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Urban Soul #1
Misfits
LAMBDA Finalist 2016
Restaurant owner Tom Fearnes has loved his partner Cass for as long as he can remember, but their work often keeps them apart. When he meets a striking young man named Jake on the vibrant streets of Camden Town, their heady first encounter takes an unexpected turn.
Jake Thompson can hardly believe his luck when he wakes up in Tom’s bed. Tom is gorgeous, kind, and . . . taken. Tom’s explanation of his open relationship leaves Jake cold, but Tom is too tempting, and when hard times force Jake to accept Tom’s helping hand, he finds himself between two men who’ve lost their way.
Cass Pearson is a troubled soul. He loves Tom with all he has, but some days it feels like he hasn’t much to give. Jake seems like the perfect solution. Cass risks everything to push Jake and Tom together, but Jake resists, wary, until the darkness of Cass’s past comes to call. Then Jake finds himself the last man standing, and it’s time to dig deep and shine a light for the men he’s grown to love.
Restaurant owner Tom Fearnes has loved his partner Cass for as long as he can remember, but their work often keeps them apart. When he meets a striking young man named Jake on the vibrant streets of Camden Town, their heady first encounter takes an unexpected turn.
Jake Thompson can hardly believe his luck when he wakes up in Tom’s bed. Tom is gorgeous, kind, and . . . taken. Tom’s explanation of his open relationship leaves Jake cold, but Tom is too tempting, and when hard times force Jake to accept Tom’s helping hand, he finds himself between two men who’ve lost their way.
Cass Pearson is a troubled soul. He loves Tom with all he has, but some days it feels like he hasn’t much to give. Jake seems like the perfect solution. Cass risks everything to push Jake and Tom together, but Jake resists, wary, until the darkness of Cass’s past comes to call. Then Jake finds himself the last man standing, and it’s time to dig deep and shine a light for the men he’s grown to love.
277 pages, ebook
First published March 16, 2015
About the author
Garrett Leigh
90 books2,242 followersShe/Her
Bonus Material available for all books on Garrett's Patreon account. Includes short stories from Misfits, Slide, Strays, What Remains, Dream, and much more. Sign up here: https://www.patreon.com/garrettleigh
Facebook Fan Group, Garrett's Den... https://www.facebook.com/groups/garre...
Garrett Leigh is an award-winning British romance author and artist. Her debut novel, Slide, won Best Bisexual Debut at the 2014 Rainbow Book Awards, and she is a 4 time LAMBDA finalist.
In 2017, she won the EPIC award in contemporary romance with her military novel, Between Ghosts, and the contemporary romance category in the Bisexual Book Awards with her novel What Remains.
Garrett is also an award winning cover designer, taking the silver medal at the Benjamin Franklin Book Awards in 2016. She designs for various publishing houses and independent authors at blackjazzdesign.com
Bonus Material available for all books on Garrett's Patreon account. Includes short stories from Misfits, Slide, Strays, What Remains, Dream, and much more. Sign up here: https://www.patreon.com/garrettleigh
Facebook Fan Group, Garrett's Den... https://www.facebook.com/groups/garre...
Garrett Leigh is an award-winning British romance author and artist. Her debut novel, Slide, won Best Bisexual Debut at the 2014 Rainbow Book Awards, and she is a 4 time LAMBDA finalist.
In 2017, she won the EPIC award in contemporary romance with her military novel, Between Ghosts, and the contemporary romance category in the Bisexual Book Awards with her novel What Remains.
Garrett is also an award winning cover designer, taking the silver medal at the Benjamin Franklin Book Awards in 2016. She designs for various publishing houses and independent authors at blackjazzdesign.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 754 reviews
January 11, 2022
One of my favourites by this author. I've read it at least 5 times so far, and I enjoy it every time.
I'm not usually a fan of MMM stories, but in this book it totally worked for me. I love all the characters and I find their connection and chemistry believable. And beautiful.
I'm not usually a fan of MMM stories, but in this book it totally worked for me. I love all the characters and I find their connection and chemistry believable. And beautiful.
August 10, 2016
Ménage books are a tricky prospect, if the author is actually trying to write a believable romance, as compared to only a piece of dirty, hot erotica.
I loved how Leigh wrote this story, where the sexy bits were in much less focus than the actual relationship that the three men develop.
Tom and Cass have been together and in love for nearly a decade, but as they met at 20 and 19 years old respectively, they still had wild oats to sew, so they've always slept with other people, usually separately.
Their open arrangement always worked for them, because feelings for those other guys never came into play. Ever.
However, when steady, dependable, workaholic Tom meets snarky, withdrawn, Tourette’s sufferer Jake, something just clicks between them. And Tom is immediately torn between his intense attraction to Jake and reconciling those feelings as to where they could (or should) fit in with his current relationship.
And after Tom's partner, the similarly-snarky, ex-con Cass, sees the broken, lonely, 24 y.o. Jake alone in their bed, the morning after Tom and Jake meet, Cass also recognizes that Jake is someone special.
Tom is a fixer and Cass knows, first hand, how skilled Tom is at helping others get their lives back on track, so he urges Tom to spend time with Jake, to help him find his way.
“What are you saying?”
“I’m saying, stay here and be what he needs. You’ve got a big heart, babe. There’s plenty of you to go around.”
Tom grabbed Cass as he started to turn away. “I love you.”
Cass smiled. “I know. That’s why I’m totally cool with this. I can see it, Tom . . . I can see what draws you to him, and it’s fucking beautiful.”
So Tom begins helping Jake put his life back together, first by offering him a job, then by helping him realize his own self-worth.
But it's actually Cass who rides to the rescue when Jake loses his apartment and is having a severe Tourette’s breakdown, literally banging his head against a wall in the rain.
Cass loads Jake into his car and brings him home to live with Tom and Cass. And their evil, also-snarky cat, Souris.
Watching the three men bond, once they're all under the same roof, if s true thing of beauty. I'd have read the book for those aspects alone.
Neither Jake nor Cass had easy lives growing up, having many things in common, so the two form a close friendship while getting to know about one another's pasts. Then those feelings turn into something much more and they connect on an even deeper level.
Jake smiled. “You don’t remember the sun?”
“Fuck the sun, Jake. I only saw you.”
But Cass still can't, and won't, talk about the most painful aspects of his past, not even with Tom, which has always caused the majority of the couple's problems.
And just as Jake begins to work his way past some of Cass' defenses, news is revealed to Cass regarding the most painful trauma from his childhood. So he runs. From Tom, from Jake, from everything.
Self-sufficient, take-charge Tom eventually leans on Jake to help bring Cass safely home, which I found very fitting, as all three of the men were all in for making their "three-lationship" a go.
As I mentioned before, the book is *not* sex-centered; however, of the 5'ish on-page bedroom scenes, which were CRAZY HOT, my favorite was the last one, where all 3, finally, fully connect as one.
It was best for everyone if he let Jake take charge. Sex between them all was sometimes too hot to handle. Often, Cass got rowdy and people fell over. Then Tom got cross and Jake laughed, and no one got to come. A bloody shambles, that’s what it was unless Jake called the shots.But this long (spoiler'ish, so hiding it) excerpt, where Cass reveals how he really felt, and why, when Jake first entered their lives... Simply beautiful.
And it wasn’t about who put what where. It never had been. It was about holding Tom and Jake in his arms and loving them for everything they’d done for him.
Plus, the gesture that Tom first did with Cass, when their businesses were first starting out, then Cass and Tom once again did for Jake, to help him know that he had options, even if something happened to their relationship?
Just, wow. Especially sweet and touching.
So, yes, if you hadn't guessed, the boys do get their "H3A" and they all live happily, yet snarkily, ever after.
Three end. : )
4 1/2 highly-recommended *him-and-him-and-him-too* stars.
March 4, 2015
Well color me shocked....I read a book WITH cheating. And liked it!
This was my first Garrett Leigh read so I had no idea what to expect. I just knew it was an MMM and all I hoped for was that all three Ms would be together in the end.
This book was a lot more serious than I was expecting. Great character development.
Tom and Cass have been a couple for a long time....over 10 years. They have a very different relationship. An open relationship.
But hey, that's just me. And it worked for Tom and Cass.
Tom meets Jake one night while out for dinner. They spend a night together. Unbeknownst to Jake, Tom and Cass are a couple. And Jake isn't pleased to discover this news. Like me, Jake doesn't understand how Tom and Cass can be with other people.
But Jake is drawn to Tom, as Tom is to Jake. Jake has tourette's which was also interesting to read about in a book. Jake struggles through life, through jobs, through love.
Tom has this need to help people. So he helps Jake.
It was interesting watching both Tom and Jake and Cass and Jake's relationship grow. While, Tom and Jake's started off sexual.....Jake and Cass' started off as a friendship.
I loved that we got Tom and Jake's POV, in parts. And if I'm being honest I would have loved more of Cass' POV. I found his story and character to be very interesting.
Overall, this was a really enjoyable read. More character driven then plot. Low to moderate steam level. Low angst and drama.
I'll definitely be checking out more from this author!
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
This was my first Garrett Leigh read so I had no idea what to expect. I just knew it was an MMM and all I hoped for was that all three Ms would be together in the end.
This book was a lot more serious than I was expecting. Great character development.
Tom and Cass have been a couple for a long time....over 10 years. They have a very different relationship. An open relationship.
But hey, that's just me. And it worked for Tom and Cass.
Tom meets Jake one night while out for dinner. They spend a night together. Unbeknownst to Jake, Tom and Cass are a couple. And Jake isn't pleased to discover this news. Like me, Jake doesn't understand how Tom and Cass can be with other people.
But Jake is drawn to Tom, as Tom is to Jake. Jake has tourette's which was also interesting to read about in a book. Jake struggles through life, through jobs, through love.
Tom has this need to help people. So he helps Jake.
It was interesting watching both Tom and Jake and Cass and Jake's relationship grow. While, Tom and Jake's started off sexual.....Jake and Cass' started off as a friendship.
I loved that we got Tom and Jake's POV, in parts. And if I'm being honest I would have loved more of Cass' POV. I found his story and character to be very interesting.
Overall, this was a really enjoyable read. More character driven then plot. Low to moderate steam level. Low angst and drama.
I'll definitely be checking out more from this author!
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
March 23, 2015
Even if you’re not a fan a ménages romances this read might work for you, because it’s more than a simple M/M/M story. “Misfits” like many books in this genre is not only about sex. It’s a story about love, life, connections and moving on. The title is perfect for the book. Like Tom and Cass's restaurants, every single one of the three men in this book is a misfit. To say I’m not of fan of cheating in books, will be a big understatement. Actually, this is my first book when one of the characters cheats. Anyways, I’m glad I decided to give this one a go, because it was a really great read.
Tom and Cass are business partners owning a couple of restaurants. They and also life partners. They love each other, but they have what for others might didn’t work, an open relationship. Even if they have this unusual type of relationship, they never shared someone. They also never had someone for more than a couple of months. Needless to say, honesty is important in their relationship.
“It’s got to fit, and feel right. There’s no point setting the tone, only to mess it up at the last hurdle.”
