Three of a Kind

The Road to Rocktoberfest 2022 #4

by Nic Starr

What happens when friendship becomes love, and you’re presented with seemingly impossible choices while the world is watching?

Harvey, lead guitarist with Australian rock band, HyperOctane, thought playing at Rocktoberfest would be the highlight of his career. He didn’t expect a performance that would shape the rest of his life.

Ravi
Admitting his feelings for Harvey was one of the hardest things he’d ever done. Being rejected was crushing. He never thought he’d be living the same heartbreak years later after finally finding love.

Bo
He broke Ravi’s heart but he couldn’t ignore the feelings he had for Harvey? It wasn’t fair on Rav, and Bo knew it was for the best, but why did doing the right thing have to hurt so much?

Harvey
He wasn’t sure which was his biggest regret—hurting Ravi all those years ago, or more recently giving in to temptation and having a one-night stand with Bo. He’d always been close to his younger brother’s best friends, and now it seemed he’d messed things up with both of them.

Now all three of them must confront their feelings for each other. Why do things have to be so complicated?

Three of a Kind is a gay rock star romance featuring second chances, friends to lovers, and menage.

Three of a Kind is part of the multi-author The Road to Rocktoberfest 2022 series. Each book can be read as a standalone, but why not read them all and see who hits the stage next? Hot rockstars and the men who love them, what more could you ask for? Kick back, load up your kindle and enjoy the men of Rocktoberfest!

Genres: Friends To Lovers, M M M, Contemporary, M M Romance, Second Chance, Musicians, Menage

175 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 21, 2022

About the author

Nic Starr lives in Australia where she tries to squeeze as much into her busy life as possible. Balancing the demands of a corporate career with raising a family and writing can be challenging but she wouldn’t give it up for the world.

Always a reader, the lure of m/m romance was strong and she devoured hundreds of wonderful m/m romance books before eventually realising she had some stories of her own that needed to be told!

When not writing or reading, she loves to spend time with her family–an understanding husband and two beautiful daughters–and is often found indulging in her love of cooking and planning her dream home in the country.

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Reviews

[Ky · Rating 4 out of 5]

* 4 stars *

This story was shorter than I expected, but it was still good.

Three of a Kind is a romance between three long-time friends with a lot of history between them.

Harvey is a guitarist just starting to hit the international scene with his band, Ravi is a programmer working from home, and Bo is a nurse always working overtime.

It was like reading scenes from their story, but I still liked it. There were big time jumps, and it wasn't always mentioned how much time had passed. I think the whole story takes place in a little over a year, as there were two Roctoberfest events.

All three characters were great at communicating their feelings and their wants. Their relationship was based on openness and honesty and they behaved that way with their close friends. Near the end, there was the buildup for some relationship-related angst, but it fizzled out pretty quickly and never fully developed.

At first, I liked all three characters and their personalities, but as we got closer to the end of the story, Ravi's behavior started to bother me. Apparently, he wanted to add a little drama to their story.

All in all, it was a nice, quick read.


~ Copy provided by Bayou Book Junkie for my reading pleasure. A review wasn't a requirement. ~

[Florence . · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a super sweet story. I always love a good MMM book and the set up for this was super fun and enjoyable.

This book was super enjoyable to read and I really liked the set up for it. I really liked how the MMM relationship was set up and how they all had links with each other and how they all wanted to be together, that really worked for me.

I really liked how the rockstar aspect was done in this one. It made the book super fun to read and I really enjoyed it.

My one thing is that I wished that they all communicated a little bit better.

But this was a super sweet romance and I really enjoyed reading it.

I received an ARC of this book, and this is my honest opinion

[Denise H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sexy threesome and deep feelings... !
Harvey plays guitar in a popular rock band in Australia. When he breaks his wrist, he's got to sit out awhile, and Ravi is there to keep him company. Harvey is best friends with Ravi's brother.
Harvey and Ravi have some history and have an attraction, but hold off for now.
Bo, is their close friend and had time spent with each man separately.
Eventually the trio gets their wishes to have each other, and the fun begins. They get sexy times that steam up the windows and bind their three hearts, and we get to see it all come about.
ENJOY !

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[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Three of a Kind by Nic Starr. It's part of the Road to Rocktoberfest 2022 series. I loved Harvey, Rav, and Bo's story. I loved the shared history between them and their hot scenes. They really did complement each other like puzzle pieces. I loved seeing more of Rafe, Parker, and the rest of the band.

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

[Barb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ravi, Bo, and Harvey’s story is so enjoyable! You have rockstars, second chances, and friends to lovers. The chemistry between these three is very strong and I loved watching their relationship evolve. They had such respect for each other and wanted to do the right thing. A great read and fantastic addition to Rocktoberfest series! I am voluntarily leaving an honest review for this complimentary copy of this book

[L H · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bo, Harvey and Ravi are in a complicated mess of feelings. There is messy history between them that includes hurt that needs to be addressed and sorted out but what continues to be undeniable is that they all have feelings for one another and once they are able to work out the complications they are better all together instead of trying to choose.

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

[T Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

A return to Rocktoberfest and a fun group of boys. This story is a bit out of the norm but in the best way. Good, strong characters, once again, that keep you reading. The support of their friends is a strong facet and the romance, with the tish of drama involved, gives it a little more snap. .

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

[Fay MMBookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three of the Kind is an M/M/M romance for Harvey, Bo and Ravi in the Road to Rocktoberfest series. HyperOctane was set of the U.S being an Aussie band going for stardom. Bo was Parker’s best friend and worked at the hospital.A romance of unrequited love with friends in a complicated triangle.

Parker and Ravi were brothers with Ravi being the oldest. Harvey was supposed to be off to the States with their band but accidents happen that puts a kybosh on that.This has a time jump of 3 weeks at an important part for Harvey I wasn’t expecting, but he’s in Ravi's care. A kiss is just a kiss right.. nope, it starts the romance for Ravi and Harvey with another addition with Bo later in the story.

This gives the history of what happened between Harvey and Bo’s previous one-night fling before reverting back to the present day. Lots can happen under a roof for 3 very single guys, especially with emotions mixing in. The first half of the story was about Harvey's and Ravi's budding relationship with Bo coming in later. I loved the feeling of these guys trying to work things out without the jealousy creeping. A slow romance with an ending with a HEA with 3 character POVs. A secondary romance for Parker is hinted at in this with his boyfriend.

I received a GRR advance readers copy and this is my honest review.

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three of a Kind is a good read that’s a part of the Road to Rocktoberfest 2022 collection and works perfectly well as a standalone. It’s so fun to see a variety of authors’ different approaches to the rock romance trope, and this one proved to be a nice, sweet heat story.

I really liked that Three of a Kind features one of my favorite tropes, friends-to-lovers, but kept things interesting by making this a polyamorous relationship. Bo, Harvey, and Ravi made for a sweet throuple. I really liked that the reader gets an opportunity to see each character’s personality and relationship with the others before they begin a relationship. The move from a couple to throuple came across fairly naturally, and I especially appreciated that the character and relationship development wasn’t lost to the steamy scenes.

Overall, Three of a Kind trends more sweet than angsty, with the conflicts resolving fairly smoothly and an even-paced tempo and development. I’d recommend this story to fans of easy, lower-angst romances that have just a little drama to keep things interesting.

*** Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie for my reading pleasure, a review wasn't a requirement. ***

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of tropes rolled into one novel…friends to lovers, second chance, rockstar, unrequited love, poly relationship, made family, coming out…it’s a lot all at once.

This installment of the road to Rocktoberfest is more about the characters than the music or band. Don’t expect this to be a typical rockstar romance, it’s about the brotherhood and friends the music is just what one character does for a living.

It was tough to get into at first due to not really knowing the history the characters had together, but once it was revealed a much more enjoyable read. So push through the awkward beginning to get to the good part.

Much of the angst was self driven so be ready for characters who get in their own head and in their own way (even when the external isn’t that bad they themselves make it worse).

Not a bad read, you just have to stick with the first bit to get to the heart of the story.

[Nic]

Three of a Kind is available now.

Click here to read

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[paisean13 · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel bad for Rav. It really feels as though he is a second choice throughout the story and in the triad. First, through flashback (much later in the story), Harvey says "nah" to Rav when Rav expresses his crush. Then, only a few years later (through another oddly timed flashback), we find that Harvey has a ONS with Bo as he has always been attracted to Bo. Interesting that he could not bother with Rav because "reasons." Yet, he had no issue sleeping with Bo even though the same "reasons" were present with him. Then, Rav begins a relationship with Bo shortly after that ONS, only to get dumped later on as Bo really loves Harvey. Of course, Rav is not given that or any reason for the breakup. Furthermore, neither Bo nor Harvey bother telling Rav that they had the ONS until after Rav and Harvey are together and Bo moves in for a bit. The only reason Harvey comes clean is that he realizes he still has feelings for Bo. In other words, he is letting Rav know that he was willing to ignore "reasons" for Bo, yet not for Rav. Way to make a guy feel special and lay it out so that Rav can either go poly or go home (aka lose his relationships with both Harvey and Bo).

All of this brings me to another issue within the story. The lack of angst and way too much "easy peasy abbra cadabra" problem solving. This story is the perfect set up for full blown angst by having all three MCs working on the poly relationship dynamics, Harvey dealing with it affecting his career, and Rav dealing with his parents while also having Bo and Harvey work towards forgiveness from Rav for their lies, aka hiding their ONS and basically emotionally cheating on him due to thier undisclosed "love" they had for each other while still dating Rav. At least, in one of the very few bits of angst we receive towards the very end, Bo admits that both he and Harvey have harmed Rav by tossing him aside.

"He's distancing himself so he won't be hurt because that's all he's known. Up until now, every time he's given himself, whether it be to us, or simply giving the honest version of himself to his parents, he's been tossed aside."

