Conclusion to the trilogy that started with How to Knit a Wild Bikini and Unravel Me.

The beachside knitting shop Malibu & Ewe is SoCal’s newest hotspot--where strangers beomce friends and friends become family over good yarn and better gossip…

Malibu & Ewe’s owner, Cassandra Riley, is about to turn thirty and wants to celebrate with her knitting club and newfound half sisters, Nikki and Juliet, in a big birthday extravaganza. But with Juliet on her honeymoon and Nikki with a fiancé of hew own, it seems everyone’s paired up…except Cassandra.

But a series of near-death accidents cause Cassandra to run straight into the arms of the man she’s tried hard to avoid. Gabe Kincaid, her landlord and neighbor, is a loose cannon with too many strings attached to commit to her fully--or can he? When a mud slide entraps the couple and puts their lives at risk, Gabe is forced to make a decision that will change his life--and the status of their relationship--forever…
Dirty Sexy Knitting is the third and final

Dirty Sexy Knitting is the third and final book in Christie Ridgway‘s Knitters Series. I was a bit leery going into this book because of the actions of the hero in the previous ones. I wasn’t sure I could move past his prior behaviors and see him as true “hero” material. I’m happy to say that Ridgway was able to make him a flawed yet believable hero.

For two years Cassandra Riley has been taking care of Gabe Kincaid and wishing for strong family ties. She found her half-sisters (who share the same sperm-donor father) and is forging a strong relationship with them, but she can’t help feeling like something is missing in her life. Especially since Nikki and Juliet have both found their happily-ever-after. As her 30th birthday approaches she decides it’s time to cut ties with Gabe and start moving forward with her life. She doesn’t need to build dreams around a man who has no hope.

Since losing his wife and young daughter in a drunk driving accident Gabe has been working hard to bury the pain and find blissful numbness. Sadly most of the time it comes at the bottom of a bottle. Despite his best efforts to dissuade her, Cassandra keeps coming to his rescue – picking him up after he’s been on a bender, feeding him, coaxing him into her shop and into her life. She may be a Froot Loop, but she’s the closest thing he has to a friend in the world, and he cares about her. Enough to know she deserves better than him.

But when he wakes up naked in her bed after his latest bender – with no memory of what happened – and she says she wants some space, he knows he should walk away. The possibility that he slept with her – probably without protection – keeps him from going anywhere. Plus, the fact that she seems to want to put walls up between them when that’s always been his thing is really disturbing to him. Despite his best efforts, he just can’t walk away.

Despite the light covers and titles in this series, each book has been very emotionally compelling, dealing with some deep issues. This book is no exception. Gabe’s pain from the loss of his wife and daughter, and the survivors guilt he feels were really well done. I expected to dislike Gabe and the way he acted, but I didn’t. In the beginning I found his benders to be distasteful, but by the end I was totally sympathetic to him.

Cassandra was a strong character, but her inner strength was subtle. Instead of being a kick-ass-and-take-names type of heroine, she was a nurturer. She chose to care for Gabe and her sisters, not to mention many others in her life in an effort to fill the void left by having no strong family ties. I really liked that as the novel progressed she became stronger and started looking out for herself more.

The secondary romance – which was carried over from the previous book – between Dean and Marlys was also very well done. Actually there were times when I enjoyed it more than the main storyline. Dean brought new meaning to the saying “All’s fair in love and war”, and I loved it!

My biggest complaint is with the ending. I felt things were wrapped up rather quickly and the epilogue was of the sugary-sweet variety. Normally I don’t let those bother me too much, but this one was quite a bit over the top. Especially considering Gabe’s past.

Of the three books in this trilogy, I think Dirty Sexy Knitting is by far the best. If you’re looking for an emotionally compelling read with rich characters this is the book for you.

4.75 out of 5

The Series:

How to Knit a Wild Bikini
Unravel Me
Dirty Sexy Knitting

This book is available from Berkley. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

Giveaway Alert Leave a comment before noon Friday and you’ll be entered to win a copy!*Giveaway Alert

SoCal's newest hotspot isn't a bar or club, it's the beachside knitting shop Malibu & Ewe - the perfect place for L.A.'s hip, young crowd to enjoy good yarn and better gossip....

