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Bold Brew #8
Extra Whip
Will and Aaron Taylor have a perfectly imperfect marriage. For twenty years, even when their desires haven’t quite matched, they’ve always found ways to adapt…until now. When Aaron’s needs push past his Dom’s limits, their best hope for compromise is finding a unicorn—a third person who checks both men's boxes.
After his estranged father wills him a house he doesn’t want in a town he doesn’t know, Kelly Griffith is itching to find his place in this unfamiliar new world. When he finds an ad from a couple looking for a sub like him, he jumps at the opportunity. A chance to be what someone needs and wants instead of being a perpetual disappointment? Yes, please.
The chemistry sizzles from the get-go. Will and Aaron insist they don’t want to be poly, and Kelly doesn’t want to be anyone’s third wheel, but playing together? Any time, any place. All they have to do is keep emotions from joining the party as the trust and intimacy deepen between them.
But by the time they realize they’re in over their heads, hitting the brakes is no longer as simple as using a safe word.
Extra Whip is a Venti-sized (140,000-word) stand-alone novel in the Bold Brew shared universe centered around an inclusive coffee shop set in a fictional small city. Each steaming hot coffee shop romance can be enjoyed alone, but collect all ten for the most fun! This menage romance contains a happily married couple in their 40s, a sassy 30-something submissive, lots of fluffy steam, and a guaranteed happy ending!"
After his estranged father wills him a house he doesn’t want in a town he doesn’t know, Kelly Griffith is itching to find his place in this unfamiliar new world. When he finds an ad from a couple looking for a sub like him, he jumps at the opportunity. A chance to be what someone needs and wants instead of being a perpetual disappointment? Yes, please.
The chemistry sizzles from the get-go. Will and Aaron insist they don’t want to be poly, and Kelly doesn’t want to be anyone’s third wheel, but playing together? Any time, any place. All they have to do is keep emotions from joining the party as the trust and intimacy deepen between them.
But by the time they realize they’re in over their heads, hitting the brakes is no longer as simple as using a safe word.
Extra Whip is a Venti-sized (140,000-word) stand-alone novel in the Bold Brew shared universe centered around an inclusive coffee shop set in a fictional small city. Each steaming hot coffee shop romance can be enjoyed alone, but collect all ten for the most fun! This menage romance contains a happily married couple in their 40s, a sassy 30-something submissive, lots of fluffy steam, and a guaranteed happy ending!"
504 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 12, 2021
69 people are currently reading
517 people want to read
About the author
L.A. Witt
217 books2,723 followersL.A. Witt and her husband have been exiled from Spain and sent to live in Maine because rhymes are fun. She now divides her time between writing, assuring people she is aware that Maine is cold, wondering where to put her next tattoo, and trying to reason with a surly Maine coon. Rumor has it her arch nemesis, Lauren Gallagher, is also somewhere in the wilds of New England, which is why L.A. is also spending a portion of her time training a team of spec ops lobsters.
Authors Ann Gallagher and Lori A. Witt have been asked to assist in lobster training, but they "have books to write" and "need to focus on our careers" and "don't you think this rivalry has gotten a little out of hand?" They're probably just helping Lauren raise her army of squirrels trained to ride moose into battle.
Visit her website at http://www.gallagherwitt.com/.
Authors Ann Gallagher and Lori A. Witt have been asked to assist in lobster training, but they "have books to write" and "need to focus on our careers" and "don't you think this rivalry has gotten a little out of hand?" They're probably just helping Lauren raise her army of squirrels trained to ride moose into battle.
Visit her website at http://www.gallagherwitt.com/.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 101 reviews
April 21, 2021
Whew man, that was a long book.
So I’m obsessed with reading series in order even if they are labeled a stand-alone. Some are truly that and don’t have any overlapping characters whatsoever, but sometimes they do - and this one did. Tom and Max will be the next Bold Brew book #9. It wasn’t a once-off mention either, they were featured a few times. Tom more than Max but it was still often enough that it made me excited for their book.
Aaanyway...
Aaron (46) and Will (41) have been together for 20 years, married for 4. Will is Aaron’s Dom and they recently discovered that Aaron craves a lot more pain than Will is comfortable giving. So they put an ad on Kinkbook for a submissive sadist (a unicorn) and they go months without hearing anything back.
...until Kelly (32) moves into town. His Dad just passed away and Kelly inherited his house. He responds to Will and Aaron’s ad and the story evolves from there.
Let me tell you, holy shit. The chemistry that they had on the first night they fooled around was off the charts for me. And it only got better from there. Like I felt the heat coming off the pages with each scene. I am not normally super into bdsm in books so I won’t go searching for it, especially the S&M parts because I don’t always enjoy reading about whips and clamps and the whole pain aspect of it... but it just did something to me in this book. It was so hot.
Will was the only Dom, Aaron and Kelly were the subs, but Will ordered Kelly to whip Aaron, to hurt him and he begged for it. Unnnnghhhhhh, god.
The whole “we aren’t poly, we don’t want to be poly” thing repeated over and over got a bit old for me. They didn’t act that way at all when they hung out with Kelly, did non-sexual things all the time like order in food, watch movies, and just cuddle without the pretense of kinky sex. They’d bring Kelly out on their weekly coffee date with them, Will would help Kelly at his house, they’d both spend one-on-one time with Kelly and fool around without the other present. Then he started sleeping over and in their bed. Soooo it just felt like their actions were the opposite of their words.
So when the whole drama happened it kinda hurt me. I don’t always love feeling that in the poly books though I know that’s one of the issues that poly couples deal with. But starting with a married couple adding a third? Ahhhh man... it was difficult for me when those feelings started causing issues with Will and Aaron’s marriage. All 3 of the characters has insecurities and I just felt for all 3 of them. I could understand where each one was coming from.
It’s just... I didn’t like the feeling it gave me reading that part. It was at about maybe 80% in that I started feeling that stomach dropping feeling and when the hard stuff started going on between the 3, I felt a little teary eyed.
But when everything ended up resolved I was happy. If a bit meh because they went from not wanting to be poly to being all in within a day, and then saying I love you’s and offering Kelly to move in. It’s like... whiplash. Sheesh.
Honestly, I did really enjoy the story but it did feel a bit long at certain times. Like when I was reading some details about Aaron’s clients and would think “is this necessary to the story?” but it wasn’t too bad. I think the length really got the connection between all 3 characters to come through so I guess I can’t complain too much...
One thing I want to complain about is Kelly’s siblings. I mean - fuuuuuck them so hard! I wanted to yell at Kelly to tell them all to fuck off. Why bother trying to salvage a relationship with people who are going to talk down to you and treat you like you’re worthless? Ugh, it made me so mad.
But yeah, this book as a whole was enjoyable for me. Probably one of the books from this series that I liked the most so far.
4⭐️
POV: Multiple, 1st person
So I’m obsessed with reading series in order even if they are labeled a stand-alone. Some are truly that and don’t have any overlapping characters whatsoever, but sometimes they do - and this one did. Tom and Max will be the next Bold Brew book #9. It wasn’t a once-off mention either, they were featured a few times. Tom more than Max but it was still often enough that it made me excited for their book.
Aaanyway...
Aaron (46) and Will (41) have been together for 20 years, married for 4. Will is Aaron’s Dom and they recently discovered that Aaron craves a lot more pain than Will is comfortable giving. So they put an ad on Kinkbook for a submissive sadist (a unicorn) and they go months without hearing anything back.
...until Kelly (32) moves into town. His Dad just passed away and Kelly inherited his house. He responds to Will and Aaron’s ad and the story evolves from there.
Let me tell you, holy shit. The chemistry that they had on the first night they fooled around was off the charts for me. And it only got better from there. Like I felt the heat coming off the pages with each scene. I am not normally super into bdsm in books so I won’t go searching for it, especially the S&M parts because I don’t always enjoy reading about whips and clamps and the whole pain aspect of it... but it just did something to me in this book. It was so hot.
Will was the only Dom, Aaron and Kelly were the subs, but Will ordered Kelly to whip Aaron, to hurt him and he begged for it. Unnnnghhhhhh, god.
The whole “we aren’t poly, we don’t want to be poly” thing repeated over and over got a bit old for me. They didn’t act that way at all when they hung out with Kelly, did non-sexual things all the time like order in food, watch movies, and just cuddle without the pretense of kinky sex. They’d bring Kelly out on their weekly coffee date with them, Will would help Kelly at his house, they’d both spend one-on-one time with Kelly and fool around without the other present. Then he started sleeping over and in their bed. Soooo it just felt like their actions were the opposite of their words.
So when the whole drama happened it kinda hurt me. I don’t always love feeling that in the poly books though I know that’s one of the issues that poly couples deal with. But starting with a married couple adding a third? Ahhhh man... it was difficult for me when those feelings started causing issues with Will and Aaron’s marriage. All 3 of the characters has insecurities and I just felt for all 3 of them. I could understand where each one was coming from.
It’s just... I didn’t like the feeling it gave me reading that part. It was at about maybe 80% in that I started feeling that stomach dropping feeling and when the hard stuff started going on between the 3, I felt a little teary eyed.
But when everything ended up resolved I was happy. If a bit meh because they went from not wanting to be poly to being all in within a day, and then saying I love you’s and offering Kelly to move in. It’s like... whiplash. Sheesh.
