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Coming in Third
Coming in Third by Amber Kell
About Amber Kell
Love sometimes comes in threes.
With his mother plotting to have him wed, Niall decides to sneak out of the fae palace and fulfill one of his greatest fantasies. At the Unconventional bar, he finds a pair of lion shifters looking to spice up their love life. Unable to resist the strong attraction between them, Niall lets the persuasive pair take him home.
Jovan and Luka have been searching for their third for years. When Niall stumbles into the bar, their shifter instincts tell them the innocent fae could be their long sought mate. After a sensual night together, they’re certain the beautiful man was fated to be theirs.
His guards fetch him from the shifters’ bed and Niall is taken away from the pair. Upset about Niall’s return to the palace and a possible arranged marriage, the lion shifters battle to decide their future—should they go and fetch their mate or let it only be the one-night stand Niall promised them?
About Amber Kell
Amber Kell has made a career out of daydreaming. It has been a lifelong habit she practices diligently as shown by her complete lack of focus on anything not related to her fantasy world building.
When she told her husband what she wanted to do with her life he told her to go have fun.
During those seconds she isn't writing she remembers she has children who humor her with games of 'what if' and let her drag them to foreign lands to gather inspiration. Her youngest confided in her that he wants to write because he longs for a website and an author name—two things apparently necessary to be a proper writer.
Despite her husband's insistence she doesn't drink enough to be a true literary genius she continues to spin stories of people falling happily in love and staying that way.
She is thwarted during the day by a traffic jam of cats on the stairway and a puppy who insists on walks, but she bravely perseveres.
69 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 24, 2015
11 people are currently reading
62 people want to read
About the author
Amber Kell
179 books1,283 followersAmber Kell has made a career out of daydreaming. It has been a lifelong habit she practices diligently as shown by her complete lack of focus on anything not related to her fantasy world building.
When she told her husband what she wanted to do with her life he told her to go have fun.
During those seconds she isn't writing she remembers she has children who humor her with games of 'what if' and let her drag them to foreign lands to gather inspiration. Her youngest confided in her that he wants to write because he longs for a website and an author name—two things apparently necessary to be a proper writer.
Despite her husband's insistence she doesn't drink enough to be a true literary genius she continues to spin stories of people falling happily in love and staying that way.
She is thwarted during the day by a traffic jam of cats on the stairway and a puppy who insists on walks, but she bravely perseveres..
She also writes under the name Mikela Q. Chase
When she told her husband what she wanted to do with her life he told her to go have fun.
During those seconds she isn't writing she remembers she has children who humor her with games of 'what if' and let her drag them to foreign lands to gather inspiration. Her youngest confided in her that he wants to write because he longs for a website and an author name—two things apparently necessary to be a proper writer.
Despite her husband's insistence she doesn't drink enough to be a true literary genius she continues to spin stories of people falling happily in love and staying that way.
She is thwarted during the day by a traffic jam of cats on the stairway and a puppy who insists on walks, but she bravely perseveres..
She also writes under the name Mikela Q. Chase
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
March 9, 2016
3.5 Stars ~
How sad to know that your own mother views you only as a commodity, something she can punish and torture in order to get you to toe the line. This has been Niall's life as a fae prince. He knows his time is growing near when his mother and his uncle will force him to marry and forever keep him trapped within their web, using him to overtake the queen. On his last night of freedom, Niall heads to Unconventional, a paranormal bar, in hopes of finding his fantasy, a ménage, to keep in his memories forever.
Luka and Jovan are lion shifters, and seriously hot. They've been looking for their third for a long time, and when they meet Niall, they think he might be the one. Except Niall insists it will only be a one-night stand. But when they get him back to their home, their inner cats let them know he's their third mate they've been searching for. Now, how to keep him without fighting the entire fae kingdom?
I love a good shifter story, and to add a sweet fae with wicked magic made this even better. The ending turned out to be a wonderful surprise that I really liked. Thank you, Amber!
