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Comes in Threes #3

Three For All

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Geoff Robinson has no reason to feel insecure in his marriage to Patrick Walsh, even with Patrick’s polyamorous past and Geoff’s own inexperience. When Geoff starts fantasizing about bringing a woman into their bed, he has to admit that he’s trying to appease his own curiosity, and not Patrick’s. Threesomes are exciting, and surely one night of fun won’t cause any problems.

With the ink still fresh on her PhD, Lori Clark is finally ready to move to a bigger city and pursue her dream job. Her time in small-town Mapleton has an expiration date, so there seems to be little harm in a fling, even a fling with her sexy coworker and his husband. One night is never enough, though, and their chemistry together hints at the possibility of more than just an affair. The excitement of a new relationship makes Geoff and Patrick wonder if they’re just infatuated or destined for non-monogamy, but Lori’s future plans are pulling her away from both of them. Can a marriage survive when two people in love� both fall in love with someone else?
Each book in the Comes in Threes series is STANDALONE:
* Three-Way Split
* Just Past Two
*Three For All

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First published November 12, 2019

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About the author

Elia Winters

15books363followers
Elia Winters is a fat, tattooed, polyamorous bisexual who loves petting cats and fighting the patriarchy. She holds a Master’s degree in English Literature and teaches at a small rural high school, where she also runs the drama club. In her spare time, she is equally likely to be found playing tabletop games, kneading bread, cross-stitching, or binge-watching Marie Kondo. A sex educator and kink-positive feminist, Elia reviews sex toys, speaks at kink conventions, and writes geeky, kinky, cozy erotic romance. She currently lives in western Massachusetts with her loving husband and their weird pets.

In addition to her , you can also find Elia on and .

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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
Profile Image for TinaNoir.
1,845 reviews328 followers
January 5, 2023
For a book about a couple who is looking to introduce a third into their relationship, this felt rather unsexy.

Geoff and Patrick are bi men who are married to each other and have been for years. They are happily in love and grooving along. Geoff is a tenured professor, Patrick is a musician and plays rock-violin for a local band.

Lori is a newly minted professor, fresh on a successful dissertation defense. She works at the same college as Geoff and finds herself attracted to him even as she is aware he is happily married.

But Geoff is attracted to Lori as well. It gives him a lot of consternation. His husband Patrick had been in a polyam relationship before and Geoff, who really didn't come out of the closet until adulthood with Patrick being his first really serious relationship, has always felt a bit of low key insecurity about that. If he enough for Patrick? Does Patrick miss having a third partner?

I thought Geoff's dilemma was interestingly presented. He is attracted to Lori and he allows that to become mixed up in his issues with Patrick's past poly relationship. Is he justifying his (unwarranted) suspicions about Patrick's perceived needs as a way to allow him to satisfy his own attraction to Lori and his own curiosity about polyam relationships?

But Geoff sells Patrick a bit short, Patrick is happy in his marriage and with just Geoff. In fact if he had one dissatisfaction it wasn't about their love life at all but rather about his employment prospects in the small town they live in. He is happy to be there because Geoff's job as a tenured professor is important. But he is wistful about his own missed opportunities and dreams in a bigger city. But he is also in love with his husband and understands Geoff's dilemma with regard to Lori and is wiling to explore a threesome if that is what Geoff wants.

The three embark on a friendship with the idea that it could morph into more if they become comfortable. They do and it does.

I think there was a good story in all this. It was interesting and these people were adults who all talked to each other. I liked the relationship issues they navigated.

But for a romance it fell falt for me because I didn't feel any real emotional connection with these three. It could be because Lori's dissertation she just defended was on the very subject they were all embarking on. She was an actual expert in the psychology of the polyam relationship. So a lot of how they approached it and talked about it felt more clinical than romantic or even sexy.

And because Geoff and Lori were initially attracted to each other, I always felt that Patrcik was kind of along for the ride, even though the book felt like it made a point to make sure he was along for the whole thing.

The end up in love and together and a official throuple with some nice resolutions in other non-romance areas for our threesome, but I just wasn't emotionally there with them.

Good writing, good underlying story and some great character beats, but the romance left me kinda cold..
Profile Image for Kimberly.
2,273 reviews95 followers
November 11, 2019
Reviewed for

You’re not going to need to turn the heater on this winter because Three For All is hot as hell. Elia Winters’s third Comes in Threes story is a deliciously dirty polyam romance with a core of emotional honesty that makes it stand out.