Honestly, I did really enjoy the story but it did feel a bit long at certain times. Like when I was reading some details about Aaron’s clients and would think “is this necessary to the story?” but it wasn’t too bad. I think the length really got the connection between all 3 characters to come through so I guess I can’t complain too much...
One thing I want to complain about is Kelly’s siblings. I mean - fuuuuuck them so hard! I wanted to yell at Kelly to tell them all to fuck off. Why bother trying to salvage a relationship with people who are going to talk down to you and treat you like you’re worthless? Ugh, it made me so mad.
But yeah, this book as a whole was enjoyable for me. Probably one of the books from this series that I liked the most so far.
4⭐️
POV: Multiple, 1st person
September 21, 2022
The Bold Brew series is written by ten different authors and uses the focus of a little coffee shop that the characters of each story often frequent. Even though the little shop plays a small role in each story, the stories actually center entirely on the characters. This one has three main characters, Will, a graphic artist and a dom, Aaron, his husband of 20 years and a criminal defense attorney, and Kelly, a newcomer to the area and a want-a-be artist. Aaron and Kelly are both subs, but Kelly brings a bit more to the table than just his submission. The guys are perfect for one another, life is beautiful...until it isn't. Of course, something happens that throws an unexpected monkey wrench in their life plans. I love L.A. Witt's characters and her stories. This was not an exception. As usual it was a sweet story that had more than likeable characters that all had problems of one type or another but were willing to try and make what they started together work. I cannot express how much I loved Aaron, Will, and Kelly! It took a while to finish this mammoth sized book, almost 500 pages, but it was worth every single minute. It is heavy into BDSM that was times cringing and overwhelming...but still a good story that I was sorry to see end. It won't by any means, be the last time I read it.
May 11, 2021
5+
This morning I was slightly whiny about the fact that this book is almost 500 pages and now after spending my entire day off reading it, I am no longer whiny. I fucking loved this book so much. It is by far my favorite in this little series and I am probably going to actually spend time writing a coherent review, which is wild because I seldom do that anymore. This book follows a married couple who is looking for a third person to provide a kink that one of them needs and the other can't provide and they don't intend for it to be poly, they don't want it to be poly, but of course we all know what happens. The reason this book is a five plus star for me is not only the comprehensive writing style and the multiple POVs but bc of the casual normalizing of a huge range of topics that do not get enough credit or space within media including but not limited to asexuality, poly relationships, kink, jobs versus careers versus passion, anti-capitalist conversations about doing what you love. There's really in-depth conversations about family dynamics. It was just SO GOOD. I still have two more to read from the series but I am fairly confident that if I had to recommend one book out of this ten book series it's going to be this one. So if you are a rational human being and are capable of reading a single book in a series or not getting sucked in and forcing yourself to read all of them go read this book.
This morning I was slightly whiny about the fact that this book is almost 500 pages and now after spending my entire day off reading it, I am no longer whiny. I fucking loved this book so much. It is by far my favorite in this little series and I am probably going to actually spend time writing a coherent review, which is wild because I seldom do that anymore. This book follows a married couple who is looking for a third person to provide a kink that one of them needs and the other can't provide and they don't intend for it to be poly, they don't want it to be poly, but of course we all know what happens. The reason this book is a five plus star for me is not only the comprehensive writing style and the multiple POVs but bc of the casual normalizing of a huge range of topics that do not get enough credit or space within media including but not limited to asexuality, poly relationships, kink, jobs versus careers versus passion, anti-capitalist conversations about doing what you love. There's really in-depth conversations about family dynamics. It was just SO GOOD. I still have two more to read from the series but I am fairly confident that if I had to recommend one book out of this ten book series it's going to be this one. So if you are a rational human being and are capable of reading a single book in a series or not getting sucked in and forcing yourself to read all of them go read this book.
nope-not-for-me-not-interested
April 22, 2021ETA-not sure why my review didn’t post properly the first time.
DNF 19%
I haven’t read this author for a while but I found this a bit boring. Everyone is so nice, extremely PC and there’s too much over-explanatory internal dialogue so as a reader you don’t even have to think.
This was a miss for me but plenty are enjoying it.
DNF 19%
I haven’t read this author for a while but I found this a bit boring. Everyone is so nice, extremely PC and there’s too much over-explanatory internal dialogue so as a reader you don’t even have to think.
This was a miss for me but plenty are enjoying it.
April 5, 2021
I admit I was extremely intimidated by this book, considering it’s 140k words and not being all that familiar with the author’s solo works. I actually read this pretty quickly because it definitely kept me interested enough to keep reading. There’s also 3 POVs, so it only makes sense that this book is so long. I should preface that I’m reading this Bold Brew series completely out of order and read book 9, Cinnamon Roll by Anna Zabo, FIRST and I wanted to know more about Aaron, Will, and Kelly, so here we are.
Trigger warnings include unresolved grief over an estranged parent dying, a parent dying pretty tragically before the book starts, constant rejection and put downs by family members, and fatphobia.
So, this book is about three guys. We have the married couple of 20 years, Will and Aaron. Although it should be noted that they’ve only been together 20 years, and not married quite as long. Will is a Dom and 41-years-old. He’s a part-time art professor at Laureslburg University, and does all sorts of art (like animation and logos) for a living. He has ADHD. Aaron is a submissive and is 46-years-old and owns a small law firm with Tom (who gets his own book in Cinnamon Roll). Aaron is a defense attorney and while the small town of Laureslburg doesn’t have any high profile type cases like he had back in Chicago, it can still be stressful. Then there’s Kelly, 32-years-old and winds up moving back to Laureslburg when his dad dies and leaves him the family home and an inheritance. An interesting thing to see in this book is that Kelly doesn’t like anal at all (giving or receiving).
I know I’m reading an arc and all, but what was weird to me is that this book didn’t come with trigger warnings as all. This book HEAVILY deals with Kelly’s unresolved issues with his dad and the grief from his dad’s death and knowing they’ll never be able to talk things out in the future. It’s incredibly heavy stuff and the blurb implying this is “fluffy” in any way is a lie. This permeates a lot of Kelly’s story and angst over the house he’s been willed, so if any reader comes into this book thinking they’re just getting a kinky, sexy book with minimal angst needs to take some TWs into consideration first.
*****SLIGHT SPOILERS, INCLUDING FOR CINNAMON ROLL*****
*****END OF SPOILERS*****
I question if any characters in these books takes place at the kinky play place called Mansion House because so far, both this book and the next book only mention it in passing as places the characters have definitely been to but don’t show any of them actually going into the place. Why mention it at all if we never see it?
The kink was fun in this book and even though Kelly is brought in to do more intense pain play, this book (almost disappointingly) doesn’t have much of that at all. I totally get wanting to work up to it with a new partner you’re adding to your relationship, but story-wise it’s definitely just meh for me on that front since that was THE WHOLE POINT of Will and Aaron searching for a sadist and submissive in the first place. I think the book actually fairs more on the lighter side of kink than I was expecting. Especially after reading a more intense pain play type book like Cinnamon Roll that has a Dom sadist and a submissive masochist. Something I would like to add here is that while I know 46-years-old doesn’t make someone ancient or one step away from the grave, I do worry about Aaron’s knees and how much he kneels. At what point does age factor into submission and kneeling for a Dom? I could feel pain in my knees every time he knelt and I just had my 30th birthday. But maybe this just plays into Aaron’s masochistic side. I don’t know.
And okay, I want to talk about this house. This house isn’t small by any means. It’s MASSIVE. I don’t think the book actually details this well enough for someone to picture how absurd it is for just Kelly to live in this house alone. I mean, the book hints at how lonely he feels and the ghost of his dad’s disappointment and all that, but this house is apparently SEVEN THOUSAND SQUARE FEET. We’re talking a pretty significant size house here and the fact that it only has FOUR BEDROOMS? Okay, it’s actually totally possible to have a 7000 sq. ft. house with only 4 bedrooms, but I want all the details!!! This book unfortunately does not provide any significant details about the house and what exactly makes up this ridiculous square footage? It mentions a big living room with a huge wall. But...that’s pretty much it. Does this house have a massive master bedroom and en-suite, an inside pool, an obnoxious walk-in closet, a ridiculous sized dining room??? WE WILL NEVER KNOW. The fact that Will and Aaron don’t even remark on the size of this house at all when they obviously live on the other side of town and it doesn’t seem like they live in as big a house as this one? I am....disappointed. I want to know more about this house.
This book is easy enough to read, and a surprisingly quick one when you consider how long this book is. The 3 POVs actually do sound too familiar to differentiate mid-chapter, but relies heavily on context for readers to tell the characters apart. That said, I do like Will, Aaron, and Kelly. If I could cut out the third act breakup here, I would. It just seemed so unnecessary by that point. I wish there was way more integration of the other books and characters in this series between authors, but if you’re just planning on reading this book and Anna Zabo’s, it’s fine. Just don’t really expect anyone else to show up. Overall, this book is fine and I thought it was interesting to read about a submissive sadist as a character in a book and his scenes mixed with the other two characters who have been in a relationship for awhile.
***Thanks to Annabeth Albert’s arc group for giving me an ARC to read and review!***
Trigger warnings include unresolved grief over an estranged parent dying, a parent dying pretty tragically before the book starts, constant rejection and put downs by family members, and fatphobia.
