Today, I have USA Today bestselling author Gabbi Grey in the interview chair. We’re discussing her latest series release, Bonded by Love, a menage contemporary romance.
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1. Hi, Gabbi. It’s great to have you here. Why don’t we start with you introducing yourself to readers. We know about the writer you, but what about the everyday you?
Gabbi: Hi Maggie! Thank you for hosting me and letting me talk about my new book. I will say that everyday Gabbi is pretty boring. I work a challenging government job that has me reading complex documents all day. That job, though, gives me the freedom to do what I like when I’m not working. I choose writing. Other than that, I’m an aunt to a pile of nieces and nephews and dog mom to two lovable senior rescue dogs.
2. I snuck over to your Goodreads page and see you enjoy making your characters suffer before giving them an HEA. Why is that?
Gabbi: My favorite books to read all have an element of angst. I might read the occasional romcom, but my heart is with books where my heart is in my throat. Even a tear or two may be shed. Always a happy ending, though. The first book I wrote, still unpublished, had huge heaps of torment. Moving forward, the first MM novel I ever published, Ginger Snapping All the Way, had a good dose of angst. Now, I’ve taken to writing some lighter, wholesome books. Even some romcom novellas. Still, many of my novels are heavy.
3. Your latest series release is “Bonded by Love.” What inspired the title?
Gabbi: Good question! Initially, I thought there were going to be elements of BDSM in all three books, so a series name with ‘bonded’ made sense. Taking from the bondage part of BDSM. In the end, there’s no kink in the first two books and only a small helping in the final one. But the triads are bonded by their love for each other, so I kept the series name.
4. Book one is “Caressa’s Homecoming,” starring Caressa, Michael, and Cole. One is a nurse, the other an engineer, and lastly the actor. What draws these three together when they are from such different backgrounds?
Gabbi: An easy question! Caressa, Cole, and Michael met on their first day of kindergarten – when they were five years old. All grew up in really dire circumstances in one of the poorest neighborhoods in Vancouver. They helped each other through that trauma, and even moved in together when Caressa and Michael started university. Caressa studied to be a nurse and eventually went overseas to work with Médcins Sans Frontiers. Michael took a job as a structural engineer on skyscrapers in Vancouver. Cole landed the lead role in a popular television series. Their lives diverged. When Caressa comes back to Canada, though, those lives converge. Only now do they discover they all love each other in a way that goes far beyond friendship.
5. Book two is “Cole’s Reckoning,” a chance to dig deeper into the trio’s relationship. What do you love most about Caressa, Michael, and Cole, and what makes you want to shake them?
Gabbi: I love how the dynamic between the three shifts over time. Initially, Michael professes his love to Caressa, and she responds. Cole’s late to the party – even though he’s secretly loved them both for years – and he manipulates everyone to get what he wants. All three have childhood trauma they need to work through, and none is thrilled to do the work necessary to heal. So I give them more trauma (and a bit of action in the book) and then force them to cope. I’d say all three are very stubborn in different ways – so that makes me want to shake them. But I love them, and they’re happy together in the end.
6. Book three, “Donovan’s Men,” deals with forbidden love. How does this new novel differ from the other two in the series?
Gabbi: Cole, Caressa, and Michael know each other in every way possible. Whatever secrets they’ve held all spill out in the end. It’s a true friend-to-lovers story. Now, Donovan, Tyson, and Hamish are all strangers. They’re brought together in a moment of tragedy. Donovan is the victim of a crime. Tyson is the police officer investigating, and Hamish is the psychologist assigned to Donovan. There are lines that simply cannot be crossed between the victim and his carers. Know what? Donovan doesn’t give a rat’s ass. I’d say that forbidden relationship really differentiates that triad from the one from the previous two books.
