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Triage
When Christian first meets Jordan and Ezra, they're all young and lucky, thrown together in a journalist internship that cements their friendship for life. But when the internship ends, everything falls apart.
Christian has always loved Jordan, though he's sure he doesn't have a chance. By Jordan's wedding, Christian has feelings for Ezra too. Then Ezra leaves on a foreign assignment, and Christian resigns himself to loneliness and concentrates on his job.
But his professional success comes with crushing personal blows. When an accident kills Jordan's wife, Christian becomes Jordan's only support. Months spent so close to him take their toll on Christian's heart. Then Ezra finally comes home and Christian realizes he has to make a choice: give up on both of them and try to move on... or take a chance that's risky, crazy-and his only shot.
Christian has always loved Jordan, though he's sure he doesn't have a chance. By Jordan's wedding, Christian has feelings for Ezra too. Then Ezra leaves on a foreign assignment, and Christian resigns himself to loneliness and concentrates on his job.
But his professional success comes with crushing personal blows. When an accident kills Jordan's wife, Christian becomes Jordan's only support. Months spent so close to him take their toll on Christian's heart. Then Ezra finally comes home and Christian realizes he has to make a choice: give up on both of them and try to move on... or take a chance that's risky, crazy-and his only shot.
98 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 24, 2012
1 person is currently reading
77 people want to read
About the author
Louise Blaydon
24 books32 followersLouise Blaydon is a writer, specialising primarily in the m/m romance genre. Her interests are esoteric and changeable, and range from linguistic archaeology to modernist poetry; long walks in the cold to lazy drunken evenings; kicking up leaves to sleeping curled up around the cat. Louise has been writing for as long as she can remember, and penned her first half-formed m/m story at the age of eight. Now in her late twenties, she has meandered somewhat, geographically, from her point of origin, and consequently nurses a love of stories of exile, and of landscapes described like lovers.
Louise has written journalistically in the past, but now writes mainly prose fiction. If the occasional poem threatens the calm of her existence, she refuses to be blamed for it.
Louise has written journalistically in the past, but now writes mainly prose fiction. If the occasional poem threatens the calm of her existence, she refuses to be blamed for it.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
September 9, 2012
Review Summary: A wonderful friends-to-lovers ménage story with more narration and less dialogue than I prefer.
Review: If you enjoy friends-to-lovers stories and don't mind menages, then this is the book for you. I don't have a big thing about menages either way, except that I don't always find them believable as HEA material. The characters in this book shared my concerns, which helped make their ultimate resolution and HEA more believable to me. When one character says people don't live in ménages à trois, another replies that they do and points out, "Hence the existence of the term, really, as opposed to ‘wild drunken threeway’. Ménage: ‘household’."
And they are a household. Christian and Jordan lived together for years after the death of Jordan's wife, in what Christian described as basically a sexless marriage. If Christian was attracted to his straight friend, well, that was his problem and nothing to bother Jordan about. When Ezra returns, the three of them pick up their friendship as if they'd last seen each other yesterday. And he's at the house so much he practically lives there. So all the way around we see solid friendships.
I liked all of the characters individually and together, in each combination of twosomes and as a threesome. I even learned a new word: tessellating (from Dictionary.com: to form of small squares or blocks, as floors or pavements; form or arrange in a checkered or mosaic pattern.). So why didn't I rate this five stars? I had a few issues with it that interfered with my ability to stay in the story.
The majority of the first twenty percent was almost entirely narrative, with very little dialogue. It was well-written and engaging narrative, so I didn't even really notice for the first ten percent or so. But after a while it became noticeable because there was so darn much of it; I really wanted to see the characters interact rather than just be told what happened over the course of years. Around twenty percent they finally started talking to each other, but it seemed like it continued to be a bit heavy on the narration even after that. And I didn't really understand why we needed to have a flashback in the middle, rather than just progressing from early years to later ones.
There was also a point when Christian and Jordan got dogs, and Christian observed that "when he and Jordan both had to work almost to midnight, it didn’t have that edge of the tomb when they opened the door on the dark." I noticed something that would never have occurred to me before I got a dog: if they're gone til midnight, when do those poor dogs get to go potty or for a walk? I found myself searching for mention of a yard, at least, but found none. And then I forgot about the dogs, as they weren't mentioned again. I'd also have liked a little more explanation about Jordan's sexuality and how he went from apparently straight to in bed with his best (male) friends.