So, this book is about three guys. We have the married couple of 20 years, Will and Aaron. Although it should be noted that they’ve only been together 20 years, and not married quite as long. Will is a Dom and 41-years-old. He’s a part-time art professor at Laureslburg University, and does all sorts of art (like animation and logos) for a living. He has ADHD. Aaron is a submissive and is 46-years-old and owns a small law firm with Tom (who gets his own book in Cinnamon Roll). Aaron is a defense attorney and while the small town of Laureslburg doesn’t have any high profile type cases like he had back in Chicago, it can still be stressful. Then there’s Kelly, 32-years-old and winds up moving back to Laureslburg when his dad dies and leaves him the family home and an inheritance. An interesting thing to see in this book is that Kelly doesn’t like anal at all (giving or receiving).
I know I’m reading an arc and all, but what was weird to me is that this book didn’t come with trigger warnings as all. This book HEAVILY deals with Kelly’s unresolved issues with his dad and the grief from his dad’s death and knowing they’ll never be able to talk things out in the future. It’s incredibly heavy stuff and the blurb implying this is “fluffy” in any way is a lie. This permeates a lot of Kelly’s story and angst over the house he’s been willed, so if any reader comes into this book thinking they’re just getting a kinky, sexy book with minimal angst needs to take some TWs into consideration first.
*****SLIGHT SPOILERS, INCLUDING FOR CINNAMON ROLL*****
*****END OF SPOILERS*****
I question if any characters in these books takes place at the kinky play place called Mansion House because so far, both this book and the next book only mention it in passing as places the characters have definitely been to but don’t show any of them actually going into the place. Why mention it at all if we never see it?
The kink was fun in this book and even though Kelly is brought in to do more intense pain play, this book (almost disappointingly) doesn’t have much of that at all. I totally get wanting to work up to it with a new partner you’re adding to your relationship, but story-wise it’s definitely just meh for me on that front since that was THE WHOLE POINT of Will and Aaron searching for a sadist and submissive in the first place. I think the book actually fairs more on the lighter side of kink than I was expecting. Especially after reading a more intense pain play type book like Cinnamon Roll that has a Dom sadist and a submissive masochist. Something I would like to add here is that while I know 46-years-old doesn’t make someone ancient or one step away from the grave, I do worry about Aaron’s knees and how much he kneels. At what point does age factor into submission and kneeling for a Dom? I could feel pain in my knees every time he knelt and I just had my 30th birthday. But maybe this just plays into Aaron’s masochistic side. I don’t know.
And okay, I want to talk about this house. This house isn’t small by any means. It’s MASSIVE. I don’t think the book actually details this well enough for someone to picture how absurd it is for just Kelly to live in this house alone. I mean, the book hints at how lonely he feels and the ghost of his dad’s disappointment and all that, but this house is apparently SEVEN THOUSAND SQUARE FEET. We’re talking a pretty significant size house here and the fact that it only has FOUR BEDROOMS? Okay, it’s actually totally possible to have a 7000 sq. ft. house with only 4 bedrooms, but I want all the details!!! This book unfortunately does not provide any significant details about the house and what exactly makes up this ridiculous square footage? It mentions a big living room with a huge wall. But...that’s pretty much it. Does this house have a massive master bedroom and en-suite, an inside pool, an obnoxious walk-in closet, a ridiculous sized dining room??? WE WILL NEVER KNOW. The fact that Will and Aaron don’t even remark on the size of this house at all when they obviously live on the other side of town and it doesn’t seem like they live in as big a house as this one? I am....disappointed. I want to know more about this house.
This book is easy enough to read, and a surprisingly quick one when you consider how long this book is. The 3 POVs actually do sound too familiar to differentiate mid-chapter, but relies heavily on context for readers to tell the characters apart. That said, I do like Will, Aaron, and Kelly. If I could cut out the third act breakup here, I would. It just seemed so unnecessary by that point. I wish there was way more integration of the other books and characters in this series between authors, but if you’re just planning on reading this book and Anna Zabo’s, it’s fine. Just don’t really expect anyone else to show up. Overall, this book is fine and I thought it was interesting to read about a submissive sadist as a character in a book and his scenes mixed with the other two characters who have been in a relationship for awhile.
***Thanks to Annabeth Albert’s arc group for giving me an ARC to read and review!***
April 13, 2021
Be still my achy breaky heart.
I cannot express how much I love Aaron, Will, and Kelly!
It took a while for me to finish this mammoth sized book but it was worth every single minute.
Will and Aaron have been together for twenty years and they recently discovered that Aaron's needs in the bedroom push past the limits Will is willing to go. So what do you do when that happens? Do you just forget your needs? Make your Dom push past his own comfort level? Or do you search out a third in the hopes that a Unicorn exists and will meet both of your needs?
Well, that is the premise of the story...so of course you know the Unicorn does exist. Will and Aaron are adamant about not wanting a poly relationship they want a friends with benefits with Kelly and he's fine with that since he's just returned to town after his fathers shocking death. So as long as no one gets feelings they are good...now have I got your attention? How do you have relations with someone, hang out with someone, and spend a LOT time with someone, and not develop feelings, especially when the chemistry is through the roof!?!?
This was not only a great addition to the Bold Brew Series but it's my favorite to date from L.A. Witt. I loved this book so much. I enjoyed the differences between each of the men and how they all worked well together and as couples.
I would highly recommend this to anyone that enjoys MM Romance, BDSM Romances, Menage Romances, or if you are looking for a book to really sink your teeth into and loose yourself for a while this one is for you.
Happy Reading!!!
Find out more and watch a cool video I made here: http://bit.ly/NBReviewEW
**I have voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Readers Copy of this book for my Blog, Nadine's Obsessed with Books** I also preordered a copy
You can find me here: https://linktr.ee/NadineBookaholic
I cannot express how much I love Aaron, Will, and Kelly!
It took a while for me to finish this mammoth sized book but it was worth every single minute.
Will and Aaron have been together for twenty years and they recently discovered that Aaron's needs in the bedroom push past the limits Will is willing to go. So what do you do when that happens? Do you just forget your needs? Make your Dom push past his own comfort level? Or do you search out a third in the hopes that a Unicorn exists and will meet both of your needs?
Well, that is the premise of the story...so of course you know the Unicorn does exist. Will and Aaron are adamant about not wanting a poly relationship they want a friends with benefits with Kelly and he's fine with that since he's just returned to town after his fathers shocking death. So as long as no one gets feelings they are good...now have I got your attention? How do you have relations with someone, hang out with someone, and spend a LOT time with someone, and not develop feelings, especially when the chemistry is through the roof!?!?
This was not only a great addition to the Bold Brew Series but it's my favorite to date from L.A. Witt. I loved this book so much. I enjoyed the differences between each of the men and how they all worked well together and as couples.
I would highly recommend this to anyone that enjoys MM Romance, BDSM Romances, Menage Romances, or if you are looking for a book to really sink your teeth into and loose yourself for a while this one is for you.
Happy Reading!!!
Find out more and watch a cool video I made here: http://bit.ly/NBReviewEW
**I have voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Readers Copy of this book for my Blog, Nadine's Obsessed with Books** I also preordered a copyYou can find me here: https://linktr.ee/NadineBookaholic
Read
August 11, 2021Listened to this as an audiobook.
Caveat that I am very good friends with the author, this is a series I wrote in, and my characters appear in this book, and the narrator will also be narrating my book, too. So, yeah, there's some bias.
That being said, god, I loved this. Hot, moving, kinky. Michael Ferraiuolo did a wonderful job narrating. Loved all the voices, especially Will and Max. Good thing about Max, too...
Caveat that I am very good friends with the author, this is a series I wrote in, and my characters appear in this book, and the narrator will also be narrating my book, too. So, yeah, there's some bias.
That being said, god, I loved this. Hot, moving, kinky. Michael Ferraiuolo did a wonderful job narrating. Loved all the voices, especially Will and Max. Good thing about Max, too...
May 7, 2021
The sex scenes were hot AF, and the story felt fresh (like so few do these days), but knowing how against a polyamorous relationship Aaron and Will were, I read the whole book while experiencing this low level dread for Kelly the entire time. And, even when the guys changed their minds (like we knew they would), I just didn't full trust it.
Oh! I also learned that there was a name for something I have experienced my whole life (executive dysfunction) and that felt pretty powerful. So thanks to Witt for validating that part of me that so many people don't understand and others outright scoff at. <3
Oh! I also learned that there was a name for something I have experienced my whole life (executive dysfunction) and that felt pretty powerful. So thanks to Witt for validating that part of me that so many people don't understand and others outright scoff at. <3
April 2, 2021
You know when you read a book and you really relate to a character? This book had that for me. And there were moments that the Ms. Witt actually wrote things that truly spoke to me, made me tear up because her portrayal of adult ADHD, of someone finding out as an adult they have ADHD, it hit me so hard I felt like she was writing how I feel, what I experience, what I live with on a daily basis. And having this happen in a story that was so good, full of so many feels and also so so so hot? I'm literally sitting here debating on if I should be a dorky fangirl and message the author to tell her how much this book meant to me.
July 25, 2022
I recently remembered that I wanted to come back and read this after loving Cinnamon Roll, the back after it, last year. Because Aaron and Tom are law partners, they appear in each other’s books a fair amount and I was intrigued by Aaron and his husband Will becoming a polyamorous triad with Kelly. While it’s a long book, it read really easily as it follows their journey from play partners to throuple. But it’s one of those books where once I finished, cracks started to appear. None of this was a dealbreaker—I still really enjoyed it—but it could have been a stronger story.