How sad to know that your own mother views you only as a commodity, something she can punish and torture in order to get you to toe the line. This has been Niall's life as a fae prince. He knows his time is growing near when his mother and his uncle will force him to marry and forever keep him trapped within their web, using him to overtake the queen. On his last night of freedom, Niall heads to Unconventional, a paranormal bar, in hopes of finding his fantasy, a ménage, to keep in his memories forever.
Luka and Jovan are lion shifters, and seriously hot. They've been looking for their third for a long time, and when they meet Niall, they think he might be the one. Except Niall insists it will only be a one-night stand. But when they get him back to their home, their inner cats let them know he's their third mate they've been searching for. Now, how to keep him without fighting the entire fae kingdom?
I love a good shifter story, and to add a sweet fae with wicked magic made this even better. The ending turned out to be a wonderful surprise that I really liked. Thank you, Amber!
April 4, 2016
2.5 Heart Review by Kimberley
Amber Kell is an author that I’ve enjoyed reading and when I saw this new novella advertised which featured a ménage relationship as cat shifters (two of my favorite things) I definitely decided to give it a go.
Well, it was t what I expected. This is a case where the premise of the story sounded better than the actual novella. The characters or dialogue weren’t the problem; the execution of the story was. I understand that it was a novella and at forty six pages, things had to progress quickly. I was fine with that. There were just so many things in the story that didn’t make sense to me. Niall has guards yet his mother and her guards manage to physically abuse and torture him? What kind of guards were these that he was so easily accessible to his tormentors? They might as well hand him over to his mother and her guards to do their worst which is what was occurring anyway. His mother was controlling yet he had the freedom to come and go from the palace? Why didn’t he just escape?
Why didn’t his guards help him escape? Every last one of Niall’s guards should have been fired. They were completely useless.
Not only that but the story progressed in a way that felt way too rushed, like it was something thrown together at the last minute with an ending that left me kind of shaking my head in confusion; it felt unfinished. This resulted in a story that left you feeling slightly discombobulated. I understand that this story was previously published as part of an anthology. This probably should’ve remained with the anthology because it simply did not work as a standalone.
This book was provided free in exchange for a fair and honest review for Love Bytes. Go there to check out other reviews, author interviews, and all those awesome giveaways. Click below.
Amber Kell is an author that I’ve enjoyed reading and when I saw this new novella advertised which featured a ménage relationship as cat shifters (two of my favorite things) I definitely decided to give it a go.
Well, it was t what I expected. This is a case where the premise of the story sounded better than the actual novella. The characters or dialogue weren’t the problem; the execution of the story was. I understand that it was a novella and at forty six pages, things had to progress quickly. I was fine with that. There were just so many things in the story that didn’t make sense to me. Niall has guards yet his mother and her guards manage to physically abuse and torture him? What kind of guards were these that he was so easily accessible to his tormentors? They might as well hand him over to his mother and her guards to do their worst which is what was occurring anyway. His mother was controlling yet he had the freedom to come and go from the palace? Why didn’t he just escape?
Why didn’t his guards help him escape? Every last one of Niall’s guards should have been fired. They were completely useless.
Not only that but the story progressed in a way that felt way too rushed, like it was something thrown together at the last minute with an ending that left me kind of shaking my head in confusion; it felt unfinished. This resulted in a story that left you feeling slightly discombobulated. I understand that this story was previously published as part of an anthology. This probably should’ve remained with the anthology because it simply did not work as a standalone.
This book was provided free in exchange for a fair and honest review for Love Bytes. Go there to check out other reviews, author interviews, and all those awesome giveaways. Click below.
February 19, 2018
Eh. I like a menage, I'm fine with fated mates, but there was a lot of story and not enough explanation. Suddenly, after all these years the Queen shows up, saves the day and puts his evil mother in jail. Um. "I hoped she's treat her children well". Did you think about checking? Why was Niall suddenly so strong? The guards suddenly are all buddy-buddy and have excuses about why they let Niall be starved and abused? Uh. Just didn't work for me even though I was happy Niall got his HEA.