But despite those niggles, I loved this story. When there was finally dialogue, it was wonderful and often made me laugh out loud. It was also frequently quite touching, and I'd think "awwww" as I read. Sometimes the laughter and the "awwww" were simultaneous. I loved the consideration the characters had for each other and the ways they looked out for each other, and teased each other, and overall complemented each other. There were times they were awkward together and I feared it was the setup for a Big Misunderstanding, but each time they actually *gasp* talked to each other and resolved things right away.
And when the three finally end up in bed together? I thought my ereader was going to burst into flames! But their compatibility in the bedroom was clearly an extension of their compatibility and comfort with each other out of it. And that made their HEA both desirable and believable to me. I highly recommend this story to anyone who doesn't mind a bit too much well-written exposition.
This review was originally posted at Reviews by Jessewave, where I received the book for free in exchange for an honest review.
Review: If you enjoy friends-to-lovers stories and don't mind menages, then this is the book for you. I don't have a big thing about menages either way, except that I don't always find them believable as HEA material. The characters in this book shared my concerns, which helped make their ultimate resolution and HEA more believable to me. When one character says people don't live in ménages à trois, another replies that they do and points out, "Hence the existence of the term, really, as opposed to ‘wild drunken threeway’. Ménage: ‘household’."
And they are a household. Christian and Jordan lived together for years after the death of Jordan's wife, in what Christian described as basically a sexless marriage. If Christian was attracted to his straight friend, well, that was his problem and nothing to bother Jordan about. When Ezra returns, the three of them pick up their friendship as if they'd last seen each other yesterday. And he's at the house so much he practically lives there. So all the way around we see solid friendships.
I liked all of the characters individually and together, in each combination of twosomes and as a threesome. I even learned a new word: tessellating (from Dictionary.com: to form of small squares or blocks, as floors or pavements; form or arrange in a checkered or mosaic pattern.). So why didn't I rate this five stars? I had a few issues with it that interfered with my ability to stay in the story.
The majority of the first twenty percent was almost entirely narrative, with very little dialogue. It was well-written and engaging narrative, so I didn't even really notice for the first ten percent or so. But after a while it became noticeable because there was so darn much of it; I really wanted to see the characters interact rather than just be told what happened over the course of years. Around twenty percent they finally started talking to each other, but it seemed like it continued to be a bit heavy on the narration even after that. And I didn't really understand why we needed to have a flashback in the middle, rather than just progressing from early years to later ones.
There was also a point when Christian and Jordan got dogs, and Christian observed that "when he and Jordan both had to work almost to midnight, it didn’t have that edge of the tomb when they opened the door on the dark." I noticed something that would never have occurred to me before I got a dog: if they're gone til midnight, when do those poor dogs get to go potty or for a walk? I found myself searching for mention of a yard, at least, but found none. And then I forgot about the dogs, as they weren't mentioned again. I'd also have liked a little more explanation about Jordan's sexuality and how he went from apparently straight to in bed with his best (male) friends.
But despite those niggles, I loved this story. When there was finally dialogue, it was wonderful and often made me laugh out loud. It was also frequently quite touching, and I'd think "awwww" as I read. Sometimes the laughter and the "awwww" were simultaneous. I loved the consideration the characters had for each other and the ways they looked out for each other, and teased each other, and overall complemented each other. There were times they were awkward together and I feared it was the setup for a Big Misunderstanding, but each time they actually *gasp* talked to each other and resolved things right away.
And when the three finally end up in bed together? I thought my ereader was going to burst into flames! But their compatibility in the bedroom was clearly an extension of their compatibility and comfort with each other out of it. And that made their HEA both desirable and believable to me. I highly recommend this story to anyone who doesn't mind a bit too much well-written exposition.
This review was originally posted at Reviews by Jessewave, where I received the book for free in exchange for an honest review.
May 27, 2022
I liked this, there's a strong sense of their friendship and their need for each other when it comes to that is clear.
It's all tell with very little conversation and I'd have liked to see more of their personalities through interactions. Being in narrator Chris's head limited how much of him the reader sees.
It was good to see a character allowed to grieve, and at no point pressured to move on. There's no quick fix.
It's all tell with very little conversation and I'd have liked to see more of their personalities through interactions. Being in narrator Chris's head limited how much of him the reader sees.
It was good to see a character allowed to grieve, and at no point pressured to move on. There's no quick fix.
August 20, 2012
Pretty good story. I especially liked the dynamic between Christian and Jordan when they were living together, it was a different situation than you'd normally see in a book like this. The author also has a nice style and the prose was very lovely in several places.