The way this presented kink and preferences was refreshing. Aaron recently discovered he wants more pain than Will is comfortable giving. But Will isn’t comfortable inviting another Dom into their relationship. (I didn’t fully get this since a Dom could have provided pain without sex being part of the equation. They’re supposed to be part of the kink community! They would know this.) Will understands his limits but he wants Aaron to have what he needs so they figure out an acceptable compromise. They decide to look for a submissive sadist (their “unicorn”) and that’s how Kelly enters the picture. The story really emphasizes consent and normalizing what each person wants, as well as how to enter and leave scenes safely. Sometimes this got repetitive or over-explained but that’s probably useful for readers who aren’t as familiar with BDSM. Kelly doesn’t like anal and it’s never a big deal. (Although it did get emphasized a lot, sometimes it ways that felt weird to me.) Will experiences top drop, something I haven’t seen all that often in romance and I really appreciated the way they navigated this. While Kelly is specifically brought in for pain play, they build toward this very slowly to make sure the trust is there. Sometimes this felt a little too slow but at the same time, it’s not the kind of kink you should rush either.
As the story progresses, it’s pretty clear they’re all feeling more for each other than originally agreed upon. They check in at various points, particularly Will and Aaron, often chalking their feelings up to different things. They’re always agreeing they’re not going to be polyamorous, that Aaron would rather go without this level of pain than give up their marriage, etc. Big emphasis on communication and checking in. That’s why I was surprised when
This highlighted how isolated Kelly is. He doesn’t know anyone else in town besides them and so he has no one to talk to. Not only that, he’s trying to figure out how to grieve the death of his estranged father while living in the house he inherited that only reminds him of how he didn’t live up to his dad’s unreasonable expectations. He really needs to have people in his corner! This could have been mitigated by letting him reconnect with a few friends or townsfolk from when he was growing up or Tom and Aaron introducing him to people they know. Or letting him make headway on finding some kind of job in town. Once I finished reading, I realized how isolated they all are. Aaron has Tom at work and Will sometimes asks Max for advice. But that’s it. They don’t have any other friends in town? They talk about friends and they talk about the kink and queer community but we never see any of those interactions. I wanted to see them be more a part of Laurelsburg. While Tom and Max are both good sources of support, they all need more than that.
I’m not polyamorous so I’ll be curious to hear from readers who are. This didn’t feel like harmful representation but I thought it would be more positive. First, the book uses “poly” throughout when “polyam” is the more accepted term. (Poly can refer to Polynesian people.) Second, the coffee shop owners are in a triad but we never see them. That’s low-hanging fruit! It would have been so easy to have Will and Aaron interacting with the owners during their weekly dates at Bold Brew and for us to see how that relationship functions, as well as giving them an accessible resource while they’re figuring things out. Third, Will and Aaron are adamant about staying monogamous when they invite Kelly to be their play partner but they don’t really set up parameters to make sure they stay on the right side of their boundary. They kiss him, they want to be friends with Kelly, they spend time with him outside of scenes, they introduce him to Tom, they invite him to join their Bold Brew dates. It’s possible that could have stayed purely friends with benefits despite all of this but I’m not sure why they didn’t consider how all of this adds to intimacy and strengthening bonds or why they weren’t more open to polyamory sooner when they kept inviting Kelly to have a bigger and bigger role in their lives. I guess the author’s point is that they stumble into it accidentally but it didn’t need to be as fraught as it was. All the more reason it would have been great if they’d interacted with the Bold Brew owners.
Because they’re all dealing with big transitions, I was relieved to see they’re in throuple counseling at the end and Kelly is in grief counseling as well. I wish he’d started much sooner but better late than never. I was very touched when
Characters: Will is a 41 year old white illustrator and animator, adjunct art professor, and Dom/service top who wears glasses and has ADHD. Aaron is a 46 year old white criminal defense lawyer, submissive, and masochist with graying hair. I didn’t catch a specific sexual identity for Will and Aaron—they only talk about being with men but they could be bi or pan. Will is around 5’9 and Aaron is about an inch taller. They have been together for 20 years and married for 4, assuming this is when it became legal. Kelly is a 32 year old gay white artist and submissive sadist. This is set in Laurelsburg, PA.
Content notes: recent death of Kelly’s estranged father (mountain climbing accident; body wasn’t retrieved), Will has ADHD, insomnia, toxic family , ableism (not MCs) , safeword used and respected, top drop, on page sex, D/s, menage, sadism, masochism, pain play, impact play, bondage, predicament bondage, CBT, sensory play, hot wax play, orgasm control, intercrural, edging, exhibitionism/voyeurism (for each other), sex toys, alcohol, marijuana reference, gendered pejoratives, ableist language, comparison of pain play and addiction, comparison of hypothetical patient on life support, multiple mentions of crimes/Aaron’s cases (including ), mentions of police abuse of power/harassment (clients, Kelly’s ex), mention of past case with defendant who abused children and teen under the guise of conversion therapy, mention of fatal DUI case, references to law partner’s divorce cases, reference to Master/slave BDSM terminology, reference to someone accidentally burned during wax play
The way this presented kink and preferences was refreshing. Aaron recently discovered he wants more pain than Will is comfortable giving. But Will isn’t comfortable inviting another Dom into their relationship. (I didn’t fully get this since a Dom could have provided pain without sex being part of the equation. They’re supposed to be part of the kink community! They would know this.) Will understands his limits but he wants Aaron to have what he needs so they figure out an acceptable compromise. They decide to look for a submissive sadist (their “unicorn”) and that’s how Kelly enters the picture. The story really emphasizes consent and normalizing what each person wants, as well as how to enter and leave scenes safely. Sometimes this got repetitive or over-explained but that’s probably useful for readers who aren’t as familiar with BDSM. Kelly doesn’t like anal and it’s never a big deal. (Although it did get emphasized a lot, sometimes it ways that felt weird to me.) Will experiences top drop, something I haven’t seen all that often in romance and I really appreciated the way they navigated this. While Kelly is specifically brought in for pain play, they build toward this very slowly to make sure the trust is there. Sometimes this felt a little too slow but at the same time, it’s not the kind of kink you should rush either.
As the story progresses, it’s pretty clear they’re all feeling more for each other than originally agreed upon. They check in at various points, particularly Will and Aaron, often chalking their feelings up to different things. They’re always agreeing they’re not going to be polyamorous, that Aaron would rather go without this level of pain than give up their marriage, etc. Big emphasis on communication and checking in. That’s why I was surprised when
This highlighted how isolated Kelly is. He doesn’t know anyone else in town besides them and so he has no one to talk to. Not only that, he’s trying to figure out how to grieve the death of his estranged father while living in the house he inherited that only reminds him of how he didn’t live up to his dad’s unreasonable expectations. He really needs to have people in his corner! This could have been mitigated by letting him reconnect with a few friends or townsfolk from when he was growing up or Tom and Aaron introducing him to people they know. Or letting him make headway on finding some kind of job in town. Once I finished reading, I realized how isolated they all are. Aaron has Tom at work and Will sometimes asks Max for advice. But that’s it. They don’t have any other friends in town? They talk about friends and they talk about the kink and queer community but we never see any of those interactions. I wanted to see them be more a part of Laurelsburg. While Tom and Max are both good sources of support, they all need more than that.
I’m not polyamorous so I’ll be curious to hear from readers who are. This didn’t feel like harmful representation but I thought it would be more positive. First, the book uses “poly” throughout when “polyam” is the more accepted term. (Poly can refer to Polynesian people.) Second, the coffee shop owners are in a triad but we never see them. That’s low-hanging fruit! It would have been so easy to have Will and Aaron interacting with the owners during their weekly dates at Bold Brew and for us to see how that relationship functions, as well as giving them an accessible resource while they’re figuring things out. Third, Will and Aaron are adamant about staying monogamous when they invite Kelly to be their play partner but they don’t really set up parameters to make sure they stay on the right side of their boundary. They kiss him, they want to be friends with Kelly, they spend time with him outside of scenes, they introduce him to Tom, they invite him to join their Bold Brew dates. It’s possible that could have stayed purely friends with benefits despite all of this but I’m not sure why they didn’t consider how all of this adds to intimacy and strengthening bonds or why they weren’t more open to polyamory sooner when they kept inviting Kelly to have a bigger and bigger role in their lives. I guess the author’s point is that they stumble into it accidentally but it didn’t need to be as fraught as it was. All the more reason it would have been great if they’d interacted with the Bold Brew owners.
Because they’re all dealing with big transitions, I was relieved to see they’re in throuple counseling at the end and Kelly is in grief counseling as well. I wish he’d started much sooner but better late than never. I was very touched when
Characters: Will is a 41 year old white illustrator and animator, adjunct art professor, and Dom/service top who wears glasses and has ADHD. Aaron is a 46 year old white criminal defense lawyer, submissive, and masochist with graying hair. I didn’t catch a specific sexual identity for Will and Aaron—they only talk about being with men but they could be bi or pan. Will is around 5’9 and Aaron is about an inch taller. They have been together for 20 years and married for 4, assuming this is when it became legal. Kelly is a 32 year old gay white artist and submissive sadist. This is set in Laurelsburg, PA.