One night, Tom meets Jake who works as a waiter. He’s drawn immediately to him, not only for his good looks, but also for his personality. But Jake is different from other men in so many ways and Tom can tell that from the very first moment. Jake has Tourette syndrome and he has his tics. He’s not close with his family and he has problems keeping a job. Tom and Jake spend a night together and Cass finds Jake the next morning in their apartment. Jake doesn’t know about Tom and Cass open relationship so he freaks out. Pissed off he leaves, but several days when he meets Tom again finds out about this non-conventional relationship Tom has with his partner. He doesn’t understand it, at least not at first. When Jake finds out Cass wants to meet him he’s reluctant. He doesn’t know what the other man wants, but he knows for sure he doesn’t want to be involved in “some weird ménage trip”.
“I can see it, Tom...I can see what draws you to him, and it’s fucking beautiful.”
As Jake and Cass get to know each other they form a bond, a special relationship that is good for both of them. At first Jake is only attracted with Tom, but as the time passes Jake feels more and more attracted with Cass and Cass with him. He realizes is okay to be nonconformist, that is okay to want something else, something different from what others know and want.
“Tom and Cass had their past, and Jake was their future: the link they’d never known was missing.”
I really, really liked this one and definitely was my favorite Garrett Leigh book. Like I mentioned above, this is not your usual M/M/M. It’s an emotional story, beautifully written that left me wanting more.
I liked all three man. They are very different from each other, which I really liked and all three of them are very well developed. Also their background stories are solid and very useful to understand them as individuals. Tom is a kind-hearted man who won me from the beginning. He’s successful, strong, caring with both Cass and Jake and he wants to help and save everyone. From the beginning we get to see and ‘feel’ his love for Cass and also to feel their connection. Their relationship is unconventional, but it works for them. They don’t care want anyone else says and thinks about it. They know what they feel and what they are for each other. I loveed that about them! Jake was my favorite character I think. Maybe because he has Tourette syndrome and it was my first time reading about a character with this disability. Needless to say he was a very interesting character. He’s very likeable from the start. He’s grumpy and moody, smart and caring and despite the fact he thinks he’s incompetent he’s a great individual who not only he can take care of himself, but who can take care of others as well. Cass was the one with a troubled past. He’s more dark and moody than the other two men. Because of his past, even if he’s in a committed relationship with Tom for almost a decade, he thinks he doesn’t deserve to be happy.
“I’m not sure. I just love watching you two grow. I know it’s been hard . . . weird, sometimes, but I feel like us all being here, together, gets easier every day.” - Tom
Tom, Cass and Jake’s relationship isn’t perfect. They have their flaws and they also have their doubts when it comes to their relationship. But they fit together. They are perfect for each other, they complement each other. They interactions felt real and I enjoyed how both relationships (Tom and Jake’s relationship and Jake and Cass’s relationship) evolved. I really liked the fact Jake and Cass become friends at first. Their bond was a great thing to read about. I loved the way the three man are with each other. They are supportive and caring, they respect each other. Their tenderness warmed my heart and made me smile every time.
The story is told in three POVs, which I enjoyed, but I would have liked Cass's PoV to be longer.
All in all, “Misfits” was a wonderful read with a solid plot, endearing characters and flawless writing.
“Cass held out his hand, pulled Jake close, and tucked him into the warmth of Tom’s chest, the chest that was made for both of them. They were at the beginning of an uncertain journey, but right here, right now, he had everything he’d ever wanted.”
October 24, 2018
Audio - 4 stars
Story - 5 stars
I've read and enjoyed several MMM books, but this one really stands out. It was different from what I've read in the past. Established couple in an open relationship fall in love with the other man that one of them hooked up with. Loved it! The pacing was great. The relationship development was done in such a way that it felt real.
Beautiful and emotionally satisfying read.
Story - 5 stars
I've read and enjoyed several MMM books, but this one really stands out. It was different from what I've read in the past. Established couple in an open relationship fall in love with the other man that one of them hooked up with. Loved it! The pacing was great. The relationship development was done in such a way that it felt real.
Beautiful and emotionally satisfying read.
April 26, 2015
5 StArS
This was my 1st Garrett Leigh read, and what a treat it was, enticing my heart, falling in love with each of these guy's and I certainly did. Hook. Line. Sinker!!
ESPECIALLY JAKE , beautiful, quirky, unassuming JAKE.
Tom Fearnes and his lover Cass have been life partners and co-restaurant owners for a long time, but their work often keeps them apart.
When Tom meets a striking young man named Jake on the vibrant streets of Camden Town, their heady first encounter takes an unexpected turn.
I'm not a huge menage fan, but this story really worked well ~ REALLY WELL.
It was the strong commitment between Tom & Cass that kept me grounded. Their connection with each other was so beautifully played out
Tom
The attraction, and unwavering support that Tom had for Jake surrounded me like a soft blanket and comforted me.
But it wasn't just Tom, CASS was just as great with Jake, accepting, loving, offering reassuring solace when times needed.
It just worked.....Tom~Cass, Tom~Jake, Cass~Jake
.....ultimately Tom~Cass~Jake
Cass
The entire thing is like dining on the most tender of meats, so light and unassuming but oh so satisfyingly filling. I love something I can get my teeth into.
Well, I licked my chops clean with this one, it was quite simply delicious, scrumptious and I want seconds!!!
ARC kindly provided by Riptide & NetGalley for Honest Review
This was my 1st Garrett Leigh read, and what a treat it was, enticing my heart, falling in love with each of these guy's and I certainly did. Hook. Line. Sinker!!
ESPECIALLY JAKE , beautiful, quirky, unassuming JAKE.
Tom Fearnes and his lover Cass have been life partners and co-restaurant owners for a long time, but their work often keeps them apart.
When Tom meets a striking young man named Jake on the vibrant streets of Camden Town, their heady first encounter takes an unexpected turn.
I'm not a huge menage fan, but this story really worked well ~ REALLY WELL.
It was the strong commitment between Tom & Cass that kept me grounded. Their connection with each other was so beautifully played out
Tom
The attraction, and unwavering support that Tom had for Jake surrounded me like a soft blanket and comforted me.
But it wasn't just Tom, CASS was just as great with Jake, accepting, loving, offering reassuring solace when times needed.
It just worked.....Tom~Cass, Tom~Jake, Cass~Jake
.....ultimately Tom~Cass~Jake
Cass
The entire thing is like dining on the most tender of meats, so light and unassuming but oh so satisfyingly filling. I love something I can get my teeth into.
Well, I licked my chops clean with this one, it was quite simply delicious, scrumptious and I want seconds!!!
ARC kindly provided by Riptide & NetGalley for Honest Review
February 21, 2017
This book! It snuck up on me. I read the blurb and I thought to myself I've not read a MMM in a long time so let's give this thing a go.
Best decision I've made in quite some time.
Not only is it an incredible story of finding and falling in love in an unconventional way but it's masterfully constructed. These characters are all relatable and fallible which is what I loved most about them-how realistically they are portrayed. Never once did I think their behavior was improbable or absurd; they may be illogical at times but that's human nature and part of what made them so accessible. The fact that they keep trying even if they get it wrong sometimes resonated with me. They are always conscientious and sometimes they make educated guesses something I much prefer to omniscience. The best feeling I ever have as a reader is sinking into a character and the narrative, not just seeing the other characters through their eyes but trying to figure them out right alongside them and here I had not one, not two but three juicy characters to puzzle out-Tom, Jake and Cass.
I loved all these characters and even though we only get one chapter (the epilogue) from Cass's perspective he was my favorite. He's clearly hiding something that's eating at him. I was drawn in like the proverbial moth to his dynamic flame. I found myself constantly wondering what he thought or felt about any given situation. He's also a chef so... there is that. And he says the sweetest things.
Leigh did a phenomenal job of weaving this triad together. I had reservations deep into this narrative, but the way she went about making Jake and Cass friends first and seeing that friendship evolve into something more gradually solidified my belief in their longevity. Each of these men contributes to the relationship yet none of them are perfect and they realize and accept that about each other. If that's not love in its purest form, I'm not sure what is.
This is unequivocally the best contemporary MMM romance I've ever read. The sex scenes were that magical combination of a little bit kinky, a little bit dirty yet intimate and always taking care to show their connection to one another. AND THERE WAS LOTS OF COOKING! All the win! The Camden project, the concept and how it came together folding Jake into their lives seamlessly without fanfare was probably the highlight for me and I identified with the Urban Soul ethos.
The only quibble I have is all the Brit speak, but I can't in good conscience deduct for that because (a) it lends authenticity and (b) it'd be hypocritical and American of me. So no. I just sucked it up and dealt and thought maybe I'd like to listen to this in audiobook one day to really get all the different accents.
I would recommend this to contemporary romance readers who enjoy reads without an abundance of antics who have an open mind when it comes to relationships.
A review copy was provided.
Best decision I've made in quite some time.
Not only is it an incredible story of finding and falling in love in an unconventional way but it's masterfully constructed. These characters are all relatable and fallible which is what I loved most about them-how realistically they are portrayed. Never once did I think their behavior was improbable or absurd; they may be illogical at times but that's human nature and part of what made them so accessible. The fact that they keep trying even if they get it wrong sometimes resonated with me. They are always conscientious and sometimes they make educated guesses something I much prefer to omniscience. The best feeling I ever have as a reader is sinking into a character and the narrative, not just seeing the other characters through their eyes but trying to figure them out right alongside them and here I had not one, not two but three juicy characters to puzzle out-Tom, Jake and Cass.
I loved all these characters and even though we only get one chapter (the epilogue) from Cass's perspective he was my favorite. He's clearly hiding something that's eating at him. I was drawn in like the proverbial moth to his dynamic flame. I found myself constantly wondering what he thought or felt about any given situation. He's also a chef so... there is that. And he says the sweetest things.
"...I reckon you're everything me and Tom didn't know we were looking for."
Leigh did a phenomenal job of weaving this triad together. I had reservations deep into this narrative, but the way she went about making Jake and Cass friends first and seeing that friendship evolve into something more gradually solidified my belief in their longevity. Each of these men contributes to the relationship yet none of them are perfect and they realize and accept that about each other. If that's not love in its purest form, I'm not sure what is.
This is unequivocally the best contemporary MMM romance I've ever read. The sex scenes were that magical combination of a little bit kinky, a little bit dirty yet intimate and always taking care to show their connection to one another. AND THERE WAS LOTS OF COOKING! All the win! The Camden project, the concept and how it came together folding Jake into their lives seamlessly without fanfare was probably the highlight for me and I identified with the Urban Soul ethos.
The only quibble I have is all the Brit speak, but I can't in good conscience deduct for that because (a) it lends authenticity and (b) it'd be hypocritical and American of me. So no. I just sucked it up and dealt and thought maybe I'd like to listen to this in audiobook one day to really get all the different accents.
I would recommend this to contemporary romance readers who enjoy reads without an abundance of antics who have an open mind when it comes to relationships.
A review copy was provided.
April 15, 2018
I am gonna go with 3.5 stars
It’s me not the book!.. Totally me!
“Fly him to the moon.”
Cass laughed again, and the sun shone a little brighter. “Whatever you say, Jake. You’re stuck with me now.”
Well that was a different take on MMM relationship. I liked it but it did not Wow me….. blame it on Robbie I went in expecting that kind of arrangement.
GL writing is starting to grow on me. I am enjoying the flow, her stories do not have a specific time, they take place day to day and I am finding myself loving that.
Tom and Cass are in an open relationship , then Tom meets Jake and takes him home they fuck, the next day he wakes up and finds Cass and he freaks out. Tom is attracted to Jake and decide to pursue him with the approval of Cass. There is something about Jake that attracts both Tom and Cass to him so they decide to go with it.
