Those looking for a steamy yet emotionally compelling read will find just that with Unexpected Consequences by Sloan Johnson. Keep reading to get a glimpse of this contemporary ménage along with my impressions of it and learn even more about it by visiting the other blogs hosting this tour. Make sure to fill out the form below for your chance to win print copies of the previous books in this series too!
That’s what makes his friendship with Mary and Jeff work. All three of them are looking for some no-strings-attached fun. Until fate steps in, making them all take a look at what’s been developing while they’ve been busy fooling around.
Unfortunately, every decision in life has consequences. When you choose to openly share your life with more than one person, things get complicated. Will Zeke, Jeff and Mary be able to stand together as the world tries to pull them apart?
EXCERPT:
“It’s not that I was trying to hide it from you. I just… it’s a part of me that I’ve worked hard to bury for a long time.” Right about now, I’m really wishing I had listened to Dylan and pulled down the Johnnie Walker. I’m irritated that I’ve driven this wedge between us. Dylan has been there for me since college. He pushed aside his aspirations to help me start the promotions company when he could have easily been hired on with any fancy corporation and raced his way up the ladder.
Dylan’s feet drop to the floor as he leans over the desk. “But why? If you’ve been burying it, that means this wasn’t a surprise to you. Why wouldn’t you tell me what was going on in that thick skull of yours? Some of the shit we’ve been through together, I can’t think of a single fucking thing I would keep a secret from you.”
“It’s not that I don’t trust you, D,” I groan, tilting my head back against my chair. “I just… if I told you, I’d have to tell Tommy.And if he knew, everyone would know and I’m not ready for that. Maybe someday I’ll have someone in my life and I’ll have to tell them, but until then, I don’t see a reason for my family to know.”
“Seriously? Do you really think Tommy would run to your mom? And even if he did, I think you’re imagining a worse reaction than they’ll have. You have the type of family most people would kill to have.” He reaches across the desk, slapping me across the back of my head. The cockeyed grin on his face lets me know that while he might be upset with me for keeping this secret, he’s not angry and this won’t be the death of our friendship.
“You’ve met my family. What do you think they’re going to say when they learn that I like dick?” For as accepting as the Reed family can be about a lot of things, that acceptance doesn’t extend to one of their own having bisexual tendencies. They’d run with the fact that I am attracted to women and ask why I can’t be happy finding a good woman to settle down with. Until Mary, there wasn’t a woman I would have considered such a move for. With Mary, I feel as if we’d be incomplete without Jeff.
“Fair enough. But I’m not them and I highly doubt Tommy would say anything. After all, he knows them just as well as you do and I don’t see him throwing you under a bus.” I get what he’s saying, but it’s too late to change it.
“You could have told me.” If I’m not mistaken, Dylan sounds more hurt than angry. That shouldn’t surprise me, but it does. It wasn’t until recently that the man showed any sort of emotion. “You should have told me, man. You and me, we’re closer than I am with my own brother. I just…”
Dylan’s feet drop to the floor as he leans over the desk. “But why? If you’ve been burying it, that means this wasn’t a surprise to you. Why wouldn’t you tell me what was going on in that thick skull of yours? Some of the shit we’ve been through together, I can’t think of a single fucking thing I would keep a secret from you.”
“It’s not that I don’t trust you, D,” I groan, tilting my head back against my chair. “I just… if I told you, I’d have to tell Tommy.And if he knew, everyone would know and I’m not ready for that. Maybe someday I’ll have someone in my life and I’ll have to tell them, but until then, I don’t see a reason for my family to know.”
“Seriously? Do you really think Tommy would run to your mom? And even if he did, I think you’re imagining a worse reaction than they’ll have. You have the type of family most people would kill to have.” He reaches across the desk, slapping me across the back of my head. The cockeyed grin on his face lets me know that while he might be upset with me for keeping this secret, he’s not angry and this won’t be the death of our friendship.