Content notes: recent death of Kelly’s estranged father (mountain climbing accident; body wasn’t retrieved), Will has ADHD, insomnia, toxic family , ableism (not MCs) , safeword used and respected, top drop, on page sex, D/s, menage, sadism, masochism, pain play, impact play, bondage, predicament bondage, CBT, sensory play, hot wax play, orgasm control, intercrural, edging, exhibitionism/voyeurism (for each other), sex toys, alcohol, marijuana reference, gendered pejoratives, ableist language, comparison of pain play and addiction, comparison of hypothetical patient on life support, multiple mentions of crimes/Aaron’s cases (including ), mentions of police abuse of power/harassment (clients, Kelly’s ex), mention of past case with defendant who abused children and teen under the guise of conversion therapy, mention of fatal DUI case, references to law partner’s divorce cases, reference to Master/slave BDSM terminology, reference to someone accidentally burned during wax play
August 9, 2021
I enjoyed EXTRA WHIP and I especially liked the way L.A. Witt demonstrated kink in a very healthy and safe way. While all three are experienced in pain play they’ve never played together so they take things slowly and work up to the more extreme methods of pain that Aaron is interested in. Additionally there’s some really great communication between the three, as well as discussion about the use of safe words being used anytime, no matter what, whether it’s an actual full stop “I don't like this” moment or just to reassess because something feels uncomfortable. There is a lot of sex in this one but it’s balanced really well with the quieter moments. There’s also a lot of emphasis on Kelly processing his grief over his father’s death; Kelly always felt like a failure to his father so he’s struggling with how to feel about someone he hasn’t even seen in years.
When it came to the relationship, I was a little worried at first because Will and Aaron are so solid as a couple and they’re very resistant to making a three person relationship permanent outside the bedroom, so I wasn’t sure how Kelly would eventually become a welcomed and cherished part of the relationship. For the most part I feel like Witt does accomplish this and considering it’s almost 500 pages long there’s plenty of time for relationship development and character growth. I felt like Will and Kelly in particular become really close because they have a lot of very meaningful and emotional conversations while taking care of Aaron after a scene or once Aaron has fallen asleep. I wish more of these conversations had included Aaron because I feel like Aaron and Kelly hardly had anytime with just the two of them. Will and Kelly even connect over art and Will helps Kelly with settling his father’s estate. In contrast, Aaron and Kelly really only have their interest in pain in common and most of their time together includes Will. Because of this I thought it was interesting that Aaron is the one who develops feelings for Kelly first.
I wasn’t totally in love without the inevitable “dark moment” toward the end but regardless of my own personal thoughts, it was really gut wrenching and emotional and I give props to Witt for really making me feel the pain and heartbreak they were all going through. Luckily it doesn’t last long and I was happy to see them work things out. Overall, this was an incredibly sexy read, with some very emotional moments, and a really poignant look at grief and toxic familial relationships.
Content Warning: parental death and grief; Kelly’s father was emotionally abusive in that he always belittled Kelly’s accomplishments; toxic sibling relationships
When it came to the relationship, I was a little worried at first because Will and Aaron are so solid as a couple and they’re very resistant to making a three person relationship permanent outside the bedroom, so I wasn’t sure how Kelly would eventually become a welcomed and cherished part of the relationship. For the most part I feel like Witt does accomplish this and considering it’s almost 500 pages long there’s plenty of time for relationship development and character growth. I felt like Will and Kelly in particular become really close because they have a lot of very meaningful and emotional conversations while taking care of Aaron after a scene or once Aaron has fallen asleep. I wish more of these conversations had included Aaron because I feel like Aaron and Kelly hardly had anytime with just the two of them. Will and Kelly even connect over art and Will helps Kelly with settling his father’s estate. In contrast, Aaron and Kelly really only have their interest in pain in common and most of their time together includes Will. Because of this I thought it was interesting that Aaron is the one who develops feelings for Kelly first.
I wasn’t totally in love without the inevitable “dark moment” toward the end but regardless of my own personal thoughts, it was really gut wrenching and emotional and I give props to Witt for really making me feel the pain and heartbreak they were all going through. Luckily it doesn’t last long and I was happy to see them work things out. Overall, this was an incredibly sexy read, with some very emotional moments, and a really poignant look at grief and toxic familial relationships.
Content Warning: parental death and grief; Kelly’s father was emotionally abusive in that he always belittled Kelly’s accomplishments; toxic sibling relationships
March 24, 2022
I. LOVE. this. book.
AAHHH😭💗 I will not shut up about how much I loved thiss!
this one has got to be my favorite part in the series😖💕
AAHHH😭💗 I will not shut up about how much I loved thiss!
this one has got to be my favorite part in the series😖💕
February 3, 2023
This is a conundrum for me .. I generally like/love L.A. Witt's stories . What I like the most about her works is that it is so varied in content , tone, topic etc. ... they are unpredictable- unfortunately I have also come to learn that this unpredictability also applies to my enjoyment . I am working through it lol Trying to sort out if its me and my preferences or what.
I DNF this book .. and this is why Its TOO MUCH
1. It feels like the author put atypical kinks, personality, & sexual preferences in a bowl and just picked one for each character and then smushed them together..... I am not bashing the work because I don't understand being a sub or a sadist or a service top. I'm all for reading a tale about a 'top' that's a sub -or a gay man that doesn't do anal . I mean let's break stereotypes! gimme some of that! what I DO have a problem with is tossing all of these together into a throuple and make them all whine about how different they are . I am curious about the experience of a gay man that doesn't like anal and I am curious about more that two people in a relationship etc .. I just can't take them all together at the same time - having to shift mindset trying to understand this character and then the next character hurts my gray matter . and that's not why I read ;)
2. Will & Aaron have been together 20 years and only JUST discovered a sexual need of Aaron's and it is so intense that they're afraid its going to break up their marriage? what? I get discovering you need/want/like something new sexually but omg is a relationship's foundation complete sexual satisfaction only ? Is that something about the kink world that I don't know ? I mean it sounds like they are fairly active in the kink community how did he only just now figure out that he wants/likes it? Not only that, but he NEEDS it so badly he's afraid his 20 year marriage will fail? that sounds like a you problem dude
3. Kelly .. not feelin' it . Only halfway through his chapter and I thought "I cannot listen to him whine this whole book about how his siblings are so much more successful and I definitely can't listen to another word about this amazing house that's only 60 years old"
soooo to sum up- I'm fairly certain its me and not the book - but I also kinda feel like its also the book .. I'm highly likely to circle back around and try again when I am in a different mood since I bought the audiobook , I love Michael Ferraiuolo and LA Witt . If I do and I change my mind, I will alter this review :)
I DNF this book .. and this is why Its TOO MUCH
1. It feels like the author put atypical kinks, personality, & sexual preferences in a bowl and just picked one for each character and then smushed them together..... I am not bashing the work because I don't understand being a sub or a sadist or a service top. I'm all for reading a tale about a 'top' that's a sub -or a gay man that doesn't do anal . I mean let's break stereotypes! gimme some of that! what I DO have a problem with is tossing all of these together into a throuple and make them all whine about how different they are . I am curious about the experience of a gay man that doesn't like anal and I am curious about more that two people in a relationship etc .. I just can't take them all together at the same time - having to shift mindset trying to understand this character and then the next character hurts my gray matter . and that's not why I read ;)
2. Will & Aaron have been together 20 years and only JUST discovered a sexual need of Aaron's and it is so intense that they're afraid its going to break up their marriage? what? I get discovering you need/want/like something new sexually but omg is a relationship's foundation complete sexual satisfaction only ? Is that something about the kink world that I don't know ? I mean it sounds like they are fairly active in the kink community how did he only just now figure out that he wants/likes it? Not only that, but he NEEDS it so badly he's afraid his 20 year marriage will fail? that sounds like a you problem dude
3. Kelly .. not feelin' it . Only halfway through his chapter and I thought "I cannot listen to him whine this whole book about how his siblings are so much more successful and I definitely can't listen to another word about this amazing house that's only 60 years old"
soooo to sum up- I'm fairly certain its me and not the book - but I also kinda feel like its also the book .. I'm highly likely to circle back around and try again when I am in a different mood since I bought the audiobook , I love Michael Ferraiuolo and LA Witt . If I do and I change my mind, I will alter this review :)
September 22, 2021
Dear god, I thought this would never end. Kelly never felt like an organic part of the relationship to me and I swear, it was like reading psychology textbooks with all three characters long inner monologues over every-freaking-thing. The sex ended up feeling clinical and boring and the crisis point was entirely predictable. The author is always readable, excellent writing but this was just exhausting to wade through.
April 13, 2021
4.5 stars
Extra Whip by L.A. Witt is a truly amazing m/m/m read that allows the reader to really understand the WHY
Together for over 20 years..... Will and Aaron Taylor have a perfectly imperfect marriage..... but as they start to discover that Aaron's "needs" push past his husband and Dom's limits they agree to find what they think could satisfy that need.
What they don't count on is their connection with Kelly Griffith going beyond the kink.....
Will and Aaron were well-rounded characters masterfully crafted with deep bonds to each other and a desire to ensure Kelly feels like more than just a plaything...
And now I am going to pause and simply say WOW... read the book.... because though most readers would never think of bringing someone into the bedroom... remember the story is about having the reader UNDERSTAND why Will and Aaron did and well Witt does a truly epic job at that; you really understand the dynamic and what it gives each man!
This book is Venti size... and rightfully so as the author takes on what I think is one of the toughest writes... adding a third to an established relationship. The length allows each character to be real-feel.
I can not find the words to express what an amazing job the author does giving the reader true insight into what each man gets from this dynamic!
This book is now an all-time favorite menage read for me!
Cup of Joe is a stand-alone novel in the multi-author Bold Brew shared universe centered around an inclusive coffee shop set in a fictional small city.
Each steaming hot coffee shop romance can be enjoyed alone, but collect all ten for the most fun!
Grab Your Copy --> https://amzn.to/3tg1f0h
Oh and I am so diving into Cinnamon Roll because I hear Tom gets his happy there! https://amzn.to/3mLogWt
Extra Whip by L.A. Witt is a truly amazing m/m/m read that allows the reader to really understand the WHY
Together for over 20 years..... Will and Aaron Taylor have a perfectly imperfect marriage..... but as they start to discover that Aaron's "needs" push past his husband and Dom's limits they agree to find what they think could satisfy that need.
What they don't count on is their connection with Kelly Griffith going beyond the kink.....
Will and Aaron were well-rounded characters masterfully crafted with deep bonds to each other and a desire to ensure Kelly feels like more than just a plaything...
And now I am going to pause and simply say WOW... read the book.... because though most readers would never think of bringing someone into the bedroom... remember the story is about having the reader UNDERSTAND why Will and Aaron did and well Witt does a truly epic job at that; you really understand the dynamic and what it gives each man!
This book is Venti size... and rightfully so as the author takes on what I think is one of the toughest writes... adding a third to an established relationship. The length allows each character to be real-feel.
I can not find the words to express what an amazing job the author does giving the reader true insight into what each man gets from this dynamic!
This book is now an all-time favorite menage read for me!
Cup of Joe is a stand-alone novel in the multi-author Bold Brew shared universe centered around an inclusive coffee shop set in a fictional small city.
Each steaming hot coffee shop romance can be enjoyed alone, but collect all ten for the most fun!
Grab Your Copy --> https://amzn.to/3tg1f0h
Oh and I am so diving into Cinnamon Roll because I hear Tom gets his happy there! https://amzn.to/3mLogWt
June 7, 2021
I've enjoyed most of the Bold Brew series but I must admit this is my favorite. I was blown away by this threesome. Three men who began with a commitment and a clear discussion that Will and Aaron, the married couple, did not want any part of a poly relationship. Just a unicorn -- a submissive who is also a sadist and they found that in Kelly. They also found so much more. Over quite a long story, the BDSM relationship, their friendship, and finally more develop. The author took the time to build the desire for more with some mighty hot scenes along the way.
The catch is that the author did not do gratuitous sex scenes as some authors seem determined to do. These scenes fit ergonomically into the development of the story. I really don't want to let go. I may have to go back and read this one again. Hmm, maybe a few times. Will, Aaron, and Kelly are a wonderful example of a well-rounded relationship. The men alone and together were dynamic, well-rounded, personable, and i simply enjoyed every moment with them.
Highly recommended.
The catch is that the author did not do gratuitous sex scenes as some authors seem determined to do. These scenes fit ergonomically into the development of the story. I really don't want to let go. I may have to go back and read this one again. Hmm, maybe a few times. Will, Aaron, and Kelly are a wonderful example of a well-rounded relationship. The men alone and together were dynamic, well-rounded, personable, and i simply enjoyed every moment with them.
Highly recommended.
April 1, 2021
With something missing from their marriage, Will and Aaron feel adding a third to the relationship will give Aaron the pain he desires and Will the chance to watch his submissive husband enjoyment fulfilled. But what neither of them ever thought of was that when they opened their marriage and added Kelly it would also open their hearts but also their fears of not being enough. Can they all come together and fix what is broken? Or are they adding more cracks in their already shaky foundation? Once again L.A. Witt takes the reader on an emotional journey of epic proportions. Between the adorably irresistible characters, the baggage that keeps them from moving forward and the duo then triad dynamics this book could not have been written any better. 5 Stars are not enough and this would be a book that I would love to see re-opened for another look a few years down the road.
May 17, 2021
This didn’t set me alight, but I did enjoy it, because even LA Witt’s less amazing books are generally very good reads. I felt the development of the relationship was authentic, and I was happy at the end.
Want to read
February 27, 2023🎁 FREE on Amazon today (2/27/2023)! 🎁
dnf
October 22, 2025It's not the book, it's me. Maybe I'll try later
April 19, 2021
Started great, ended good
I was really digging this story at the beginning. Will and Aaron and Kelly are hot, hot, hot. Lots of kinky, MMM, BDSM scenes am me you could really feel how committed Will and Aaron were, and how well Kelly for into their dynamic. What eventually got to me was a little too much "flailing." This was both character emotions that went overboard with the in head conversations, and secondly, the flailing hand. (Shoot me now) There's plenty of drawers who won't even notice it the 10 times it occurred post chapter 19, but it took the characters from manly to feminine, which wasn't how they were portrayed in the first half. A couple of times, I would have been okay, but by time number five, I was at ugh stage. It was disappointing for me to only give this three stars. Liked it a lot, but not enough to read again.
KU, contemporary, standalone, book in a series, MMM, BDSM, pain kink, lawyer, art professor, themes of grief
I was really digging this story at the beginning. Will and Aaron and Kelly are hot, hot, hot. Lots of kinky, MMM, BDSM scenes am me you could really feel how committed Will and Aaron were, and how well Kelly for into their dynamic. What eventually got to me was a little too much "flailing." This was both character emotions that went overboard with the in head conversations, and secondly, the flailing hand. (Shoot me now) There's plenty of drawers who won't even notice it the 10 times it occurred post chapter 19, but it took the characters from manly to feminine, which wasn't how they were portrayed in the first half. A couple of times, I would have been okay, but by time number five, I was at ugh stage. It was disappointing for me to only give this three stars. Liked it a lot, but not enough to read again.
KU, contemporary, standalone, book in a series, MMM, BDSM, pain kink, lawyer, art professor, themes of grief
April 7, 2021
I like the plot, but it was overall to sexy for me. And I never thought I'd write that line. The sexy is fun, but the amount kind of makes the plot progress a bit slow at times. It was really cute in the other parts, and I really liked the three mains, especially Will.
Read
January 23, 2021Available April 13 as part of the multi-author Bold Brew series!
April 19, 2021
Tooo Long!!!!! Sexy and the plot is good but there is a large chunk of things that could have been edited out to wrap this book up in less time.
August 1, 2023
reread 2023: still good
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The detail and focus Witt put in exploring the relationship between a long-time married couple and adding a new kinky partner into their play is unmatched.
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The detail and focus Witt put in exploring the relationship between a long-time married couple and adding a new kinky partner into their play is unmatched.
January 19, 2025
4.5 stars
This review and much more can be found at Love Bytes Reviews
Will and Aaron Taylor are a happily married couple. Aaron’s job as a criminal defense attorney is at times grueling and taxing. Will’s job as a graphic artist with his own business and teaching art at the local college keep him busy. he’s got ADHD that his husband is good at helping him manage. He’s a good Dom to his sub husband as well. But Aaron is also a masochist and he needs more pain that his husband is willing to give. But another Dom doesn’t work with their dynamic. So the hope to find another sub that is a sadist and would be able to give Aaron what he needs but not impact the D/s dynamic.
Kelly Griffith has returned to his home town because his father died suddenly and he has inherited the family home. This home wasn’t a particular happy place for him. His mother walked out on her family when he was younger and his father was more into molding his children into what he wanted them to be than what they were happy with. Kelly is 32 and he does not know what he wants to do with his life, but he definitely knew what didn’t want to do – and that resulted in an estrangement from his overachieving siblings and his disappointed father. To say that the whole family situation is awkward is an understatement.
Kelly sees and ad in the kink board looking for a sadist sub and he answers it. He’s been at loose ends and he’s like to meet people. When he meets Will and Aaron he’s immediately intrigued. They make it clear that they aren’t poly and that they would like someone to play with them from time to time who could fulfill Aaron’s needs. They all get along well and agree to try things out.
The first encounter doesn’t go as expected. But everyone is honest and agrees that it was situational and not something that anybody did. Kelly is relieved as he has a tendency to blame himself – after all he’s been told forever that he’s the f*ckup of the family. He’s not treated well by anyone in his family and has truly been on his own. He begins to spend more time with Will and Aaron and they become friends with quite the benefits 🙂 But are they getting too close?
Friends and colleagues begin to notice that things have moved beyond casual with Kelly. Will and Aaron are a bit in denial, but they both have come to have feelings for Kelly. In the meantime, Kelly is dealing with a lot of self-doubt and family drama with his siblings. Will is instrumental in helping him to move on with his life and realize that he doesn’t owe these people anything. But will these feelings that are developing between the three men derail a marriage? End friendships? What can and should they do when the dynamic and course of the intention of their relationship changes?
Ooooo this story had so much! Kelly has a lot of issues thanks to his kind of crap family. He has never felt supported and loved by them and I certainly saw no evidence in this story. People do a lot of not nice things when dealing with a sudden death, but honestly I was glad that Kelly did not let his family bully him in the end. Will and Aaron are great together, but they know they can be even better. They really love having Kelly in their lives, but they each worry about the impact on their marriage. Will somebody be left on the outside looking in? For Kelly’s part, when will he be thrown away like yesterday’s garbage by this established couple? I thought all of these questions and more were handled well and sensitively in this book. The sex is hot, but the cuddling was just as hot. I was so happy that these three were able to work through their misgivings and insecurities to figure out that there was a way forward. Recommended!