I loved
-Jake from the beginning, like Tom, I found myself just smiling when he was on page. I liked Cass and Tom too.
- The writing was good from the beginning, the pace just perfect.
-The dialogue was engaging and the texts between Cass and Jake were fun to read, and I loved the
friendship the two developed.
Cass: You don’t have to be scared of me
Jake: I’m not
Cass: So why are you giving Tom a hard time?
Jake: I’m not
Cass: Tom wants a name for the Camden project. Any ideas?
Jake: No
Cass: Think of some. Anything cat related. He loves cats
Jake: Are you taking the piss?
Cass: Maybe
Jake: I don’t understand you
Cass: YOU HAVEN’T TRIED
- How the author handled Jake’s Tourette’s syndrome, that was some good research.
- The angst was not that bad and it happens towards the end.
-The sex scenes were pretty hot too, but I did not feel the spark and my stomach did not do flip
flops... Ugh! I can’t believe I am saying that.
Why 3.5 not 5
-When reading this, it did not feel like I was reading mmm until the last chapters. At first it was Jake and Tom, Cass and Tom, then Cass and Jake. I felt Cass was being left behind and we did not get much of his POV.
-Cass pushing Jake and Tom to be together while he excludes himself, that bugged me a little.
-The thing, I know they are in an open relationship but they can agree to go with eachother, after all they have been together almost a decade. But that is just me and my kink.
- Like i said this was a different take on MMM, I am used to the kind where the characters don’t have sex without one party present. Here Jake and Tom were together for most of the time without Cass. That threw me off a bit.
Overall I liked it I will still read more of GL books. Maybe if I read this before Robbie the results would have been different.
It’s me not the book!.. Totally me!
“Fly him to the moon.”
Cass laughed again, and the sun shone a little brighter. “Whatever you say, Jake. You’re stuck with me now.”
Well that was a different take on MMM relationship. I liked it but it did not Wow me….. blame it on Robbie I went in expecting that kind of arrangement.
GL writing is starting to grow on me. I am enjoying the flow, her stories do not have a specific time, they take place day to day and I am finding myself loving that.
Tom and Cass are in an open relationship , then Tom meets Jake and takes him home they fuck, the next day he wakes up and finds Cass and he freaks out. Tom is attracted to Jake and decide to pursue him with the approval of Cass. There is something about Jake that attracts both Tom and Cass to him so they decide to go with it.
I loved
-Jake from the beginning, like Tom, I found myself just smiling when he was on page. I liked Cass and Tom too.
- The writing was good from the beginning, the pace just perfect.
-The dialogue was engaging and the texts between Cass and Jake were fun to read, and I loved the
friendship the two developed.
Cass: You don’t have to be scared of me
Jake: I’m not
Cass: So why are you giving Tom a hard time?
Jake: I’m not
Cass: Tom wants a name for the Camden project. Any ideas?
Jake: No
Cass: Think of some. Anything cat related. He loves cats
Jake: Are you taking the piss?
Cass: Maybe
Jake: I don’t understand you
Cass: YOU HAVEN’T TRIED
- How the author handled Jake’s Tourette’s syndrome, that was some good research.
- The angst was not that bad and it happens towards the end.
-The sex scenes were pretty hot too, but I did not feel the spark and my stomach did not do flip
flops... Ugh! I can’t believe I am saying that.
Why 3.5 not 5
-When reading this, it did not feel like I was reading mmm until the last chapters. At first it was Jake and Tom, Cass and Tom, then Cass and Jake. I felt Cass was being left behind and we did not get much of his POV.
-Cass pushing Jake and Tom to be together while he excludes himself, that bugged me a little.
-The thing, I know they are in an open relationship but they can agree to go with eachother, after all they have been together almost a decade. But that is just me and my kink.
- Like i said this was a different take on MMM, I am used to the kind where the characters don’t have sex without one party present. Here Jake and Tom were together for most of the time without Cass. That threw me off a bit.
Overall I liked it I will still read more of GL books. Maybe if I read this before Robbie the results would have been different.
October 27, 2019
Confession: I did not want to read this book. Ummm, so why did I? Because I wanted to read this book. Wait? That doesn’t make sense, which is it? I guess I wanted to read it but I was nervous. I kept putting it off, procrastinating and subconsciously making excuses.
Why? Because I don’t read poly books.
Why not? They make me uncomfortable.
Uncomfortable? Yeah. No, that's not right. Perplexed.
How come? I suppose because I don’t understand it. How can it honestly work? It must be off kilter.
Okay, so don’t read it? But this is Garrett Leigh and I love all things Garrett Leigh.
Well then? I think I should stop talking in circles and tell you how Leigh not only helped me understand and admire the intricate puzzle of three but left me awestruck with the beauty of her words…again.
What's to like: Love is powerful, intense and bears the curse of undeniable pain. Can you love someone with everything you’ve got and it still not be enough? Tom does many things well, but loving Cass is his greatest achievement. Cass has fought demons his entire life and despite beating them, he still can’t hold onto the peace that is supposed to accompany love. He has a fantastic life, why can’t he just be happy? Tom is his pillar of strength and light. But Tom needs Cass to maintain his brilliance and lately, he has found himself dimming. He needs another source to charge him and when he meets Jake, he feels the spark across the room. Jake literally buzzes with excess energy. I was captivated with him. I wanted to know everything about him. Luckily, I wasn’t the only one.
Leigh didn’t make this one easy and for that, I’m extremely grateful. Jake, Cass and Tom stole the limelight but it wouldn’t have been nearly as stunning without the elaborate threads that twist their lives together. I loved every bit from Jake navigating his Tourette’s and finding his footing in their business to Cass fighting the shackles of his past and his deep compulsion to care for people from his kitchen, and Tom juggling all the irons in the fire while keeping his partners safe and happy. It was impressive and I’m still reeling from it all.
What's to love: To grasp the complexity of this romance, we must appreciate all three men. Thankfully, we are given ample time to explore the depth of each character. I adored getting to know all of them. Tom and Cass have been together for nearly a decade. They are fiercely in love. They also have an open relationship. This is important to recognize. There is no cheating here. Cheating occurs when there is deception and dishonesty. Tom and Cass are completely up front and have no secrets. They separate sex from their relationship differently than other couples. They are exclusive with their hearts but not their bodies.
They have never had to worry about anyone coming between them because…they are a perfect fit. Two pieces that belong together. But what they didn’t realize is although they fit, they don’t lock. They slowly drift and slide until they crash back together again, and again and again. Then Jake comes along. He is the missing piece, the arch end that locks them tight. Jake doesn’t interfere, he is the connection that secures them.
*blinks*
Yeah, I see it now. It’s breathtaking and you don’t want to miss it either.
Beware of: A complicated and challenging merging of three lost souls. There is sexy shagging but its shining message is about ultimate surrender and dreams becoming a reality. Leigh reminds us that we can exist without truly living and should cherish those that keep us 'alive', and she takes us on one hell of a ride to prove it.
This book is for: If ménage lights your fire, you’ve probably met this trio before now. But if you’re like me and you shy away from three, trust me, this is the place to start. Leigh will open your eyes and your heart, and demonstrate interlocking harmony has nothing to do with a number.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go back to counting the days until ‘Strays’ graces my kindle.
*4.5 stars*
Book UNfunk
Why? Because I don’t read poly books.
Why not? They make me uncomfortable.
Uncomfortable? Yeah. No, that's not right. Perplexed.
How come? I suppose because I don’t understand it. How can it honestly work? It must be off kilter.
Okay, so don’t read it? But this is Garrett Leigh and I love all things Garrett Leigh.
Well then? I think I should stop talking in circles and tell you how Leigh not only helped me understand and admire the intricate puzzle of three but left me awestruck with the beauty of her words…again.
What's to like: Love is powerful, intense and bears the curse of undeniable pain. Can you love someone with everything you’ve got and it still not be enough? Tom does many things well, but loving Cass is his greatest achievement. Cass has fought demons his entire life and despite beating them, he still can’t hold onto the peace that is supposed to accompany love. He has a fantastic life, why can’t he just be happy? Tom is his pillar of strength and light. But Tom needs Cass to maintain his brilliance and lately, he has found himself dimming. He needs another source to charge him and when he meets Jake, he feels the spark across the room. Jake literally buzzes with excess energy. I was captivated with him. I wanted to know everything about him. Luckily, I wasn’t the only one.
Leigh didn’t make this one easy and for that, I’m extremely grateful. Jake, Cass and Tom stole the limelight but it wouldn’t have been nearly as stunning without the elaborate threads that twist their lives together. I loved every bit from Jake navigating his Tourette’s and finding his footing in their business to Cass fighting the shackles of his past and his deep compulsion to care for people from his kitchen, and Tom juggling all the irons in the fire while keeping his partners safe and happy. It was impressive and I’m still reeling from it all.
What's to love: To grasp the complexity of this romance, we must appreciate all three men. Thankfully, we are given ample time to explore the depth of each character. I adored getting to know all of them. Tom and Cass have been together for nearly a decade. They are fiercely in love. They also have an open relationship. This is important to recognize. There is no cheating here. Cheating occurs when there is deception and dishonesty. Tom and Cass are completely up front and have no secrets. They separate sex from their relationship differently than other couples. They are exclusive with their hearts but not their bodies.
They have never had to worry about anyone coming between them because…they are a perfect fit. Two pieces that belong together. But what they didn’t realize is although they fit, they don’t lock. They slowly drift and slide until they crash back together again, and again and again. Then Jake comes along. He is the missing piece, the arch end that locks them tight. Jake doesn’t interfere, he is the connection that secures them.
*blinks*
Yeah, I see it now. It’s breathtaking and you don’t want to miss it either.
Beware of: A complicated and challenging merging of three lost souls. There is sexy shagging but its shining message is about ultimate surrender and dreams becoming a reality. Leigh reminds us that we can exist without truly living and should cherish those that keep us 'alive', and she takes us on one hell of a ride to prove it.
This book is for: If ménage lights your fire, you’ve probably met this trio before now. But if you’re like me and you shy away from three, trust me, this is the place to start. Leigh will open your eyes and your heart, and demonstrate interlocking harmony has nothing to do with a number.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go back to counting the days until ‘Strays’ graces my kindle.
*4.5 stars*
Book UNfunk
December 20, 2015
Tom is a businessman, who is making research while being interested to open a new restaurant in the Camden area. While researching he meets Jake, a really special guy.They flirt and they instantly hit it off. What Jake doesn't know, though, is that Tom is in a serious relationship..
When Tom's boyfriend, Cass, meets Jake he doesn't have the time to explain to him that he and Tom have an open relationship, when it comes to sex, nonetheless the love they share for each other.
"I don't want both worlds, Cass. I want one, one where everyone's happy."
Throughout the book we can see the three men getting involved as they take Jake under their wings and slowly we watch them in this special kind of journey.
I really liked this book, even though, I'm not really used in menage, but it was an interesting theme to read. I loved the fact that I finally read about a hero with TS. I think I've seen it just once before and it was just stated, whilst here it was explained and you could understand a bit more about this disorder. I loved the characters and how well written they were. I truly enjoyed it and if you like menage mm stories I would recommend this one. Plus, have I mentioned how scorching hot their scenes were??
Copy was provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
April 28, 2015
♥♥♥ 4 STARS ♥♥♥
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'One does not refuse love. It was there, before we ever knew it...'
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Tom Fearnes and Cass Pearson have been partners for nine years. They have a very unconventional relationship that most may not understand. They are open to sleeping around with other people but their hearts will always remain to each other. Things change a bit when Tom goes out one night to eat out. That is when he meets Jake, his waiter who is also very attractive. Tom finds himself drawn to him by something and it's not the tics Jake's Tourette causes, it's his personality. Tom wants to get to know him better.
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'Cass had always believed Tom to be his one great love, but he loved Jake too, just as much, and somehow it all seemed to work.'
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Jake is quite the lonely man and because of Jake's tics, he has a lot of trouble staying employed. He loves the way Tom makes him feel so he goes home with him to spend the night together. Unfortunately, when he wakes up it's to Cass standing in the room and Tom gone. Jake is furious when he thinks Tom cheated on his boyfriend with him, so he leaves in a hurry. Not knowing that Cass is intrigued by him just as much as Tom is.
Tom is unable to get Jake out of his mind and Cass notices. He wants to go see Jake again but never goes back to the restaurant. They eventually cross paths again and this is where Tom finally explains his relationship with Cass to Jake. Cass wants to meet Jake formally but Jake is a bit hesitant. But Cass wants to reassure Jake that he is okay with Tom and him being together. And not just in a purely sexual way because Tom feels more for Jake than just that. That is where the beautiful love story between these three begins.
What a story! I honestly wasn't expecting such a wonderful and heartfelt story, considering most ménage books are mostly only based on the sex, but this was not the case. I loved Jake, he was so endearingly sweet and he had this innocence about him. But he was also very strong and he voiced his opinions loudly when he needed to. Tom was the foundation in this relationship, strong and supporting of both Cass and Jake. I really loved how kind he was. Cass was a bit broken by his past. He seemed to get somber quite a bit, but he was so loving. He was the one I wanted to know more about because he was a bit of an enigma. When I first started the book I got hooked on the dynamic between the three. I was lured in by the connection Tom and Jake had, which I just loved reading about. Once Cass was involved more in the relationship, I couldn't get enough of seeing him interact with Jake. The more time Cass and Jake spent together the more we get to see how they fall in love with each other.
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'Cass held out his hand, pulled Jake close, and tucked him into the warmth of Tom’s chest, the chest that was made for both of them. They were at the beginning of an uncertain journey, but right here, right now, he had everything he’d ever wanted.'
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I liked that the story was told in all three of their POV's, but it wasn't alternating, it was told in large parts by each character. The connection and overall relationship between the three was a very beautiful one. My heart melted at how much these three men took care and supported each other. All three characters had a piece of my heart, and together they were just perfect. Their relationship took a while to work out because of the doubts they had going on but, I absolutely loved how close all three of them finally became. It was a wonderful story and one I would definitely say you should check out. The only thing I can say is I wished Cass's POV would have been a bit longer. But overall, a really great read.
March 7, 2015
Misfits is the beautifully written story of three men who come to love on another. Tom and Cass have been together for a number of years and are also successful business partners- who also have an open relationship. After a chance meeting between Tom and Jake, their lives become intertwined.
This book was not at all how I'd expected. When I first started I thought it would be too angsty for me because the subject matter was heavy at times and there is a darkness to the story. I'm glad to say despite the heavy tone it felt like a light read. There were no unnecessary twists or villains. It really was all about watching this love story unfold between three men who fit perfectly together.
My favorite part of the story I think is the way she developed each individual relationship- Tom & Jake's and Cass & Jake's- into becoming one relationship. Nicely done!
This was my first Garrett Leigh story and it will not be my last. 4.5 Stars rounded up. Cannot recommend this enough.
***ARC kindly provided by Riptide Publishing via Netgalley for an honest review***
May 3, 2015
*** 3.75 STARS ***
THIS ONE WAS A BIT HIT AND MISS WITH ME,I STARTED OF LOVING IT AND IN THE END ONLY LIKING IT
STORY OF TOM,CASS AND JAKE
TOM
JAKE
CASS
Tom and Cass are Partners in life and work.They have been together nearly 10 years.They have an open relationship and are ok with each of them sleeping with other men.
Tom meets Jake one night and they end up having sex..something he is quite happy for Cass to know,in fact Cass finds Jake in their bed the next morning..
So, fast forward a few weeks and Tom and Jake meet up again.
,he's lost his job so Tom offers to help.
Jake,oh Jake...I loved his character,he suffers from Tourette's Syndrome,is a bit of a loner and finds it hard to keep a job because of his condition.
This is a story about the dynamics of a developing 3way relationship.What I LOVED was how Cass and Jake became friends before lovers,that totally worked.
I must admit ( and don't judge me ) I was expecting it to be a lot more STEAMY than it was..the first scene with Tom and Jake was hot but it didn't really do much for me after that.
Overall,enjoyable it just didn't WOW me like I thought it would.....
THIS ONE WAS A BIT HIT AND MISS WITH ME,I STARTED OF LOVING IT AND IN THE END ONLY LIKING IT
STORY OF TOM,CASS AND JAKE
TOM
JAKE
CASS
Tom and Cass are Partners in life and work.They have been together nearly 10 years.They have an open relationship and are ok with each of them sleeping with other men.
Tom meets Jake one night and they end up having sex..something he is quite happy for Cass to know,in fact Cass finds Jake in their bed the next morning..
So, fast forward a few weeks and Tom and Jake meet up again.
,he's lost his job so Tom offers to help.
Jake,oh Jake...I loved his character,he suffers from Tourette's Syndrome,is a bit of a loner and finds it hard to keep a job because of his condition.
This is a story about the dynamics of a developing 3way relationship.What I LOVED was how Cass and Jake became friends before lovers,that totally worked.
I must admit ( and don't judge me ) I was expecting it to be a lot more STEAMY than it was..the first scene with Tom and Jake was hot but it didn't really do much for me after that.
Overall,enjoyable it just didn't WOW me like I thought it would.....
March 5, 2017
5 Fly him to the moon Stars!
I was very curious to see how this would play out as it is very hard for me to grasp the concept of sharing someone.
I'm selfish and greedy of all things love related. Besides, I would be terrified of being put aside. Let's face it,
at some point, he decides that the other person became more important than me and he doesn't need a third anymore. Hmm?? I know... My feelings and insecurities are ugly but this is me, bare soul. Sharing? No.Way. Jose.
That being said, can you imagine how surprised I was for loving Misfits?
As a person who would never share my man, I was stunned with my own reactions to their love relationship. I connected with them so bloody much. I wanted this work so hard! And people, it says a lot because as the story progressed I was going against my own truth and all the things I believe but you know what? I couldn’t care less because it felt so damn right.
Tom and Cass were so open with their feelings. They embraced an open relationship fearlessly and I loved the way Jack was brought into it, it wasn’t forced and the pace was just right and believable.
Misfits wasn't something superficially created. Besides the Romance, the author put a lot of effort in details that made this story authentic and trustworthy.
.)The research on TS (Tourette's syndrome)
.) Little details related with food - I am no chef but I’m kind of addicted to buying recipe books. They knew how to cook alright.
.)The cyber job Jack was doing to promote Urban Soul, Pippa’s and Misfits. Loved it.
.)And finally, the whole London experience: the slang, the tube, the tourists, the vibe and so on. I loved seeing Camden Town through the author’s eyes. It probably won’t make sense to other readers but Camden Town exerts a strange, bizarre fascination on me. It’s a unique place and it was described exactly the way I see it, alive.
I absolutely loved Misfits. I was hooked and connected with it immediately. Their story made me feel something warm, fluttering and earthly from the very beginning. Argh, I can't explain it. Wankers. So freaking good!
This was my first book by Garrett Leigh. Do I need to shout that I CANNOT WAIT to read Nero’s story??
This review has been posted on Dirty Books Obesession
I was very curious to see how this would play out as it is very hard for me to grasp the concept of sharing someone.
I'm selfish and greedy of all things love related. Besides, I would be terrified of being put aside. Let's face it,
at some point, he decides that the other person became more important than me and he doesn't need a third anymore. Hmm?? I know... My feelings and insecurities are ugly but this is me, bare soul. Sharing? No.Way. Jose.
That being said, can you imagine how surprised I was for loving Misfits?
As a person who would never share my man, I was stunned with my own reactions to their love relationship. I connected with them so bloody much. I wanted this work so hard! And people, it says a lot because as the story progressed I was going against my own truth and all the things I believe but you know what? I couldn’t care less because it felt so damn right.
Tom and Cass were so open with their feelings. They embraced an open relationship fearlessly and I loved the way Jack was brought into it, it wasn’t forced and the pace was just right and believable.
Misfits wasn't something superficially created. Besides the Romance, the author put a lot of effort in details that made this story authentic and trustworthy.
.)The research on TS (Tourette's syndrome)
.) Little details related with food - I am no chef but I’m kind of addicted to buying recipe books. They knew how to cook alright.
.)The cyber job Jack was doing to promote Urban Soul, Pippa’s and Misfits. Loved it.
.)And finally, the whole London experience: the slang, the tube, the tourists, the vibe and so on. I loved seeing Camden Town through the author’s eyes. It probably won’t make sense to other readers but Camden Town exerts a strange, bizarre fascination on me. It’s a unique place and it was described exactly the way I see it, alive.
I absolutely loved Misfits. I was hooked and connected with it immediately. Their story made me feel something warm, fluttering and earthly from the very beginning. Argh, I can't explain it. Wankers. So freaking good!
This was my first book by Garrett Leigh. Do I need to shout that I CANNOT WAIT to read Nero’s story??
This review has been posted on Dirty Books Obesession
March 30, 2015
I'm a fan of menage, when it's done right. In a good menage, I want to be convinced that the threesome is stronger than a couple (especially in books like this that add a third to an existing relationship.) This book accomplishes that.
One of the things I enjoyed was that the development of the relationship is neither too easy and fast, nor all about the sex. These three men each bring something to the mix which is unique and which makes their lives fit together better than apart. Each is a unique character, and I really enjoyed watching them figure out how to be together.
I appreciated the beginning with the open relationship - as much as I'm a fan of HEA for two exclusive guys, I also like the acknowledgement that there are other ways to have a relationship. There are guys out there who are emotionally monogamous, but not sexually so. It added to the interest and the momentum of the story, and also felt in some ways more organic for these two guys to include a third, since there was room in their relationship for more than they had as a couple.
A few moments I'd like to have seen on the page seemed to be skipped, but otherwise I was pulled into this story and fascinated and entertained by watching these guys build a future. (And the restaurant concept was cool - I could see it working out.) I'll add this one to my favorite M/M/M list.
One of the things I enjoyed was that the development of the relationship is neither too easy and fast, nor all about the sex. These three men each bring something to the mix which is unique and which makes their lives fit together better than apart. Each is a unique character, and I really enjoyed watching them figure out how to be together.
I appreciated the beginning with the open relationship - as much as I'm a fan of HEA for two exclusive guys, I also like the acknowledgement that there are other ways to have a relationship. There are guys out there who are emotionally monogamous, but not sexually so. It added to the interest and the momentum of the story, and also felt in some ways more organic for these two guys to include a third, since there was room in their relationship for more than they had as a couple.
A few moments I'd like to have seen on the page seemed to be skipped, but otherwise I was pulled into this story and fascinated and entertained by watching these guys build a future. (And the restaurant concept was cool - I could see it working out.) I'll add this one to my favorite M/M/M list.
March 29, 2017
This is a hard review for me to write. I like MMM books, but I am kind of picky when it comes to them. I don't like it, when one of the MC's is left behind. I have to feel like the three of them love each other equally....that no one if left out.