September 16, 2023
I bought this years ago and never read it so decided to give it a shot. Nope -- just nope - I expected an Amber Kell short story. She does not do character development or world-building in her shorts, but her story is usually good. This one was okay up until the last page where it was like 'Oh I have 100 words left - let the queen fix it all!' Nope - this story ended on the rising action with a totally improvised outside fix - so sad
April 18, 2022
Niall's escape, so he can enjoy a night out with big plans, leads to so much more. This is one of my favorite authors with a fun read in this book.
January 21, 2016
3 Stars, 4.5 Flames
Niall is on the verge of a major freak out, as he finds out his mother is planning to marry him off in order to cushion her pockets. He was a prisoner in his own home since his mother dictated his entire life. He wanted a taste of life before his freedom was taken away. Niall flees his home to a club where the supernatural are welcomed and have no worries of being found out. Here he meets Jovan and Luka, two lion shifters who make all his desires come true. These pair of shifters have been looking for their third many, many years. After their night together they know Niall is the one to complete their triad but Niall’s mother has other plans.
As an avid reader of paranormal romance, Coming in Third by Amber Kell was an enjoyable read. I had given 3 stars because there was a few mistakes where the characters were mixed up and typos that I could not just pass over. It was also predictable in some areas. I did however enjoy the tension that these three has for each other. I also liked that the ménage included all partners because there have been some books that I have read where the two of the three do not connect with the other. I also loved Jovan and Luka’s personalities and how they complimented each other well and how Niall fit into their threesome.
I enjoyed meeting the trio because they were all likeable. Even though Niall was afraid of the powers his mother was capable he went after what he wanted and still came back to fulfill his duty. That takes strength. Whereas, Luka and Jovan knew what they desired, which was Niall, despite him leaving. In the end, the three get their HEA, which makes this girl very happy, and has given me a glimpse into future books I want to check out by Amber Kell.
I was given a copy of this book as a gift from The JeepDiva in exchange for an honest review.
Niall is on the verge of a major freak out, as he finds out his mother is planning to marry him off in order to cushion her pockets. He was a prisoner in his own home since his mother dictated his entire life. He wanted a taste of life before his freedom was taken away. Niall flees his home to a club where the supernatural are welcomed and have no worries of being found out. Here he meets Jovan and Luka, two lion shifters who make all his desires come true. These pair of shifters have been looking for their third many, many years. After their night together they know Niall is the one to complete their triad but Niall’s mother has other plans.
As an avid reader of paranormal romance, Coming in Third by Amber Kell was an enjoyable read. I had given 3 stars because there was a few mistakes where the characters were mixed up and typos that I could not just pass over. It was also predictable in some areas. I did however enjoy the tension that these three has for each other. I also liked that the ménage included all partners because there have been some books that I have read where the two of the three do not connect with the other. I also loved Jovan and Luka’s personalities and how they complimented each other well and how Niall fit into their threesome.
I enjoyed meeting the trio because they were all likeable. Even though Niall was afraid of the powers his mother was capable he went after what he wanted and still came back to fulfill his duty. That takes strength. Whereas, Luka and Jovan knew what they desired, which was Niall, despite him leaving. In the end, the three get their HEA, which makes this girl very happy, and has given me a glimpse into future books I want to check out by Amber Kell.
I was given a copy of this book as a gift from The JeepDiva in exchange for an honest review.
February 8, 2017
Original review on Molly Lolly
Three and a half stars!
