Hi there! Today’s book is a steamy ménage romance from Lily Harlem. I reviewed SCORED and HIRED several months ago, and really enjoyed her writing, so I dipped my toe in for a third book, a contemporary (British) ménage, THE GLASS KNOT. FYI Lily provided me this book in exchange for my honest review.

About the book:
What’s a girl to do when the guy she falls for is married to another man?

This is exactly what happened to me. Seeing Josh Kendal stroll out of the Mediterranean Sea wearing tight navy swim trunks and looking like a hot new James Bond was a truly delicious moment. Catching sight of his wedding ring was like a kick in the shin and meeting his gorgeous husband, phew, that was enough to make any girl groan at the cruel joke God was playing on her.

But all was not as it seemed, and when Josh needed a woman to sort out a ‘delicate predicament’ I was the one for the job – heck, what did I have to lose? Certainly not as much as him, literally.

Trouble is, emotions always get tangled, loyalties can’t help but be divided and with a night of memories so hot they’d have the devil sweating, there was only one thing for it—it was time to get honest, fight for what I wanted despite society’s constraints and open my heart to the people it needed most.

My Review:
Nick and Josh are a married couple. Nick had been married to a woman, but recognized his bisexuality when he and Josh meet. Nick’s wife couldn’t understand–she left, and Nick and Josh are happy. Josh, however senses his bisexuality. He’s always wanted one experience with a woman–just to check it out. Nick is supportive, but wary.

Josh meets Laura while he and Nick are on vacation. She’s a freelance photographer, and attracted to Josh. She’s disappointed that he’s married–and even more frustrated to learn that his spouse is an equally beautiful man. Then, she realizes that Josh is attracted to her. And, that Josh has been given a “hall pass” if you will, to be with Laura for one night.

It’s fantastic. Stupendous. Cataclysmic. Tender and loving.

Laura, Nick and Josh return to their respective lives, but Josh reaches out to invite Laura for a visit under the auspices that she shoot some intimate photos of him as a gift for Nick. Laura soon learns that Nick wasn’t okay with Josh’s escapade. She also learns that Josh wants to continue to see her–which is thrilling and terrifying because her attraction hasn’t waned.

There’s a kerfuffle (involving some unauthorized carnal knowledge) and Laura leaves, returning to her dismal London flat. A few weeks later, Nick calls. Josh had been injured and he could use Laura’s help lifting Josh’s spirits. It seems Josh has been guilt-ridden and heartbroken at the same time, for wanting Laura while he also loves Nick.

The simplest solution, Nick surmises, is for Josh to be with both of them–and it brings up the question: can they be a partnership? Well, a few smexytimes later, and the whole lot of them are quite a bit happier–until Josh and Nick try to “take care of” Laura. She values her financial independence, and refuses to be “kept”. Some agitation over this point of contention gets resolved, in the most delicious way.

We get a full resolution and an HEA that satisfies. The book was almost exclusively told from Laura’s POV, which was okay, but I would have loved a bit of Josh and Nick in the body of the story. Josh, no doubt, had the most agonizing viewpoint–sorting his feelings for Laura and Nick, so I really wanted to experience him a whole lot more than just the prologue.

For contemporary ménage, this book comes from a different place–a stable gay relationship that brings in a female….which made for an interesting twist. Often times the males struggle over the M/M aspect, or simply avoid it, whereas it’s fully embraced here with Josh and Nick. I liked. Also, I’m a sucker for Brit-love, because I’m fascinated by the linguistic differences in English dialects; my inner Anglophile purred throughout. A great, steamy read–suitable for mature readers.

Interested? You can find THE GLASS KNOT on Goodreads, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble.

About the Author:
Lily Harlem is a multi-published, award-winning author of contemporary erotic romance. She lives in the UK and writes for several publishing houses including Ellora’s Cave, HarperCollins, Xcite and Total-E-Bound. She also features in numerous UK and US anthologies, some of which all proceeds go to charity.

Her books are a mixture of full length novels and short stories, some are one offs, some are sequels or part of a series (all can be enjoyed as stand-alone reads). What they all have in common are colourful characters travelling on everyone’s favourite journey — falling in love. If the story isn’t deliciously romantic and down and dirty sexy, it won’t be written, at least not by this author. So with the bedroom door left well and truly open you are warned to hang on for a steamy, sensual ride – or rides as the case might be!

You can find Lily on her website, Goodreads and Twitter.

Thanks for popping in, and keep reading my friends!