so innocent” thing Reyna is doing irks me. I hate when authors write a smutty book and the female character is ABSOLUTELY OBLIVIOUS about all things sexual. But my main issue with this whole book is how this portrays a “healthy” relationship when the whole situation is beyond twisted. He called his not ex, ex boyfriends and invited them into his new relationship with a WOMAN and basically peer pressured her into fucking all three of them. The “he might not want her now but he WILL” mindset he has for Trey is again, just extremely toxic.
Lies by omission, manipulation, and toxic relationship would all be added to the trigger warning list. The writing was not bad, that is not why i rated this so low. It was the plot and the energy of all of the characters. Dallin lies and manipulates them all so much. Nobody really seems to have a choice in the matter because what Dallin wants, Dallin gets. The whole time you can tell that he would choose Parker and Trey over her in a heartbeat, AFTER telling her she was it for him.
I think Polyamory is one of those topics you should not really write about unless you have done research and asked all the right questions. Like I said, I read the first half of the book and that is where I decided I have had enough. Do I think the book is inherently BAD? No. Does the book have to be pretty fucking bad for me to not even finish? Yes.
I think the characters were poorly built, I think the plot is weird, and I think this book has almost no potential. I think the book could have been better if there was actual sustenance, but there isn’t and because of that, 1 star.
This book is legitimate brain rot.
First the names, maybe I’m more of a judgmental bitch that I thought but in my option they’re all stereotypical names for the “biker, bad boy, tattoo artist” trope we have going on here. I hate the choice of names, for ALL parties involved. Secondly, the “oh so innocent” thing Reyna is doing irks me. I hate when authors write a smutty book and the female character is ABSOLUTELY OBLIVIOUS about all things sexual. But my main issue with this whole book is how this portrays a “healthy” relationship when the whole situation is beyond twisted. He called his not ex, ex boyfriends and invited them into his new relationship with a WOMAN and basically peer pressured her into fucking all three of them. The “he might not want her now but he WILL” mindset he has for Trey is again, just extremely toxic.
Lies by omission, manipulation, and toxic relationship would all be added to the trigger warning list. The writing was not bad, that is not why i rated this so low. It was the plot and the energy of all of the characters. Dallin lies and manipulates them all so much. Nobody really seems to have a choice in the matter because what Dallin wants, Dallin gets. The whole time you can tell that he would choose Parker and Trey over her in a heartbeat, AFTER telling her she was it for him.
I think Polyamory is one of those topics you should not really write about unless you have done research and asked all the right questions. Like I said, I read the first half of the book and that is where I decided I have had enough. Do I think the book is inherently BAD? No. Does the book have to be pretty fucking bad for me to not even finish? Yes.
I think the characters were poorly built, I think the plot is weird, and I think this book has almost no potential. I think the book could have been better if there was actual sustenance, but there isn’t and because of that, 1 star.
This book is legitimate brain rot.
September 19, 2023
I was totally on board with this book and along for the ride through the first like 70% of it even with the many editing issues. However, at that point the characters pulled some ridiculously frustrating moves that were blatantly against what they had continuously been spelled out to act like and then there was no talking about or resolution for it all it just became an orgy and the story was forgotten. Super disappointing.
March 7, 2024
The spice was definitely the best part about this book. The main guy wanted his cake and eat it too. He told the girl “he would never” and went and did exactly what he said he wouldn’t do. I don’t like the way Dallin treated the girl at all, very one way and all for himself. She should of left with Parker and left Dallin with Trey like he wanted to be anyway.
March 12, 2024
Holy mother of ⚔️⚔️⚔️!! If you're looking for smut just for the sake of smut this is the book for you. It goes from 0-100 in the first few pages and doesn't stop.
April 4, 2024
Welllllll this was definitely something! Trey absolutely ruined this book for me, that man child drove me crazy. & this book is straight up just p0rn, which go off. I’m always down for that but not 400 pages of it, ya know?
May 25, 2024
4.5
Never thought i could say this, but there is such a thing as too much sex scenes.