“You’ve met my family. What do you think they’re going to say when they learn that I like dick?” For as accepting as the Reed family can be about a lot of things, that acceptance doesn’t extend to one of their own having bisexual tendencies. They’d run with the fact that I am attracted to women and ask why I can’t be happy finding a good woman to settle down with. Until Mary, there wasn’t a woman I would have considered such a move for. With Mary, I feel as if we’d be incomplete without Jeff.
“Fair enough. But I’m not them and I highly doubt Tommy would say anything. After all, he knows them just as well as you do and I don’t see him throwing you under a bus.” I get what he’s saying, but it’s too late to change it.
“You could have told me.” If I’m not mistaken, Dylan sounds more hurt than angry. That shouldn’t surprise me, but it does. It wasn’t until recently that the man showed any sort of emotion. “You should have told me, man. You and me, we’re closer than I am with my own brother. I just…”
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MY IMPRESSIONS OF THIS BOOK:
As the third book in the Isthmus Alliance series many of the relationships and interconnections are already underway. That's definitely the case for the ménage relationship between Mary, Jeff, and Zeke. Until now, they saw their relationship as merely fun. But when Mary is severely injured in an accident things change for all of them and what they have can no longer be thought of as just friends with benefits. They realize how important they are to each other and decide to fully commit to what they have, which leads to a lot of heartache along the way from those outside their relationship and the adjustments they have to make within their relationship so everyone feels equal.
With many of the book series I read the books can be read as a standalone, and for the most part that's the case here. However, the early parts of the book rely heavily on events that took place in previous installments. A lot of time is spent with secondary characters trying to help them reach their HEA that it became a bit frustrating. I wanted to have the ménage relationship the focus and felt a lot of time was spent elsewhere that dragged this book out unnecessarily. Seeing previous characters isn't completely bad though as it now makes me want to go back and read the other books in this series.
Mary is a strong-willed woman who's been in a ménage before that ended badly. She doesn't want the same mistakes to happen again and sets forth a plan to make sure they all find time to strengthen their individual connections as well as the whole. She deals with their relationship in a believable way pointing out things that we readers wonder about in real life. She's a good balance to the boys as she's cheery and forthcoming in her feelings as opposed to their seriousness and fears of coming out to the world. I see her as the glue in their ménage and quite liked her protective nature in defense of them both throughout the story. Jeff is a very serious-minded, buttoned-up man, and the one who likes to talk things out. He hides tats under his dress shirts though and is clearly a Dom having no problem showing his aggressive side in many sensual situations. He doesn't believe in love or commitment though after seeing his parent's marriage implode over alcohol which causes a rift late in the story between him and Zeke. Getting him to admit his love is difficult but richly rewarding when it finally happens. Zeke is the bad boy with his piercings, t-shirts, and biker boots but has a surprisingly sweet side that has him playing the caretaker role beautifully. He tends to speak before he thinks, but in this case he's having difficulty telling his overly religious family about his new relationship. The author does an admirable job using bible verses to contradict the often venomous speeches heard today to again put a believable spin on ménage relationships in a seamless way that's not at all preachy and I give her big kudos for her handling of this issue. Seeing the differences between these three characters shows how perfectly they blend with each one bringing something unique to their relationship. You can clearly see why they're only complete when together and this fact adds to the already steamy scenes. Both together and in individual couplings there's a sense of rightness and a give and take that's apparent in both the sweetly sensual interludes as well as the aggressive BDSM encounters.
From start to finish Ms. Johnson has crafted a story that presents ménage relationships in a believable way, using arguments and actions that show them to be just as loving and committed as other relationships. There's a time to cheer when they stand together against the world united in their love. Though there were a few distractions courtesy of secondary characters I still found myself fully immersed in this relationship and rooting for their HEA. I enjoyed Ms. Johnson's balancing of steamy interludes and emotionally intense character development and interactions and recommend her to those looking for an erotic read with both style and substance!
My rating for this is a B+
*I received this book from the author for review in exchange for my honest opinion.
Sloan is a Midwestern mom who began writing nearly seven years ago as a way to make money while staying home with her daughter. Now, with two kids in tow and having written more articles on how to assemble various pieces of furniture than she can count, she is reaching to make her dreams come true.
WEBSITE: http://authorsloanjohnson.
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/authorslo
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