I suppose it all started half a lifetime ago when a mean-looking kid named Griff walked into my life.When we found the stability in one another we couldn’t find in the world.When two lonely kids became brothers.As kids, we had no place in the world, so as men, we made our own. We took on everything together, building our own empire—partners in business and in life.I guess that’s where it got … that’s where it got complicated.
When I fell in love with Moira, and Griff had to share me for the first time.
When he liked what belonged to me just a little too much, and he started avoiding both of us until he came up with his own shitty way of coping.
I don’t know exactly when it all started, to be honest, but I know when it all fell apart.
There are exactly two people in the world who have my love, so what the hell am I supposed to do when holding onto one means losing the other?
What I always do, I guess.
Handle it.
Stitches is a standalone MFM ménage romance intended for adults 18+
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Yet again Sam Mariano blows me away with another addictive, psychologically intriguing, and unexpected genre twister. She takes the MFM romance genre and brings fresh and new eyes to it.
I LOVED this story- and I was really worried I wouldn’t despite being a hardcore Sam fan. I’m all about all sort of romantic arrangements, but the aspect about this that made me nervous was that we had an already long established couple deciding to enter into a relationship with their best friend. WOW- that dynamic is interesting, but so hard to nail- both because there are so many emotions and complications with that in general but also it is hard, then, for everyone to feel on equal footing in the relationship- would one always feel like the “side piece” or the “extra” – how do you transition a pair to a triple.
Well, Sam explores that- and the answer is that you both have to honor and build on and maintain the person-to-person relationships that exist while also completely redefining the “couple”- building a relationship from scratch when there is no “blank slate.”
And, per usual, Sam explores unique and interesting inner workings of her characters. Sebastian is the more traditional Sam lead- cunning, alpha, controlling, the mastermind. He loves few, and those that he does he will move around on his chess board because he DOES love them, and that means getting them what they need. Griff is different- the more “traditional” hero to Seb’s antihero. He’s respectful, kind, generous, patient, even though he’s trapped in a life he hates and has been lusting after his best friend’s wife. Moira almost is somehow less memorable because these men are so dynamic and delicious- but like all Sam heroines, she’s gentle, softer, more submissive, and co-dependent- her own dysfunction needs Sebastian’s, and we come to see there are aspects of her that need Griff, too. Seb needs his bestie Griff and wants to protect his relationship with Moira, Griff needs Moira’s love, and Moira needs to make Sebastian happy.
I love how openly they talk about and try to figure this out- and how it’s not clean and easy- in fact, even at the end, I wouldn’t say anyone is on “equal” footing- and that makes sense because a) Sebastian is in charge here, clearly and b) this is a new and changing dynamic. And, like all Sam books, it is HOT AF and has surprising twists and shocks. But, at the core, we have the complex emotional and psychological character development that just makes me ravenous for Sam Mariano books- I wish we had a whole other book!
“I can’t make Griff stay if it will make him miserable, but I can’t let him go because that will make Sebastian miserable. These two men that I love are breaking apart and maybe I am the only thing that can stitch them back together.”
Holy Hotness!! Yes, this one was hot, but it was sooooo much more than that. It really gave detail to all three characters in vivid multiple POV that left me sitting in each of their heads and I loved it!! Regardless of how incredibly hot these three are (did I mention that?), the emotions, the angsty happenings, the little quirks of their personalities really made for an amazing read! It’s even got a little Hitchcocky vibe towards the end that made my little dark heart sing and left me grinning like an idiot at my kindle. Fans of menage need it, Fans of a really good story need it, so leave your preconceived notions at the door and get reading to heat things up!!
“I feel treasured. I know how much each of these men cares for me, I know how much they care for each other, and I love being the glue that holds them together.”
~~~Erika, Book Haven Book Blog
I have been wanting to read this for years, and yet there it sat on my TBR waiting for it’s time to shine among the other Sam Mariano books that I love.
This was different from her other books, and not because of it being a menage, but because while this had some dark moments it was only a fraction of her other books.
Griffin and Sebastian are business partners, but more than that from a young age they became one another’s only family, until Sebastian meets Moira then she becomes his everything.
Griff has some unrequited feeling between him and Moira which makes him pull away from them, but when he finds someone of his own he becomes a part of their life again. The thing is the woman he marries is vile, a gold digger without an ounce of loyalty so that all comes to a crashing end. Placing Griff firmly back in the “third wheel” and unrequited love category, but this time instead of finding another woman to keep him from the feelings he’s having he decides that it would be better if he just left and started over.
With a little insight from Moira, Sebastian decides to take control of this situation since Griff is such an intricate part of his life. Sebastian lays it out for everyone, and Moira is willing to go along with what he says. They share an intense chemistry in both physical and emotional ways. Sebastian is alpha to his very core, and while it’s not a Dom/sub relationship it’s as close to that as you can get, but without the title.
Moira is soft, and naturally submissive, she’s comfortable with Sebastian taking the lead, but the dynamic between her and Griff is all their own. Griff can be alpha, but only in certain moments. He’s a genuinely good guy, he puts others feelings above his own, and he has this gentleness about him that made my heart flutter.
I loved the dynamic between Sebastian, Moira, and Griff. Sebastian was the man in charge, and he fed all of that into the parts of Moira’s soul that needed someone to not only consume her submissive side but possess it, but then there was Griff who effortlessly fed the other side of her soul, the of her that needed softer words, and more receptive to sharing emotions.
Moira and Sebastian were amazing together, but when Griff was inserted it was every level of soul-searing. It really felt as though Moira was always meant to be theirs.
MFM Romance by Mariano. The Steam = REAL.
*book read on KINDLE UNLIMITED. No arcs involved.*
What’s this book about? (I’m trying to give as little spoilers as possible)
Sebastian handles things. Therefore, when Griff, his best friend that he’s known for years, presents him with a problem that will cost Sebastian his and his wife Moira’s happiness, Sebastian is glad to handle it the only way he knows how.
This isn’t my first Sam Mariano read. I’ve read three novels by now. One thing that I know is guaranteed when Sam Mariano is the author is the fact that the chemistry amongst the characters and the steamy tension is always there and IMMENSE. She knows how to write steam and she excels every time. You never get bored with that aspect of Mariano novels.
However, this is the first novel that hasn’t captivated me on the plot side. Don’t get me wrong. I loved reading this story, yet I have a couple of issues with it:
Griff’s story was serious enough and it worked well. Nevertheless, it wasn’t enough. Moira and Seb’s marriage was great, but it would’ve benefited from some sort of conflict OUTSIDE of Griff. It would’ve added a lot to the story for me. Moira seemed like a shell that was used for two reasons only and it really really REALLY bugged me. I agreed with Griff’s stance on this. I understood that she was nurturing and that she played her role, being happy with it. I just didn’t like it. I enjoyed Sebastian as a character, but him handling things was cheap to me. He was a great POV to read although I hated how he treated his wife. When, later on in the book, they reveal how old Moira was when she first met him and how old Sebastian is, I couldn’t stomach their dynamic even if I shipped their relationship. I didn’t hate on Moira; she was adorable, loving and very cute with the guys. She seemed bored at times even if she never acknowledged it. I needed Moira to have more backbone, have a hobby and do something with her life. I get that this was her character, but I don’t understand it. It felt like an idolization of the goody good shoes cool girl that does everything one asks of her, never complaints and doesn’t have an opinion of her own, opining her mouth for one thing only. Unfortunately, that bugged me a lot. That and Griff’s inferiority complex had me TRULY disappointed throughout the story. How the story ended annoyed me although Moira finally had some sort of occupation outside of being home for her husband.
I recommend this to anyone who loves Sam Mariano, MFM steam and an easy and simple read. It was fun and entertaining. The drama was priceless (although not enough LOL).
I have been gradually working my way through Sam’s back-list and I FINALLY found a moment (and the right mindset) to jump into her one and only menage story. Typically, I do NOT seek out novels with a menage story line. I have to be in the right mood, or like I mentioned above, the right mindset, to enjoy them. Not all authors can pull off a believable menage story line without making it far fetched and overly sexual, where it ends up being more of an erotica, than a romance, and that’s the crux of it for me…the reason I am generally pulled away from them. But that was NOT the case with THIS story. Sebstian, Moira, and Griff find a connection. They find love. They find a HOME among each other. It was more than just s*x to them. It was about finding a family.
“Somehow all three of us were lucky enough to find each other; this perfect mix of cast-offs the world didn’t have a proper place for. We made a place.”
Sam won me over yet again with her writing and her characters. Within mere pages of THIS menage, I knew this one would be different. This one could win me over. These characters could show me love as well as erotic encounters. And that’s exactly what happened! I can wholeheartedly say, I thoroughly enjoyed THIS menage. It was #unputadownable! It was #steamy! It was #believable! Their unconventional relationship worked and it worked SOOOOO well. They were the perfect balance. They had the right personalities to make their trio work. They complemented each other seamlessly. Everything stitched together flawlessly. I simply LOVED Seb, Moira and Griff.
“A lot of people look at us and see something bizarre, something sordid, maybe something sad. They look at us and thing we share because we have to. We don’t have to; we get to.”
I would recommend if you’re in the mood for some menage/MFM, pick this book up! You will be pleasantly surprised Seb, Moira and Griff turn up the heat and will have you flipping the pages faster and faster as their story builds. #sandwich I would love it if one day, Sam came back to these characters and gave us a little bonus of what their lives look like further down the road…maybe when they have babies. Just saying! *wink wink*
5 stars
I bow to Queen Sam.
She did it. She did it again. I don’t even LIKE menage stories, but I read this because… because Sam Mariano wrote it. And you know what? It’s EXCELLENT.
In my head I still don’t understand the menage scenario, but this? It works! I believed in these characters. I believed in their story. I believed in their feelings, and the realistic, messy dynamic between them. This author took something I don’t understand, and don’t find appealing, and made it hot. Believable. Sweet. Appealing.
Man, she is good.
4.5 Sham-WoW Panty Stars!
When Sam Mariano said she was going to write her first MFM book, I said…Sign Me UP!!! After going on a journey with the Morelli Family, this author has proven her status with me. I knew after the Morelli Family series, she would pull off a Sham-WOW panty worthy MFM book.
Growing up as best friends, Griff and Sebastian have been through it all together. From foster homes to business partners they have stuck with each other. Becoming two very successful business partners.
Sebastian and Moira have the fairytale marriage. Everything is perfect. Everything is great. Everything is just how the two imagined their lives together would be.
Griff has a marriage that is done. After his wife is caught on the security camera cheating on Griff, his world is turned upside down. Greedy, money hungry and not willing to let Griff go with an easy divorce, Sebastian offers to step in and get things taken care of.
Griff has always been in love with Moira. When Sebastian offers his best friend a solution, Griff never imagined Sebastian would be serious. It’s a solution that works for all. Life is Good.
When the friendship between the three takes a beating, it’s Moira who steps up and takes the two bulls by their horns and sets the record straight.
But can these three survive now that the truth comes out? Can a friendship seriously survive the test of time?
What a Story!! What a tangled web!! Make sure to have your Sham-WoW panties on while reading this one. The MFM scenes are seriously HOT!!!
Congratulations Sam Mariano on your first MFM Book!!!
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