I did get the feeling, that the MC's in this book loved each other very much and that all 3 were equally important in this relationship....but....
I had a problem with the fact that two of the MC's were together for almost 10 years before Jake entered the picture. I know they had an open relationship and I was totally fine with that. However, their "open relationship" meant "fucking" other people...not "falling in love" with them.
Now I know that the heart wants what it wants and I can understand that you have no control over who you fall in love with. I also understand that it's possible to love two people at the same time....
What bothered me though, was how Cass pushed Jake and Tom together. It didn't make any sense to me...I just didn't get it.
Accepting the fact, that your lover of 10 years is fucking other men...oke.....pushing him to fall in love with another man and encouraging it......nope....it confused me... This is why I mostly read MMM books were the MC's get together around the same time...
Anyways...other than my little personal confusion, I did really enjoy this story. These men were sweet and hot and perfect together.
Out of all of them, Jake was my favorite character. His tourettes just made him so much more endearing and special to me. The fact that Cass knew how Jake was feeling, because of his tourettes, was so sweet. I think that was my favorite part of this book. The fact, that Cass paid so much attention to Jake, even when he and Jake weren't together yet.
"Flying to the moon makes you happy. Wankers annoy you. Rats make you nervous."
Very sweet story about three men finding a home together
“I was lucky before, but now, I can hardly remember what it was like without him.”
Thank you Ralu for the rec ...I am jumping right into book 2 ;)
March 19, 2015
Probably the best menage story i've ever read. Completely captivating, and definitely recommended.
April 6, 2017
I'd missed this book when it first came out, not sure how but I did then I noticed 'Strays' on NetGalley and placed my request, I loved Strays and knew then I'd have to read this book.
At first I wasn't sure how I felt about a couple who'd been together for 10 years adding another although when I really thought about it had worked really well in 'Dark Horse' and after reading 'Strays' I already considered Tom, Cass and Jake a unit which made it easier for me.
My feelings can be summed up in three words "I loved it" I don't know if it just happened to be the right book at the right time for me but it held me from the first page to the last and anyone who's familiar with my reviews will know I don't easily give 5* but here I couldn't give less.
Tom and Cass love each other, they both know it and even though their lives are incredibly busy they always give themselves one day a week to be together and regroup.
Despite this love, or maybe because of it they have a totally open relationship which is the part I struggled a little with because I'm all about the romance and once my characters find each other (regardless of how many there is) I like that to be it.
Anyway, Tom meets Jake and he falls as much in love with him as I did, Jake is different Tom knows it and he has the ability to change everything between Tom and Cass but Jake is amazing, truly amazing and Cass is maybe even more so and this book is incredible, the story of three men finding each other and while Tom and Cass had each other and what they had was beautiful something or someone was missing and that someone was Jake.
While they find what they didn't know they were looking for in Jake he has the power to complete them but their lives are messy and Cass is pushing Tom and Jake together at the same time as he's pulling away, he's fighting his own demons and it turns out in the end it's Cass not Jake who has the power to shatter everything.
At first I wasn't sure how I felt about a couple who'd been together for 10 years adding another although when I really thought about it had worked really well in 'Dark Horse' and after reading 'Strays' I already considered Tom, Cass and Jake a unit which made it easier for me.
My feelings can be summed up in three words "I loved it" I don't know if it just happened to be the right book at the right time for me but it held me from the first page to the last and anyone who's familiar with my reviews will know I don't easily give 5* but here I couldn't give less.
Tom and Cass love each other, they both know it and even though their lives are incredibly busy they always give themselves one day a week to be together and regroup.
Despite this love, or maybe because of it they have a totally open relationship which is the part I struggled a little with because I'm all about the romance and once my characters find each other (regardless of how many there is) I like that to be it.
Anyway, Tom meets Jake and he falls as much in love with him as I did, Jake is different Tom knows it and he has the ability to change everything between Tom and Cass but Jake is amazing, truly amazing and Cass is maybe even more so and this book is incredible, the story of three men finding each other and while Tom and Cass had each other and what they had was beautiful something or someone was missing and that someone was Jake.
While they find what they didn't know they were looking for in Jake he has the power to complete them but their lives are messy and Cass is pushing Tom and Jake together at the same time as he's pulling away, he's fighting his own demons and it turns out in the end it's Cass not Jake who has the power to shatter everything.
January 9, 2024
✰ 3.25 stars ✰
“He knelt on the hardwood floor, a hand on each of them, and in awe of the men who made his life complete. Cass was the love of his life, and Jake . . . Jake had taught them to love each other better.
Jake had taught them to live.”
I do have a few reading goals for the year 2024, but the one that I really want to follow through on is writing reviews for the remaining 45+ books that I was unable to complete before the year ended. My biggest downfall is that I read faster than I can form the words to jot down my thoughts in a constructive review, but what can I say? 😭😭 I know one might say let it go!, but my neurotic brain won't allow it; it'll keep reminding me that it's a disservice to the book and the effort you put in to take notes and mark important quotes and the time you spent reading it. 😔 Will it slow down my review process for my current reads? Yes - but I have a plan - trust in me.
As I enter into the foray of MMM romances, it is interesting for me to see how different authors perceive this unique dynamic and how they explore it from different angles and perspectives. While my earlier experience had featured an already established relationship and the problems that arise from them being together, Misfits offered me a fresh perspective on what it looks like when an established couple's dynamic changes when one of them is significantly attracted more to someone else. 💕
“Their relationship was a mystery to many, but it worked for them. They shared a life, and from time to time fucked other people. Didn’t change the fact that they loved each other to death.”
Restaurant owner, thirty-year-old Tom has shared an open relationship with Cass, 'the executive chef at their flagship restaurant, his business partner, lover, and soulmate of the last nine years.' They've also maintained an open relationship, where they occasionally have sexual liaisons with other people, but never too serious - never with someone that stands out or leaves their mark. That all changes when Tom meets gorgeous twenty-four year old Jake, when he's a waiter at a local restaurant in Camden. It's with that one meeting that the spark flairs in him that he's drawn to him more than he's ever felt with anyone else, and one night of heated passion is enough to confirm that he does want Jake in his life - but not at the expense of losing Cass - that is as inconceivable as the thought itself. 😤 What unfolds is this complex and emotionally charged depiction of how these three individuals try to find a common ground where all three of them can have a shared happiness with each other. ❤️🩹
I really liked how the author captured how their relationship progressed - how it feels navigating the messy possibility of loving more than one person. While Tom and Jake's was that instant heated spark that made them impossibly drawn to one another, I was really pleasantly surprised to see how Jake reacted when he found out that Tom was already in a relationship! 'We don’t often find someone we both like.' It made it even more compelling and worthwhile to see how Cass and Jake's friendship started first before they admitted that there may be some feelings hidden there. ☺�� It was very well-drawn out; it wasn't this immediate rush for sex or getting off - it was Tom's desire to want both men that he was attracted to - despite how similar they were - to actually be happy being with him and with each other. The banter was so soft yet smooth, and the casual way in which they slowly became a part of each other's lives was very well drawn-out - it just progressed at such a steady pace that even I was rooting for them to work it out. 🥰🥰
“I’m saying, stay here and be what he needs. You’ve got a big heart, babe. There’s plenty of you to go around.”
Tom grabbed Cass as he started to turn away. “I love you.”
Cass smiled. “I know. That’s why I’m totally cool with this. I can see it, Tom . . . I can see what draws you to him, and it’s fucking beautiful.”
I love that even though there is another hidden meaning behind the title, knowing that it also indirectly means how they were three misfits who were able to find each other when they needed it most, was also very sweet. Each of them had their own interesting backgrounds and unique personalities. I had never heard about Tourette's before, so I appreciated learning about in the way the author portrayed Jake's character — 'the stuttering, the sudden tremors in Jake’s limbs, and the badly timed swearing' - even with the author's note at the end, in regards to it. I loved how Tom LOVED Cass viscerally - 'never understood how a broken East End car thief had stolen his heart so entirely'; he may have been the most straight shooter of the three, but he carried so much love in his heart - so much he aimed to give and share. ❤️🩹 ❤️🩹 Their bond was so beautiful and it made me warm at times at how deep their love was die each other. Cass was definitely the dark horse of the three - the one with the most intense pull, the one who gave his love freely and never expected himself worthy of anything in return - the man who pulled me in and who, as always, I related to, the most. '“Fuck’s sake, Tom. I don’t want to be the most important thing in your life; I just want you to love me, and I know you do. How he never demanded and understood what his lover wanted and was so patient and willing to wait it out just really touched my heart. 😟
I appreciated that these issues were addressed; those inner thoughts of Jake's hesitancy to enter the life of an already loving and deeply entwined couple, of Cass' quiet understanding of Tom's need to be with Jake - even at the sake of his own happiness, as well as Tom's fierce want that Cass would always be his number one, no matter how much Jake appealed to him. It just felt very real - like three people navigated their way in trying to work - without forcing it - just easing into it. 'Jake and Tom were two of a kind, both one of those rare beings that set the world alight with just a gentle smile.' 🥹🥹 I know Tom was the one who brought Jake into the fray, but it was that calming inviting way Cass made Jake feel comfortable with him. There was so much kindness and consideration and thoughtfulness from each side. Cass didn't push him or rush him or force him into accepting him as their third person, rather content in sharing little helpful tips with Jake about Tom to make him happier - all the while, so subtly drawing him into being close to him that finally when Jake realized how much Cass means to him, as well - how he wanted to be with, too, learn things about him to make him happy and feel special and loved. It just felt like the doors unlocking - that it all made sense. That this was simply always meant to be. 💜💜
“Jake gasped, shocked at the double-edged pleasure. Cass’s kiss was electric, and combined with Tom’s attention to his throat, the spark between them all went through the stratosphere. He fell slack, leaning on Tom’s solid warmth. “Why is this bit so easy?”
Cass moved to claim Jake’s neck as his. Tom chuckled and nipped Jake’s ear. “Because articulating it is so hard.”
The chemistry was really incredible. It was not only in the frustrated push and pull of wanting to make it work, it was the heated kisses and fierce possessive claims that were very well written. I loved being in Jake's thoughts as he struggled to realize that he wanted them both, but too afraid to know if it was okay. I loved the way Tom was so relaxed about it, but never pushed - giving him and Cass the time to work it out. And I ADORED Christmas night - holy moly, that chapter was AMAZING! 🤌🏻🤌🏻 Just the whole build up - the pent-up tension, the eventual kiss, the dancing, the raw physical intimacy that was more than just sex for them, each yearning for it to be meaningful for the other - belonging and fitting together --- it was good, because it felt so believable - that it was finally time and it was the right time for all of them to get that night of intense mutual passion - without preamble or demand. 🥹
As I am also learning the various ways in how the relationships between more than two people can be captured, so too am I also seeing how different authors choose to write them. I am grateful that there was emotional depth to it, and not just porn without plot. The restaurant subplot was well done; it grew alongside the developing romance and served as a strong catalyst for Jake to become an even deeper part of their family. 👍🏻 I liked the little hints that the author dropped, hinting that there was a more traumatic part of Cass' past - 'Tom wasn’t fooled. The mood swings, the sleepless nights, the endless fucking silence saw to that' - an emotional undercurrent that made him behave and act the way he did; it made me gravitate towards his character even more. 🥺 And yet, the main issue lies in how it was written; the fact that the author chose to divide the story into parts - dedicated to having each part solely told from one character's point of view, at a time. 😔
“No, he’d only felt hope . . . hope that Tom would finally get the life he deserved, a life where his lover didn’t beat him back and shut him out. A life that made his smile reach his eyes every bloody time.”
