According to Google, unspecified polls (whatever that means) tell us that only 24% of people have actually had a threesome. Yet it seems there are a lot of people out there who like to read romances that feature a ménage à trois. Why so popular? Is it the forbidden aspect of it? Does the addition of one more person add to the hotness?
It’s pretty commonly known that many men find the idea of two women together a hot fantasy. Even for women, the idea of being a little bicurious with another woman can be intriguing. For women readers, the appeal of two men at the same time is understandable—if one hot guy is good, two is better!
One of the things I like about ménage stories is the almost endless possibilities three people bring to a story. A relationship that involves three people is going to have more potential for conflict (as well as potential sex positions!). There can be issues of jealousy and insecurity and fairness. There are so many variations on the love story—how the three meet and fall in love with one or even two other people. Even within the common labels of f/f/m, f/m/f, m/f/m, m/m/f, there are variations on the theme. In an m/f/m ménage, it can be a one-time only fantasy, or it can end in a committed relationship for all three. An m/m/f ménage is more likely to end in a committed relationship for all three—but not necessarily.
How realistic is the “happy ever after for all three” ending in a ménage romance? From the woman’s point of view, I can see the advantages of having two men around. How cool would it be to have one man who’s skilled at car repairs and another who likes to do home renovations? One guy who likes to give massages and another guy who likes to cook? And that’s not even in bed! If you like men, why wouldn’t two be better than one? Two mouths for kissing, nibbling and sucking. Four hands for caressing and rubbing and exploring. Nice. With two guys, stamina (ahem) wouldn’t be an issue. Think of the exponential pleasure. Think of the multiple orgasms!
But from the man’s point of view, I have a hard time seeing men as willing to share their woman with another dude. But hey, it’s a fantasy, right?
So some threesomes are a hot and exciting one time fling thing, but an actual ménage à trois relationship isn’t just about excitement in bed. Sure, it’s a fantasy, but the ménage stories I enjoy the most aren’t just about kinky sex; they’re about falling in love, and all the problems that go along with that. They’re about overcoming obstacles to find that HEA, obstacles which are even greater because of it being a complicated threesome.
My favorite ménage romances run the gamut of all these types. Top of my list is Rough, Raw, and Ready, by Lorelei James. This is an m/m/f ménage that is super hot with lots of conflict and emotion. I also loved Lorelei’s book Corralled, which is entirely different. This one is m/f/m—there’s no relationship between the two men and it has a different ending. Another favorite is Tempted by Megan Hart, also m/f/m, but which raises lots of tantalizing questions in the reader’s mind.
Maya Banks has written some delicious ménage stories, frequently ending in committed relationships for all three. And authors like Shayla Black and Lora Leigh often include threesomes in their stories that are more the hot “one time only” fantasy.
What’s your preference when it comes to ménage à trois stories? Sexy one time threesomes? Committed ménage à trois relationships?
Kelly Jamieson is an author, wife, mother and avid romance reader. Find her at www.kellyjamieson.com, on Twitter @KellyJamieson or Facebook.