My biggest problem with it is that it starts about midway through the story and then flashes back. I don't think that long flashback added anything to the story and I found it weird and kind of confusing. The story would have read more smoothly if it had just started at the beginning and continued in a logical order. I just couldn't figure out why it was written that way. Also, it wraps up a little too neatly at the end, especially given what Ezra is proposing is pretty unconventional. It would have been a little easier to buy if the characters had more time to consider what they were getting into. I hard a little bit of a hard time with how easily they agreed to what was a pretty drastic move. Overall a decent book once I figured out what was happening when.
My biggest problem with it is that it starts about midway through the story and then flashes back. I don't think that long flashback added anything to the story and I found it weird and kind of confusing. The story would have read more smoothly if it had just started at the beginning and continued in a logical order. I just couldn't figure out why it was written that way. Also, it wraps up a little too neatly at the end, especially given what Ezra is proposing is pretty unconventional. It would have been a little easier to buy if the characters had more time to consider what they were getting into. I hard a little bit of a hard time with how easily they agreed to what was a pretty drastic move. Overall a decent book once I figured out what was happening when.
January 30, 2013
Wasn’t crazy about the writing, but I loved the relationship
Warning: This review might contain what some people consider SPOILERS.
Rating: 8/10
PROS:
- The writing is unusual. The analogies and the way in which Blaydon phrases things often took me by surprise. In a good way. (see cons below also)
- There’s an insightful, melancholy feel to the story that matches its content very well. (The characters weather several weighty experiences that give them all a world-weary outlook on life.)
- The story evolves slowly from friendship to attraction/love. I used that slash intentionally, because by the time anything physical happens between any of the guys, they’re all best friends and basically already in love with each other.
- Because the physical development occurs so far into the relationship, the sex is really hot: passionate and fierce and emotional.
CONS:
- The unusual cadence of the writing makes for some pretty dense reading at times, because the phrasing is often on the convoluted side. There are a lot of lengthy paragraphs and not as much dialogue as there usually is in romances.
- The story is written in present tense, which means that flashbacks are related in simple past tense. One flashback is particularly long, and I got used to the past tense there--because that’s the tense that most books use--and the return to present was quite jarring as a result.
- I had a hard time keeping the characters straight in the first several chapters, probably because the characterizations are all thrown out together, in a jumble. We don’t get to know Ezra first, and then Jordan, and then Christian.
Overall comments: Now that I’ve had a few days to think about this book after finishing it, I have mixed feelings about it. I loved the romance--the slow way in which the characters form friendships first and then feelings of love. But it’s the sort of story that relies heavily on telling rather than showing: this happened, then this, then this…for this reason, and this, and this. Overall, though, I think my affection for the characters outweighs my frustration with the denseness of the writing.
Warning: This review might contain what some people consider SPOILERS.
Rating: 8/10
PROS:
- The writing is unusual. The analogies and the way in which Blaydon phrases things often took me by surprise. In a good way. (see cons below also)
- There’s an insightful, melancholy feel to the story that matches its content very well. (The characters weather several weighty experiences that give them all a world-weary outlook on life.)
- The story evolves slowly from friendship to attraction/love. I used that slash intentionally, because by the time anything physical happens between any of the guys, they’re all best friends and basically already in love with each other.
- Because the physical development occurs so far into the relationship, the sex is really hot: passionate and fierce and emotional.
CONS:
- The unusual cadence of the writing makes for some pretty dense reading at times, because the phrasing is often on the convoluted side. There are a lot of lengthy paragraphs and not as much dialogue as there usually is in romances.
- The story is written in present tense, which means that flashbacks are related in simple past tense. One flashback is particularly long, and I got used to the past tense there--because that’s the tense that most books use--and the return to present was quite jarring as a result.
- I had a hard time keeping the characters straight in the first several chapters, probably because the characterizations are all thrown out together, in a jumble. We don’t get to know Ezra first, and then Jordan, and then Christian.
Overall comments: Now that I’ve had a few days to think about this book after finishing it, I have mixed feelings about it. I loved the romance--the slow way in which the characters form friendships first and then feelings of love. But it’s the sort of story that relies heavily on telling rather than showing: this happened, then this, then this…for this reason, and this, and this. Overall, though, I think my affection for the characters outweighs my frustration with the denseness of the writing.
September 17, 2012
3.5*
I've discovered that I like m/m/m if it's done well, so I wanted to give this one a try.
A real friends to lovers to more lovers story! LOL
Christian, Ezra and Jordan have been friends for years, even if Ezra has taken assignments overseas and isn't around as much he is still a very important part of their lives.
