Just Between Us

by Anysah Grace

"Whatever you want me to do, I’ll do it. I’ll be your lover, your personal executioner, your heaven, and your home, for as long as you let me.”

Kai cannot afford to fall in love.
Levi is trying to keep himself afloat.
Cole is suppressing the demons that rear their heads inside him.

Levi and Cole have been together for two years. They would do anything for each other, but they are both hiding secrets that they would rather keep buried - secrets that threaten everything and everyone they hold dear.

Until they meet Kai.

He’s everything they want, everything they didn’t know they needed. Kind, funny, beautiful—Kai is the full package, and they desperately want him. But keeping things casual is harder than it sounds, and soon, unwanted emotions threaten to destroy them.

With all three of their pasts creeping up to haunt them, they must decide if the love that is forming between them is worth fighting for or if they’ll allow themselves to be dragged into their own darkness for good.

Genres: M M M, M M Romance, Polyamory, Queer, Dark Romance, BDSM

365 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 23, 2024

Reviews

[Brooke · Rating 2 out of 5]

⭐️ 2 stars ⭐️

It tastes like something I shouldn’t have, a glimpse of forbidden euphoria.

What was missing from this read was balance.
The dynamic between the characters was off, the angsty plot lines were all over the place, and the spice was weirdly a lot but also not enough.

Their relationship also felt unbalanced. It felt like Cole and Levi - and then Kai. A couple adding a third, not a throuple.

All three of them had different issues that brought drama and angst, but I didn’t feel they were done in the best way. Having so many different subplots all meshing together made the flow a bit jumpy and messy. There were a lot of time skips even during the same chapter that pulled me out of the story. One paragraph their together, the next it’s three weeks later.
One minute they’re talking, then they’re making out, and the next sentence their enjoying their post-orgasm bliss.

“You want me to fuck you like the slut you are, princess?”

Which brings me to the spice. For most this is probably a very spicy read, but for me it felt like an unsatisfactory edging session. The sex scenes were cut off a lot, sometimes right in the middle of them. I enjoy descriptive scenes, from start to finish, no time skips in between, no position jumping. So although technically this did have a lot of smut, to me it felt more closed-doors than I expected.

Just Between Us had plenty of promise, but the writing style just didn’t work for me.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

CW and tropes (spoilers):
- MMM
- Hurt/comfort
- Physical abuse
- Mentions of SA
- Depiction of attempted suicide
- Discussions of MH and undiagnosed personality disorders
- Animal death (graphic)
- Murder
- Top-vers-bottom (mostly)
- Public sex
- Breath play
- Knife play
- Slapping
- D/s dynamic
- Mild degradation
- Rimming
- Face-fucking
- DP

[Destinee · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's been a while since I've rated a book 5 stars but I believe this book really deserved it. The poly dynamic was handled very well, it's rare for poly books especially those with an established couple to showcase the chemistry between each partner equally. Loved the plot and the pace of this story. I can't believe this was a debut novel, I look forward to reading this author's future works.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Unusable Booklore · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 Stars

Some intense power dynamics

So this review is going to be a bit disjointed because my thoughts are...This book was something. Not bad, but it definitely was missing a few things for me. Overall it wasn't worth a DNF but it was not my cup of tea.

To start - Uggh HP fan MCs - when will people (especially authors) accept, just because you like something doesn’t mean it should be spot-lit. JKR is trash and even Book MCs living in world where she isn’t trash is infuriating to me. It’s like MCs living in world where racism is cool and okay.

The communication from two of the MCs was great. It evolved and was worked on by them in a very positive way. Kai was the exception. For no good reason he withheld information choosing ignorance for his partners; he’s so misguided. I would love to say that it added good tension, really it frustrated me knowing that whatever drama happens could have been prepared for by the characters and it left the drama feeling a little flat.

This book is long, the amount of spice feels like it drags the story along. I understand some people like more spice/story equality. I prefer story to spice so I found it a bit of a slog. Around 45% I started looking to see how much more there was to get through. Also lots of suggested 🍑➡️👄 if this is an ick of yours take note

TW: on page animal abuse, child physical abuse, suggestion of attempted child seggs abuse, implied SA, drugging, on page murder.

[readwithcharlotteb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Could not put the book down. MMM in a london Setting Count me in. I eat these tropes up. Loved the balance of smut and plot, as a fellow london girlie you was spot on with the locations and characteristics. Did someone say crossing swords, well done author, i was trying to connect via socials so i could chat more about the characters as i really loved this book

[Crex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Arc review🖤✨
4🌟4🌶️

I enjoyed this book so much 😩,Cole Levi and Kai..

Cole~ what I loved about him was his grumpy ass and his obsession with his men, Cole is a psychopath and I love that he told his men who he was and ready to give them space but not for long, he is big baby and book obsessed ☺️he was ready to kill, not even caring who, top it with him being a billionaire, That trip to south France made my knees weak.. plus he took touch my men and 💀 very seriously.. and the way he calls Kai princess ..

Levi~ He isn’t crazy but he has a fixation on things and people and if he like’s something, he gets it, Levi is big on communication and he was the one who always communicated more on how he feels and how they should proceed.. I love him so much.. All his boyfriends are baby or babe to him.. cute ❤️

Kai~ I like Kai and didn’t like Kai especially after Cole and Levi decided to tell him their past about what they have been through bcs they wanted a relationship with honesty and he didn’t tell them about his past and his past was creating havoc on them.. but when he said he wanted to handle it himself bcs he felt that was the only thing he could do for them, he didn’t want to feel he was taking advantage of them. Kai loves being a slut for his men..

My babies, The private jet, the book store, the black card.. the house.. My type 🙈☺️.. my imagination really did so much ☺️..

[Viki · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great and dark ride! Yes, I skipped/skimmed a few things and I had some problems connecting with some stuff but even then, I felt like this is definitely a book for me, even if I'd rate it just three stars as far as my "emotional" engagement goes", the objective appreciation of a book well written was strong enough to push it into four stars.

And let's just address the elephant, well, the bunny in the room. I happened to notice the trigger warning so I knew when I should skip ahead to the relevant parts. (Is that fair? Is me skipping a horrible scene disqualification from a proper review/opinion? Personally, I am glad I can still enjoy a book with some well-placed skips but then it feels like I am not really allowed to judge it, because those "bad" parts are still a part of the book.) But somehow it just feels like the modern viewer/reader thing to do, being unable to go through a bunny scene but then there was a human being hurt scene and like, huh, so he's finally getting what he deserves? Good. But that's, of course, just one part of the dark side of this work and the less important one.

The relationship is on the crazy side of the equation and what really matters. The good news is it was definitely my kind of twisted. So it's not for everyone but the obsession was nicely tempered with reason/maturity and some minor but not negligible kinks and the way they went about the whole affair... *shiver* I just found myself liking the combination of tropes and plot twists and the trouple's personalities. I said it before and I'll say it again, there's an assumption of porn-leaning, that poly romance is automatically more focused on the sex side and I am not sure if that's my assumption as a reader or just an observation of the genre? And while this was definitely made up of more than a few naked scenes, the romance was solid enough, the story-related foreplay (as in the build-up to the relationship itself) was a good foundation that only expanded as the story insisted on throwing real problems and the characters actually living their lives instead of just getting everything swept up in feels.

This review feels like a mess (maybe because my opinions are not as unified as they could have been) but overall, I liked with the book and recommend it quite heartily. Definitely an author to watch for.

[Cavak · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, it served on its premise for lots of gay sex!

There was more than surface level here, mainly the darker subplots for each of the male leads that brought tension for the actual plot between them. I enjoyed that aspect, that it didn't all feel dumped from nowhere, and I liked how that the writing was snappy. Didn't take forever for the characters to attempt to communicate with one another, as could have been ripe for drama in other romance or erotica books. No second-to-last chapter plot twists here. Sleek on the reading experience as a whole.

As far as whatever else is needed for a novel, I can't say that it was beefy or awe-inspiring. Cursory chapter dedicated to the characters, you know, doing their actual work. Most of the time, the exposition and angst felt like a pretense dressing or flirting for the next sex scene/climax. While it was steamy and kinky, the focus wasn't always consistent on the acts themselves with many cuts. To break up the flow of sex, sex, sex a bit, I think.

Characters say they like and love one another, but I mostly saw it as lusted for one another. I think the dirty talk between loving boyfriends has a limit for me as well, especially if it's meant to be a legit "we're making love" scene.

And of course there are two male leads who are conventionally handsome, super talented, and richy-rich because of course they are. Rather than taking place in Europe, I almost wondered if I had been misreading this as a K-drama at one point. They are that on point with the archetypes.

But then again, this is an overall escapist read with young men in their twenties. So whatever floats your boat, yes?

Just Between Us is a fine debut that knows what it is and flaunts it proudly. The writing has its flaws, and I think that an editor could help with the grammar and punctuation here and there. Yet if you're looking for an erotica that actually moves clearly with three different protagonists and gets somewhere quickly, then this is all right. Got a couple "Awws" out of me, so I'm cool with that.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a beautiful book of three very damaged men that somehow seem to find each other, the ones that can quiet the clamor in their souls. Cole and Levi have been in a relationship for two years when they meet Kai and are immediately drawn to him. When they add Kai to their couple, he is the catalyst that makes it clear Cole and Levi are hiding parts of themselves and their pasts from each other, as is Kai also. Cole needs to hide the emotionless person inside, donning a mask so no one can see. Levi hides his genius mind, wanting to blend in so not to seem smarter than those around him, and Kai has a need to be constantly on guard his whole life in order to be safe. All seem to have a constant guilt about what they are hiding, for some reason they don’t feel they deserve to be happy. When he joins Cole and Levi, Kai balances them out, making them happy in different ways, helping calm each of the hidden parts of themselves. Things go well until circumstances from their pasts cause them to lose each other, struggling to regain what they had while overcoming outside threats to find each other again.

Each of these characters is complex with layers to their backgrounds. We have points of view from each of the characters, and often the chapter will begin with a flashback to the character’s past, adding more layers to the story and giving more insight into the past events that led each to where they are today. The three coming together triggers realizations about themselves and each other, as well as acceptance of how each got to this point. The characters are engaging, realistic and relatable, bringing the reader along as they develop over time. Parts are dark and can be disturbing, while the intimate scenes are spicy enough to satisfy most readers. An interesting and engrossing read with a few twists along the way.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[It's a Solid Maybe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am in my mmm era so here me out:
If you are grammar police, it's atrocious. There are extreme atrocities committed -in this book- where grammar is concerned. It's almost, nearly (but not quite) unforgivable. I mean, she forgets which perspective she's writing from at one point.

But ...
The story is solid. Like, it's a gem. I wish I could send my review but it's "being monitored" ...which is lame, but I understand. I guess.

The story:
The chemistry and the growing of the people as well as their developing feels: It's great. The boys are going straight onto my book bf top ten. And staying. There are some distinct Mulvaney vibes here but it's not a rewrite of Necessary Evils in any way. It's low angst, inner demons, grumpy/sunshine/and sociopathic claiming (my personal fav)
Considering this is her debut, it's amazing. The skeletons in the closet...they are the darkness. The way it unfolds and comes together is hauntingly beautiful.

Again, forgiving editing crimes, she jumps forward in time without warning so they'll be gettin'spicy in one paragraph and then they're at the office in the next. It takes a while to understand wtAF but, in a way, it lends to the story...I'm not sure if it was an intentional device or just terrrrrrrible editing, but it worked in her favor ultimately. Just because I think the slightly off kilter vibe it gives off mirrors that of the characters and their indecipherable feelings.

So, to be brief..(ha) I think this was actually one of the better mmm stories I've read recently. I'll definitely remember these characters. And the way they approached opening their relationship to a third, growing, and communication... Just yes.


Story 4⭐
4🌶️

[Monica Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just yes.

This book. Wow.
I definitely want more from this author. This is one example of not caring about the instances of terrible editing because the story grabbed me by the throat and didn't let go. And while it states it's a dark romance, it took me a while to figure out how exactly. It's the way Anysah writes the skeletons in the closet... The moments in between, the personal demons. The characters are amazing. They come to life in the best fictional ways. These will go down on my book bf top ten. The way the story was told is really what sold it. I'm not sure if it was the editing or an intentional device, but the way time skips forward did actually work for me....after I understood what was happening. Usually it's marked by a *** or something but in this case they're getting spicy and then they're at work. But it kind of lends to the pace of the story and the irregular situation they find themselves in, both individually and together. I just really really liked how she wove this story. If you're the Grammar police...please note there are some atrocities committed here. But relax and enjoy the story. There are some dark scenes and the story had some Mulvaney vibes (iykyk) but that is literally NEVER a bad thing and she did not rewrite Necessary Evils in any way, unlike some of these dark man-mantacy books. This was new. It was just as much about personal evolution as it was about the learning of how to love one another.

I could comfort read the crap out of a hard copy of this book. The chemistry is just ...it's goooood. Low angst/grumpy vs sunshine/dark themes/love wins.

[Stacey T · Rating 3 out of 5]

A MMM Romance with secrets and dark appetites. Levi is highly intelligent but with that comes an inability to always “turn it off” and has used sex and drugs in the past to quiet his thoughts. Cole is the second son to a powerful and corrupt wealthy family but doesn’t want anything to do with them, especially as he is seen as a disappointment and psychopath. When these two meet, their worlds collide, and they become everything to each other. Both working and living the high life until they’re interrupted by Kai. He works for Cole’s family and in another department than Levi but is stunned by their gorgeous looks and even more so when they reach out and want to bring him into their relationship. When each of their pasts come back to affect their present and when secrets are revealed, will there be anything left to save? Can Kai keep their relationship casual as they agreed, or will he destroy the bond between Levi and Cole?
This is the first book by a new author, and I think the story was interesting and had just enough darkness for me. I enjoyed the chemistry between the MC’s and the friendships that they each had with their besties. The secrets they each held added to the story, but Cole was my definite favorite of the group for his controlling and dark tendencies. My biggest issue was all of the grammatical errors and a few character inconsistencies that could be easily resolved with better editing and proofing. Overall, a good read and I will happily read more by this author. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Content warning: Graphic D/s sex among 3 men. If you don't want to read about this, don't read this book and then complain about it!

3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 because it was suspense along with the sexy romance.
This story was compelling because we have to keep reading to find out what happens to all the characters. Each of these men is lovable in his own way. Levi is easiest to love. He has some nasty stuff in his past and trauma he hasn't shared with his partner, Cole. Kai is a little younger than Cole and Levi and is blown away when he walks in on them kissing at work. Kai is just plain sweet, even after all he has been through. During his work with Levi, sparks are there, but both are wary. The way they get together is primarily sexual, but there is more that they don't acknowledge until later. Twists and turns ensue before they reach their happy ending.

My only problem with this book is that the writing was awkward. The author creates good characters, and we understand their motives and feelings. However, there are inadequate separations when switching from one time to another or from one point of view to another. Even a squiggle across the page would do in some spots. Despite these problems, this new author shows great potential. She made me like Cole, even though his morals are as gray as the Thames.
I received an ARC for free and left this review voluntarily.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

To start I noticed that the book lacked balance. It seemed to jump from place to place and cut of sex scenes!

I loved this debut novel by Anysah Grace! The writings was a bit off in some areas.
It has angst, drama, chemistry, morally grey characters, hot sex, and a trouple you want more of. Well Established couple Levi and Cole falling for a third.

Cole - The psychopath but he loves his boyfriends so much. He is a touch them and die type of guy. The trip to Monaco, the way he listens and protects his boyfriends.
Levi - A favorite. He has a lot going on but he loves hard and is so mature. He is quietly dominant and it feels like he's actually the one in control. Perfection.
Kai - Kai found him frustrating at the same time. By the end, I understood why he hid some things because of his past.

All in all I recommend this book, Despite the several different subplots all meshed together made the flow a bit jumpy. There were a lot of time skips in the book. Especially during the same chapter that pulled me out of the story. One paragraph their together, the next it’s three weeks later. They tare talking, then making out, and the next sentence their enjoying their post-orgasm.

[thunderlightning · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars

The book angels have been looking down on me, because this is my seconds 5-stars book this week and from none other than brilliant from up-and-coming authors. This might be Anysah Grace's first book, but she did a great damn job at it.

It has angst, drama, chemistry, morally grey characters, hot hot sex, and a trouple you want to eat up. Established couples falling for a third

Our main character is Kai - Pretty boy
Levi - genius and golden boy
Cole - resident psychopath and billionaire

What else do you need? This book will have you flipping pages none-stop.

I usually feel queasy when established couples decide to add a third because I feel they'll be left out but despite the moments of doubts that Kai had, he fit with Levi and Cole from day 1. The anticipation was fun and watching them figure out their dynamics.

Recommend 5/5

[Sara Irons · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kai is going to a meeting with one of the bosses, within the company he works for, that will change his life forever. Not only in a professional manor but also on a personal level.

Levi, a boss where Kai works, takes an immediate interest in Kai. But so does Levi's boyfriend, Cole.

All three of them have a twisted past that could come back and mess up their future. They must find a way to navigate their new relationship between the three of them.

Will they be able to find their way in this journey? Will they be able to let go of their pasts? Come read this story with awesome characters and great world building.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Deb Kel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I liked the fact that Levi and Cole have an established strong two year relationship with great chemistry. However they are both hiding things which has a massive impact and then they meet Kai! What starts as casual soon develops as Kai is everything they want and didn't realise they needed. The emotional journey as their feelings for each other grow was so rewarding. However, things do not run smoothly and their pasts start to encroach into their budding poly romance leaving them fighting for their love to survive.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[confessorblue]

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

3 stars.

I think I liked this but didn't love it, if you know what I mean? All the components were there but it just fell a bit short. With poly relationships in books it either feels balanced between all three or not. In this case it felt like felt like Kai was just sort there, mostly as someone for Cole and Levi to have sex with.

And there was a lot of it- sex, which I don't particularly hate but I wanted a more interesting story line and it just fell short.

Despite, that thank you for the opportunity to read~

[Raven · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to BookSprout for giving me access to this book

So this was a good book very well written, I loved how mature their conversations were although I wasn’t a fan of them hiding things from each other but at least it was all resolved at the end. The one thing I didn’t like was the random time skips in between paragraphs, got very confusing at times . Also for a book that has smut , it never fully went into as much detail as I would like or expect. Like the smut scenes were like they were cut in half , started but never finished but overall a really good book would recommend

Playlist for anyone interested:

https://music.apple.com/ng/playlist/j...

[Kassie · Rating 5 out of 5]

New author to MMM.

This book is well written, I really did enjoy it. I loved the characters.

It does say Dark Romance, with secrets and dark appetites.

We have Levi who is smart and intelligent. He has used s£x and drugs in the past to help quite his thoughts, which is unhealthy.

We have Cole, who is the second son to a very powerful and very corrupt family. But he wants nothing at all to do with them. He is seen as a psychopath. Cole and Lev are lovers and they are each other's worlds. Then we bring in Kia, who I loved from the start.

This book was so good, it was hard to put down.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this debut novel by Anysah Grace, good writing and great plot. The story focuses on couple Levi and Cole and newcomer Kai. Each of these characters are broken and flawed in their own ways, searching for answers and navigating some hard truths, taking the story in some twists and turns that made it more enjoyable to read. While the spice isn't the plot, there's a lot of it and it's delicious... 3 extremely hott men obsessed with each other, what can be better than that?
I highly recommend this one!!

I received a copy of this for my honest feedback.

[Kristina Kamukai · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an absolutely incredible read! This is the first MMM book I’ve ever read and it was genuinely such a delight. I couldn’t put it down and when I had to a kept counting the minutes till I could pick it up again. Also so in love with all the main characters and how well each of them showed development throughout the novel. It never felt like anyone was being left behind. Highly recommend this novel!

✨I received an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review which I have voluntarily provided✨

[Michelle Haskell · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐️4🌶️

I really enjoyed this book! I loved learning more about Cole, Levi, and Kai throughout the book and with the flashbacks. The book showed that these “perfect” men had some skeletons in their closet and are dynamic.

There were some spelling, grammar, and formatting issues, however. Another edit may be helpful.

Overall, I loved the book and fell in love with these three!!

(I received this book as an ARC through BookSirens)

[J · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cada vez disfruto más los poliamores, dos novios, Cole y Levi, que llevan dos años y medio de relación implementan a un tercero, porque a pesar de amarse y estar seguros de ser el para siempre del otro, se ocultan muchos secretos sobre su pasado para no herir al otro, así que bueno, empiezan una relación solo física con Kai, pero Kai los complementa más de lo que todos esperaban y terminan enamorándose de él también.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kai is torn between loving 2 men who are already a couple for many years. Cole & Levi are so hooked on Kai what was supposed to be a one & done turns into more. Throw in a past they each hide behind & you've got a great book. For a debut novel this author was on point in the dark category. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Amy Herring · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was a great book! I was hooked from the very beginning and I loved the issues they all had to them being solved. The ending was great too🖤 Cole was my favorite but I loved all the different pov’s from each main character. This was my first MMM book!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Kellyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. This was a great first book by this author. I’d read them again. I enjoyed this book and the guys in the story. Only reason it’s not 5 stars is that this book could use a new editor and be better formatted. So if you can overlook a few grammar issues and weird paragraphs, I say go for it, you won’t be disappointed.

[Perceana Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Read

The characters in this book are unforgettable, and the love and loyalty they share is something special. I was drawn in by how far they were willing to go for each other—sometimes, it’s the darkest parts of someone that end up saving you. This book blew me away. I love gay poly books.

[Priscilla · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a debut novel, it was pretty good. When the flashbacks started to show up in the chapters, the significance of those flashbacks didn't register until later in the books. Overall, the characters amd the plot was pretty good.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Sarah Coutts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of intrigue

I enjoyed this book. Lots of intrigue. Enough kink to keep me interested. If you are looking for a MMM read with some dark and disturbing elements this book will suit you.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good but...

This really needed some editing. The story was great but there were spots where lines were repeated, grammar didn't make sense, continuity issues, and at least one instance where one of the main characters was referred to as "her."