Never thought i could say this, but there is such a thing as too much sex scenes.
March 29, 2024
Smutty
I dnf'd ar 79%. It just wasn't for me. All smut not even a little plot. The spice was through roof for sure but some of it felt a bit anatomically exaggerated to a point of not really hitting the mark. Reyna went from being called "vanilla" repeatedly in chapter 1 to level 100 in mere paragraphs. It just didn't seem to fit right for me. There was also a lot of smirking. Everyone smirked about everything all the time. Surely there was another facial expression they could have made? Often it didn't make sense for them to smirk and it got a bit annoying. Led to skimming on several occasions. Plenty of spicy steam for all the smut only ladies though. It'll hit that mark for sure. 18+
I dnf'd ar 79%. It just wasn't for me. All smut not even a little plot. The spice was through roof for sure but some of it felt a bit anatomically exaggerated to a point of not really hitting the mark. Reyna went from being called "vanilla" repeatedly in chapter 1 to level 100 in mere paragraphs. It just didn't seem to fit right for me. There was also a lot of smirking. Everyone smirked about everything all the time. Surely there was another facial expression they could have made? Often it didn't make sense for them to smirk and it got a bit annoying. Led to skimming on several occasions. Plenty of spicy steam for all the smut only ladies though. It'll hit that mark for sure. 18+
May 22, 2024
Spicy!!!! I’ve read a couple of RH, but this one takes the cake! Most reviews that I’ve read seem to complain about Trey, but I loved seeing him evolve and open up throughout this story. Dallin is the ideal mate, and Parker is the romantic. How could you possibly say no to loving all three of these men?!
June 12, 2024
3.5 ⭐️ rounded down
i wish there was more story line rather than just straight 🌽
i wish there was more story line rather than just straight 🌽
January 12, 2025
Holy mother of god 🥵
All smut, no plot. Devoured every single page in under 4 hours.
All smut, no plot. Devoured every single page in under 4 hours.
April 8, 2024
I wanted to like this more.
I truly wanted to love this. I’ve seen so many good things about it but there was just so much that frustrated me into not wanting to read it. I struggled to get through with this one, but I will admit the ending was a bit better than I expected.
Dallin frustrated my soul. He broke a promise to Reyna and she was actually really hurt by that and NOTHING was ever spoken about it to him. They kinda just used sex as a fix all and I’m glad that worked for them but that entire situation really had me fuming. Also the fact she got punished or blamed for wanting reassurance from Trey, needing to know she at least meant something to him. I’m glad in the end he held himself accountable but like she was still told that she was to blame and I just scoffed that.
It felt like Dallin wanted to be with Parker and Trey more than anything and I could be reading that wrong but that’s just what it felt like to me. She was just there for him. Which frustrated me. I get she wanted to please her boyfriend but I definitely think he took advantage of that. I’m not saying she didn’t enjoy it all but he definitely knew she would just go with whatever he wanted and never really took her feelings into consideration. There wasn’t plot at all really, just smut. If you like plot with your smut this is not the book for you.
I truly wanted to love this. I’ve seen so many good things about it but there was just so much that frustrated me into not wanting to read it. I struggled to get through with this one, but I will admit the ending was a bit better than I expected.
Dallin frustrated my soul. He broke a promise to Reyna and she was actually really hurt by that and NOTHING was ever spoken about it to him. They kinda just used sex as a fix all and I’m glad that worked for them but that entire situation really had me fuming. Also the fact she got punished or blamed for wanting reassurance from Trey, needing to know she at least meant something to him. I’m glad in the end he held himself accountable but like she was still told that she was to blame and I just scoffed that.
It felt like Dallin wanted to be with Parker and Trey more than anything and I could be reading that wrong but that’s just what it felt like to me. She was just there for him. Which frustrated me. I get she wanted to please her boyfriend but I definitely think he took advantage of that. I’m not saying she didn’t enjoy it all but he definitely knew she would just go with whatever he wanted and never really took her feelings into consideration. There wasn’t plot at all really, just smut. If you like plot with your smut this is not the book for you.
June 29, 2024
DNF @29%
I usually like RHs even with the MMCs loving each other but I can't get pass how messy the characterization are.
The heroine was actually interesting but as the story progress it's all just full cringe with her sex-crazed comments. The premise was like she was a good girl this and that but suddenly she so open to everything thrown at her with no build up.
Dallin is so eugh idk he is just kinda red flag that I can't seem to like despite me usually being a pole. I feel like he is just using Reyna at this point, I don't see the part where he "will always choose Reyna" and put her as his priority.
Parker character is the one that I can't seem understand and Trey? Well I DNF before I can see anything past his grumpy cold broken self (I'm sorry but he is kind of childish at some point)
The chemistry were just not there, it felt empty and just full of lust with no actual romance building between any of the MMCs with FMC
I usually like RHs even with the MMCs loving each other but I can't get pass how messy the characterization are.
The heroine was actually interesting but as the story progress it's all just full cringe with her sex-crazed comments. The premise was like she was a good girl this and that but suddenly she so open to everything thrown at her with no build up.
Dallin is so eugh idk he is just kinda red flag that I can't seem to like despite me usually being a pole. I feel like he is just using Reyna at this point, I don't see the part where he "will always choose Reyna" and put her as his priority.
Parker character is the one that I can't seem understand and Trey? Well I DNF before I can see anything past his grumpy cold broken self (I'm sorry but he is kind of childish at some point)
The chemistry were just not there, it felt empty and just full of lust with no actual romance building between any of the MMCs with FMC
May 14, 2024
(the rating is VERY generous.)
I too would like three boyfriends who are also boyfriends.
I too would like three boyfriends who are also boyfriends.
June 3, 2024
i’m so upset i finished this book. i could’ve read this forever. there is absolutely no plot 🙂
October 24, 2024
HOLY. MOTHER. OF GOD. I.. I just.. my brain is broken in the most delicious way. Holy fucking shit. This book is what romance novels dream of being. This book is probably my actual favorite. At minimum top 5 - likely top 3 of all time. Girl. I need a cold shower and a stiff drink. 🥵🥵🥵
October 30, 2024
DNF at 37% = 1 star
Look, I'm in it for the smut - but this is too much. There's not enough story or characterization to make the spicy bits worthwhile. The part of the book I read - and I've been informed it doesn't change - involves two or more characters having a short conversation, then they have sex. Over and over and over. There's no anticipation, no buildup and no tension. The sex is vanilla, and falls very much into the unimaginative "insert Tab A into Slot B and shudder with delight" variety.
There's three guys - The Brash, Brave guy, The Ebullient, Thoughtful guy, and the Dark Glowering guy - if the author had included The Shy, Quiet Guy she'd have a boy band. According to the blurb and a couple of throwaway scenes, the guys are all tattooists. This is important... for the blurb? For the cover art? Because none of these characters have any life outside of their time-on-page, and what little characterization they get is barely one-dimensional per their role (see Boy Band, above).
The female lead is a romance writer, but she's no Joan Wilder. She reads as thinly veiled Nice Girl Who Needs Someone To Externalize Her Fantasies Upon. Again, her being a writer is a convenient vehicle for disposable income and an open schedule, and while her dialogue indicates she's fluent in holding multiple characters and motivations in play, it was also expository all the time. Everyone is always Explaining Things To Someone Else, right before they have sex.
There were several editing errors that lead me to believe the manuscript went through a spellchecker but not an editor.
I read this for a while and had fun keeping a tally of all the sex scenes, but having been away from it for a couple days - I just don't feel inspired to pick it back up. There's too many other books to read that offer more.
Dark Erotica BOTM OCT/2024
Bechdel test? NO
Mako Mori test? YES
Vito Russo test? YES
Latif test? NO
Reading Level: very easy adult
Romance: YES
Smut: YES
Violence: NO
TW: drinking, dubcon
Kindle only? YES
----- Pre 2023? (IYKYK) NO
Look, I'm in it for the smut - but this is too much. There's not enough story or characterization to make the spicy bits worthwhile. The part of the book I read - and I've been informed it doesn't change - involves two or more characters having a short conversation, then they have sex. Over and over and over. There's no anticipation, no buildup and no tension. The sex is vanilla, and falls very much into the unimaginative "insert Tab A into Slot B and shudder with delight" variety.
