Sex Love Repeat by Alessandra Torre
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Sex Love Repeat starts off with a no-holds barred proclamation:

“I love two men. I screw two men. I am in a relationship with them both, and they are both aware there is another. That is all they need to know, that is all I let them know. They don’t need to know a name; they don’t need to know anything but that they are not alone in my heart.

They have accepted the situation. Stewart, because his life is too busy for the sort of obligations that are required in a relationship. Paul, because he loves me too much to tell me no. And because my sexual appetite is such that one man has trouble keeping up.

So we exist, two parallel relationships, each running their own course, with no need for intersection or conflict. It works for us, for them, and for me. I don’t expect it to be a long-term situation. I know there is an expiration date on the easy perfection of our lives.

I should have paid more attention, should have looked around and noticed the woman who watched it all. She sat in the background and waited, tried to figure me out. Saw my two relationships, the love between us, and the moment that it all fell apart.

She hates me.

I don’t even know she exists.

She loves them. I love them.

And they love me.


EVERYTHING else hangs in the balance.”

The story that follows is equally no-holds barred; barreling forward in first person narrative in what first seems to be an exploration of a sex triangle but slowly develops into something else entirely.

Rich in both sensual and sexual detail, Sex Love Repeat delivers on all counts. The main character Madison comes to vivid life on the page, her every strength and flaw compelling and evocative. She makes no bones about the way she lives her life and while the reader may not necessarily agree with the choices this woman makes Torre’s skill at introspective writing makes it impossible not to at least understand Madison’s reasons for the choices she makes.

Through Madison’s eyes we come to know her partners, Stewart and Paul. As opposite as two people can be, these two men provide perfect interplay for Madison’s dual nature; Stewart appealing to her baser instincts while Paul harkens to her more abstract and emotional higher thinking and desires. The relationships she has with each of them are genuine.

As erotica the sexual content and frequency was spot on. Torre delivers the sizzle with the same no-holds-barred candidness that I found entirely refreshing. This book is more than a panty-wetter. This is a panty soaker.

I have to give a hearty nod toward Torre’s storytelling. Just as you’re sinking into Madison’s character and train of thought Torre sneaks you into someone else’s mind and perspective, Dana, also from a first person narrative. Much to my relief and pleasure Torre does so with labeled perspective changes, always indicating a transition by character name. Even had she not there is a distinct difference in the two voices. Dana’s personality is as unlike Madison’s as possible at first which achieve the desired affect; Dana is intimated to be the foe and continues to act like one – until she unexpectedly grows into someone better.

It is at this point when the story takes a most stunning turn. I must applaud Torre’s technique; I never expected the introduction of Stewart and/or Paul’s perspective let alone in two entirely unique first person narrative voices. Not only does Torre now have us flitting between four different perspectives, all of which are written in first person, she does so with such precision and care to authenticity that I was blown away by how absolutely necessary such introduction and inclusion was in connecting emotionally to Madison as a character and accepting her choice at the end.


I have only three notable mentions:

• There were some editing misses throughout the text. While too few to merit inclusion in this review I recommend Torre have her editor take a keener look at the text to clear up some grammar and punctuation mistakes. There were some missing words in a few places as well. Additionally there were editor notes and correspondence included in the ARC I received which was a little distracting since it was all at the end of the book when my attention should have been riveted.
• While Torre’s descriptions of Madison’s sexual escapades were delicious in variety and action Torre would do well to shorten some of her sentences. She includes a wealth of sequential actions that result in almost run-on sentences. Just as your partner sometimes needs to take a breath between strokes or caresses so too does the reader, often needing more than a comma’s length of pause to reassert control over the wildly beating heart.
• I didn’t think the last section from Madison’s perspective was necessary. It may just be that I like an idealistic ending to a book but her confession at the end made me lose some of the respect I had for her in agreement of her choice between the two men. It does, however, explain her reaction, or lack thereof, to Dana’s bombshell news so I do have to give kudos for tying up that bit of detail.

Sex Love Repeat is well worth the investment on a multitude of levels. The erotic content will satisfy even the heartiest of wanton appetites while the relationships such intimacy relies upon are of genuine weight and substance. Questions of morals and ethics are addressed with a healthy open-mindedness and candor. Characters grow and develop as they move throughout the story, their motivations believable and relatable. While sex is the basis of the story it is not the entire focus, making this an appreciable change from the vast majority of what else is available in the same genre.


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