As someone who has always been interested in polyamory, I have searched for stories with polyamorous characters in both fiction and nonfiction, including combing through various podcasts for real life conversations and have found this space lacking. So Love Without Limits gets a gold star for branching out and at least getting the ball rolling in terms of conversation starting. Personally, I was first introduced to this idea when wandering in my college library basement in which I came across a guide to lesbian relationships from the 1970s. There was a chapter on open relationships and the whole concept set my mind reeling. I imagined creating a lesbian utopia- full of women open to love and companionship, creating and nurturing for the greater good. This idea was and has been scuffed at by nearly everyone I’ve shared it with, and not wrongly so. However, a girl can dream.
Anyway, let’s jump into the plot-
The book takes place in Australia and follows the relationship of Caitlin James and Josephine (Jo) Greenwood, who have been dating for a year and a half. Caitlin is a TV personnel who hosts a talk show and has authored books on non-monogamy. Jo is a grad student, singer, and barista at the Pink Bean (which reminded me of The Planet from the L word). They seem to still be in their honeymoon stage, however, Jo is concerned that Caitlin wants to start opening up their relationship and isn’t sure if she’s ready for that type of change. You learn right away that Jo was aware of Caitlin’s desire to only be in non-monogamous relationships, so Jo isn’t blindsided by her ideals, but chose to be with her despite this. In fact, it seems that Jo had an interest in non-monogamy before dating Caitlin but never practiced it. The storyline is pretty much them working through the start of non-monogamy while balancing their personal lives, jobs, and in Jo’s case, family and school.
Caitlin narrates the story and we see how Jo’s personality change into a more confident individual challenges her. The TV host isn’t the center of attention suddenly, but is left admiring the new star. Caitlin is constantly taking stock of her surroundings and doesn’t miss a beat. She’s even able to analyze herself and is therefore very self-aware. This allowed her to grow pretty seamlessly. Both characters are constantly communicating and checking in with each other which I thought displayed how strong their relationship was. Even with that strength though, I felt like the jump of Jo being ready to embark on this new journey was just a bit too sudden, likely because Caitlin moved things along pretty quickly. Soon after Jo confided that she was nervous, Caitlin suggested that she flirt with someone to see how she liked it. Jo sort of fell into all of it pretty easily after admitting to many insecurities. I know that she gains confidence in her new position in life as a rock star and author and dating Catlin James, but it seems like a lot of the change happened in the previous book. We don’t really see Jo’s insecurity about her body but rely on Caitlin’s narration of how much Jo has changed. I think this might be why it felt a bit sudden for me.
One thing I really enjoyed was how this book approached relationships. Personally, I related a lot to Caitlin’s ideology on monogamy. She cuts the inflated romantic notion that one person can be your everything even stating “…I’m not so vain to think that I, just one person, can be everything my partner needs.” I’ve never seen that in a romance novel before. Of course, for some people-for many people, one person can be their everything. I just enjoyed reading something different and seeing characters who approached life outside the social norm in a way that turned out beneficial to them. Basically- there’s more than one way to skin a cat.
Love Without Limits is the seventh book in The Pink Bean series. I haven’t read any of the prior books in this series and heard that it wasn’t necessary as this book could stand alone. Although everything made sense to me, I definitely felt like I was missing out on backstory that might have connected me better to all of the characters. This was very much a snapshot into a relationship- like I walked into the middle of something; I did like that though.
If you’re curious about non-monogamy or are just looking for a non-traditional romance, you might enjoy Love Without Limits https://www.amazon.com/Love-Without-Limits
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