TRIPLE DESTINY

A bewitching debut supernatural romance about a mother, her lost daughter and a kind stranger.

Dance teacher Catherine Scanlon’s love for creative movement is one of the many things that bond her to her daughter, a 6-year-old charmer named Katie. Catherine’s grace, in fact, may be the only thing saving her from succumbing to her troubles with her husband, Luke. The abusive relationship, spurred on by Luke’s frustrations and constant drinking, tears at Katie, who has frequent nightmares about dying. After a series of unfortunate events, Luke accidentally kills young Katie in a devastating car crash. While grieving, Catherine meets a stranger, Dr. Nick Kontos—thanks to Katie’s intervention from beyond. Their romance is hardly easy: Catherine runs away, Luke runs after Catherine, and Nick runs from an old flame—his co-worker, Lexi—and his own confusion. The love triangle eventually even crosses international boundaries. Yet when Katie’s prodding brings Nick and Catherine together once more, their reunion weaves the tangled threads of this complex story together. Colson shows her prowess as a screenwriter throughout her debut, displaying impressive dialogue skills that keep the unusual love story moving forward: “ ‘We all were unhappy then, and drowning our sorrows in lust and liquor.’ ‘Best damned way to drown sorrows.’ ” However, the characters’ snappy exchanges are undermined by too-short chapters, a choppy plot and several underdeveloped characters, including Luke. That said, there is great potential here, and Colson shows an impressive talent that will be worth watching.

An often compelling, if occasionally confusing, tale of star-crossed lovers and the child who brings them together.