Rating: 4.5 stars
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Length: Novel


Kyle has been crushing on his hot boss, Maverick, for a while, but he knows the man is married and Kyle figures he needs to keep things professional. But that doesn’t stop Kyle’s fantasies. Money has been tight for Kyle (especially since Mav’s business has been slow and it’s affecting Kyle’s paycheck), and when he loses his apartment, Kyle doesn’t know what to do. When Maverick’s husband, Ari, finds Kyle camping out in the store, he insists Kyle stay with them until he gets back on his feet.

It turns out Ari is just as sexy as his husband, and Kyle’s attraction to both men is strong. When he realizes the desire among them all is mutual, it just ramps up Kyle’s interest even more. The guys are a great fit for one another. Ari and Maverick find Kyle’s frequent cross dressing crazy hot. Kyle is getting the caring and sense of family from the men he has long been missing in his life. And Ari and Kyle share an interest in a daddy kink that Ari is unable to really explore with Maverick. But Ari and Maverick used to have a third partner who left them and, even five years later, Maverick is not over it. He is very into Kyle, but he can’t help but worry how painful it would be if they started a relationship with Kyle and he left them as well. But as it turns out, the risk might just be worth the reward if the guys are willing to take a chance.

Unexpected is the third book in K.M. Neuhold’s Inked series, a spin off from the author’s Heathen’s Ink series. I jumped into Inked on book 2, Uncomplicated, and had no problem starting there. The books do feature characters who were clearly stars of their own stories, but the plots stand alone just fine.

I really enjoyed Unexpected quite a lot. It hit my sweet spot of super sexy, but also nice character development and a lot of warmth. The plot has a nice twist for a menage/poly story in that Maverick and Ari were previously in a triad and are still hurting from their third leaving them. It added some interesting conflict here, for as much as Maverick clearly wants Kyle, he is also afraid of getting his heart broken again. As I said, this book is very sexy and things move forward between the men and Kyle at a nice pace that doesn’t leave us waiting too long for things to happen. But I also appreciated that there is more here than just the heat. The men really talk through their issues, they are open and honest in their communication, and they are incredibly tender and caring toward one another. The story gave me lots of nice feels and there is some great warmth amidst the sexiness.

My only tiny niggle here is that at times I wanted a bit more backstory. This book is very in the moment, but I would have liked to learn a little more about the men and their pasts, particularly Kyle. We learn he was homeless as a teen and that is how he met the Heathen’s Ink gang. I feel like that is a big part of his backstory, especially his concerns about sharing his financial woes with his friends. Perhaps this was explored more in one of the Heathen’s books, but I do think more on his past, as well as more general background on all the men, would have been nice.

As I said, this book really hit my reading sweet spot of sexy and warm. I loved the thrill Maverick and Ari get at seeing Kyle in all his lacy finest. I appreciated the super sexiness of all these men together. And I loved the sense of creating a family and a real connection that runs through the book. This one is definitely a winner and I am eager for more in this series.