Judith‘s review of Triple Knot by Nikki Soarde
Kat Mulligan, a tiny woman with a big personality and a bigger heart, built a business and a life for herself and her handicapped brother. Her focus is on the positive and the future. The past can stay buried. Until her estranged father suddenly reappears. She tries ignoring him, and the pain he brings with him. However, she can’t ignore his proposition–head to the Autralian wilderness in search of a treasure that could change her life and support her brother for years.
Dane Calder, her handsome would-be guide, is too irresistible for her own good and the two of them connect explosively. Kat decides to go on the search, but to keep her focused on her goal and not on her rugged guide, she insists her best friend Chay accompany them. The gay man is the perfect chaperone. Or is he? Dan’t desire for Kat is obvious, but his feelings for her athletic, boy-next-door friend come as a surprise–to all three. None of the adventurers are prepared for the secret loves and desires unleashed beneath the azure skies of the Kakadu.
Some love stories are easy to read and some are downright predictable. That doesn’t mean that they aren’t read and appreciated. But this is neither one of those things. This is a tangled up, messy, human, emotional story that really erupts into Kat’s carefully ordered life and the outcome of the story is one that none of the three main characters could have predicted. That Kat was a powerful, independent woman who had made a success of her business and was well-liked in the business community was evident right from the first. Her friendship with Chay was an important–no, necessary part of the building blocks of her carefully constructed life. He knew her, loved her in his own way, supported her, calmed her when she became overwhelmed, and was “always there.” That she had assumed responsibility for her brother was an ingredient that really stayed in the background of the overt action in this novel, but it was a main ingredient in her life. It was the main reason she worked so hard to make a financial success of her business–her brother’s care was expensive but necessary. As a young man severely impacted by autism, he could not function except in a carefully controlled environment, and those don’t come cheap. That she was always looking for ways to meet that financial need was an ongoing part of her life.
Thus, when her estranged father showed up at her pub on the evening of one of her busiest days–St. Patrick’s Day–she was stressed already, overtired, glad for the business but wanting it to end, with feet that were killing her from the long hours in 3-inch heeled boots–the appearance of this man whom she hated and who represented everything negative about her past didn’t set at all well. Yet he hooked into her emotions somehow–even the best of parents know where all our buttons are–and she agreed to meet him at his hotel. And he continued to “hook” her when he presented the possibility of riches as he proposed a project–find a lost artifact that was worth millions. Dane Calder appeared to be a “companion” of sorts for her dad but as it turned out, he, too, was a victim of her father’s manipulation and evil. Yet it was on this treasure hunt that these three discovered things about themselves that were totally unexpected.
This is not an easy book to read and one that I have struggled with for a long time. There were parts of it that I didn’t enjoy–the emotions were so raw and the anger so apparent–it was just hard to read! The story was also written in such a way that there was an air of mystery surrounding each person in the story with the exception of Kat and Chay. They were who they were, right from the start. But who was Dane Calder–really? What was her father really about on this proposed treasure hunt? Why did he approach her now? Perhaps it was this aire of mystery that kept me reading even on those occasions I wanted to put the book down. There were times when the story posed more questions than answers and in the end, I am not convinced that all the answers were revealed or that those that were just didn’t satisfy. This is not a book a reader wants to start when one is depressed or upset about one’s own life. It is not full of joy or light. Yet there were the scenes when the three discovered deep feelings for one another that seemed to bring a sense of joyful discovery into the story, but even those were moderated with circumstances that put a damper on their erotic and romantic interaction.
I have very mixed feelings about this story but I also see some of the issues that the author may have had in mind. Certainly there are the issues between parent and child–Kat’s deep anger over her father’s abandonment of her and her brother. But there are some surprising revelations that she must deal with even in regards to this part of her past. There is the issue of Chay and Kat’s relationship–was it really as platonic as it seemed at first? And what about Chay and Dane? Was this simply because they were isolated in the Austrailian wilderness and away from those who knew them? How did Kat fit into all this.
There’s lots going on in this story and each reader will have to take from it as it relates to their own interests and life experience. That it is a complex story is a given. And as such, it is a credit to the author that the plot and story line, with all their difficulties and negative emotions, still came together in the end.
I give this story a rating of 4 out of 5.
You can read more from Judith at Dr. J’s Book Place.
This book is available from Ellora’s Cave. You can buy it here in e-format.
