Warning!

So you know those cute warnings Samhain books have at the end of the blurb? Here’s the first one I wrote for Reward of Three:

“Warning: This is not a romance, as in, two (or even three) people falling in love. Also, this is not a full-length novel. This novella contains three people in a committed relationship, love and laughter, sorrow and anger, and hot and sweet M/M/F sex.”

My editor nixed that version because it sounded like I was anticipating snarky reviews the book would get. Which I totally was! So it’s not surprising to me to see comments about Reward of Three from readers surprised that this book isn’t a romance. Hello? It’s the third book in a series about three people in a committed ménage à trois relationship—why would anyone think this is going to be a typical “romance”  - as in boy-meets-girl, they fall in love, HEA kind of romance?

It is a love story—as I said, about three people in a relationship where things go wrong and they make mistakes and almost lose their way…but find each other again.

Also, this story deals with a really difficult scenario that many couples can relate to. Some readers might not enjoy reading the story because of that, if it brings back too many memories. I’ve heard from other readers, though, that they enjoyed the book because they could relate to what the characters are going through.

Also, not every couple who experiences this tragedy has a “happily ever after” ending like Reward of Three does. And I truly feel for those couples. Real life doesn’t always have happy endings. In real life, the people we love don’t always love us back. In real life, we make mistakes and sometimes we can’t fix them. That’s why I love reading and writing romance—because we know there will be a HEA.

 

Of course everyone experiences tragedy differently and I totally respect that, and I totally respect anyone who might choose not to read Reward of Three for that reason. But although a certain subject matter in a book might trigger painful feelings for some readers -- that doesn’t mean it's not a good story.

Here's the official warning for Reward of Three: :-)

Warning: Our sexy threesome is back for their happy ending. Keep extra tissues on hand for tears, a fan on standby for hot sex, and a post-it note to remind you to take a deep breath. It’s time to find out if the juice is really worth the squeeze.