More angst plus making Bo and Harvey actually work towards forgiveness and assurance for Rav would make their coming together as a throple worth the read. Alas, no angst and instant forgiveness spoiled it all.

One last thought. Many of the flashbacks are presented at odd times, which hurts the flow and throws a reader out of the story. The flashbacks are necessary, however, they serve better when placed appropriately throughout the story.

The writing is done well. Only a few edits are needed. Therefore, 2 stars for the writing as I will read another book by this author. Unfortunately, this story and I did not get along well.

[Anne Barwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this author and her previous book in this series/shared world, and enjoyed catching up with HyperOctane again. I love books with music as a backdrop, and recommend this feel good friends to lovers, second chance romance. Having a music festival as a backdrop to link all the books together is a great idea.

I enjoyed getting to know Harvey, Ravi, and Bo, and seeing Harvey be a part of the band as his accident sidelined him from their last Rocktoberfest performance. I liked the way the storyline used a combination of flashbacks and present day to give insight into his, Ravi, and Bo’s long friendship. These three have wanted each other for years. I felt for all of them trying to sort through their feelings, and work out that someone doesn’t need to be left out. They all fit together, yet bring something unique to their relationship.

I loved how the band supports them in every way, yet the press doesn’t make it easy and spins a story on little to no information. I thought the way bands live in the limelight and everything that comes with that was handled well and realistically. The friendships within the band, and with Parker, are a highlight of the story.

The final scene is perfect for these guys and ends the story on a high. I’m hoping to see more of these guys and HyperOctane in future Rockoctoberfest books.

[Kat · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really love Nic Star and was so excited to read this but now I’m sad. We meet the three in an interesting situation and just when true angst is about to happen we get a flashback. So angsty time fizzles. Then we see the relationship dynamics and right when things start to get real, another flashback. They really don’t help us with their NOW. We know how tight the friendship is so the origin story breaks up the flow. I was hoping to read more about the music industry or watching the performance from Bo’s or Ravi’s eyes, but we don’t get that. I keep feeling like there were so many missed opportunities for the guys to grow or stand their ground. Why is Bo not more hurt about being left out in public? Why is the band manager so understanding? He’s a businessman so I expected pushback and a real fight from Harvey. This is a high pressure situation, but I didn’t feel that.

I will say this is a very, very gentle friends to lovers story that i seems geared towards the young adult crowd.

[Juniper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ravi, Bo, and Harvey’s story is woven together from a collection of enjoyable tropes: second chances, seemingly unrequited feelings, friends-to-lovers, rockstars, etc. The connections between the guys aren’t simple or easy to untangle, but the depth of feelings all three share and can build upon is obvious to readers, and it’s easy to respect the care the guys want to take with each other. There were definitely times while reading when I wasn’t sure how things would play out: this was especially true in the first half of the story, where the focus is really on Ravi and Harvey. Ultimately, the three of them make it work, and as they’re all likable and interesting characters with strong chemistry, it makes for a rewarding read to watch them get there.

*I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

[Janet Hunt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three of a Kind is part of the multi author series, Road to Rocktoberfest 2022. Three of a Kind is a a MMM featuring Harvey, Ravi and Bo. They are longtime friends, they have history together, some good and some not so. They have second chance to be together, all three of them. Harvey is a guitarist with the Australian band HyperOctane. They are in the US to play in the Rockoctberfest. Ravi is a programmer and Bo a nurse. The romance starts with Harvey and Ravi and later with Bo. I really enjoyed the story but not the time jumps. Overall, a good read.

[Altivo Overo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Approved

By me, anyway. Poly relationships are not my thing, but that's not the message here. The story changes viewpoints often and not always clearly, and bounces about in time as well. I still have to agree that everyone has a right to be true to themselves and live their own life rather than conforming to someone else's rigid opinions. "An it harm none, do as thou wilt," as the saying goes.

[Ida Umphers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Harvey, Bo and Ravi have a complicated history and some messy relationships among them that need to be sorted so they can move on in some way. Fortunately for their HEA they are all decent guys and as they work things through they discover that moving on together is the best thing for all of them. Nic Starr has tangled things up and then untangled them in an incredibly satisfying way.

[Stephanie W · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bo, Ravi and Harvey had their fair share of messy complications. A history that left a lot of hurt in their wake.
As with all things, it takes time, love and communication to bring this sweet throuple to their happily ever after.

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

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Harvey is a heartthrob!
He’s the lead singer of a rock band and loves being on stage.
Plus he has love for two men as well!

Ravi and Bo are in Harvey’s sight…but can it be possible for them to give into their feelings for each other in such a public arena…to say nothing of their friends and families.

Stay in the loop!

[DLB2572 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another Good Story

I am enjoying this series and this is another good story.

I received an ARC and this is my unbiased opinion

[AL · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked the idea the author had for this menage relationship and the dynamics between the characters. There's a lot of feels and a lot of fun to be had when reading this story!

[Sarah☀️ Somerville · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm always on board for a good M/M/M romance, but I was never really invested in this one.

[Maggie]

Rokp

[Caipi · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars