Wow….this one was hot and sexy. If you an open minded person about poly relationship this is for you. The scene is explicit and entertaining for sure. Love how Mateo, Buckley and Jeff tackled the start of a relationship but started by a hook up for a birthday party as a gift, second chance rekindle past relationship. Very good read, it is a qi k red, I did take my time bc I didn’t want it to end.

I was not expecting to get emotionally invested in a novella this spicy, but wow, I was so pleasantly surprised! This MMM romance delivered on every level. While it’s undeniably steamy (and I mean very steamy), there was also genuine heart and care written into Buckley, Mateo, and Jeff’s dynamic. Their relationship felt natural, thoughtful, and beautifully built on trust and open communication. Nothing felt rushed or forced, and the emotional connection was just as satisfying as the physical chemistry. Absolutely adored this; thank you NetGalley for the E-ARC!

This was my first mmm romance it was a fun read I had the best time ever definitely found one of my new favorite authors 🥰

My first from Christopher Rice writing as C. Travis Rice and I loved every word. Rice's prose is lovely as he explores what is deep in the hearts of 3 men whose lives are about to change forever. Buckley Mitchell and Mateo Cano have a wonderful relationship but there's a hurt deep within Mateo at being ignored by his former Master Sergeant Jeff Braxton after they shared a passionate night. With many attempts for months to connect again just to say thank you once more for saving Mateo's life, it's Buckley who finally gets through to the stoic Marine and organizes a surprise for both men.

Rice tackles PTSD in a very delicate way as Mateo refuses to seek help for what happened in the ocean while he was still a Marine. Jeff also has abandonment issues from his childhood and it was very interesting to watch as both men started to heal as Buckley became the bridge, both literally and figuratively, for them to feel whole. Not truly knowing if Jeff was ever interested in Mateo romantically, these sexy guys dance around each other with Buckley being the one to conquer the at times gruff master sergeant with a few dance floor moves of his own.

Soon, all bets are off and what all 3 realize is how in sync they are with one another both in and out of the bedroom. This throuple comes as a surprise to all of them yet they can't seem to take their eyes off one another as their bodies become rabid for simply a touch. And when Mateo, Jeff and Buckley finally succumb to their desires, it's electric. Rice gives us just enough steamy trysts to counter the intensity with which Mateo and Jeff have mentally suffered. And it's not like Buckley hasn't had his own issues with family drama but somehow his humor, his devotion and his huge heart are all these 3 need to be the best they can be.

Rice treats these men with the respect they deserve, not shying away from the harshness of their pasts. I loved that because of the intense connection they all have with one another, that Mateo can now trust that he will get past the effects of his PTSD and be able to be the man Buckley and Jeff know he has always been. In addition, the way Rice used fantasies together with a friendly game of Truth or Dare to intensify the tether that will forever bind this throuple was wonderful. It was clever and real and allowed these men to feel vulnerable enough to finally declare their truths.

Now that I know Rice writes these kinds of storylines, I am beyond anxious to explore his work as C. Travis Rice a bit more since the writing is just so clean and addictive and easy to devour. I am so happy to have picked up this well-written book and I happily give Party of Three a big 5 stars!

Unfortunately, I started with this book in the series, not knowing it came after at least the first book. Gratefully, it did not contain any major spoilers for the rest of the series. Yes, I absolutely read the rest of the series. I fell in love with the writing style, especially the stylistic decision to have the whole book as a form of a story told from the perspective of an outside character.
Speaking of the characters, I loved how developed and complex the characters were able to be in such a short amount of time. This was not a quickie here as a vehicle for the steamy/spicy content.
I will say though, the spicy content was well paced and added to the progression of the story, Also, it was hot.
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read for an honest review.

No plot, just smut? While I enjoy good erotic scenes, this book lacks storytelling and emotion. I would love to see more of how they all feel, what happened to Marcus, and why he fears water and elevators. Also no character development? Just not okay. I need more non sexual interactions, dates and just happy non-sex time together between MMCs. Overall it was an okay read, nothing special happened.

An MM couples becomes a MMM throuple in this novella.

The story setup is a little weird-- it's a story within a story-- with essentially the prologue and epilogue being told in first person POV by characters from a previous story. The main story is third person POV and it becomes confusing as to which character's POV (it switches within the chapters sometimes.)

Lots of angst amongst the characters with a lot of internal struggles with the situation the 3 characters are in. They are saving their relationship discussion for 4pm on Sunday, at the end of the weekend of debauchery. It would've saved a bit of heartache to just talk about things sooner but then that's the story.

Mateo's parents have disowned their son for being gay but suddenly at the end of the story they accept him because their priest was caught up in a scandal. Seemed like a cheap reunification arc to me. Buckley never reunites with his family, nor does Jeff.

Thank you NetGalley and Blue Box Press for the ARC

To be published June 24, 2025. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

Buckley is helping his boyfriend Mateo process some losses and figuring out his identity and a lot of that is wrapped up in Jeff, Mateo's former Marine mentor. So, Buckley does what any boyfriend would do and tricks Jeff into coming to Mateo's birthday party "to give him a piece of his mind" and in doing so, bam! Instant attraction and old sparks reflamed. Unfortunately, the characters fell pretty flat for me and I couldn't relate to any of them, they all felt the same. Mateo clearly has some trauma and sort of talking about that happens a lot but we never get into specifics so there's little empathy to be had. But if you're looking for MMM smut, it'll do!

The writing style of this book is different than I’m used to. That being said it was a really well written book. I enjoyed the characters.

Thanks to Blue Box Press for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review! Party of Three was a spicy little novella set in the Sapphire Cove world - if you like the way C. Travis Rice blends high heat and high emotion in the main series, you'll love seeing the sparks between Buckley, Mateo, and Jeff. Seeing their dynamic in their exploration of what being in a poly relationship looked like for them as they navigated some capital-h History and hurt was honestly really impressive in such a short book. The characters felt deep and the pace was quick, but not too rushed. (Although, I probably would have read a book twice as long about this crew.)

Party of Three by C. Travis Rice
I wanted to like this and maybe I would have if I had read other books in the series first. I like a sex scene but as the very first thing in the story it just doesn’t work for me. Call me an oldie (because I am) but I like to get to know the characters at least a bit first. Otherwise, who cares? So I had to DNF.

⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️

Such a wonderful palette cleanser, and take it from someone who, usually, would only like contemporary romances that have spice, this was just what I needed and to be honest I think adding any spice in would have taken away from the characters arcs and the narrative that the Annah was trying to portray.

Emmett is a pro baseball player and Hazel is a child educator that works as a nanny. When Emmett's parents decided that travel round Europe for 6 month, Emmett has to find a nanny who can take care of his daughter June, btw this kid is the cutest thing to ever exist,. Hazel's previous contract is up and she gets recommend to the Foster family to be Junes nanny.

Hazel immediately accepts the job but with just one complication, she is extremly attracted to her boss. Its forced proximity, boss x employee, age gap. What do we thinks going to happen! Obviously they're are going to fall in love, don't be stupid.

This was reallt cute and I would highly recommend if you are coming off the back of a high fantasy book, a book with heavier topics or a dark romance book.

I received an ARC of this book, and while it’s technically a standalone, it definitely makes me want to check out the other books in this universe! This story is 100% erotica with heavy kink and very minimal plot or character development, which is exactly what makes it such a fun, low-effort read. The setup at the gorgeous Sapphire Cove resort is pure fantasy, and the dynamic between Buckley, Mateo, and Jeff delivers on steamy, no-holds-barred scenes from start to finish. Don’t expect deep backstories or emotional arcs, this one is all about indulgence. Perfect for when you're in a reading slump or just want something hot and easy to fly through.

Short but enjoyable story of a couple and a man from one of the men's past. They are reunited at a birthday party and find attraction among all three, and have a good time discovering each other. It was novella length, so we just pretty much see that first weekend, then a bit of their life afterwards. A great mmm steamy romance novella.

I enjoyed this one a lot. I have never read anything by this author before but I will look for more for sure. The way the story was told was interesting to me and I was curious how the first couple would loop back around in the story, but maybe they are in another book in the series I haven't read. The dynamic between the three was very hot and I like how they all balanced each other out. Nice, short read.

It was a joy to be back in the Sapphire Cove world. I don't often read MMM (not for any particular reason, it just doesn't come up in my TBR that often). I had just finished a particularly heavy book and wanted something light and fluffy. And it did have some of those light moments (I mean Buckley was amazingly snarky while being just an amazingly sweet and sensitive character although I'm still trying to picture him as an EMT), but it also had some serious moments with PTSD and loss of family due to inability to accept. Fanning myself constantly because it was very hot in here as well.

Party of Three is a super sweet and spicy erotica novella set in the world of Sapphire Cove. It works as a stand alone and doesn’t need to be read after the four main novels to understand the story. Logan and Conner, the main characters of Sapphire Sunset make brief cameos at the beginning and end of the novella.

There’s a lot of character development and plot packed into a 200 page novella. Buckley and Mateo’s relationship has great communication. They give each other a safe space to explore their fantasies.

Jeff is more closed off and struggles to be vulnerable. He has the tendency to remove himself from situations before he can be rejected.

It was a fun ride as they explored their chemistry and the logistics of making their relationship work.

Thank you NetGalley and Blue Box Press for this ARC and the opportunity to leave an honest review.

Firstly, I would like to thank NetGalley and the Author for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I've never read anything by this author so I'm certainly new to Sapphire Cove. I do love the setting - it's like one of those wonderful Lifetime/Romance small towns with a beautiful yet mysterious names where friends and lovers once lost each other then rekindled.

While I enjoyed the writing style, there were some moments where I got very lost and had to re-read just to understand who is talking/thinking.

C. Travis explored the sensuality of these characters really well. And while this was a fast-paced, and moderately good bite-sized read, it fell kind of short in some areas. For example the spicy scenes. The foreplay was well-groomed but when it got really spicy, it was just summed up in a few words and then End Scene.

Overall, it was a nice and interesting introductory to Sapphire Cove for me.

3.5 STARS

I’m a big fan of the Sapphire Cove series, so I was extremely excited to see that we were getting more stories in this world! However, I feel like this one was just alright - a lot more erotica than I was expecting based on the other stories in this series and I found myself wanting more about the characters.

Buckley and Mateo are in an existing relationship and Buckley has made it his mission to give Mateo all of the experiences he missed out on over the years of being in the closet and make his fantasies come to life. But, one of Buckley’s biggest fantasies remains untouched…until Mateo’s birthday weekend brings his former military commander back into his life. A strange series of events leads to a lot of misunderstandings but culminates in one spicy weekend together. All that spice was great, but it definitely dominated the story and I would have loved some more character development in between the spicy scenes.

But I really enjoyed the quick glimpses of Logan and Connor at the beginning and end!

This was a short, very spicy story of three men who fall in love with each other. I haven’t read the other books in the series and didn’t feel as if it mattered much.