Review of Party of Three by Sandy Lowe, Audiobook narrated by Lori Prince

I’ve heard about Sandy Lowe a lot, mostly in her role of senior editor at Bold Strokes Books but, until now, I hadn’t read any of her novels. I don’t normally read the book blurbs because sometimes they have spoilers and judging by the cover and title (I know I shouldn’t…) I thought this was a polyamory story. So I wasn’t that eager to read it but the audiobook is narrated by Lori Prince so I said why not. Why not indeed… I’ve got a pleasant surprise with this one.

Three single friends attend a socialite 25th birthday party and end up finding a special someone to spend the night with and maybe find romance too.
Sarah Donovan wants to have fun and a one-night stand with a gorgeous chef might be the recipe for success.
Avery Anders has been pinning for her best friend’s little sister for years and their reunion will be a gratifying surprise.
Kaitlyn Forester got her heart broken by her high school sweetheart. Now she doesn’t believe in love anymore but her ex returns with the idea of winning her heart back.

This book is part erotica, part romance with a very well-planned plot that intertwines the stories of the three friends plus a secondary plot that unifies all of them. It’s divided in three parts, each written from the pov of one of the friends. The whole story takes place in a single day, a few hours before, during and after the birthday party. It is very well written which shouldn’t surprise anyone considering the author is a senior editor at one of the most important queer publishers.

Party of Three covers a variety of relationships: one-night stand, second chances and virginity. They are all very different from each other but they all have a common denominator in the level of heat. Ms. Lowe writes the sex scenes really well in an almost photographic way but also showing feelings and characters’ chemistry. It surprised me that romance isn’t an afterthought here, love has a preeminent role.

All the characters are well fleshed out in the universe the story is set. These are rich, mid-twenties socialites so don’t expect a lot of depth. It’s set in a birthday party after all. This book does what it says on the tin with well-written sex and heartwarming romance. And it brings it in spades.

Lori Prince did a very good job and I believe that her narration was crucial in my level of enjoyment. This isn’t an easy book to perform, not only for the amount and length of the sex scenes but also for the number of main female characters. Ms. Prince made them all sound different and recognisable throughout the story. Her narration pace and the lightness of the overall tone matched the story perfectly. Her fabulous narration raised my rating and I suggest that you listen to this one rather than read it. 4.5 stars.