Triple Threat

by K Webster

[glowstars]

The book is the story of Landry, a friendless princess with a dark family secret. It’s also the tale of Ford Mann, a guy Landry meets at college and who later turns out to be Landry’s sister’s speech reading tutor. To the backdrop of the abuse Landry suffers at home, the two begin to fall for each other. Only Ford isn’t just a guy – he’s three – the Mannford Triplets. Through a series of loose connections, the triplets’ uncle has tasked them with uncovering the means to bring down as possible business partner of Landry’s father. Trust me when I say that this is a plot worthy of a period melodrama.

After meeting for the second time, Landry knows there’s something up with Ford. Her encounters switch between Sparrow and Sully’s versions of Ford, but it’s not until she meets Scout’s version that she comes up with a likely explanation: multiple personalities. I can’t fault her logic with that one. I don’t personally know of any triplets, so the idea that I could be fooled by a set is completely incomprehensible.

While I really liked each of the triplets individually, as a group they annoyed me. They were incapable of sharing information or communicating properly with each other and so competitive for Landry’s affections that it was a wonder they made it to the end of the book without her discovering their secrets. It’s not like they didn’t have experience to learn from either – they had played this game before. Although they were assigned their roles, the trio never really came up with a plan to make the whole endeavour work.

I’m in two minds as to how I feel about Landry as a character. On one hand, she’s incredibly strong to have endured her father’s abuse for so long, all the while protecting her younger sister. On the other, I really dislike her method of capitulation to maintain peace while never trying to escape their hell. For a girl so strong she seems far too accepting of her situation; there’s no fight in her. Even once she meets Ford she doesn’t explore the possibility of escape enough to make it a reality.

Despite the story having three male leads, it isn’t a reverse harem, in the sense that you can’t see whether all three will get with Landry in the end, or just one will come out on top. Maybe none of them will. Then there’s the added complication of Ty Constantine, the man Landry’s father wants to see her date. I’m pretty sure none of the triplets would want to share Landry with him!

The story reads at a good pace for the most part and once you hit the 80% mark it’s full throttle. Suddenly everything happens at once and you know you’re racing to the edge of a very large cliff that you’re not going to be able to stop from falling over. Damn! What a cliffhanger that was. I’m not sure how Webster is going to move toward the second book with that one, but I’m excited to see it and somehow know that it’s gonna be great.

WHY YOU SHOULD READ TRIPLE THREAT
* Three different types of steam
* The whiplash is so much fun
* Multifaceted plot (yet even I could keep track of everything that was going on)