Title: Sleeping Stone
Author: Alexa Snow
Publisher: Torquerepress
Genre: contemporary m/m/m romance
Length: Novel (255 pdf pages)
Rating: 5 stars out of 5
A Guest Review by Feliz
Summary Review: Wonderfully drawn characters, an intriguing plot and a heartbreakingly beautiful lovestory made this book a keeper and a comfort read for me.
The Blurb: Jazz Stone is full of life and energy, the kind of person that others gravitate to, and when Chris meets Jazz, he’s instantly smitten. But the course of true love never runs smoothly. Just as they seem to find solid ground to stand on, Jazz’s former lover Richard shows up, strewing an already rocky road with gravel. When Jazz has a serious motorcycle accident that threatens to end his life, Chris and Richard try to carry on without him. Can they find common ground of their own?
The Review: This book was published in 2007; it was one of the first m/m romances I ever read and my very first threesome. It hasn’t lost any of its charm with the years, though; every time I re-read it I’m fascinated, enthralled and captivated again.
Jazz Stone is playful, chaotic, relentless, open, funny, impulsive and endlessly interested in anything that goes on around him. In other words he’s everything that Chris Turner isn’t. When they meet, it’s like opposites attract quite from the beginning, and what starts out as a nice pastime grows into something far more over the weeks. But when Chris finally is ready to throw his misgivings overboard and moves in with Jazz, there’s suddenly another man in the picture: Richard, Jazz’s ex. Richard is obviously still in love with Jazz, and what’s worse, Jazz still loves Richard. The biggest surprise, even to Chris himself, is that he feels attracted to Richard too, and in a big way, a feeling Richard wholeheartedly returns. It takes all three men quite a bit of time to acknowledge that maybe three people can be as good together as two, but finally they manage.
Now they’re a still slightly awkward, but for the time being, stable threesome, life could be perfect. Hadn’t Jazz gotten a liking to driving a motorbike he can’t master. Hadn’t he had a terrible accident which throws him in a coma. And now Chris and Richard are left hanging in a terrible lurch of time, nearly speechless without Jazz’s inexhaustible energy, waiting for the man they both love to wake up. But will he ever?
The story started kind of slow; it took two or three chapters getting used to the alternation between the present tense parts which tell about Chris spending time with Jazz in the hospital and the past tense parts which tell about Jazz and Chris getting together. (Both parts are mostly unconnected as regards content; luckily the present tense parts are printed in italics and easily discernible. ) But it rapidly took up speed, and once it did, it became an unable-to-put-down read.
Since the story is told entirely from Chris’s point of view, Jazz is pictured the most colorful and thorough of the three. We see him through Chris’s eyes and therefore presumably mostly through pink-hued glasses, but still he’s a very likeable character. His carelessness borders on daredevilry, his self-confidence on arrogance, but he is so considerate and so very much aware of Chris that there is no doubt why Chris simply has to fall for him as hard as he does. Chris, on the other hand, is easily manipulated by Jazz, but mostly for his own good; he is someone who has to be dragged to his own luck kicking and screaming, but he is also protective and caring AND manages to give Jazz space. Richard is least drawn out, but still the characterization is well enough to understand why both Jazz and Chris are drawn to him. In fact, all characters in the book were well- drawn, even the secondary ones; especially Judy, Jazz’s mother, who I immediately fell in love with.
The threesome clearly revolves around Jazz, at least in the beginning. Over time, particularly after Jazz’s accident, the love both Chris and Richard feel for Jazz gradually leads to them truely loving each other so they can support each other and be each other’s solace over the months which Jazz spends in his coma. This was beautifully done and really gripping. Those three didn’t just jump in bed together, they had to work hard for their relationship. Chris in particular had to overcome a lot of issues and deeply ingrained fears until he was able to accept Richard. He got to this point without bending backwards, going through a marvelous character growth instead.
This story had some of the most tender and meaningful sex scenes I’ve ever come across, so I won’t complain that one or the other of them were not forwarding the plot. If I had one small niggle with this book it was the fact that neither Judy nor Chris’s mother or anybody else seemed to have an opinion about three men living together; it was apparently not even a problem for the hospital staff that there were two partners who worried for Jazz.