Once again, Michael Ferraiuolo’s narration elevates what is a good and engaging story into something that is even better. Kelly, Aaron and Will are all struggling with different aspects of this new relationship and what it means. They each have insecurities and baggage that make them vulnerable and negotiating this new dynamic is not easy. I loved how Michael’s narration of each character reveals the different sides of this relationship and pulled me in to how their feelings were developing over the course of the story. Outstanding!
This review and much more can be found at Love Bytes Reviews
Will and Aaron Taylor are a happily married couple. Aaron’s job as a criminal defense attorney is at times grueling and taxing. Will’s job as a graphic artist with his own business and teaching art at the local college keep him busy. he’s got ADHD that his husband is good at helping him manage. He’s a good Dom to his sub husband as well. But Aaron is also a masochist and he needs more pain that his husband is willing to give. But another Dom doesn’t work with their dynamic. So the hope to find another sub that is a sadist and would be able to give Aaron what he needs but not impact the D/s dynamic.
Kelly Griffith has returned to his home town because his father died suddenly and he has inherited the family home. This home wasn’t a particular happy place for him. His mother walked out on her family when he was younger and his father was more into molding his children into what he wanted them to be than what they were happy with. Kelly is 32 and he does not know what he wants to do with his life, but he definitely knew what didn’t want to do – and that resulted in an estrangement from his overachieving siblings and his disappointed father. To say that the whole family situation is awkward is an understatement.
Kelly sees and ad in the kink board looking for a sadist sub and he answers it. He’s been at loose ends and he’s like to meet people. When he meets Will and Aaron he’s immediately intrigued. They make it clear that they aren’t poly and that they would like someone to play with them from time to time who could fulfill Aaron’s needs. They all get along well and agree to try things out.
The first encounter doesn’t go as expected. But everyone is honest and agrees that it was situational and not something that anybody did. Kelly is relieved as he has a tendency to blame himself – after all he’s been told forever that he’s the f*ckup of the family. He’s not treated well by anyone in his family and has truly been on his own. He begins to spend more time with Will and Aaron and they become friends with quite the benefits 🙂 But are they getting too close?
Friends and colleagues begin to notice that things have moved beyond casual with Kelly. Will and Aaron are a bit in denial, but they both have come to have feelings for Kelly. In the meantime, Kelly is dealing with a lot of self-doubt and family drama with his siblings. Will is instrumental in helping him to move on with his life and realize that he doesn’t owe these people anything. But will these feelings that are developing between the three men derail a marriage? End friendships? What can and should they do when the dynamic and course of the intention of their relationship changes?
Ooooo this story had so much! Kelly has a lot of issues thanks to his kind of crap family. He has never felt supported and loved by them and I certainly saw no evidence in this story. People do a lot of not nice things when dealing with a sudden death, but honestly I was glad that Kelly did not let his family bully him in the end. Will and Aaron are great together, but they know they can be even better. They really love having Kelly in their lives, but they each worry about the impact on their marriage. Will somebody be left on the outside looking in? For Kelly’s part, when will he be thrown away like yesterday’s garbage by this established couple? I thought all of these questions and more were handled well and sensitively in this book. The sex is hot, but the cuddling was just as hot. I was so happy that these three were able to work through their misgivings and insecurities to figure out that there was a way forward. Recommended!
Once again, Michael Ferraiuolo’s narration elevates what is a good and engaging story into something that is even better. Kelly, Aaron and Will are all struggling with different aspects of this new relationship and what it means. They each have insecurities and baggage that make them vulnerable and negotiating this new dynamic is not easy. I loved how Michael’s narration of each character reveals the different sides of this relationship and pulled me in to how their feelings were developing over the course of the story. Outstanding!
May 31, 2024
old post reposted
I haven't yet read a series quite like this one. All centered in the same fictional-universe, all interconnected manuscripts, all editions by different authors. The Bold Brew series is a ten book installment by ten different fabulous people. The eighth book is titled: "Extra Whip" (by #lawitt). This is the first full-length novel in the series (and the entire reason I couldn't finish the series before the end of April, so thank you for that).
["Will and Aaron Taylor have a perfectly imperfect marriage. For twenty years, even when their desires haven’t quite matched, they’ve always found ways to adapt…until now. When Aaron’s needs push past his Dom’s limits, their best hope for compromise is finding a unicorn—a third person who checks both men's boxes.
After his estranged father wills him a house he doesn’t want in a town he doesn’t know, Kelly Griffith is itching to find his place in this unfamiliar new world. When he finds an ad from a couple looking for a sub like him, he jumps at the opportunity. A chance to be what someone needs and wants instead of being a perpetual disappointment? Yes, please.
The chemistry sizzles from the get-go. Will and Aaron insist they don’t want to be poly, and Kelly doesn’t want to be anyone’s third wheel, but playing together? Any time, any place. All they have to do is keep emotions from joining the party as the trust and intimacy deepen between them.
But by the time they realize they’re in over their heads, hitting the brakes is no longer as simple as using a safe word."]
I loved and dis-loved this book (hate is a little too strong). I loved the open communication and constant reassurances and unicorn references. The three of them really worked together as a trouple inside and outside of the bedroom. They were cute and honest and talked (and talked and talked) about any and all issues that came up.
But I also felt like the issues these three dealt with (more so Will and Aaron) were talked about over and over and over and over again. I felt as if it could have been shorter, much shorter, and the premise could have been still the same.
It also lacked some of that fluff I was looking for, too. There was a hella lot of cuddling in bed and cuddling in front of a movie, but not a lot of heart-stuttering, earth-tilting kind of cheesey romantic talk.
Also, a heads up (if you didn't catch it in the blurb), this series is very kink-friendly/forward (in a very, very healthy and communicative way). The Bold Brew coffee shop (the centering aspect of the series) is a LGBT and kink-friendly hub of the community. Just FYI, if you're not into that kind of thing.
#cupofjoe #puppuccino #perfectmatcha #vanillasteamer #orderup #silkysmooth #fairtrade #extrawhip #cinnamonroll #doubleshot #boldbrew #boldbrewseries #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks
I haven't yet read a series quite like this one. All centered in the same fictional-universe, all interconnected manuscripts, all editions by different authors. The Bold Brew series is a ten book installment by ten different fabulous people. The eighth book is titled: "Extra Whip" (by #lawitt). This is the first full-length novel in the series (and the entire reason I couldn't finish the series before the end of April, so thank you for that).
["Will and Aaron Taylor have a perfectly imperfect marriage. For twenty years, even when their desires haven’t quite matched, they’ve always found ways to adapt…until now. When Aaron’s needs push past his Dom’s limits, their best hope for compromise is finding a unicorn—a third person who checks both men's boxes.
After his estranged father wills him a house he doesn’t want in a town he doesn’t know, Kelly Griffith is itching to find his place in this unfamiliar new world. When he finds an ad from a couple looking for a sub like him, he jumps at the opportunity. A chance to be what someone needs and wants instead of being a perpetual disappointment? Yes, please.
The chemistry sizzles from the get-go. Will and Aaron insist they don’t want to be poly, and Kelly doesn’t want to be anyone’s third wheel, but playing together? Any time, any place. All they have to do is keep emotions from joining the party as the trust and intimacy deepen between them.
But by the time they realize they’re in over their heads, hitting the brakes is no longer as simple as using a safe word."]
I loved and dis-loved this book (hate is a little too strong). I loved the open communication and constant reassurances and unicorn references. The three of them really worked together as a trouple inside and outside of the bedroom. They were cute and honest and talked (and talked and talked) about any and all issues that came up.
But I also felt like the issues these three dealt with (more so Will and Aaron) were talked about over and over and over and over again. I felt as if it could have been shorter, much shorter, and the premise could have been still the same.
It also lacked some of that fluff I was looking for, too. There was a hella lot of cuddling in bed and cuddling in front of a movie, but not a lot of heart-stuttering, earth-tilting kind of cheesey romantic talk.
Also, a heads up (if you didn't catch it in the blurb), this series is very kink-friendly/forward (in a very, very healthy and communicative way). The Bold Brew coffee shop (the centering aspect of the series) is a LGBT and kink-friendly hub of the community. Just FYI, if you're not into that kind of thing.
#cupofjoe #puppuccino #perfectmatcha #vanillasteamer #orderup #silkysmooth #fairtrade #extrawhip #cinnamonroll #doubleshot #boldbrew #boldbrewseries #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks
May 3, 2021
3.5 stars, rounded down
I loved each of the characters, and watching them all slowly fall in love together was lovely, but the overall pacing wasn't great. I felt that inordinate amounts of time were spent on Kelly's family issues, and the story as a whole lagged because of it. I adore a slow burn, so I'm not complaining about the pacing because of that, but the narrative itself felt slow when multiple pages in each of Kelly's chapters were dedicated to the same issue over and over again, namely the house he'd unwillingly inherited, his father's disapproval, and his bad relationships with his siblings.
