The Third Twin

Heartskeep #3

by Dani Sinclair

THE SECRET TRIPLETFind Heartskeep. Trust no one. Run! With her dying father’s words ringing in her ears and a gunman at her heels, Alexis Ryder fled to the deserted mansion called Heartskeep and learned the shocking truth-she wasn’t Alexis Ryder, but an identical-triplet heiress, a secret someone would kill to keep. Desperate to learn more, she assumed the identity of a sister she’d never met…and landed in the strong arms of the law.Officer Wyatt Crossley’s warm brown eyes and sexy smile promised safety-and tempted Alexis to forget that Wyatt thought she was someone else. Avoiding the rugged lawman would be prudent, but in a world gone mad, prudence was no match for a swirling maelstrom of forbidden desire….

Genres: Harlequin, Romance, Romantic Suspense

263 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 24, 2003

About the author

Dani Sinclair was a 2008 RITA® finalist in the RITA®: Contemporary Series Romance: Suspense/Adventure category for her novel Midnight Prince. She was RITA finalist for her novel Better Watch Out, won a Romantic Times Magazine Reviewers’ Choice Award for Best Harlequin Intrigue of 2000 for The Specialist, and was nominated for a Career Achievement award for Series Romantic Suspense.

Ms. Sinclair and her husband reside outside Washington, D.C., where they share their home with four indoor cats, a small feral colony and the varied wildlife that passes through, stopping to feed at their bird feeders on a daily basis. They are active volunteers with a local animal rescue group and urge everyone to be responsible pet owners.

Reviews

[Stuart Aken · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a Mills and Boon Silhouette, ‘Intrigue’ romance. That probably means a lot to those who read these books regularly. As a writer, and a bloke, I read this one to see whether it was a genre I could write. So, bear all that in mind as you read this review.

It is, of course, a love story. But it’s also a lot more. The element of crime is strong, as are the elements of family and social injustice. A lot of readers condemn these books out of hand, assuming they’re poorly written and formulaic. I found this to be neither of those things.

There is suspense, mystery, tension, both sexual and general, and there is, of course, a burgeoning romance. It’s this final element that’s formulaic. The reader understands that the two main protagonists are destined for each other and recognises the barriers placed for them to cross in order to arrive at the essential happy ending (no, I don’t think that’s a spoiler: a romance of this nature has a happy ending; they all do).

As for the writing? It’s tense where it should be, description isn’t overdone, the action scenes are well handled and the relationships, complex and multi-faceted, are presented cleverly. I found the plot a little over-cooked and the author seemed to have found herself in something of a maze, if the denouement narrative is a guide. The ending reminded me a bit of Agatha Christie’s Poirot and his habit of describing his method of detection to the gathered guilty and innocent.

For me, character is the most important factor in a book. The individuals who people these pages are well drawn and various. That they can be slotted into various stereotypes is inevitable, given the narrow guidelines determined by the publishers, but that doesn’t prevent these particular players from being real people. I enjoyed the strong female lead and the object of her desire fitted in well with her hopes with enough potential flaws to make the reader wonder just enough. The minor players were also well constructed.

There is inevitably, given the specifics set by the publishers, rather more telling than showing than is good for the book. And some of the twists and turns seem to have been inserted ‘on the hoof’ rather than planned; but I can hardly complain at that, since I do it all the time myself.

But, in spite of its intended female readership and the slant it must take for such an audience, I enjoyed the read and found it largely satisfying. For those who care, there remains an unanswered question, of course. The answer is that I have already written a book containing much of what we find here, but I couldn’t write for this specific genre. It’s too confined and controlled for the way I write. But that’s not a reflection of the ability of this author; she’s worked within the constraints admirably and turned out a pretty good read that, I imagine, will sit very happily with those who more regularly read this type of fiction.

So, if you enjoy your romance with intrigue, mystery and some threat facing the heroine, you’ll get good value and plenty of entertainment from this one. Give it a go.

[Jade Frank · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I bought this book from a second hand book store in NYC for 50 cents. As a result my expectations were not high and the book has sat in my book cupboard for 8 years. So I thought it about time I give it a try…

I was pleasantly surprised! The book gripped me from the start and the plot had enough suspense throughout to keep me hooked.

The only reason I didn’t give 5 stars is because I felt at times the plot became a little too complex and confused. Overall, a surprisingly good read.

[Tiffany Erickson · Rating 4 out of 5]

~ The last sequel of the firstborn. It’s about how the “dad” gave away one of the what you find out is triplets. She finds out about her real family. Whole world is flipped upside down. She also falls on love. This book wraps up all three sisters stories.

~ wasn’t my favorite of the 3 books but still a good book.


~suggested to me by Ariel

[Gift Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a re-read. It had a lot of suspense and was quite interesting. It's just not something I'll consider for keeps.

[Twyla · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was the worst of soap operas; it was also the good bits of soap operas. But if you are looking for the Virgin to have a hot sex scene you won't find it here. I was somewhat disappointed by that. There aren't really any heart stopping moments in the book either. I also thought it was terrible that they included a map and a cast of characters at the beginning of such a thin book. From a thicker novel I would also have hated it. If you need a map and a cast of characters then your job as the writer is totally out to lunch. You shouldn't need that to illuminate and elucidate your reader. If you do you're a sucky writer. Thank goodness there was no family tree.
It was a complicated twisted plot line and I was disappointed they didn't push to get the stories behind the older murders solved and just "accepted" the story that one of the cast told with doubtful ears. I mean if you're doubting then dig further. Find out the truth, don't let the truth slide by because it might be tough to figure out. That's just lazy.
But hey this book did make me want to learn more about the other sisters' stories ...

[Deirdre · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alexis Ryder's world crashes around her when she finds her father bleeding to death in her apartment and things get ever harder to deal with when she discovers that she was in fact adopted and that she is a triplet and a heiress.

She gets to Heartskeep and finds herself mistaken for one of her sisters and attracted to Officer Wyatt Crossley (though she doesn't know that he's an officer at first)

It's okay, nothing spectacular and the mystery definitely takes a serious back seat to the romance between the two characters. I only read it yesterday and I find myself trying to remember salient points of the plot and not really caring if I do or don't remember them.

[Geovanna Maya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fue buena la historia, me gusto como empezó todo pero por alguna razón no me gusto como termino la historia de todo el misterio y de las hermanas, el romance fue bueno pero no salva el hecho de que el trama misterioso se viera arruinado por la simples de todo.

[Robin Reynolds · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the first two books in this trilogy, but this one wasn't quite up to the same standards. Maybe if I'd read them closer together I would have enjoyed this one more.

[S Miller]

Used - Good (Some spine creases, Light shelf wear)