Jordan's wife dies suddenly and Christian steps up to the plate and really does it all, he moves in with him, takes over half the mortgage and they joke they are living the Doris(Day)- and Rock(Hudson) marriage!
But Ezra comes back and things change between Christian and Ezra and that of course effects their friendship.
I have to say a few things here first and formost don't bring in two dogs that complete 'your family' as your 'kids' and then they are gone! Never to be heard or seen from again! In the back of my mind I kept waiting to hear about them again...but it never happened! They weren't even on the Christian's list of how is day is and what he does.Ezra never even mentions them or seems to notice them ( maybe because they mysteriously disappeared).
Then, I know the friendship was shown, but I wanted more, more seeing how they are sitting , talking and interacting during the game they are watching or on their way to work, just mundane day to day stuff , I wanted to see some of the love and friendship between all them, even if just inside Jordan or Ezra's head.
Kudos though for no solo jerk-off scenes or other annoying tropes!
I liked how seamlessly they worked out their relationship as a ménage, but I would have liked to see a bit more how it workedivorce them, it was if they finally got together and the story ends.
I've discovered that I like m/m/m if it's done well, so I wanted to give this one a try.
A real friends to lovers to more lovers story! LOL
Christian, Ezra and Jordan have been friends for years, even if Ezra has taken assignments overseas and isn't around as much he is still a very important part of their lives.
Jordan's wife dies suddenly and Christian steps up to the plate and really does it all, he moves in with him, takes over half the mortgage and they joke they are living the Doris(Day)- and Rock(Hudson) marriage!
But Ezra comes back and things change between Christian and Ezra and that of course effects their friendship.
I have to say a few things here first and formost don't bring in two dogs that complete 'your family' as your 'kids' and then they are gone! Never to be heard or seen from again! In the back of my mind I kept waiting to hear about them again...but it never happened! They weren't even on the Christian's list of how is day is and what he does.Ezra never even mentions them or seems to notice them ( maybe because they mysteriously disappeared).
Then, I know the friendship was shown, but I wanted more, more seeing how they are sitting , talking and interacting during the game they are watching or on their way to work, just mundane day to day stuff , I wanted to see some of the love and friendship between all them, even if just inside Jordan or Ezra's head.
Kudos though for no solo jerk-off scenes or other annoying tropes!
I liked how seamlessly they worked out their relationship as a ménage, but I would have liked to see a bit more how it workedivorce them, it was if they finally got together and the story ends.
July 25, 2012
I wish the romantic relationship between the three characters were more developed. But it was an ok read.
August 8, 2012
Meet Christian. A gorgeous person, smart and caring and the best friend one could ask for. Always there to stand by his friends without imposing himself and loving them unconditionally. If a bit naïve or as it was well putted by Jordan “unobserving” he makes out for being a man you could hug and crush out of fondness.
Meet Jordan. Hot! Tall, broad shouldered, always joyful, he’s probably the protagonist that suffers most tragedy in our story by loosing his wife only one short year after their marriage. He’d be lost without Christian, who comes to save him from drowning in sorrow by moving in with him. Although he looses most of his “happy face” by being thus victimized by fate, Jordan is by far the person they all turn to, to save the day when odd occurs with his infectious smile.
Meet Ezra. What a snarky SoB. The sexy devil that always spices up the company by just being Ezra. A badass war-covering reporter Ezra suffers from fate as well when his convoy gets hit and all in his vehicle dies, except him. He’s shipped back and life seems dull and awful, while Christian and Jordan try to get him back on tracks. Although Ezra was gone for five years in Middle East their friendship falls back to more than familiar tracks when he returns. The three of them are the best friends and perfect together.
Well… They are perfect together indeed. The story follows the path they take that eventually leads them to see, really see just how perfect they really are together.
I really, really liked this book for numerous reasons. First of all I love a good triage. Call me kinky and you’d probably be right about it but there is nothing hotter on my book than that. Going on, Ms. Louise Blaydon has a brilliant sense of humor that she managed to pour all around the book. It is so good and the final scene where the boys decide to give it a “try” was so funny I couldn’t stop laughing for a good 15 min. All the while the sex scenes being incredibly hot. Nothing soapy or awfully gentle and all that, just pure, primal, lusting sex that had me into it for good. The protagonists were each and every one of them different and attractive in their own ways, I liked them all having a soft spot for Christian for some reason. I think he was the one that was torn the most and his incredulity in the end was adorable.
