Middleman

**4 ‘Always Were’ Stars** I think saying that Middleman will incinerate your panties is not only an understatement, but an unnecessary one given THAT cover. But as with most things, one should never judge anything by its surface appearance, because while this book is smexy as all get. It is also filled with a lot of heart as these three men work through their own demons while fighting for what could be their ultimate happily ever after. I really liked Kaden, Cortez and Rogan, but I have to admit that Rogan was my favorite of the three. He reminded me of a Chimera ~ what you saw on the outside hid the truth of who he was on the inside and yet the two sides blended so well together. His complex nature was a huge draw and I was simply charmed by him and his strength. Cortez was all kinds of alpha male goodness and had me wanting to bend to his will, but it was his heart and his acknowledgement of what it wanted, even if he couldn’t have it, that won me over. Kaden, of the three, was the one that had me flip flopping the most. I loved the man he evolved into throughout the book, but his hang up over Cortez and how he used it to isolate himself rubbed me the wrong way, even though I understood where he was coming from. The journey that Kaden, Rogan and Cortez travel to get to their HEA’s was an interesting, yet enjoyable one. What I found most interesting, and intriguing, was how often all three of them were together throughout the story regardless of what was going on. Each of them are dealing with their own issues and I loved how they ended up helping each other work through them and heal so they could move forward. While I haven’t read all of Jayne Rylon’s books, I have read a decent cross section, but Middleman is only my second menage read by her and I thoroughly enjoyed it. While there were some parts that dragged for me, which I will say is more of a ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ situation, I was totally invested in getting to know Rogan, Kaden and Cortez and seeing how their HEA came to be. The various twists and turns were done well and I liked how they all ended up working out in the end. ~ Copy provided by the author ~

Hot and complex - a great story! Wow! I'm not sure I have the right words to describe this book. I've read several books by Jayne Rylon – her Power Tools menage series is a favorite – but I think this is her first M/M/M story. The book is written in first person POV, and each of the three main characters gets to tell their part of the story, but the main character is really Kaden. From the book's synopsis/blurb we know that Kaden was Cortez's submissive until Cortez left him, and that Kaden then becomes dominant over Rogan. Sounds kind of simple, right? Wrong! This story turns out to be pretty wonderfully complex and kept me thoroughly engrossed until the end. Kaden is completely broken after Cortez leaves. When Rogan hires him to paint an intimate portrait for his boyfriend there's a spark of attraction that neither one will act on. Rogan won't because he's in a relationship and won't cheat, Kaden won't because he will never do another relationship; he only does one-offs. I love stories with emotionally complex characters, especially when the writing is so good that my emotions are fully engaged. Jayne Rylon's writing made me like I was a part of the story – like an eye witness of sorts. There were parts of this book that made me so sad but I trusted Ms. Rylon to get these three guys their HEA and she certainly did that. There's no cliffhanger to this story; in fact, the last chapter takes place one year later – which might be called an epilogue by some authors. But I felt so invested in these characters that I'd really like to read more about them. A short sequel would be wonderful, Ms. Rylon. 😊 An advanced copy of this book was provided to me but my review was voluntary and not influenced by the author. This review will be posted to Xtreme-Delusions dot com on or soon after release date.

**Received ARC for a fair and honest review** Middleman is a standalone book, no cliffhangers and it does have a HEA. I rate this book at 5 stars. If you don't like MMM then this book isn't for you. If you are open minded, this book is a hot, steamy, fantastic read that you will have a hard time putting down. Kaden thought he'd found the love of his life Cortez until that love up and left for his job without looking back. Kaden was devastated and used booze, drugs and a plethora of one night stands to cope with his pain. But they are never more than one night stands because Kaden isn't willing to risk another heartbreak. Rogan walks into Kaden's studio to commission him to paint a picture for his partner of five years. Kaden and Rogan are at his beach house and Rogan is positioned so that Kaden can work on the piece when they hear voices and in walks Ronaldo with his lover. Rogan is devastated. I really enjoyed the characters in the story, minus Ronaldo of course. Even Cortez redeemed himself, especially with all the pain and agony he suffered to get back to his life. As I was reading I was thinking to myself, this is supposed to be a MMM, but it's just a MM, and as the book went on I didn't think it would be able to pick up the third M and continue smoothly, but I was wrong. I enjoyed the way the author re-integrated the third male. I also enjoyed the storyline, it was definitely a new one for me. I blazed through this book, not that I'm surprised since I've read almost everything the author's written. Be interesting to see if this will be the start to a series or not. I would definitely read the next book if it was!! Happy Reading!!