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Throuples, SpaceCon & Soft Landings: Tart and I Think I’m in Love with an Alien
Season 3 Episode 7: Close Encounters of the Threesome Kind of Romance on the Rocks gave us range.
On one end: a habanero-level throuple bakery romance.
On the other: a cozy, low-spice alien love story with a rooster named Kevin.
Let’s get into it.
Tart by Lauren Dane
Genre: Contemporary Why Choose / Throuple Romance
Spice Level: 🌶🌶🌶🌶 (Habanero)
Juliet Lamprey owns a successful bakery and is finally exploring a real relationship with Gideon — her steady, emotionally literate childhood friend who’s returned home to help run his grandfather’s farm.
Enter Cal.
Longtime best friend. Bisexual. Possessive. Suddenly very aware that Juliet might not be “available” anymore.
After an alleyway kiss that absolutely was not well-timed, Gideon does something unexpected: instead of posturing, he proposes honesty. If there are feelings between all three of them, maybe they explore it — but only if it’s built on communication, boundaries and consent.
This book is messy in the way adult relationships can be messy. Not chaos-for-drama messy — but emotional labor messy.
The big questions:
- Can a triad work if one person struggles with possessiveness?
- Can love expand without turning into ownership?
- What happens when found family shows more support than blood relatives?
Juliet’s biological family judges.
Gideon’s grandfather doesn’t blink.
And that difference matters.
The spice is absolutely present (MMF, MM, and MF dynamics all represented) but the emotional architecture is what holds this story together. Growth is required. Boundaries are non-negotiable. Communication is constant.
If you love why choose romance with actual adult characters in their 30s and real conversations about jealousy, this one delivers heat with intention.
📚 Where to Read or Listen – Tart by Lauren Dane
I Think I’m in Love with an Alien by Ann Aguirre
Genre: Cozy Sci-Fi Romance
Spice Level: 🌶 (Poblano)
Completely different vibe. Entirely delightful.
Jen is a late-twenties academic who’s built her closest friendships online through a gaming forum. She finally meets her crew in person at SpaceCon in Rellos, Utah — including her crush, “Seeker.”
Except Seeker (Tam) is actually an alien stranded on Earth.
Yes. Literally.
What makes this book special isn’t just the premise — it’s the tone.
Tam is socially literal, struggles with humor cues, and feels gently neurodivergent-coded in a way that reads respectful rather than comedic. A clever piece of alien tech causes humans to see him as what they expect to see, which adds a thoughtful layer about projection and identity.
When Tam reveals his true self to Jen, the story shifts from performance to presence.
Jen’s reflections on not experiencing strong visual attraction felt deeply aligned with a gray-ace or connection-first lens. Intimacy builds through trust, humor, and emotional safety rather than instant physical hunger.
And yes — there is a recurring rooster named Kevin.
Yes — everyone becomes weirdly obsessed with him.
Yes — it’s hilarious.
This is a soft landing romance. Low spice. High heart.
📚 Where to Read or Listen – I Think I’m in Love with an Alien by Ann Aguirre
What Connects These Two Books?
Communication.
In Tart by Lauren Dane, communication is what prevents collapse.
In Alien by Ann Aguirre, communication is what creates belonging.
Both stories reject possession in favor of consent.
Both prioritize chosen family over rigid expectations.
Both treat identity — bisexuality, polyamory, alien-ness — as lived reality, not shock value.
One is fireworks and friction.
The other is warmth and wonder.
Together, they make a surprisingly cohesive pairing.
Have you read either of these romance novels? What did you think of them? Comment below! We’d love to hear from you. Want to listen to the podcast episode? We’re available on pretty much all your favorite podcast streaming services. Or you can visit our podcast player page here.
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