Geoff and Patrick have been married almost seven years and their love and marriage is as solid as can be. They don’t talk much about Patrick’s polyamorous past anymore and Geoff has no doubt that Patrick is completely faithful. That doesn’t stop him from wondering if perhaps Patrick might want more…and if maybe he does as well. The chief reason for Geoff’s unquiet? His co-worker, Lori, who is not only intelligent and gorgeous, but shares a lot of common interests with both Geoff and Patrick. One of the things I love most about Three For All is Patrick and Geoff’s marriage. They have their bumps, uncertainties, and vulnerabilities, but they always talk to one another and there’s never any judgment. They are so solid they know they can be open and vulnerable to one another and it makes their love story that much stronger and more interesting.

With the ink still drying on her PhD, Lori has her eye on the prize. She’s going to leave Mapleton and move to New York City to pursue her dream of working as a relationship therapist, hopefully with an organization that supports people of color, LGBTQ people, and nontraditional relationships. She did her dissertation on polyamory and is intrigued when she realizes Goeff and Patrick are interested in inviting her to bed. What none of them count on is how quickly they start to fall for each other and fall into a triad relationship. Lori fears being the third wheel, but it’s clear she’s made for Patrick and Geoff. She’s also a fantastic heroine who is funny, interesting, and refreshingly self-aware.

Whether they get together in twos or threes, Patrick, Geoff, and Lori are insanely hot. Sweetly submissive Patrick just about melted my heart, Geoff � who can be uncertain in some areas of his changing feelings � is confidently dominant, and Lori isn’t afraid to go for what she wants in the bedroom. Put them all together and you’re in for one hell of a ride. And while I cannot overstate how sexy Three For All is, it’s the characters themselves who make this story shine. They talk about polyamory, they learn, the guys become friends with Lori even as they fall for her and she for them. There’s no false drama, only honest emotion and very human fears and needs. There’s so much to love about this book and the way it discusses polyamorous relationships that I’ve barely touched on what readers will find.

Elia Winters writes polyam romance better than anyone else I’ve ever read and Three For All shows why. It’s erotic, sex-positive, funny, heartwarming, engaging, and just plain fun to read. Patrick, Lori, and Geoff are all unique, well-drawn characters who fit each other perfectly and I loved watching them become a family. So if you’re looking for a kinky good time that also has emotional depth, Three For All is the perfect book for you.


FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
15 reviews
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March 10, 2020
This was nice! I don't think I've actually read a book about a triad relationship before. I felt a bit put off by the way they talked about polyamory, only because it felt a little formal. I think I can forgive that though because a) the main character wrote a PhD in polyamory, so she's kinda expected to be formal about it and b) there might be people reading it who need that little bit of explaining on how polyamory works.
I do really wish we had more insight into the side characters- I assume there's a different book in this series that covers Hannah's story but I'm also fascinated by the mom?? Who is mentioned once but apparently is also poly and queer? Honestly the least believable part of this book was that Lori dated these guys for a couple months before asking her super cool mom for advice.
Geoff and Patrick were nice and it was fun that the author included their perspectives as well. It was nice to see all the different ways the characters reacted and processed the new relationship.
Profile Image for Leigh Kramer.
Author1 book1,372 followers
December 1, 2019
If Elia Winters is capable of writing something that isn't scorchingly hot, I don't want to know about it. I loved these three characters and the way they explored polyamory. I especially loved how it ended!
Profile Image for Isabeau Delaunay.
306 reviews4 followers
December 16, 2019
So amazing!! What a fantastically realistic and sexy take on a loving married couple, Geoff and Patrick, and recent PhD grad Lori all falling for each other. My expectations were high, but this book surpassed them - it isn’t all that often an erotica can be hot as hell and still hit you so hard in the feels you happy-cry on behalf of the characters.

Folks may remember Lori from the first book in this series, Three-Way Split. She was the woman studying polyamory and offering discussion groups on the topic that her friend, the MC of that story, took advantage of. She came off as smart and ambitious, and it’s still who she is in this book (and you don’t have to read that one to enjoy this one). This one starts with Lori’s graduation and low grade anxiety over “Now what?� questions.

Meanwhile, we are introduced to the couple Geoff and Patrick - Geoff is a colleague of Lori’s at the university. Geoff has a spark-y interaction with Lori at her graduation party (Mapleton being a very small town heh) and is intrigued by her and her topic of study - since his husband Patrick has a polyamorous past. Geoff is a thoughtful, intentional guy and brings up the topic with his more easygoing, musician partner - and the conversation sets these three on a path to start spending time together.

Where to begin with what I loved about this book, y’all??