7. What can we expect from you in the future?
Gabbi: More angst! And more heartwarming stories! And more romcoms And sometimes all three in the same book! I’ve got four more novels planned for 2026, so I’d better get busy writing them. Drums and Lullabies is my fourth Road to Rocktoberfest novel and it’s coming out in October. Carver’s Craving is the eight book in my Love in Mission City series and it’s scheduled for publication in October as well. A Daddy for Christmas 4: Raphael is my next Daddy/pup book and it also takes place in Mission City. A Little Christmas: Tobias is set in my Vancouver film world – so there’s always a chance Cole or Donovan might drop in. For 2027 there will be more small-town gay romances and more BDSM hockey co-written books with L.A. Witt. Oh, and I have two boxsets this fall – one with several sapphic stories and one of novellas set in the Vancouver film world. Again, Donovan and Cole make appearances…
8. I enjoy doing random questions, so humour me:
- What’s your favourite snack?
I’m a good Canadian girl – the ultimate treat is a Nanaimo bar. Followed closely by tiger tail ice cream. If you don’t know what that is, a search engine is your friend. - From your backlist, which book would you recommend to a first-time reader?
I always suggest Ginger Snapping All the Way. It’s the first book from my Love in Mission City series. Otherwise, Catch a Tiger by the Tail is the first time Cole appears in a book. - What’s your fave mode of transportation?
My zippy little 5-speed Mazda. I’ll say my least favorite is airplanes… - Are you a morning or night person?
Morning! I’m up at 2 am to feed and walk the dogs. After I’ve fed myself, I’m at my desk writing gay romance novels before I start my day job.
9. Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Gabbi: I want to thank you for hosting me today and being so gracious. I will say I’m so grateful to the readers who allow me to share my stories with them.
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The books should be read in order.
Books 1 & 2 are the same throuple (MMF), while book 3 is a new triad (MMM).
Book 3 can be read as a standalone.
Overall Heat Rating for the series is 5 flames
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
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BOOK 1
Book Title: Caressa’s Homecoming
Cover Artist: Diana Carlisle
Length: 280 pages
Release Date: January 22, 2024
Pairing: MMF
Tense/POV: first person/past tense/alternating POV
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Menage
Tropes: Friends to lovers
Themes: Coming out, bisexual awakening
Goodreads | Universal Buy Link
Friends in childhood, friends as adults, friends in the bedroom.
Blurb: Nurse Caressa Klein returns home to a quieter life in Vancouver, Canada, after five grueling years of working with patients in Africa. She’s ready to settle back into her relationship with her two best friends.
Engineer Michael Dubois has been in love with his best friend since the day she announced her departure overseas. He’s glad she’s back—now he wants to hold on to her forever.
Actor Cole Hamilton is also in love with his best friend. Or rather, both of them. They supported each other through harrowing childhoods. Cole wants to bring Caressa and Michael into his life and, more importantly, into his bed.
Can they move from friends to a throuple, or is their relationship destined to fail?
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BOOK 2
Book Title: Cole’s Reckoning
Cover Artist: Diana Carlisle
Length: 312 pages
Release Date: July 15, 2024
Pairing: MMF
Tense/POV: first person past tense alternating POV
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Menage
Tropes: Friends to lovers
Themes: Coming out, bisexual awakening
Note: Book 1 should be read first.
Goodreads | Universal Buy Link
Three inseparable friends – now three insatiable lovers?
Blurb: Actor Cole Hamilton has finally convinced the two people he loves most in the world, Caressa Klein and Michael Dubois, to move in, join him in a throuple relationship, and set his bed on fire. But he fears his secrets—his real self—will drive them away.
Michael is stressed by his latest engineering project, but his two best friends turned hot lovers worry him more. Cole is too reckless, and Caressa keeps him guessing.
Caressa adores her two sexy men, but her past and tragedies in her nursing profession haunt her.
Can their love and friendship survive secrecy and the reopening of old wounds?
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BOOK 3
Book Title: Donovan’s Men
Cover Artist: Lisa Dawn McDonald
Length: 312 pages
Release Date: August 3, 2026
Pairing: MMM
Tense/POV: first person past tense alternating POV.