Herein lies why I could not enjoy it as much as I would have liked - mainly due to Cass' development. I mean, for a book that was nearly 200 pages, at least a 100 of it was dedicated only to Tom's perspective; then Jake got a half of that, and Cass got a half of that! 😢 It created an imbalance for me - an uneven tone to the story - for me to truly appreciate the growth of each character, especially when the major conflict of the story centered on Cass' personal issues with the most conflicted past. I didn't mind that it was in the 3rd person point of view even - I actually preferred it over the first person's perspective! I just wish it had been more of an equal footing of portrayal. It felt like a disservice to his character and I felt that it didn't quite deliver the true potential that it could have had. 😞
The ending also felt a bit too rushed for my liking, and almost unexpected; even though there were enough pressure points to indicate that it would all boil over, I couldn't appreciate the full impact of it. Maybe the author preferred to keep Cass' part shorter for a reason, because it was more important to show how Tom and Jake reacted to his pain and how it brought them closer to him. But, it just made me crave more insight into Cass' thoughts - to see his own growth and how much he must have been burdening himself with all this time. 🙍🏻♀️ 'We won’t know unless we try, and I want to try. Jake taps into a part of you I’ve never seen, and I don’t want you to give that up.' Although, the aftermath to those events was beautiful - just very heart-felt - you could see how much the three of them shared something special now - something so tangible that they wouldn't allow anything to break them apart - I just wish I could have basked in equal contentment with each of them. 🫶🏻🫶🏻
“I’m not sure. I just love watching you two grow. I know it’s been hard . . . weird, sometimes, but I feel like us all being here, together, gets easier every day.”
Jake kissed Tom, losing himself for a moment as he gathered his thoughts. “I can’t imagine not having Cass in my life now.”
It's been an interesting start into this genre - no question. In my heart, I know it may never be what I want for myself, but it makes me respect and admire those who are willing to take a chance with their hearts for something that not many people may ever feel comfortable with accepting. For as long as they can still find it in themselves to trust in themselves that this is the way for them to have true happiness, then that is truly all that really matters. 💟
“He knelt on the hardwood floor, a hand on each of them, and in awe of the men who made his life complete. Cass was the love of his life, and Jake . . . Jake had taught them to love each other better.
Jake had taught them to live.”
I do have a few reading goals for the year 2024, but the one that I really want to follow through on is writing reviews for the remaining 45+ books that I was unable to complete before the year ended. My biggest downfall is that I read faster than I can form the words to jot down my thoughts in a constructive review, but what can I say? 😭😭 I know one might say let it go!, but my neurotic brain won't allow it; it'll keep reminding me that it's a disservice to the book and the effort you put in to take notes and mark important quotes and the time you spent reading it. 😔 Will it slow down my review process for my current reads? Yes - but I have a plan - trust in me.
As I enter into the foray of MMM romances, it is interesting for me to see how different authors perceive this unique dynamic and how they explore it from different angles and perspectives. While my earlier experience had featured an already established relationship and the problems that arise from them being together, Misfits offered me a fresh perspective on what it looks like when an established couple's dynamic changes when one of them is significantly attracted more to someone else. 💕
“Their relationship was a mystery to many, but it worked for them. They shared a life, and from time to time fucked other people. Didn’t change the fact that they loved each other to death.”
Restaurant owner, thirty-year-old Tom has shared an open relationship with Cass, 'the executive chef at their flagship restaurant, his business partner, lover, and soulmate of the last nine years.' They've also maintained an open relationship, where they occasionally have sexual liaisons with other people, but never too serious - never with someone that stands out or leaves their mark. That all changes when Tom meets gorgeous twenty-four year old Jake, when he's a waiter at a local restaurant in Camden. It's with that one meeting that the spark flairs in him that he's drawn to him more than he's ever felt with anyone else, and one night of heated passion is enough to confirm that he does want Jake in his life - but not at the expense of losing Cass - that is as inconceivable as the thought itself. 😤 What unfolds is this complex and emotionally charged depiction of how these three individuals try to find a common ground where all three of them can have a shared happiness with each other. ❤️🩹
I really liked how the author captured how their relationship progressed - how it feels navigating the messy possibility of loving more than one person. While Tom and Jake's was that instant heated spark that made them impossibly drawn to one another, I was really pleasantly surprised to see how Jake reacted when he found out that Tom was already in a relationship! 'We don’t often find someone we both like.' It made it even more compelling and worthwhile to see how Cass and Jake's friendship started first before they admitted that there may be some feelings hidden there. ☺�� It was very well-drawn out; it wasn't this immediate rush for sex or getting off - it was Tom's desire to want both men that he was attracted to - despite how similar they were - to actually be happy being with him and with each other. The banter was so soft yet smooth, and the casual way in which they slowly became a part of each other's lives was very well drawn-out - it just progressed at such a steady pace that even I was rooting for them to work it out. 🥰🥰
“I’m saying, stay here and be what he needs. You’ve got a big heart, babe. There’s plenty of you to go around.”
Tom grabbed Cass as he started to turn away. “I love you.”
Cass smiled. “I know. That’s why I’m totally cool with this. I can see it, Tom . . . I can see what draws you to him, and it’s fucking beautiful.”
I love that even though there is another hidden meaning behind the title, knowing that it also indirectly means how they were three misfits who were able to find each other when they needed it most, was also very sweet. Each of them had their own interesting backgrounds and unique personalities. I had never heard about Tourette's before, so I appreciated learning about in the way the author portrayed Jake's character — 'the stuttering, the sudden tremors in Jake’s limbs, and the badly timed swearing' - even with the author's note at the end, in regards to it. I loved how Tom LOVED Cass viscerally - 'never understood how a broken East End car thief had stolen his heart so entirely'; he may have been the most straight shooter of the three, but he carried so much love in his heart - so much he aimed to give and share. ❤️🩹 ❤️🩹 Their bond was so beautiful and it made me warm at times at how deep their love was die each other. Cass was definitely the dark horse of the three - the one with the most intense pull, the one who gave his love freely and never expected himself worthy of anything in return - the man who pulled me in and who, as always, I related to, the most. '“Fuck’s sake, Tom. I don’t want to be the most important thing in your life; I just want you to love me, and I know you do. How he never demanded and understood what his lover wanted and was so patient and willing to wait it out just really touched my heart. 😟
I appreciated that these issues were addressed; those inner thoughts of Jake's hesitancy to enter the life of an already loving and deeply entwined couple, of Cass' quiet understanding of Tom's need to be with Jake - even at the sake of his own happiness, as well as Tom's fierce want that Cass would always be his number one, no matter how much Jake appealed to him. It just felt very real - like three people navigated their way in trying to work - without forcing it - just easing into it. 'Jake and Tom were two of a kind, both one of those rare beings that set the world alight with just a gentle smile.' 🥹🥹 I know Tom was the one who brought Jake into the fray, but it was that calming inviting way Cass made Jake feel comfortable with him. There was so much kindness and consideration and thoughtfulness from each side. Cass didn't push him or rush him or force him into accepting him as their third person, rather content in sharing little helpful tips with Jake about Tom to make him happier - all the while, so subtly drawing him into being close to him that finally when Jake realized how much Cass means to him, as well - how he wanted to be with, too, learn things about him to make him happy and feel special and loved. It just felt like the doors unlocking - that it all made sense. That this was simply always meant to be. 💜💜
“Jake gasped, shocked at the double-edged pleasure. Cass’s kiss was electric, and combined with Tom’s attention to his throat, the spark between them all went through the stratosphere. He fell slack, leaning on Tom’s solid warmth. “Why is this bit so easy?”
Cass moved to claim Jake’s neck as his. Tom chuckled and nipped Jake’s ear. “Because articulating it is so hard.”
The chemistry was really incredible. It was not only in the frustrated push and pull of wanting to make it work, it was the heated kisses and fierce possessive claims that were very well written. I loved being in Jake's thoughts as he struggled to realize that he wanted them both, but too afraid to know if it was okay. I loved the way Tom was so relaxed about it, but never pushed - giving him and Cass the time to work it out. And I ADORED Christmas night - holy moly, that chapter was AMAZING! 🤌🏻🤌🏻 Just the whole build up - the pent-up tension, the eventual kiss, the dancing, the raw physical intimacy that was more than just sex for them, each yearning for it to be meaningful for the other - belonging and fitting together --- it was good, because it felt so believable - that it was finally time and it was the right time for all of them to get that night of intense mutual passion - without preamble or demand. 🥹
As I am also learning the various ways in how the relationships between more than two people can be captured, so too am I also seeing how different authors choose to write them. I am grateful that there was emotional depth to it, and not just porn without plot. The restaurant subplot was well done; it grew alongside the developing romance and served as a strong catalyst for Jake to become an even deeper part of their family. 👍🏻 I liked the little hints that the author dropped, hinting that there was a more traumatic part of Cass' past - 'Tom wasn’t fooled. The mood swings, the sleepless nights, the endless fucking silence saw to that' - an emotional undercurrent that made him behave and act the way he did; it made me gravitate towards his character even more. 🥺 And yet, the main issue lies in how it was written; the fact that the author chose to divide the story into parts - dedicated to having each part solely told from one character's point of view, at a time. 😔
“No, he’d only felt hope . . . hope that Tom would finally get the life he deserved, a life where his lover didn’t beat him back and shut him out. A life that made his smile reach his eyes every bloody time.”
Herein lies why I could not enjoy it as much as I would have liked - mainly due to Cass' development. I mean, for a book that was nearly 200 pages, at least a 100 of it was dedicated only to Tom's perspective; then Jake got a half of that, and Cass got a half of that! 😢 It created an imbalance for me - an uneven tone to the story - for me to truly appreciate the growth of each character, especially when the major conflict of the story centered on Cass' personal issues with the most conflicted past. I didn't mind that it was in the 3rd person point of view even - I actually preferred it over the first person's perspective! I just wish it had been more of an equal footing of portrayal. It felt like a disservice to his character and I felt that it didn't quite deliver the true potential that it could have had. 😞
The ending also felt a bit too rushed for my liking, and almost unexpected; even though there were enough pressure points to indicate that it would all boil over, I couldn't appreciate the full impact of it. Maybe the author preferred to keep Cass' part shorter for a reason, because it was more important to show how Tom and Jake reacted to his pain and how it brought them closer to him. But, it just made me crave more insight into Cass' thoughts - to see his own growth and how much he must have been burdening himself with all this time. 🙍🏻♀️ 'We won’t know unless we try, and I want to try. Jake taps into a part of you I’ve never seen, and I don’t want you to give that up.' Although, the aftermath to those events was beautiful - just very heart-felt - you could see how much the three of them shared something special now - something so tangible that they wouldn't allow anything to break them apart - I just wish I could have basked in equal contentment with each of them. 🫶🏻🫶🏻
“I’m not sure. I just love watching you two grow. I know it’s been hard . . . weird, sometimes, but I feel like us all being here, together, gets easier every day.”
Jake kissed Tom, losing himself for a moment as he gathered his thoughts. “I can’t imagine not having Cass in my life now.”
It's been an interesting start into this genre - no question. In my heart, I know it may never be what I want for myself, but it makes me respect and admire those who are willing to take a chance with their hearts for something that not many people may ever feel comfortable with accepting. For as long as they can still find it in themselves to trust in themselves that this is the way for them to have true happiness, then that is truly all that really matters. 💟
December 9, 2019
“You didn’t look this muscly with your clothes on.”
“Is that a bad thing?”
“No. It suits your eyes.”
Alright, look. My first experience with GL was so bad that it took me over a year to try again. But one of my book besties is a big fan, and she’s very persuasive. And we'd just read a triad story that came close to the mark for me, but I found myself wanting more in the way of the individual connections. So she gently nudged ;) this one in my direction. {insert that angry #readthebook gif here}
OK. So maybe it was time to try again.
I’m not sorry.
Leigh nailed the character chemistry. Her development of the 1/1 connections made the whole poly relationship work exceptionally well. Three oh-so-different men — each flawed, vulnerable, and strong — who found things within each other that made me fully buy a triad for the first time in my reading life.
I also really loved the background plot of the industry they were in — the creative and business sides of restaurant establishment and ownership. It was perfectly in balance with their relationship story, giving a solid context to their lives and daily routines, adding interest without distracting or becoming too detail-heavy.
My biggest issue was an echo of the major trouble I had with Slide. While I love the psychological elements she tries to incorporate, I don’t love how they’re resolved. Without going into spoilers, one of those elements was wrapped up really neatly/cleanly/conveniently/definitively here, and that just wasn’t realistic. But it was a minor irritation that didn’t outweigh the love I had for most of the rest of the book.
So in the end, a couple of major wins for me. I got a save on a really prolific, popular M/M author, reopening a catalogue for me that will hopefully have lots of other goodies. And I learned that triad stories can absolutely win me over, despite my emotional resistance to them. (Which also opens up all kinds of reading possibilities. My TBR is not happy about either of these things, but I am.)
“Is that a bad thing?”
“No. It suits your eyes.”
Alright, look. My first experience with GL was so bad that it took me over a year to try again. But one of my book besties is a big fan, and she’s very persuasive. And we'd just read a triad story that came close to the mark for me, but I found myself wanting more in the way of the individual connections. So she gently nudged ;) this one in my direction. {insert that angry #readthebook gif here}
OK. So maybe it was time to try again.
I’m not sorry.
Leigh nailed the character chemistry. Her development of the 1/1 connections made the whole poly relationship work exceptionally well. Three oh-so-different men — each flawed, vulnerable, and strong — who found things within each other that made me fully buy a triad for the first time in my reading life.
I also really loved the background plot of the industry they were in — the creative and business sides of restaurant establishment and ownership. It was perfectly in balance with their relationship story, giving a solid context to their lives and daily routines, adding interest without distracting or becoming too detail-heavy.
My biggest issue was an echo of the major trouble I had with Slide. While I love the psychological elements she tries to incorporate, I don’t love how they’re resolved. Without going into spoilers, one of those elements was wrapped up really neatly/cleanly/conveniently/definitively here, and that just wasn’t realistic. But it was a minor irritation that didn’t outweigh the love I had for most of the rest of the book.
So in the end, a couple of major wins for me. I got a save on a really prolific, popular M/M author, reopening a catalogue for me that will hopefully have lots of other goodies. And I learned that triad stories can absolutely win me over, despite my emotional resistance to them. (Which also opens up all kinds of reading possibilities. My TBR is not happy about either of these things, but I am.)
August 13, 2017
Even better the second time around. There's not a single thing I don't like about this story. Best MMM there is.
..............................................................
I like menage stories, I find them intriguing and I appreciate it when the author makes it work. Most times my problem is that it's all about the sex and the connection between the MCs is not believable.
This was so not the case here.This was one of the best menages I 've ever read. Part of me knew it would be because...duh, Garrett Leigh.I' m glad I was right.
Tom and Cass are the co owners of several restaurants. Apart from bussiness, they are partners in life as well but they have an open relationship. They love each other but they aren't fully commited. Some may say it is cheating, but I just can't see it. Open relationships piss me off a little because most times I feel they diminish the love and connection between the MCs, thus making it difficult for me to beleive in them. But in this case it worked. In fact it made it easier for me to believe that Jake was needed in their relationship. It is always more difficult to accept that a well-established happy couple takes in a third person.
Tom.He wants to take care of everybody and fix everything. He has so much love to give and his heart is so big that he shares it freely with both Cass and Jake. One night he meets Jake and he brings him home. It is pretty clear that Jake is not just one more hook up.The instant connection takes both of them by surprise.
Cass. He is the enigma in the relationship. Mysterious, broody and dark, it is obvious that something bad has happened to him. This is what prevents him from giving himself to Tom 100%.He needs to deal with his past to beleive he is worthy of love, not only Tom's but Jake's as well.
Jake. He has .Jake has issues too . Tom becomes his lover, his safe place. Cass becomes his new friend who slowly starts to mean more and more. Tom and Cass may have loved each other for so long, but Jake becomes the missing piece that makes their relationship work better.
"He knelt on the hardwood floor, a hand on each of them, and in awe of the men who made his life complete. Cass was the love of his life, and Jake . . . Jake had taught them to love each other better. Jake had taught them to live."
It is not all hearts and flowers from the get go, far from it. At first, Jake can't understand or accept the relationship between Cass and Tom.But it is already too late, he is in love with Tom so he gives in. With Cass things are different. Gradually they become friends, they text and they talk. This friendship turns to something more eventually and this is when all three of them come together. When Cass's past comes back to haunt him, it is Jake who becomes their rock.
I liked how the author stretched the timeline. It gave time to the characters and the readers to feel the connection. I also liked that we had all the MC's POVs , Garrett Leigh style of course. The epilogue left me happy and warm. Overall it was an amazing read.Highly recommended to all lovers of menage.
..............................................................
I like menage stories, I find them intriguing and I appreciate it when the author makes it work. Most times my problem is that it's all about the sex and the connection between the MCs is not believable.
This was so not the case here.This was one of the best menages I 've ever read. Part of me knew it would be because...duh, Garrett Leigh.I' m glad I was right.
Tom and Cass are the co owners of several restaurants. Apart from bussiness, they are partners in life as well but they have an open relationship. They love each other but they aren't fully commited. Some may say it is cheating, but I just can't see it. Open relationships piss me off a little because most times I feel they diminish the love and connection between the MCs, thus making it difficult for me to beleive in them. But in this case it worked. In fact it made it easier for me to believe that Jake was needed in their relationship. It is always more difficult to accept that a well-established happy couple takes in a third person.
Tom.He wants to take care of everybody and fix everything. He has so much love to give and his heart is so big that he shares it freely with both Cass and Jake. One night he meets Jake and he brings him home. It is pretty clear that Jake is not just one more hook up.The instant connection takes both of them by surprise.
Cass. He is the enigma in the relationship. Mysterious, broody and dark, it is obvious that something bad has happened to him. This is what prevents him from giving himself to Tom 100%.He needs to deal with his past to beleive he is worthy of love, not only Tom's but Jake's as well.
Jake. He has .Jake has issues too . Tom becomes his lover, his safe place. Cass becomes his new friend who slowly starts to mean more and more. Tom and Cass may have loved each other for so long, but Jake becomes the missing piece that makes their relationship work better.
"He knelt on the hardwood floor, a hand on each of them, and in awe of the men who made his life complete. Cass was the love of his life, and Jake . . . Jake had taught them to love each other better. Jake had taught them to live."
It is not all hearts and flowers from the get go, far from it. At first, Jake can't understand or accept the relationship between Cass and Tom.But it is already too late, he is in love with Tom so he gives in. With Cass things are different. Gradually they become friends, they text and they talk. This friendship turns to something more eventually and this is when all three of them come together. When Cass's past comes back to haunt him, it is Jake who becomes their rock.
I liked how the author stretched the timeline. It gave time to the characters and the readers to feel the connection. I also liked that we had all the MC's POVs , Garrett Leigh style of course. The epilogue left me happy and warm. Overall it was an amazing read.Highly recommended to all lovers of menage.
January 23, 2016
I don't read ménage romances often, but after seeing my friends' reviews about this book, I decided to give it a go. Sadly, I didn't like it as much as I wanted to. I loved the unique characters, but the three of them together just didn't click for me for some reason. Also, while I enjoyed the multiple POVs, I would have wanted Cass' POV to be longer.
I have such mixed feelings about this book that I don't really know what else to say. One moment I liked it, the other one I didn't. It's a well written and interesting story. It just wasn't exactly for me.
January 17, 2024
Holy shit. This completely blew me away. MMM isn’t really my thing, although I’ve read a few and enjoyed them. But this? These guys are so good together that they have me questioning everything in the world. Should I be in a throuple too? Am I missing something in life? 🤣
Tom. Beautiful solid loving Tom. And his two broken lovers. Jake, with his TS, his distant family, his loneliness. Cass, with his troubled pass, his snark, his attitude, and his hidden soft interior. I loved them all so much.
I think my favourite thing was how they all loved each other. Not just as three, but also as couples. Tom and Cass love each other. Tom and Jake love each other. Jake and Cass love each other. And the three together? Hot as the surface of the sun, but it wasn’t just about the sex. So many feelings. My heart.
❤️❤️❤️🔥🔥🔥
Tom. Beautiful solid loving Tom. And his two broken lovers. Jake, with his TS, his distant family, his loneliness. Cass, with his troubled pass, his snark, his attitude, and his hidden soft interior. I loved them all so much.
I think my favourite thing was how they all loved each other. Not just as three, but also as couples. Tom and Cass love each other. Tom and Jake love each other. Jake and Cass love each other. And the three together? Hot as the surface of the sun, but it wasn’t just about the sex. So many feelings. My heart.
❤️❤️❤️🔥🔥🔥
December 8, 2018
Two + One = ❤️?
No way! That's what I would have said years ago. Yes, it's possible! That's what I say now. Jealous me will probably never understand the appeal of an open relationship in general, hence not a favorite trope of mine (and never will be), but I had faith in the author to make me enjoy this story nonetheless. And as far as true feelings between more than two men are involved I can even buy it now.
The main reason why I loved this story were three amazing characters, though.
Jack, with all his ticks, clicks, whistles and buzzes, and a great and strong personality buried underneath.
Tom, who would fight tooth and claw against everything and everyone to keep the two men he loves the most in the world happy and safe.
And last but not least Cass - my favorite - the wild and troubled boy tamed now, but still rebellious inside, fighting the demons of his past.
Cass was the love of his life, and Jake.. Jake had taught them to love each other better.
Jake had taught them to live.
Two + One = ❤️!
Why not 5 stars then? Well, the first half was a bit too slow for me. Don't get me wrong, I loved the slow take on the romance between these three men the author chose and I was glad they did not jump happily into bed with each other during their first encounter, but at times it was dragging a bit because there was not much happening. Furthermore, the language in this book was a bit more British than I'm apparently used to. There were so many words I had to look up, words that not even the dictionary on my Kindle knew, and that pulled me a bit out of the story. I had a feeling that during some heavy with meaning moments I didn't really caught the answer right...
But both got better during the second half and it won't keep me from reading the sequel right away. Though I enjoyed the Roads series more, this was still a great read for me.
April 27, 2015
5 Misfits stars
Review to come...
BR with my ladies here
Review to come...
“One does not refuse love. It was there, before we ever knew it.”