Sleeping Stone was a wonderful read, a great book about the power of love overcoming even the biggest obstacles. It’s a book that deserves better than disappearing under the flood of new books which are released every day. Very gripping and a beautiful story. Highly recommended.
I’ve had this book in my TBR pile for ages. You’ve really encouraged me to dig it out from under the newer stuff in the pile with this review.
Great review, Feliz :).
Thanks Jen, I’m glad my review brought this back to your attention. It’s certainly worth it.
I really, really, need to read this one, and soon :forit:
Thank you for your review 😎
You’re welcome, Helena – go for it!
Loved the review and I have read the book several times, and I loved it everytime even more. Should go to the top of the to read list.
It’s a keeper, isn’t it? Too good to drift into oblivion among all the wonderful new books that are published every day.
Hey Feliz,
I love that you reviewed this book. It really is nice to drag out the best of the genre so we can see the standard that new books should live up to. This is one of those books that should be held as a standard for new authors to strive for.
I only read it recently, but it captivated me in a way that hadn’t from many books in quite a while. It is definitely one of the best m/m/m books, because it deals with the real problems such a relationship would encounter. No matter how much I want to believe the fantasy, I can never believe the m/m/m books where three men meet and immediately they’re perfect for one another.
So, thanks for reviewing the book and reminding me to pick it up again soon 🙂
Hi Cole,
that’s why I love those Old Favorites posts. There are certainly more such gems out there which are well worth being saved from drifting off into oblivion.
I couldn’t enjoy a lot of m/m/m, mostly because I share your reservations on that topic. This was one of the few which didn’t feel like a mere fantasy; the issue was addressed in a way that made it almost believable.
I can’t believe I have never seen this one. It sounds very good :great:
It is, Ingrid, trust me. To me, it’s one of my comfort reads.
I really, really liked this one, which is not often the case with m/m/m. I also had a few problems with it too and you pointed out some of them. I was a bit uncomfortable with how easily Jazz manipulated Chris (and Richard – the bike!) and I wanted to know more about Richard – mainly to understand better what he brought into their relationship. Somehow, I felt he should have been introduced earlier. The fact that no one had to say anything about three man having a relationship was unrealistic. The different ways Chris and Richard have dealt with the aftermath of Jazz’s injury were masterfully done.
Thanks for commenting as one who has read and loved that book too, LadyM.
This is one of those books that I go back to every year or so, just to revisit the story and the characters, so it was great to read your review! 🙂
~Tis
Same as me, Tis. Thanks for commenting
An old favorite! Every so often I find myself going to my ebook library to re-read this gem. Jazz was one of the most vibrant heroes I’ve encountered. The story is beautifully written, and the transitions from present day to the flashbacks were gripping.
Great review.
Feliz
Wonderful review as always. I have been meaning to buy this book and kept forgetting. As you know M/M/M is one of my kinks (along with twincest) 😯
I will definitely be getting it now that I’ve read your review. Great job! 😎
I think you might indeed like this one, Wave. As Cole said, this book could be taken as some kind of standard. The author really took great pains in explaining how and why the threesome works, to a point where I could actually believe their HEA.
This is another book I have for a long time and I didn’t get around to read it. Thank you for bring it to my attention. :bravo:
What can I say? I loved it. I’m a sucker for M/M/M relationships and this book will be one of my favorites, along with Tessa Cardenas’s “The Strongest Shape”.
Hi Alina,
glad you enjoyed it. The Strongest Shape is quite different from this but also a great book, isn’t it?
And off I go to buy – would never have gone there without the review. Thanks
Enjoy, Jenni! I’d love you to come back and let me know how you liked it.
I read this book when it first came out and absolutely loved it! Great characters, interesting plot, well written… a winner!
I just read this book based on your recommendation back in March. I have to say I adored it! It was one of those books that I felt simmering in the back of my mind all day long while I was was in the middle of reading it (and even days later!). Definitely great!