This was a fun short story. Niall was fascinating. I liked how he took control of his life for one night. Jovan and Luka were very sexy. I liked how Luka was sweet to Niall and made sure he was having fun and wasn’t being scared off by their desires. Jovan was sure of himself and I liked his confidence. Niall’s past abuse was a bit too casually handled. It was obvious from how Niall spoke it was long lasting and severre but he and the others around him seemed to just brush it off. Even the Fae Queen acted like it wasn’t that big of a deal. That was a but of a turn off for me in the story. I liked how we got to see the three of them on the path to a happy ending right at the end of the story. You can tell they’re going to give a relationship and claiming a real try in the future. I’d love to see more of these three to see how they’re doing and how they handle a life together. I would gladly read a sequel.
Three and a half stars!
This was a fun short story. Niall was fascinating. I liked how he took control of his life for one night. Jovan and Luka were very sexy. I liked how Luka was sweet to Niall and made sure he was having fun and wasn’t being scared off by their desires. Jovan was sure of himself and I liked his confidence. Niall’s past abuse was a bit too casually handled. It was obvious from how Niall spoke it was long lasting and severre but he and the others around him seemed to just brush it off. Even the Fae Queen acted like it wasn’t that big of a deal. That was a but of a turn off for me in the story. I liked how we got to see the three of them on the path to a happy ending right at the end of the story. You can tell they’re going to give a relationship and claiming a real try in the future. I’d love to see more of these three to see how they’re doing and how they handle a life together. I would gladly read a sequel.
December 6, 2015
With his mother plotting to have him wed, Niall decides to sneak out of the Fae palace and fulfill one of his greatest fantasies. At the Unconventional bar, he finds a pair of lion shifters looking to spice up their love life. Unable to resist the strong attraction between them, Niall lets the persuasive pair take him home.
Jovan and Luka have been searching for their third for years. When Niall stumbles into the bar, their shifter instincts tell them the innocent Fae could be their long sought mate. After a sensual night together, they’re certain the beautiful man was fated to be theirs.
His guards fetch him from the shifters’ bed and Niall is taken away from the pair.
Upset about Niall’s return to the palace and a possible arranged marriage, the lion shifters battle to decide their future—should they go and fetch their mate or let it only be the one-night stand Niall promised them?
Publisher's Note: This book was previously published as part of the Unconventional in San Diego anthology by Pride Publishing.
* I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com *
Jovan and Luka have been searching for their third for years. When Niall stumbles into the bar, their shifter instincts tell them the innocent Fae could be their long sought mate. After a sensual night together, they’re certain the beautiful man was fated to be theirs.
His guards fetch him from the shifters’ bed and Niall is taken away from the pair.
Upset about Niall’s return to the palace and a possible arranged marriage, the lion shifters battle to decide their future—should they go and fetch their mate or let it only be the one-night stand Niall promised them?
Publisher's Note: This book was previously published as part of the Unconventional in San Diego anthology by Pride Publishing.
* I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com *
February 2, 2016
Coming in Third by author Amber Kell is a sweet and spice shifter romance. With a little Fey sprinkled in.
Niall is a royal fey. His mother the tyrant she is has decided he should marry a woman. She of course will pick the future bride. She has beaten him most of his life. She keeps an iron control on him. But he has decided tonight he will enjoy his last night of freedom and find himself two men to be with. I liked his spirit, and his sense of duty. He knows who he is and what he must do, but he also has very different needs inside of himself that war with who he is. But for someone so small he is very very powerful.
Luka and Joven. They are cat shifters. And when they meet Niall they know he is theirs. I loved how they play off each other Luka slightly more softer than Joven but equally dominate. I would have liked to have seen their characters developed more. They are good as they are but I think they could have been so much more.
Over all this is a great read with lots of action, adventure, and love packed into a short story that is really memorable.
Four Twinkling Stars
Niall is a royal fey. His mother the tyrant she is has decided he should marry a woman. She of course will pick the future bride. She has beaten him most of his life. She keeps an iron control on him. But he has decided tonight he will enjoy his last night of freedom and find himself two men to be with. I liked his spirit, and his sense of duty. He knows who he is and what he must do, but he also has very different needs inside of himself that war with who he is. But for someone so small he is very very powerful.