The "oh no, we got feelings" fight and angst at the end before the happy ending was expected, even if it got a bit tedious how insistent Will and Aaron were that they weren't looking for anything poly, all the way to the end. They've been together 20 years, and clearly understand that desires can change, or at least their awareness of desires, since a night of more heavy pain play is what lead them to where they are now. For a couple that so heavily emphasized the importance of healthy communication, it was unrealistic to me how much the entire thing blew up on them. And Will's side of their fight thay night felt completely out of character to me.
I was very, very annoyed by the fact that Aaron and Will didn't text Kelly before just showing up on his doorstep for their reconciliation scene. Again, they were so big on honest communication from day one, but then literally left Kelly on read, even after they resolved their issues with each other and decided to talk to Kelly. I honestly have no idea how either of them went to bed that night, knowing they had left Kelly hanging. His texts were clearly concerned, and they just...had makeup sex together then went to bed?
In the same vein, it seemed unrealistic to me that Kelly so quickly and easily accepted their offer to join them without speaking to them about how hurt he was that they shut him out? He explicitly said he was terrified of becoming a third wheel to them, then they completely kept him out of the loop after they had resolved things on their end.
Outside the pacing, I had no issues with the story. I am a total sucker for slow burns, so I really enjoyed that aspect of watching them all gradually fit into a life together and fall for each other.
I loved each of the characters, and watching them all slowly fall in love together was lovely, but the overall pacing wasn't great. I felt that inordinate amounts of time were spent on Kelly's family issues, and the story as a whole lagged because of it. I adore a slow burn, so I'm not complaining about the pacing because of that, but the narrative itself felt slow when multiple pages in each of Kelly's chapters were dedicated to the same issue over and over again, namely the house he'd unwillingly inherited, his father's disapproval, and his bad relationships with his siblings.
The "oh no, we got feelings" fight and angst at the end before the happy ending was expected, even if it got a bit tedious how insistent Will and Aaron were that they weren't looking for anything poly, all the way to the end. They've been together 20 years, and clearly understand that desires can change, or at least their awareness of desires, since a night of more heavy pain play is what lead them to where they are now. For a couple that so heavily emphasized the importance of healthy communication, it was unrealistic to me how much the entire thing blew up on them. And Will's side of their fight thay night felt completely out of character to me.
I was very, very annoyed by the fact that Aaron and Will didn't text Kelly before just showing up on his doorstep for their reconciliation scene. Again, they were so big on honest communication from day one, but then literally left Kelly on read, even after they resolved their issues with each other and decided to talk to Kelly. I honestly have no idea how either of them went to bed that night, knowing they had left Kelly hanging. His texts were clearly concerned, and they just...had makeup sex together then went to bed?
In the same vein, it seemed unrealistic to me that Kelly so quickly and easily accepted their offer to join them without speaking to them about how hurt he was that they shut him out? He explicitly said he was terrified of becoming a third wheel to them, then they completely kept him out of the loop after they had resolved things on their end.
Outside the pacing, I had no issues with the story. I am a total sucker for slow burns, so I really enjoyed that aspect of watching them all gradually fit into a life together and fall for each other.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 16, 2021
*4.5*
Extra Whip is the eight book in the Bold Brew series and the only one with an MMM relationship.
We start with Will and Aaron who have been together for twenty years and are completely perfect for each other. At least until recently, when they discovered that Aaron needs more pain that Will is capable of giving. One of the only solutions that they can come up with is to find a third to play with, which is where Kelly comes in as a perfect match for them both as a submissive sadist.
All three men connect on all levels, not just physically so it comes as no surprise when lines get blurred for them. Will and Aaron already have a wonderful relationship, knowing each other so well on all levels. It's helped them both to get to where they are today in their careers and the life they share together.
It's really interesting to read a character that joins an established couple and how Kelly deals with the interloper feelings, someone there to just patch things up but he has his own things going on with the recent death of his father. The support of Will and Aaron and their friendship come to mean more to him in the short time they spend together and help him get through some hard times which adds to his confusion.
The kink side of things, whilst you would think it's a bit hardcore with pain being what is needed, that's not the main thing that I took away from this story. It's the bond that they create between the three men, as three separate duos and as a triad, and the trust that they take the time to nurture before taking each step together as what the aim is is definitely not for the faint hearted. L.A. Witt has written the relationship and the kink side beautifully as emotions come into their play and develop more than anyone was expecting. I love that they are clear on expectations, limits, safe words etc, quickly showing each other but especially from Will and Aaron to Kelly, that all of heir comfort, safety and happiness is important.
This really was a great read and I would happily recommend it as a stand alone story as well as part of the Bold Brew series. This is the longest from the series but worth the time.
I received an ARC and am happily giving a review.
Extra Whip is the eight book in the Bold Brew series and the only one with an MMM relationship.
We start with Will and Aaron who have been together for twenty years and are completely perfect for each other. At least until recently, when they discovered that Aaron needs more pain that Will is capable of giving. One of the only solutions that they can come up with is to find a third to play with, which is where Kelly comes in as a perfect match for them both as a submissive sadist.
All three men connect on all levels, not just physically so it comes as no surprise when lines get blurred for them. Will and Aaron already have a wonderful relationship, knowing each other so well on all levels. It's helped them both to get to where they are today in their careers and the life they share together.
It's really interesting to read a character that joins an established couple and how Kelly deals with the interloper feelings, someone there to just patch things up but he has his own things going on with the recent death of his father. The support of Will and Aaron and their friendship come to mean more to him in the short time they spend together and help him get through some hard times which adds to his confusion.
The kink side of things, whilst you would think it's a bit hardcore with pain being what is needed, that's not the main thing that I took away from this story. It's the bond that they create between the three men, as three separate duos and as a triad, and the trust that they take the time to nurture before taking each step together as what the aim is is definitely not for the faint hearted. L.A. Witt has written the relationship and the kink side beautifully as emotions come into their play and develop more than anyone was expecting. I love that they are clear on expectations, limits, safe words etc, quickly showing each other but especially from Will and Aaron to Kelly, that all of heir comfort, safety and happiness is important.
This really was a great read and I would happily recommend it as a stand alone story as well as part of the Bold Brew series. This is the longest from the series but worth the time.
I received an ARC and am happily giving a review.
June 7, 2021
Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 Extra Whip by L.A. Witt
🐝
Will and Aaron have been married for 20 years, as deeply as their love for each other run, Aaron's needs push pass his Dom's limits. Their best hope is a compromise, someone who can check both of these men's boxes. Kelly Griffin father's sudden death leaves him with a house he doesn't want, in a town he doesn't know and he's craving to find his place in a world that never truly felt like his. When he finds a couple looking for a sub like him, he jumps on the offer. The chemistry between the three of them burns bright from the get-go. And even if they insist not wanting to be poly, the bond between them keeps growing. But what happens when feelings can't be ignored anymore, when the rules have clearly been broken?
🐝
CW: Dom/Sub(s) relationship. Kinks: Wax play, different types of lashing, cock cage, ball clamps, nipple clamps,.
TW: Representation of ADHD, executive dysfunction, emotional negligence by parents, child abandonment.
🐝
So this was an experience, a great one. I wasn't sure I would like it at first with as much pain play, but I found myself really enjoying the freedom of it, from all three of their perspective. I wish we had just a little more emotional and headspace description in those scenes instead of the high physical details, but this is really just taste because those descriptions were smoking hot. I loved their relationships, and I loved how careful and intentional their relationship was. How mindful they were with each other's feelings and needs. The love they shared reverberated through the book like an entity of it's own, it was marvelous. I also loved their struggles, I loved how open they were about it, how they knew their own boundaries, knew how to sooth each other. Aaron Will and Kelly have the type of relationship everyone seeks, not necessarily the kink part of it, but everything else. I can feel their happiness and it makes me tear up from the glowing affection, respect and care they have for each other. I always feel like I’m the only that cries when I read these moments in a book, but I just can’t help it.
🐝
🐝
Will and Aaron have been married for 20 years, as deeply as their love for each other run, Aaron's needs push pass his Dom's limits. Their best hope is a compromise, someone who can check both of these men's boxes. Kelly Griffin father's sudden death leaves him with a house he doesn't want, in a town he doesn't know and he's craving to find his place in a world that never truly felt like his. When he finds a couple looking for a sub like him, he jumps on the offer. The chemistry between the three of them burns bright from the get-go. And even if they insist not wanting to be poly, the bond between them keeps growing. But what happens when feelings can't be ignored anymore, when the rules have clearly been broken?
🐝
CW: Dom/Sub(s) relationship. Kinks: Wax play, different types of lashing, cock cage, ball clamps, nipple clamps,.
TW: Representation of ADHD, executive dysfunction, emotional negligence by parents, child abandonment.
🐝
So this was an experience, a great one. I wasn't sure I would like it at first with as much pain play, but I found myself really enjoying the freedom of it, from all three of their perspective. I wish we had just a little more emotional and headspace description in those scenes instead of the high physical details, but this is really just taste because those descriptions were smoking hot. I loved their relationships, and I loved how careful and intentional their relationship was. How mindful they were with each other's feelings and needs. The love they shared reverberated through the book like an entity of it's own, it was marvelous. I also loved their struggles, I loved how open they were about it, how they knew their own boundaries, knew how to sooth each other. Aaron Will and Kelly have the type of relationship everyone seeks, not necessarily the kink part of it, but everything else. I can feel their happiness and it makes me tear up from the glowing affection, respect and care they have for each other. I always feel like I’m the only that cries when I read these moments in a book, but I just can’t help it.
🐝
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