”The bond between the three of them felt perfect. Tom and Cass had their past, and Jake was their future: the link they’d never known was missing. Cass had always believed Tom to be his one great love, but he loved Jake too, just as much, and somehow it all seemed to work.”
BR with my ladies here
June 18, 2024
FFS this has overwritten my original review of the first edition instead of adding a new one to the second version.
Massively peed off now.
*****
Just as good the second time around
This is a comfort read for me. As far as I'm concerned, it's the pinnacle of how to write polyamory.
Tom, Cass, and Jake are about as imperfectly perfect as it gets when it comes down to the way they each slot into place in their relationship.
It's beyond sex, it does deep into the soul and the undeniable need each has for the other two.
If you've not picked it up before, why not? Give it a go because the writing is as exquisite as a flawless diamond.
With superb disability rep too, Misfits delivers on all fronts and the new expanded edition really does bring something special to the table.
Massively peed off now.
*****
Just as good the second time around
This is a comfort read for me. As far as I'm concerned, it's the pinnacle of how to write polyamory.
Tom, Cass, and Jake are about as imperfectly perfect as it gets when it comes down to the way they each slot into place in their relationship.
It's beyond sex, it does deep into the soul and the undeniable need each has for the other two.
If you've not picked it up before, why not? Give it a go because the writing is as exquisite as a flawless diamond.
With superb disability rep too, Misfits delivers on all fronts and the new expanded edition really does bring something special to the table.
June 19, 2021
I think this is the best - and definitely the most believable polyam story I've read. It wasn't just about the sex, though the sex was definitely hot, and it wasn't just about the three of them as a unit, but also about Tom & Jake, Tom & Cass and Cass & Jake, too. There was instant attraction between Tom and Jake, but Jake's friendship with Cass came later, as did them becoming lovers. Falling in love was a bit gradual. The whole of their relationship felt really organic.
Some folks may feel that Tom and Cass "cheat" on each other, since they do, on occasion, sleep with other guys. I don't think so, though. Cheating implies breaking the rules and they aren't breaking each other's rules and those are the only ones that really matter. Societies rules are often short sighted and intolerant.
Anywho...
Tom and Cass have been committed partners for nine years. They both work way too much and are a bit adrift. Their background's couldn't be more different with Tom being a middle class boy and Cass being an Eastender with a criminal background. Cass sees Tom as being the person that holds him up. The one who loves him in spite of all his flaws. I don't think he really understands that Tom doesn't love him in spite of his flaws at all. Tom simply loves him - flaws and all.
Tom is a very nurturing guy. He needs to take care of those he loves. And he's never wanted anything more than to take care of Cass. Then, one night, Tom meets Jake and brings him home and the sex was spectacular. Tom doesn't want that to be all there is between him and Jake, and Cass is not so subtly pushing Tom in Jake's direction.
Jake is a bit troubled, too and reminds Tom a bit of Cass. Jake, like Cass, brings out the nurturing aspect of Tom's personality. Jake isn't at all on board with Tom and Cass having an open relationship, at first, anyway. It takes him considerable time to grok it and to come to terms with it. And as time goes on, he not only becomes Tom's lover, but Cass's friend. And then, later still, Cass's lover. Jake becomes the the anchor for both Tom and Cass.
I felt like their relationships with one another and then the three of them as a whole, developed in a very believable way. Tom and Cass are quite secure with each other, so sex with other people has never been an issue. Jake is different, though, in that it was never just sex. Tom really felt drawn to Jake, but not as a replacement for Cass, but rather in addition to Cass.
I've enjoyed poly stories for quite a while now, but this one is definitely my favorite thus far. I felt that the author treated each of the characters with respect and they were very well drawn. The story gripped me, watching all three of them navigate uncharted waters and learn how to really be together.
Some folks may feel that Tom and Cass "cheat" on each other, since they do, on occasion, sleep with other guys. I don't think so, though. Cheating implies breaking the rules and they aren't breaking each other's rules and those are the only ones that really matter. Societies rules are often short sighted and intolerant.
Anywho...
Tom and Cass have been committed partners for nine years. They both work way too much and are a bit adrift. Their background's couldn't be more different with Tom being a middle class boy and Cass being an Eastender with a criminal background. Cass sees Tom as being the person that holds him up. The one who loves him in spite of all his flaws. I don't think he really understands that Tom doesn't love him in spite of his flaws at all. Tom simply loves him - flaws and all.
Tom is a very nurturing guy. He needs to take care of those he loves. And he's never wanted anything more than to take care of Cass. Then, one night, Tom meets Jake and brings him home and the sex was spectacular. Tom doesn't want that to be all there is between him and Jake, and Cass is not so subtly pushing Tom in Jake's direction.
Jake is a bit troubled, too and reminds Tom a bit of Cass. Jake, like Cass, brings out the nurturing aspect of Tom's personality. Jake isn't at all on board with Tom and Cass having an open relationship, at first, anyway. It takes him considerable time to grok it and to come to terms with it. And as time goes on, he not only becomes Tom's lover, but Cass's friend. And then, later still, Cass's lover. Jake becomes the the anchor for both Tom and Cass.
I felt like their relationships with one another and then the three of them as a whole, developed in a very believable way. Tom and Cass are quite secure with each other, so sex with other people has never been an issue. Jake is different, though, in that it was never just sex. Tom really felt drawn to Jake, but not as a replacement for Cass, but rather in addition to Cass.
I've enjoyed poly stories for quite a while now, but this one is definitely my favorite thus far. I felt that the author treated each of the characters with respect and they were very well drawn. The story gripped me, watching all three of them navigate uncharted waters and learn how to really be together.
October 26, 2017
I have never been convinced about 3-way relationships. Tbh, I find them a bit mind-blowing, and I am not talking about the sex, but the emotional implications.
Can the concept really work? Won't there be always one person who feels left out? How can two people who really love each other 'extend' their love to someone else? Is that even possible?
Garrett Leigh explores all of these questions very sensitively and in depth, and the outcome is awesome.
What I really loved:
.) the setting (being in London was great fun!)
.) Tom and Cass's deep connection
.) Tom's innate goodness
.) Cass's brooding 'darkness'
.) Jake's vulnerability
.) Cass and Jake's texting
.) Tom and Cass talk to each other about the way their relationship with Jake is going
.) how Jake helps both men to love each other even 'more'
.) how Tom, Cass and Jake just fit together, each loving the other two for different reasons.
.) last but not least - cooking! food talk! desserts!
I admit I expected jealousy to enter the equation at one point. It didn't. Most fascinating.
So yes, I get why this is considered the holy grail of m/m/m romance - so much love, so many feelings and pure romance all along.
I absolutely loved it. So thank you, Jan (and everyone else who encouraged me to go for it!)!
Can the concept really work? Won't there be always one person who feels left out? How can two people who really love each other 'extend' their love to someone else? Is that even possible?
Garrett Leigh explores all of these questions very sensitively and in depth, and the outcome is awesome.
What I really loved:
.) the setting (being in London was great fun!)
.) Tom and Cass's deep connection
.) Tom's innate goodness
.) Cass's brooding 'darkness'
.) Jake's vulnerability
.) Cass and Jake's texting
.) Tom and Cass talk to each other about the way their relationship with Jake is going
.) how Jake helps both men to love each other even 'more'
.) how Tom, Cass and Jake just fit together, each loving the other two for different reasons.
.) last but not least - cooking! food talk! desserts!
I admit I expected jealousy to enter the equation at one point. It didn't. Most fascinating.
So yes, I get why this is considered the holy grail of m/m/m romance - so much love, so many feelings and pure romance all along.
I absolutely loved it. So thank you, Jan (and everyone else who encouraged me to go for it!)!
February 9, 2021
Just about a one sitting read! 😍
After struggling with a few books by this author, I read and enjoyed her Christmas one last year. So when I was in need of a MMM book, I thought I’d give this a try and am so glad I did.
MMM books are tricky for me. It’s not that I don’t like them. It’s more I find it hard to find the balance I seek in them. I don’t like an abundance of angst but I also don’t care for things falling together immediately and perfectly. Basically I feel like Goldilocks when I read MMM. 😆
This one just worked for me. It felt natural. I loved the original relationship between Tom and Cass and adored how Jake fit into their world. He sort of barreled into Tom’s life whereas the connection between him and Cass was slower and rooted in friendship. And never once did I question that Tom and Cass themselves would be ok. 🥰
Steam wise, I’d also say was about perfect. There weren’t lots and lots of scenes but the ones that were there were 🔥. I liked that they illustrated the different bonds between the trio. Although I wouldn’t have said no to another scene with all three together. Don’t judge me!
Overall this was a win for me. And I think I’ll be moving on to grumpy Nero next. 😉
Jake smiled. “You don’t remember the sun?” “Fuck the sun, Jake. I only saw you.”
After struggling with a few books by this author, I read and enjoyed her Christmas one last year. So when I was in need of a MMM book, I thought I’d give this a try and am so glad I did.
MMM books are tricky for me. It’s not that I don’t like them. It’s more I find it hard to find the balance I seek in them. I don’t like an abundance of angst but I also don’t care for things falling together immediately and perfectly. Basically I feel like Goldilocks when I read MMM. 😆
This one just worked for me. It felt natural. I loved the original relationship between Tom and Cass and adored how Jake fit into their world. He sort of barreled into Tom’s life whereas the connection between him and Cass was slower and rooted in friendship. And never once did I question that Tom and Cass themselves would be ok. 🥰
Steam wise, I’d also say was about perfect. There weren’t lots and lots of scenes but the ones that were there were 🔥. I liked that they illustrated the different bonds between the trio. Although I wouldn’t have said no to another scene with all three together. Don’t judge me!
Overall this was a win for me. And I think I’ll be moving on to grumpy Nero next. 😉
Jake smiled. “You don’t remember the sun?” “Fuck the sun, Jake. I only saw you.”
February 26, 2015
Misfits is such a beautiful book, from the contents to the cover to the perfectly suitable title. It’s a gentle, moving story of three men and how they all end up loving each other. The happy ending is inevitable, but I was still utterly gripped by the gradual unfolding of how they get there.
I loved all three men. Strong, sweet Tom, and troubled Cass with his difficult past. These two adore each other but are somehow adrift despite their obvious soul-deep connection. Then enter Jake - “the link they’d never known was missing.” He’s the unlikely piece of the puzzle who somehow brings Cass and Tom back together to make something even better than the two of them had before.
"I reckon you're everything me and Tom didn't know we were looking for."
Deeply touching and subtle, Misfits has that sweet ache of angst and darkness running through it that readers of Garrett Leigh have come to expect, but it’s never too much, and it makes the ending all the sweeter for it. Highly recommended.
Disclaimer: I’m a huge Garrett Leigh fangirl, but I’m also friends with the author and she sent me an ARC of this one - lucky me! :)
I loved all three men. Strong, sweet Tom, and troubled Cass with his difficult past. These two adore each other but are somehow adrift despite their obvious soul-deep connection. Then enter Jake - “the link they’d never known was missing.” He’s the unlikely piece of the puzzle who somehow brings Cass and Tom back together to make something even better than the two of them had before.
"I reckon you're everything me and Tom didn't know we were looking for."
Deeply touching and subtle, Misfits has that sweet ache of angst and darkness running through it that readers of Garrett Leigh have come to expect, but it’s never too much, and it makes the ending all the sweeter for it. Highly recommended.
Disclaimer: I’m a huge Garrett Leigh fangirl, but I’m also friends with the author and she sent me an ARC of this one - lucky me! :)
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