Genres: Contemporary Romance, BDSM, Menage
Tropes: Forbidden love
Note: It is a standalone story, but best read as book 3. It does not end on a cliffhanger.
Goodreads | Universal Buy Link
From forbidden relationship to forever love.
Blurb: Police Officer Tyson McGillvary, newly divorced, is not looking for love—with anyone.
Psychologist Hamish McAllister helps patients deal with workplace violence. He’s never been in a relationship—with anyone.
Stunt coordinator Donovan Riggs, working in Vancouver, Canada, on a popular television show, isn’t looking for permanent. He enjoys relationships—with everyone.
When a tragedy thrusts all three men together, the attraction is instantaneous. While professional ethics keep Tyson and Hamish at a distance, Donovan connives to bring both men to his bed—together. As he loses his heart, can he convince them to break the rules, or at the end of the day, will they all go their separate ways?
Donovan
“Is that toxic sludge?” Cole looked dubious.
I gave them my patented mock glare, mildly offended he would say that while drinking bitter, black coffee. “How you two stay healthy drinking that shit is beyond me. This is a spinach protein shake with probiotics and—”
“I’ll have you know this isn’t shit.” Cole held up what I knew to be his standard coffee. Then he pointed to what I safely assumed was Julie’s typical sugar caffeine bomb. “That’s shit.”
She nudged him.
I snickered. I loved the banter between these two. Their ease with each other meant that when I worked them hard, they could take it and dish it back. As stunt coordinator for the show, I worked intimately with them, honing their fighting skills and teaching them how to give the best shot while performing some pretty neat maneuvers. We used professional stunt doubles for the toughest stuff, but Julie and Cole insisted on doing as much as they could themselves.
Cole and I had come up through theater school together, but while I’d pivoted to stunts, he’d taken the acting track. As a tall, gorgeous man with midnight-black hair that brushed his shoulders and dark-blue eyes that smoldered, he had women—and men—fawning all over him.
Julie, while a foot shorter, held her own. Her long white-blonde hair was her signature trait while her jade-green eyes spoke of mystery and intrigue. The former gymnast cut quite a wallop in a tiny package.
After taking a sip, Cole turned to me. “Hey, and what was with kissing Michael?” Cole tried to replicate my mock glare but failed miserably. He was clearly more curious than annoyed about why I’d kissed his amour at the gala on Saturday night.
“Just a peck.” I ribbed him. “Don’t worry, I’m not poaching.” Cole’d been busy with his girlfriend, Caressa. Their attendance at the gala had tongues wagging in Vancouver—and around the world—if the entertainment shows were any indication. Cole was one of the sexiest actors on the planet, and his being taken caused ripples.
I’d happily brought along the third member of their triad. Michael was pretty new to the whole bisexual thing, as well as the ménage thing, but Cole had wanted him there to see things were on the up and up. And not to let the man feel left out. Michael and I had gone…well, not on a date. More as friends and supporters of Cole as well as Julie and actor Elouise Hynes.
Julie watched Cole intently. “Are you planning to come out as a threesome? You know how insane that thought is, right?”
I eagerly awaited his answer as, in my peripheral vision, I caught sight of our caterer and first aid attendant, Meggibeth, approaching us. Cole held up his cup in salute—obviously to thank her for the great coffee.
In that instant, I realized she’d pulled a gun from her pocket.
Several things happened simultaneously.
Cole dropped his coffee. The cup hit the ground, and the brown liquid spilled onto the roadway where we stood.
I dropped my spinach shake, and the bottle bounced but didn’t break.
Meggibeth pulled the trigger.
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USA Today Bestselling author Gabbi Grey lives in beautiful British Columbia where her fur baby chin-poo keeps her safe from the nasty neighborhood squirrels. Working for the government by day, she spends her early mornings writing contemporary, gay, sweet, and dark erotic BDSM romances. While she firmly believes in happy endings, she also believes in making her characters suffer before finding their true love. She also writes m/f romances as Gabbi Black and Gabbi Powell.
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Maggie Blackbird 