There's three guys - The Brash, Brave guy, The Ebullient, Thoughtful guy, and the Dark Glowering guy - if the author had included The Shy, Quiet Guy she'd have a boy band. According to the blurb and a couple of throwaway scenes, the guys are all tattooists. This is important... for the blurb? For the cover art? Because none of these characters have any life outside of their time-on-page, and what little characterization they get is barely one-dimensional per their role (see Boy Band, above).
The female lead is a romance writer, but she's no Joan Wilder. She reads as thinly veiled Nice Girl Who Needs Someone To Externalize Her Fantasies Upon. Again, her being a writer is a convenient vehicle for disposable income and an open schedule, and while her dialogue indicates she's fluent in holding multiple characters and motivations in play, it was also expository all the time. Everyone is always Explaining Things To Someone Else, right before they have sex.
There were several editing errors that lead me to believe the manuscript went through a spellchecker but not an editor.
I read this for a while and had fun keeping a tally of all the sex scenes, but having been away from it for a couple days - I just don't feel inspired to pick it back up. There's too many other books to read that offer more.
Dark Erotica BOTM OCT/2024
Bechdel test? NO
Mako Mori test? YES
Vito Russo test? YES
Latif test? NO
Reading Level: very easy adult
Romance: YES
Smut: YES
Violence: NO
TW: drinking, dubcon
Kindle only? YES
----- Pre 2023? (IYKYK) NO
April 2, 2024
1.5 stars. This book was 5% plot and 95% smut. Normally it would have only taken half a day to read this, but it was filled with so much smut I had to take breaks. Because there was no real plot, a lot of the story just didn’t flow right, there was no character growth or any type of actual feelings that they felt for each other. I think this also shed poly relationships in a horrible light, with a focus that poly relationships are strictly a sexual thing which couldn’t be further from the truth. And don’t get me started on Trey and how he went from a complete ass to a simp in the matter of one night. It just felt so unnatural. BUT if you are looking for fluff 5 stars lol, it just wasn’t for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 29, 2024
2⭐️
4🔥
Okay so i’m not going to lie, the characters all annoyed me, there was no plot, the ending was rushed and the rest was boring.
The spice was good… but did there really need to be that much of it?
Why was the book that long? It could have been 200 pages.
I think parker was the only character that didn’t massively annoy me, but even he wasn’t my favourite.
4🔥
Okay so i’m not going to lie, the characters all annoyed me, there was no plot, the ending was rushed and the rest was boring.
The spice was good… but did there really need to be that much of it?
Why was the book that long? It could have been 200 pages.
I think parker was the only character that didn’t massively annoy me, but even he wasn’t my favourite.
March 19, 2024
Smut from page 1 to 400 - So good. Easy read
April 25, 2024
Would have been 5 stars if the last 20% wasn’t all smut. I can’t read a book unless it has romance and smut, but I felt the last 20% of the book was just thrown in to make it longer, other than the epilogues.
September 6, 2024
I can honestly say I don't think I've ever read a book quite like this one.
Obviously, I was prepared for it to be a smut-fest. The author tells you straight up if you're here for plot you're in the wrong place.
But um.
Holy shit?
That's not to say it isn't without angst or substance. There's a LOT of emotional stuff going on in this book. If you like smutty character driven stories, you're gonna devour this one--because while the plot is non-existent, the character growth between the 4 is pretty decent.
I can't say I agree with the way everything played out. I think there were some things, some reactions that required some groveling and I didn't get it--or I did, but from the wrong person. I dunno. None of it was offensively off the mark, but if I'd been the author, I think some things would have played out differently.
The way I feel, I think the writing leaves a little to be desired--but it's FAR from the worst I've ever come across. The smut's actually alright.