I recommend this book to anyone really, this was a great read, fast, easy and highly entertaining. When the book ended I didn’t feel sorry it did, instead I was left with a great feeling that everything went as it was supposed to and content because it was really worth my time.
Meet Jordan. Hot! Tall, broad shouldered, always joyful, he’s probably the protagonist that suffers most tragedy in our story by loosing his wife only one short year after their marriage. He’d be lost without Christian, who comes to save him from drowning in sorrow by moving in with him. Although he looses most of his “happy face” by being thus victimized by fate, Jordan is by far the person they all turn to, to save the day when odd occurs with his infectious smile.
Meet Ezra. What a snarky SoB. The sexy devil that always spices up the company by just being Ezra. A badass war-covering reporter Ezra suffers from fate as well when his convoy gets hit and all in his vehicle dies, except him. He’s shipped back and life seems dull and awful, while Christian and Jordan try to get him back on tracks. Although Ezra was gone for five years in Middle East their friendship falls back to more than familiar tracks when he returns. The three of them are the best friends and perfect together.
Well… They are perfect together indeed. The story follows the path they take that eventually leads them to see, really see just how perfect they really are together.
I really, really liked this book for numerous reasons. First of all I love a good triage. Call me kinky and you’d probably be right about it but there is nothing hotter on my book than that. Going on, Ms. Louise Blaydon has a brilliant sense of humor that she managed to pour all around the book. It is so good and the final scene where the boys decide to give it a “try” was so funny I couldn’t stop laughing for a good 15 min. All the while the sex scenes being incredibly hot. Nothing soapy or awfully gentle and all that, just pure, primal, lusting sex that had me into it for good. The protagonists were each and every one of them different and attractive in their own ways, I liked them all having a soft spot for Christian for some reason. I think he was the one that was torn the most and his incredulity in the end was adorable.
I recommend this book to anyone really, this was a great read, fast, easy and highly entertaining. When the book ended I didn’t feel sorry it did, instead I was left with a great feeling that everything went as it was supposed to and content because it was really worth my time.
March 4, 2013
This was a very different ménage book then I am used to. Normally they are just sex packed which frankly, can be a fun read if you are in the mood for it. But this little book was more of a slow burn with GFY elements among the three best friends. It was a really nice change of pace for a MMM book. I'm not a fan of how it started off, which was rather disjointed, but I loved the three men. They are fast friends who lean on each other in times of hardship and grief. Two of them are openly gay but not attached to each other. Eventually they find a mutual attraction and it is quite beautiful how it unfolds. I really wish there was a sequel to this book. Right when it started to get really engaging (and incredibly hot) it ended. Grrrr...
October 22, 2014
A short story about 3 guys, 2 gay and 1 straight.
Jordan was married but when his wife is killed in a car accident, his friend Christian moves in. Theirs is a platonic relationship.
When their 3rd friend, Ezra, is injured in Afghanistan, after he is rehabilitated, he moves back to NY and starts to see Christian. Jordan then realize she is in love with both of them.
The only thing I did not like about some of this story, was it seemed to be written as if it was a narrator narrating the story rather than it being told from a viewpoint.
Jordan was married but when his wife is killed in a car accident, his friend Christian moves in. Theirs is a platonic relationship.
When their 3rd friend, Ezra, is injured in Afghanistan, after he is rehabilitated, he moves back to NY and starts to see Christian. Jordan then realize she is in love with both of them.
The only thing I did not like about some of this story, was it seemed to be written as if it was a narrator narrating the story rather than it being told from a viewpoint.
Read
January 24, 2023This book more than met my expectations. It was so much more than a sex focused ménage story. There was strong focus on each individual character and I found myself liking Christian, Ezra and Jordan equally. They are believable friends and the transition to love is well done. The sexual element is really at the end of the book - hot sex based on strong emotion and desire. 3 to 3.5 stars
July 26, 2012
3.5 stars actually.
August 8, 2012
Probably close to a 4.5
I really liked these guys, and the MMM thing really worked. I believed it and I didn't have hurt feelings on behalf of any of the MC's, which is rare in a MMM.
I really liked these guys, and the MMM thing really worked. I believed it and I didn't have hurt feelings on behalf of any of the MC's, which is rare in a MMM.
January 26, 2013
This was totally on me but when the book ended is when I thought it was really getting somewhere. I wanted to watch them grow into a cohesive loving unit.
March 31, 2015
For a short story, that packed a hell of slow burn. So nice to read a relationship focused ménage rather than the usual endless (and quite frankly repetative) sex scenes. Nicely done!
August 31, 2015
Really like this one
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews