Down But Not Out . . . Table For Three by Missy Martine

Cass Abernathy is forty-three and she's getting a second chance at life, and maybe even love. She's finally divorced, after years of abuse, when she learns an unknown uncle in Oregon has left her his estate, and more importantly, his house. Filled with hope for her future and excited to have a place of her own, Cass heads west not knowing what she'll find.

What she finds are hot and sexy twin brothers intent on making her a part of their lives. It's too bad they're so much younger because they bring out feelings she's never had before.

Meanwhile, there's someone else interested in Cass' inheritance, and he's willing to do whatever it takes to make sure he wins. Will Cass overcome her fears and open her heart to the two men who love her, and will she discover the truth about her inheritance before it's too late?

Three people and three disillusioned people, all hurt and deeply wounded over the course of their past because of failed love relationships. Cass Abernathy was verbally abused and finally physically beaten in plain sight of her neighbors, and for that little loss of control, her ex-husband landed in the hoosgow. But the real imprisonment was Cass's--she had spent the next two years in hiding, working from home as a data entry specialist, quietly trying to stay out of sight of her ex's family, having been cruelly threatened by her ex-brother-in-law on the day her divorce became final.

Now it appears that she has a chance at freedom in several forms: freedom from her self-imposed imprisonment and freedom financially so that she can live in peace after 23 years of humiliation and systematically being emotionally and psychologically dismantled. An uncle, the brother of her mother and a relative previously unknown to her has left her a legacy--a house and to hear the attorney tell it, a small bank account.

Now we come to Matt and David, identical twins who have each been divorced after very unhappy marriages. What they really want is to share the love of a good woman, a dream they both held on to until it appeared too large a fantasy. Now they are both back in their home town of Mountain Vista where they catch a glimpse of Cass and immediately both men begin to wonder--in fact grasp the faint hope--that their dream of a polyamorous relationship may still be possible.

There is quite a cast of characters in this book--not too many to keep track of--some are good, and some are not so good. Oliver, her uncle's attorney seems to have another agenda apart from his legal responsibilities to the estate; Serena, the paralegal working for Oliver is bound and determined that Matt and David belong to her although they openly refute her claim. Robert, Matt & David's attorney is the kind of professional that sees what needs doing and does it and is one of those legal eagles who figures out what's best for his client. All in all the action between these characters is interesting as the story strands are woven to make up the tapestry of the tale.

I liked the three main characters a lot. But this story is really about redemption--renewing and rebuilding hope, reclaiming love and rejoicing in its possibilities and its joys regardless of age of situation. Ms Martine has crafted a story that speaks openly about the long-term damage that comes from abuse, even if it is "only" verbal or psychological. Those kinds of wounds most often take far longer to heal than the physical ones. The author makes this comment about this story:

"Cass' story came to life as a way to encourage women of all ages not to give up on finding true love, and to keep their minds open to all possibilities. After surviving an abusive relationship, she's able to open her heart to a different kind of love. She gives her heart to not one, but two sexy brothers."

Arising from an abyss of pain and self-doubt, it took the love of two kind, caring, genuine and loyal men to convince Cass that she was worthy of love and could find the resources within herself to give it back generously. This is a wonderful love story and worth reading. I highly recommend it to those who really want to experience a fictional tale that will leave you warm and fuzzy. I give this novel a rating of 4 out of 5.