I DO wish we'd had more time to see the relationships develop. We get quite a few lines TELLING us that things happened over weeks and weeks--but all of that is back-burnered for the sake of smut.
The thing is, this book was an opportunity to deep-dive into how poly relationships form and manage to work. It was a healthy way to look at how complex people are individually, as well as in a group. Instead, we sort of glossed over the guys forming their relationships with Reyna in favor of a WHOLE LOT OF FUCKING. And even though some of that fuckery gets pretty dark and brutal, there's virtually no after care. That really bothered me for Reyna, because during most of the sexual situations she's in, she's being dominated, spanked, gagged, degraded...but there's zero tenderness and reassurance afterwards. I don't mind BDSM-type smut, but if you're going to take it in that direction, please follow through. Otherwise it leaves readers like me (cause I know I'm not alone here) feeling cold and yucky on the characters' behalf.
And maybeee because there are almost no tender moments in this, I never really felt the bond form between Parker and Reyna, let alone Trey and Reyna. And there's a moment where Reyna makes an offhand comment to Dallin, "that's the second time today I feel like you're getting more out of this relationship than I am" (paraphrased). He ends up almost punishing her for the remark, instead of comforting her and reassuring her. And soon after that, he abandons her to flee with Trey for 4 whole days, leaving her feeling like she's losing not just Trey, but also her original relationship. And while Trey and her eventually do make up, Dallin never apologizes for choosing someone else over her and leaving her when, early on in the story, he promised EXPLICITLY to never do exactly that.
So it really DID feel like what Reyna said for the vast majority of the book. It felt like Dallin was orchestrating this meeting between his homosexual throuple and his current hetero relationship partner. It was all to make DALLIN happy and because Reyna wanted him happy, she was made to share him (and herself) with his buddies.
I needed to see her and Parker's relationship grow outside of "omg he's hot I wanna fuck him". And given how complicated things with her and Trey were, I feel like there needed to be WAY more emotional character growth and TIME spent together for me to feel comfortable that she was actually a welcome part of their group.
I dunno. I don't say this very often, but this book could have done with another 100 pages. Take the time to SHOW me how Reyna's and Parker's bond forms outside the bedroom. What makes her trust him, or even like him? Take the time to show me how Trey grows from his insecurities. Take the time to make the unit feel cohesive, and not like 3 people are settling in order to make one guy happy and complete.
I also have some smaller complaints:
I got pretty tired of reading about Dallin's "Playboy smile". Come up with a different description, please; after the 412th one, it's annoying. And oh my God. The smirking. It's the only facial expression I think the men are capable of. Good grief. Repetitive descriptions and turns of phrase are one of my biggest bookish pet peeves.
Oh, and I don't think I'll ever be able to read the word "cream" again without dry heaving.
Also the guys' proportions were just... laughably over the top. Parker's dick was 12 inches long. A whole fucking foot long. That's not even pornographic length, that's just insane. And Trey had a dick as thick as the girl's balled fist.
Listen, I'm not saying any of that is impossible. But for 2 of the 3 guys (and Dallin was somewhere in between the two, so he was no joke either) to be THAT monstrous, and for homegirl to just be taking these things freely and prancing around the next day like she didn't go to the ER to have her bits sewn back together... c'mon y'all.
All I could think about was that TikTok of the girl with the tape-measurer.
"I don't think you know how big 12 inches is."
*pulls out tape measure for demonstration*
"Do you see that? Just, in scale? Where is that going? Not in here!"
~~
*Marks out 7in* "Almost too big"
8in - "Definitely too big."
9in - "Fuckin' sick day"
10in - "ER"
11in - "27 club"
12in - "Now I'm just skipping my next life."
😂😂 For real. I know this is fantasy but come on bro.
Oh. And there's this moment pretty early in, where Rey stubs her big toe and RIPS OFF THE TOENAIL. But she's wearing combat boots the next day, and stilettos the day after that.
I don't know if any of you have ever broken a toe or ripped a toenail off, but YOU DO NOT WEAR SHOES after that. I lost the nail on my little toe a year ago and I was in flip-flops for like 2 months it hurt so bad. You could not have PAID me to put 4-inch stilettos on. How does something like this get past editing? Because, oddly, this isn't the first time I've come across this exact issue in a book.
Finally, the last 15% of this book I could have done without. It was just gratuitous fucking with zero emotional or character growth or whatever. Just poles and holes everywhere. Lots of growling and degradation. 🙄 You get it. As much as I enjoy spicy stories (obviously, I keep picking these bitches up), I get bored reading nothing but sex for 80+ pages. I need there to be something else in there to break up the monotony.
All in all, this wasn't a bad book for what it claimed to be. But you're REALLY going to have to like reading smut to get through this.
Obviously, I was prepared for it to be a smut-fest. The author tells you straight up if you're here for plot you're in the wrong place.
But um.
Holy shit?
That's not to say it isn't without angst or substance. There's a LOT of emotional stuff going on in this book. If you like smutty character driven stories, you're gonna devour this one--because while the plot is non-existent, the character growth between the 4 is pretty decent.
I can't say I agree with the way everything played out. I think there were some things, some reactions that required some groveling and I didn't get it--or I did, but from the wrong person. I dunno. None of it was offensively off the mark, but if I'd been the author, I think some things would have played out differently.
The way I feel, I think the writing leaves a little to be desired--but it's FAR from the worst I've ever come across. The smut's actually alright.
I DO wish we'd had more time to see the relationships develop. We get quite a few lines TELLING us that things happened over weeks and weeks--but all of that is back-burnered for the sake of smut.
The thing is, this book was an opportunity to deep-dive into how poly relationships form and manage to work. It was a healthy way to look at how complex people are individually, as well as in a group. Instead, we sort of glossed over the guys forming their relationships with Reyna in favor of a WHOLE LOT OF FUCKING. And even though some of that fuckery gets pretty dark and brutal, there's virtually no after care. That really bothered me for Reyna, because during most of the sexual situations she's in, she's being dominated, spanked, gagged, degraded...but there's zero tenderness and reassurance afterwards. I don't mind BDSM-type smut, but if you're going to take it in that direction, please follow through. Otherwise it leaves readers like me (cause I know I'm not alone here) feeling cold and yucky on the characters' behalf.
And maybeee because there are almost no tender moments in this, I never really felt the bond form between Parker and Reyna, let alone Trey and Reyna. And there's a moment where Reyna makes an offhand comment to Dallin, "that's the second time today I feel like you're getting more out of this relationship than I am" (paraphrased). He ends up almost punishing her for the remark, instead of comforting her and reassuring her. And soon after that, he abandons her to flee with Trey for 4 whole days, leaving her feeling like she's losing not just Trey, but also her original relationship. And while Trey and her eventually do make up, Dallin never apologizes for choosing someone else over her and leaving her when, early on in the story, he promised EXPLICITLY to never do exactly that.
So it really DID feel like what Reyna said for the vast majority of the book. It felt like Dallin was orchestrating this meeting between his homosexual throuple and his current hetero relationship partner. It was all to make DALLIN happy and because Reyna wanted him happy, she was made to share him (and herself) with his buddies.
I needed to see her and Parker's relationship grow outside of "omg he's hot I wanna fuck him". And given how complicated things with her and Trey were, I feel like there needed to be WAY more emotional character growth and TIME spent together for me to feel comfortable that she was actually a welcome part of their group.
I dunno. I don't say this very often, but this book could have done with another 100 pages. Take the time to SHOW me how Reyna's and Parker's bond forms outside the bedroom. What makes her trust him, or even like him? Take the time to show me how Trey grows from his insecurities. Take the time to make the unit feel cohesive, and not like 3 people are settling in order to make one guy happy and complete.
I also have some smaller complaints:
I got pretty tired of reading about Dallin's "Playboy smile". Come up with a different description, please; after the 412th one, it's annoying. And oh my God. The smirking. It's the only facial expression I think the men are capable of. Good grief. Repetitive descriptions and turns of phrase are one of my biggest bookish pet peeves.