1) Centering a queer, married relationship between two bi men that feels comfortable, sexy and real
2) More than one POC character (Lori and Geoff are both black); their pathways to non-mainstream sexuality are addressed
3) POLYAMORY REALISM. The questions, hesitations, delicate balance of boundaries against feelings and impulses...so on point and believable, for each of the characters.
4) Using certain ménage sex acts not to (just) demonstrate an increase in pleasure, but a deepening of emotional connection
5) No weird external factors causing conflict or deus ex machina resolutions, it’s all about recognizing feelings and figuring out what to do about them
6) An ending that flips a gender & triad power dynamic expectation
7) Um, I loved Geoff, Patrick and Lori!

To carry #7 a little further, I really did actually like the way Winters developed each of the three main characters. They each have their own vibe, their own expectations, fears and approach to life and Winters played them off each other in really smart ways. It’s tough to make all three of the characters in a ménage feel fully realized and I think Winters really pulled it off here. I want to meet / hang out with each of the individuals in this story! Separately or together.

I could go on, but. Lol.

The whole “Comes in Three� series has been phenomenal (and I’m low-key devastated it’s over; Elia Winters please write more polyam romance! And btw, thank you for teaching me I should be using “polyam� and not “poly�) but this one’s my favorite.
Profile Image for Alicia.
1,069 reviews3 followers
April 7, 2020
I'm not really getting Black woman with natural hair from the cover, but that is the only disappointing part of this book. Maybe not quite as good communication as you would expect from the three main characters, given one is supposed to be very experienced in polyamorous relationships and one has a doctorate in them, but the relationship and hesitations feels quite real.
Profile Image for Shelley.
696 reviews4 followers
February 1, 2020
Three For All is the third book in the Comes in Threes series. It can be read as a stand-alone but also has characters from previous books in this book.

Lori just finished her PhD with her dissertation on polyamorous relationships. She is teaching at the university where Geoff works as a professor.

Geoff and Patrick are married. Patrick was Geoff's first real love. Patrick was previously involved in polyamorous relationships but was happy to give that up for Geoff. He is a musician. They have been happily married for years.

Geoff talks with Lori about poly relationships because of his concern that Patrick is giving something up for him that he might really miss. Geoff also has some spark with Lori but he would never cheat on Patrick.

Over time they all meet, and talk like the adults they are about a one time night together. They have reasonable doubts and concerns. This might be the best thought out book I have read about how a threesome might really work out sexually and emotionally. One time becomes more and feelings get involved for everyone. They have a lot of challenges to overcome on the way to their happily ever after.
Profile Image for J.L..
Author15 books70 followers
June 23, 2020
This book dripped with potential clichés. Luckily, Winters did her best to handle all of them with a uniqueness that made for an entertaining read filled with characters I’d be pleased to call friends.

The first cliché is the most obvious: a married couple wants to spice things up by adding a third partner. Here, Winters uses characters introduced previously in the series by making the potential third a literal expert in polyamory (note that reading the previous books is not necessary to enjoy this one). The author also presents the married couple as an intelligent pair. That this includes a certain amount of emotional intelligence also prevents the resulting relationship arc from being too fraught with unnecessary angst.

I enjoyed this trifecta of love stories. The first two are Geoff and Patrick falling for Lori, but the evolving relationship between Geoff and Patrick is an essential third that makes this story so successful. The unexpected yet sweet ending makes this a solid non-traditional romance worth checking out for anyone who enjoys a good love story.
Profile Image for Red.
224 reviews5 followers
April 24, 2021
Had a great time reading this book. The writing is very good, the characters well rounded and their chemistry sizzling. Loved, loved, loved that was a multicultural menage, with 2 black leads. Loved how smart and in charge was. Also the guys being upfront and honest and communicating so well, being strong an vulnerable. That was soooo hot. Even when I started slightly resenting Geoff on behalf of Patrick, I still could understand that I was wrong cause Patrick had made his choice. But I loved Geoff too cause smart and nice and intense is just irresistible so I understood Patrick too. And of course, I guessed what the ending could be if only Geoff got his head out of his own mind and put it to good use. So yeah, very satisfying!!! ... The only tiny bip that had a bit hmmm is Lory's friend and her mom's situations being so similar to what she got to live too. It felt a little too much and also 'easy'. I would have like to read more about her brother and their relationship. But all in all, great, fun and hot book. Highly recommend.
Profile Image for Sage.
632 reviews38 followers
August 31, 2022
This might have been my favorite of the series. I’ve been WAITING for Lori to get a book since Three Way Split, and this book did not disappoint!! I flew through it. Found parts of the therapy/anxiety/vulnerability talk deeply relatable. Strip scrabble and grumpy Geoff made me cackle out loud. All of the spice was top notch.

