4.5 stars rounded up to 5
I have enjoyed every one of Michelle Dare’s stories of the throuples set in both sides of the town of Dremest, Pennsylvania. West Dremest is controlled by the Dremest family, East Dremest by Jordan Altair Sr, mafia boss and legitimate businessman. Previous stories have detailed the 7 current throuples in town (3 partners in a relationship with each other) in the Three Ties and Ruined and Relinquished series. This one, the first book in the East Dremest Mafia series, sees Jordan Altair Sr. falling for Hartley Weathers, a designer and master tailor of clothing for Jordan, and Vail Ayers, a sometime chef at the club Untouchables. Reading the Three Ties series is not a requirement, but if you do, you will be better able to follow the vast, and complicated, cast of characters. There is a “family tree” diagram of sorts at the beginning, and a cast of characters too, but going in cold turkey can be pretty confusing. There are also flashbacks that help flesh out parts of the previous books that help explain motivations of our characters alluded to in previous books. It is complicated, but very engaging and interesting as you go along for the ride.
Jordan Sr. has not been in a relationship for many years, not since death of his wife and someone else he had loved who is also gone. When he meets Hartley as he is commissioning a new suit, something about the man piques his interest, leaving him wanting this man, physically and to know more about him. When Vail comes to his home to cater a dinner, he has the same reaction for this man, also, something very unexpected and uncharacteristic for him, as he doesn’t do relationships or get involved in feelings. Unable to get either out of his mind, an opportunity arises to get him closer to both. As things progress, fears and uncertainty are felt on all sides, and there are always threats where Jordan Sr is involved. Much of the book deals with the developing relationship between the three and the dynamic between them, always with the threats inherent in the mafia lifestyle. The book ends on a sort of HFN with the throuple’s relationship, but a cliffhanger in where it may go from here, all with parts of their pasts in play.
Fascinating and complex characters, great world building for the town of Dremest, events from each character’s past have an impact, and the mafia world in which Jordan lives is built well. It will be interesting to see what happens with this throuple when the second book in the series, Vail’s story, comes out later this year. Wish they could come out closer together, as I always have to reorient myself to the many characters involved. But, they are all great, interconnected, and hold my interest, so will just need to wait and see. Well worth the read.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.