Oh, and I don't think I'll ever be able to read the word "cream" again without dry heaving.
Also the guys' proportions were just... laughably over the top. Parker's dick was 12 inches long. A whole fucking foot long. That's not even pornographic length, that's just insane. And Trey had a dick as thick as the girl's balled fist.
Listen, I'm not saying any of that is impossible. But for 2 of the 3 guys (and Dallin was somewhere in between the two, so he was no joke either) to be THAT monstrous, and for homegirl to just be taking these things freely and prancing around the next day like she didn't go to the ER to have her bits sewn back together... c'mon y'all.
All I could think about was that TikTok of the girl with the tape-measurer.
"I don't think you know how big 12 inches is."
*pulls out tape measure for demonstration*
"Do you see that? Just, in scale? Where is that going? Not in here!"
~~
*Marks out 7in* "Almost too big"
8in - "Definitely too big."
9in - "Fuckin' sick day"
10in - "ER"
11in - "27 club"
12in - "Now I'm just skipping my next life."
😂😂 For real. I know this is fantasy but come on bro.
Oh. And there's this moment pretty early in, where Rey stubs her big toe and RIPS OFF THE TOENAIL. But she's wearing combat boots the next day, and stilettos the day after that.
I don't know if any of you have ever broken a toe or ripped a toenail off, but YOU DO NOT WEAR SHOES after that. I lost the nail on my little toe a year ago and I was in flip-flops for like 2 months it hurt so bad. You could not have PAID me to put 4-inch stilettos on. How does something like this get past editing? Because, oddly, this isn't the first time I've come across this exact issue in a book.
Finally, the last 15% of this book I could have done without. It was just gratuitous fucking with zero emotional or character growth or whatever. Just poles and holes everywhere. Lots of growling and degradation. 🙄 You get it. As much as I enjoy spicy stories (obviously, I keep picking these bitches up), I get bored reading nothing but sex for 80+ pages. I need there to be something else in there to break up the monotony.
All in all, this wasn't a bad book for what it claimed to be. But you're REALLY going to have to like reading smut to get through this.
May 2, 2024
The idea of the story is a good one and this definitely could have been a great book. Unfortunately, the grammar mistakes were so obnoxious I couldn't get into the story. Which wasn't really an issue since the story was mostly just sex. In between short conversations and male temper tantrums, there was lots and lots of kinky sex. Really, I enjoy sex scenes very much, but after a while, I just started thinking, oh they're going at it again, I'm just going to skip this part. And because I took the time to highlight these, I want you to see them, too.
It's called a hole in the wall. It's not whole
So, she had abandon? She did have fear of consequences?
In the middle of sex,
No, he did not need to wake up. He needed to come, too.
Did he take time to coif his hair before he went after her?
Was Rey piercing him with a weapon?
I don't think means what he thinks this means.
it was off the beaten path and gave off a whole-in-the-wall vibe.
It's called a hole in the wall. It's not whole
riding his hand without abandon.
So, she had abandon? She did have fear of consequences?
In the middle of sex,
I needed to come to.
No, he did not need to wake up. He needed to come, too.
By the time I maned up and went looking for her
Did he take time to coif his hair before he went after her?
With Rey griding in his lap.
Was Rey piercing him with a weapon?
I was trying to be a stubborn ass hole.
I don't think means what he thinks this means.
September 16, 2023
I love a good why choose romance. I enjoy the characters learning about each other and finding out if they really want a poly relationship. I definitely relate to Trey, about feeling like we don't deserve to have good things happen to us.
I really enjoyed the spicy scenes!!! Wow, the level of spice is so high!!! If you are not okay with MM scenes, this book is not for you. If you are good with MM scenes, you will LOVE this book!
I really enjoyed the spicy scenes!!! Wow, the level of spice is so high!!! If you are not okay with MM scenes, this book is not for you. If you are good with MM scenes, you will LOVE this book!
March 30, 2024
I prefer a plot with my smut 🫣 meh 😐
June 30, 2024
To the stranger who recommended this book... I thank you so much🥵
Displaying 1 - 30 of 866 reviews