For the first time in her life, young widow Juilet Weston is facing the world on her ow - or hiding fro mit. But an invitation to Knitters' Night at Malibu & Ewe starts her down a whole new path full of girlfriends, laughter, and independence. And that kind of passion can be contagious...

Who knew knitting could be so sexy?

For years, Noah Smith has worked for the Westons and tried to fight his feelings for Juliet, but her newfound zest for life is turning out to be irresistible. Still, Juliet's convinced the former solider is too young to be anything more than a for-the-moment fling. To show her just how good he could be for her, he'll do anything, even it it means haunting her favorite yarn store and getting in good with her two new best friends. But Juliet's not going to make it easy for Noah to learn how to knit two hearts together...

Unravel Me is the second book in Christie Ridgway‘s Knitters Series. After the first book, How To Knit A Wild Bikini (see my review here), I was really looking forward to this book. Unfortunately I don’t think it quite lived up to my expectations. First, the backblurb is kind of misleading. When the book first started I had a major issue with the heroine. She kept calling herself the “older” woman and referring to the hero as a “young man”. The problem? She was only 4 years older than he was. And at 34 to his 30, it seemed especially ridiculous that she’d go on like she did. Thankfully this only lasted a few chapters before she gave it up.

The second problem, IMO, is that the cover and backblurb are misleading. The books in this series aren’t quick, light reads. They deal with some pretty heavy issues. Unfortunately the blurbs and covers don’t convey that, so I was expecting something different from what I got.

Juliet married the love of her life, who also happened to be 30 years her senior. He was an army general on the fast track to the next presidency and marrying her stalled his career. Then he died of cancer, leaving her ostracized from her peer group as well as from his.

She moves to Malibu with her husband’s helpmate and friend, soldier Noah Smith, where she makes friends with Cassandra and Nikki. Cassandra owns the knit shop Malibu & Ewe and Nikki is a personal chef (she had her story in How To Knit a Wild Bikini), and they’re also harboring a secret – they’re Juliet’s biological sisters. All from the same sperm donor (literally).

Noah has his own agenda. He wants to see Juliet settled – oh, and he’s also crazy attracted to her. As she breaks out of her numb shell and starts embracing life, he does his best to stand by her while still fighting his attraction. When he realizes she’s attracted to him too, though, all bets are off.

I really enjoyed parts of this novel, but other parts just threw me off. For example: I loved watching Juliet come undone. She was so numb and wound so tight after her husband died it was only a matter of time before she shattered. Seeing her break apart and then put herself back together as a woman was wonderful to see. The problem is the way she acted toward Noah during the process. For a 34 year old woman, she acted more like a 20 year old. Somewhat immature and totally unsure of herself. In the beginning that was fine, but the longer she played a push/pull game, the more frustrated I became with her.

Noah is portrayed in the beginning as the “younger” man. Even though he’s 30 and just passed the bar exam I had a hard time thinking of him as anything other than a young soldier. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, because trust me, there isn’t. But the way he was written was just…off somehow. Towards the end we see him as a mature man, but I think the focus was so on Juliet and her struggle Noah got left behind.

I don’t think I’m explaining this right. I loved Noah. He was strong, and caring, and he stood by Juliet no matter what. He was her helper and her champion and he was definitely sexy as hell. He just wasn’t portrayed as a mature, career driven man until the end, so I had a hard time reconciling him to that. Does that make sense?

While I loved the relationship between the three women, I really felt like it came about under totally unbelievable circumstances. I didn’t buy their reactions to finding out they were sisters by the same sperm donor, especially since Nikki and Juliet didn’t even know they were from a sperm donor. Other than their initial reaction, though, I loved how they were together. They had a tight bond right from the beginning and the way they bickered back and forth and stood up for and by each other was great. It’s refreshing to see healthy female relationships like that in a novel (as JenB recently pointed out, there aren’t enough).

This was a well done novel and I love that once again Ridgway took on deeper issues. I just didn’t feel it was as good as the first entry. I am very anxious for the next book, however (Dirty Sexy Knitting, June 2009). Cassandra is a great character and Gabe, her surly neighbor, has intrigued me from the beginning.

4 out of 5

The Series:

How to Knit a Wild Bikini
Unravel Me
Dirty Sexy Knitting

This book is available from Berkley. You can buy it here or here in e-format.