Patrick and Geoff were delightful, and I really enjoyed the addition of Lori to their marriage, it just felt right and complete as a reader. Patrick telling Lori about leaving NYC to care for his mom and saying he didn’t know what his life would be like if he’d gone back to nyc after HIT ME IN MY THREE FEELINGS because I also basically did that, came back home for family and WOOF. How dare lol I didn’t ask for this feels trip?!!!!!

Towards the end, Lori goes to NYC for a job interview and hangs out in Bryant Park/NYPL and I was EMOTIONAL because I, too, used to spend my lunch breaks in NYPL when my office was just off of Bryant Park. This bit got me: “no matter how stressed she got she could soothe herself in a library…when she was reading, she wouldn’t be lonely� (page 213)

LET’S JUMP IN A METAPHORICAL LAKE 🥹😵‍💫�
Profile Image for BooktothePointe.
477 reviews9 followers
January 16, 2023
Beautiful culmination of the series. This is my fav of the 3 books in the series� Lori has been studying polyamory for her whole masters program, has finally graduated and is pursuing a job at an agency in NYC that is her “dream job� � however, she falls into a relationship with a fellow professor & his husband� They both have their reservations about entering into a Poly relationship while the husband has a poly history so is more versed in the world himself� that said, I love the interrelationship discussions and holdups for all 3 of them, and I felt like the road blocks were very realistic across the board� highly recommend the series, but this one would stand on its own if you didn’t want to read the first two�
Profile Image for Donna.
1,277 reviews
January 23, 2020
Not sure

I enjoyed this story. Some parts more than others. I liked the relationship between Lori and the guys and their journey. I just wanted more threesome action. Seemed there was more one on one time with Patrick and Geoff without Lori. At times Lori was dominant toward Patrick, but it didn’t really seem to fit her personality. Since this is a menage story, I wanted more with all three. There was a legitimate plot and realistic issue. I will probably go back and read Hannah’s story.
Profile Image for Helen.
554 reviews16 followers
December 21, 2020
Patrick and Geoff are two bisexual men who’ve been happily married to each other for six years. Patrick is a musician and Geoff is a history professor. They have a hot threesome with Lori, who’s just finished her PhD in polyamory and isn’t interested in a relationship right now.
Because this is Elia Winters, what follows is a scorching hot romance full of consent, kink, healthy communication, pegging, and intellectual discussions of polyamory. And there’s a really great grand gesture at the end.
1,636 reviews11 followers
March 5, 2021
Good book. These books have great story lines and hot sex. Geoff and Patrick have been married for a few years, but Geoff is worried about Patrick not being fulfilled since he used to be polyamorous. He’s attracted to Lori who works at the university with him and he basically propositions her to have a 3 some.
I liked seeing the situation from all 3 sides and that the married couple stayed true to one another and discussed everything. There isn’t any cheating, but a slow development of friendship and ultimately a real relationship.
Profile Image for Jacque.
617 reviews202 followers
January 3, 2020
Delightful

I really enjoyed this book! It felt like such a raw and authentic story. I found the way the dynamic developed between Griff, Lori, and Patrick to be really fascinating and wonderful. However every time I saw Patrick’s name I kept picturing Patrick Brewer from Schitts Creek lol😂
15 reviews
February 4, 2020
A surging delightful story for all sexes

Elia Winters; such an interesting story teller. She combines literate intersexual suspense that melts into wonderful orgasmic Heights. At times you may feel that you are there.
Profile Image for Z.B.R..
450 reviews
May 8, 2022
Listen, I kind already forgot everything about this book (I read it about a month ago) except that there was a lot of sex, the sex scenes started early in the book, and that they worked up to DP pretty fast. So, there's my review, the characters were forgettable, but the sex scenes were not. :):):)
Profile Image for POL.
947 reviews7 followers
January 11, 2020
Good!

I really enjoyed the down to earth banter the three main characters exhibited. Just felt the sex scenes could have gone one step further (personal preference).
138 reviews2 followers
January 14, 2020
I loved this story.

The intimate scenes were so hot. The story line was okay. I had to keep reading it to see how it ended.
Profile Image for Nashaly.
98 reviews
November 3, 2021
2.5 stars. I’m tired of this writing style. There’s only so much cheese I can take.
73 reviews2 followers
August 18, 2024
and the story goes on

Slow reading then it picks up and so on. I finally finished the book. Interesting concept but could have shortened and still been better.
Profile Image for Salpy KS.
502 reviews3 followers
February 13, 2025
That was great. I read this one really slowly, it was my back up physical book, but I really enjoyed it
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