Luka and Joven. They are cat shifters. And when they meet Niall they know he is theirs. I loved how they play off each other Luka slightly more softer than Joven but equally dominate. I would have liked to have seen their characters developed more. They are good as they are but I think they could have been so much more.
Over all this is a great read with lots of action, adventure, and love packed into a short story that is really memorable.
Four Twinkling Stars
December 4, 2015
I loved this book. The plot line was so unique and fascinating I had to read it. I loved the idea mixing a Fae with Lion shifters. Wow
Reading about the fae's life growing up with his cruel mother was very sad, but I'm glad he got his HEA. I wish there would've been more about the Fae culture and about the magic of the Fae, but this is a short story.
The lion shifters were great. They were big and bold and growly, but not too much. They were perfect. How they treated Nial was wonderful and sweet.
The ending was great. I don't want to give it away so I really can't say anything more about it, but trust me. It was good. The author is one of my favorites so you know it's going to be good.
I highly recommend this book. It's a short story so you can read it under two hours. The author is fantastic so you know it will be great.
I received this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review from Inked Rainbow Reads.
Reading about the fae's life growing up with his cruel mother was very sad, but I'm glad he got his HEA. I wish there would've been more about the Fae culture and about the magic of the Fae, but this is a short story.
The lion shifters were great. They were big and bold and growly, but not too much. They were perfect. How they treated Nial was wonderful and sweet.
The ending was great. I don't want to give it away so I really can't say anything more about it, but trust me. It was good. The author is one of my favorites so you know it's going to be good.
I highly recommend this book. It's a short story so you can read it under two hours. The author is fantastic so you know it will be great.
I received this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review from Inked Rainbow Reads.
December 4, 2015
This was a very short and kind of strange novella.
Niall is a powerful fae prince who wants to give his virginity up to a couple – he wants his first sexual experience to be a threesome. So he goes to a bar on the eve before he’s to be forcibly married off to find a couple to play with.
He ends up finding a pair of lion shifters who think Niall is their fated “third”. They have super hot sex but Niall must leave to “face the music”.
Instead… he ends up rescued at the last moment and spared the horrible marriage and the three end up HEA.
**
What made it kind of strange was the rather quick mood changes from despair, to hope, to sexy times, to danger … because it was a short story we (the reader) got jerked around from scene to scene and it felt rather uneven.
I liked the characters and the idea of the story but felt it would have been better as a more drawn out, longer story.
Niall is a powerful fae prince who wants to give his virginity up to a couple – he wants his first sexual experience to be a threesome. So he goes to a bar on the eve before he’s to be forcibly married off to find a couple to play with.
He ends up finding a pair of lion shifters who think Niall is their fated “third”. They have super hot sex but Niall must leave to “face the music”.
Instead… he ends up rescued at the last moment and spared the horrible marriage and the three end up HEA.
**
What made it kind of strange was the rather quick mood changes from despair, to hope, to sexy times, to danger … because it was a short story we (the reader) got jerked around from scene to scene and it felt rather uneven.
I liked the characters and the idea of the story but felt it would have been better as a more drawn out, longer story.
January 12, 2016
While I did find this story very steamy it was just too short for me to be able to like the three of them together..
With this story we get Neill a Fae who escapes for one night after he finds out his mother is planning on having him marry. He meets Luca and Jovan who are lion shifters that are mates looking for their third.
There was steam with this short story which I really did like and I also really liked the authors pretense of this story. I would have just liked to have seen them together a little more than I got to so I could feel like they made a good ménage.
So all together I really did like this story, there was just not enough of the three of them together for me to believe they fit well as mates.
I received this book free in exchange for an honest review from Inked Rainbow Reads.
With this story we get Neill a Fae who escapes for one night after he finds out his mother is planning on having him marry. He meets Luca and Jovan who are lion shifters that are mates looking for their third.
There was steam with this short story which I really did like and I also really liked the authors pretense of this story. I would have just liked to have seen them together a little more than I got to so I could feel like they made a good ménage.
So all together I really did like this story, there was just not enough of the three of them together for me to believe they fit well as mates.
I received this book free in exchange for an honest review from Inked Rainbow Reads.
December 22, 2015
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
A short but very sweet story about choosing love despite all odds! I recently read another book by Amber Kell, so I was intrigued by this story, which features two things I really love in a romance novel: shifters, and a ménage relationship!
While the villains are a bit stereotypical, and the plot utterly predictable, I did really enjoy the subtle moments between Niall and the two Lion Shifters. I do wish Niall’s mother hadn’t been quite so much of a cardboard Bad Guy, though, because there was a lot of potential there to have her set up as something insidious, and to cause more tension through the entire story.
A short but very sweet story about choosing love despite all odds! I recently read another book by Amber Kell, so I was intrigued by this story, which features two things I really love in a romance novel: shifters, and a ménage relationship!
While the villains are a bit stereotypical, and the plot utterly predictable, I did really enjoy the subtle moments between Niall and the two Lion Shifters. I do wish Niall’s mother hadn’t been quite so much of a cardboard Bad Guy, though, because there was a lot of potential there to have her set up as something insidious, and to cause more tension through the entire story.
December 22, 2015
Original Blog Post: Review: Coming in Third by Amber Kell
Review by: multitaskingmomma
My Rating: 3 of 4 Stars
(Based on Short&Light Read Category)
Coming in Third is a sweet short read about two shape shifters and the discovery of their long-awaited third. What they did not contend with was a fae third whose powers were tamped by a conniving mother whose fear and selfish impulses may just result to their mate's death.
This was an enjoyable read but must admit I found it a tad rushed, not to mention the editorial issues I am becoming more adept at spotting. Other than the mistakes, I breezed through this read and truly want some more of this world.
This is short and sweet and if you like Amber Kell like I do, then this is one to enjoy.
Review by: multitaskingmomma
My Rating: 3 of 4 Stars
(Based on Short&Light Read Category)
Coming in Third is a sweet short read about two shape shifters and the discovery of their long-awaited third. What they did not contend with was a fae third whose powers were tamped by a conniving mother whose fear and selfish impulses may just result to their mate's death.
This was an enjoyable read but must admit I found it a tad rushed, not to mention the editorial issues I am becoming more adept at spotting. Other than the mistakes, I breezed through this read and truly want some more of this world.
This is short and sweet and if you like Amber Kell like I do, then this is one to enjoy.
December 22, 2015
Niall is a Fae prince who overhears his mother and uncle planning his arranged marriage. He decides to have one last night for himself and fulfil a fantasy that he has had for some time - that of a ménage. He meets up with Luka and Jovan, two lion shifters. They have their night but then Niall has to return to the palace and awaits his fate.
This is only a novella so it moves along at a quick pace, but everything is there that is needed. There is the connection with his shifters, danger, mystery, and a mating bond. This is the perfect coffee-break book and I can definitely recommend it.
* I received this book from Pride Publishing in return for a fair and honest review. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
This is only a novella so it moves along at a quick pace, but everything is there that is needed. There is the connection with his shifters, danger, mystery, and a mating bond. This is the perfect coffee-break book and I can definitely recommend it.
* I received this book from Pride Publishing in return for a fair and honest review. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
February 16, 2016
Perhaps too convenient. Loved the mate thing but the conflict felt brushed over. Thinking about it now the relationship between Luka, Jovan and Niall didn't get the time it deserved seeing as the book was supposed to be about them.
Want to read
December 31, 2015Part of the Unconventional in San Diego Anthology.
January 25, 2016
Niall is Fae, a favourite genre. Jovan and Luka are Shifters another favourite. So, I really enjoyed this novella. The fact that Niall's mother is evil and gets her karma all enhances the enjoyment.
July 17, 2016
Short, sweet story a bit choppy and not as good as most of Amber's stories but still ok
February 2, 2016
1.5 stars
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews