Customer Reviews

Double Bound: a novel

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I'm one of those readers who finds an author, and - if I like him/her - I'll read everything that they write until I'm disappointed. Patterson, Flemming, King, etc., etc. Nothing complicated. I, simply, like to be entertained. A year ago, a dear friend turned me on to this Nick Nolan guy and to his first book - Strings Attached. Although he felt obliged to "warn" me that I would be reading "gay fiction", I bought a copy, opened the box from Amazon, and didn't put the book down again until it was finished. I sat there a while trying to figure out why the book was listed as "gay fiction". OK, OK.......there IS an obvious gay bent to the story line but to pigeon-hole the work as solely "gay", does not do Mr. Nolan justice. The story and characters are incredibly well developed and thoughtful. The story line is a nail-biter in every sense of the cliché.

Nolan's latest is every bit as insightful as Strings Attached. Double Bound is another example of wonderful fiction - straight, gay, black, white, polka-dotted, plaid - whatever! Although one may have a tendency to characterize this as a sequel, I prefer to think of it as a continuing saga as well as trip a couple of layers deeper into the tangle of a very intricate plot-line that is every bit as tense and compelling as that unveiled in book number one.

I understand that work number three is currently in development. One more success and Nolan achieves the literary equivalent of the "hat trick". To readers who are fans of story that is unpredictable, plot twists that are not gratuitous and characters that are believable and still remain interesting - Nolan is your guy! In a nutshell - he is just plain talented. So.......gay, schmay..........Read him. You won't be disappointed!

I eagerly awaited the return of Jeremy, Carlo and Arthur the day I finished Strings Attached; however, I never expected Nick Nolan to create such a captivating love story with twists behind every page. I read Double Bound over a two day period as I laid by the pool imagining I was in Brazil with Nolan's picturesque depictions of the sandy, white beaches, surrounded by those beautiful men. Even though my skin was getting baked in the sun, I could not put the book down due to Nolan's ability to leave you in suspense at the end of each chapter. I had to keep turning the page to see what was going to happen. I found myself gaining more excitement as I got deeper into the story and hoping the love would develop between the forbidden pair, yet the sorrow I felt for the man left behind. Although labeled as a "gay fiction", I felt myself, a female committed in a heterosexual relationship, able to connect with the characters and to understand what each was feeling, due to Nolan's brilliant writing. I am beginning to think Nolan is a straight woman trapped in a gay man's body.

Double Bound not only fulfills the adventurous side of us all, but also the longing we have for that passionate love story usually only found in the movies. I cannot wait for the day to watch this novel come to life on the big screen.

Following close on the heels of the appealing Stings Attached, which centred on the young Jeremy Tyler's rise to the fortune to which he was entitled, comes Double Bound. The central character here however is Arthur Blauefee, ex-Marine and more recently ex-FBI agent and now butler and estate manager to wealthy Katherine Tyler, and protector and unofficial surrogate father to Jeremy. Here the story is told very much from his perspective and as such it steps back in time to provide some insight to his upbringing, earlier career and his previous love life.

The account then picks up where Strings Attached left off, and we are taken on an escaped to Brazil where Arthur accompanies Jeremy and his flambouyant lover Carlo as carer and bodyguaard. Jeremy has been charged by his aunt Katherine with responsibility for investigating an investment opportunity the Tylers are investing in; an adventure that will involve corruption, double dealing and betrayal upon betrayal, and prove life threatening for all three men.

The few days in Brazil also provide other opportunities. Importantly a chance for Arthur and Jeremy to explore their true feelings for each other, feelings it seems are equally shared - perhaps the predominant theme of the story. It's also chance for Arthur to put into practice his training as a Marine, and for Carlo to prove that he is very much more than just a beautiful sissy boy. Events in Brazil will form the making of each of these central and most likable men, especially in view of the further troubles they will have to face on their return home.

Double Bound, based on the fairy tale Jack and the Beanstalk interwoven with old Brazilian beliefs and superstitions (as the author fully explains in his Notes at the conclusion) is a much darker tale than Stings Attached. In fact the opening chapter sets the scene with a seemingly unrelated sinister and tragic account involving a couple of American boys in Rio de Janeiro, but in fact does have a direct relevance. We get to know Arthur very well, his strengths and his weaknesses along with his failures, and we will no doubt become very attached to and feel for him as he faces dilemmas and difficult decisions. As such it is at times a very moving tale, especially when the real crunch comes towards the end; but it is yet a positive story.

I really enjoyed this book, possibly more even more than Strings Attached, it has greater depth and explores the characters more fully, with no holds bared. It is also a story of the meaning of true unselfish love. There are just a couple or so explicit sex scenes, but these are essential to the story, and one of these even keeps the reading tantalisingly guessing. Although I read this shortly after Strings Attached, it is a book that can stand very well on its own, providing enough information on relevant facts from Strings Attached for those that have not read that, but not to the extent that readers of it will feel they are being served up old information. Highly recommended.

Katharine Tyler is a wealthy businesswoman who is part of a group that is building and managing a spectacular resort in Brazil. She is unsure of her partner in Brazil, and decides to send her nephew Jeremy, his lover Carlo, and a family employee, Arthur, to check on things. Arthur is a former Marine and FBI agent and will act as bodyguard to the two younger men.

The trip for Arthur is agonizing, as he has feelings for Jeremy but knows it would be wrong to act on them. He is simply trying to survive, when suddenly the three men are plunged into danger they didn't imagine.

I was really looking forward to reading this book, as I feel like gay men are a group under-represented in fiction. I was interested in reading a book in which the main characters were gay, but the book wasn't about their gayness.

This book, although full of gay characters (an unbelievable amount of gay characters!), didn't give any of them three-dimensionality. They were uniformly gorgeous, hardbodied, sexually excited. The first comment any of the men in this book made about any new male character was how hot he was. Arthur's feelings for Jeremy were juvenile and, because of Arthur's past relationship, a bit creepy. Jeremy and Carlo's relationship seemed tumultuous without any real emotion.

For all of these reasons, plus the fact that the suspense didn't seem all that suspenseful, this book just didn't grab me. I hope to see more fiction that focuses on gay characters in the future, in a format that will be more appealing to me.

This book fits into what I consider the bodice ripper sub-genre of gay romance. Please understand that I have nothing against bodice-rippers of any sexual persuasion as long as they are intelligently well-written and sexy. Double Bound, however, is neither intelligently well-written nor sexy. It is choppy and it is silly.

I can't read this book. I tried but could not. I read the first 75 pages, it is possible it gets better... but the possibility is not strong enough to keep me reading. On page 75 I still have no clear idea of the book's focus, unless the focus is 'stilted and frivolous gay soft porn without focus'. The vaunted mystery foreshadowed in the prologue is left forgotten there chapter after chapter. Even though the action is about to move on to Brazil - the scene of the prologue's crime - and maybe get off the ground, things are not moving fast enough and I am taking the nearest exit.

I really wanted to like this. I really did. I was the excited about the idea of following Arthur, the sexy ex-Marine body guard to Jeremy and family. He to me, was the most interesting thing in the first book, and the first third of this book I was excited to get his back story. But then it all just unravelled to me. I think part of the problem was I found myself not really caring about Jeremy and Carlo, whose biggest attributes seem to be their pecs and six packs. If hanging with twinks are your thing, the you'll love this. I also thought for what a survivor and near warrior Arthur is, he spends the majority of the book having things happen to him rather than moving it forward. I think Nick Nolan is a good writer, and he's clearly earnest, and passionate, based on the afterward in the book. However, I just found myself asking more and more frequently, do people really speak like this? Referencing a waitress Arthur met, he tells Jeremy, "its like she lives to talk to people and make them feel better with her magical coffee and heavenly scones." I just wish it didn't read like such a melodramatic soap opera. That said, it'd probably make a great series for Logo or Showtime to replace 'Queer as Folk'.

First, let me say that it is not the norm for me to give a negative review. Generally if I am taking the time to review something, I review something positive and just skip reviewing the negative ones. But, as this was a Vine Item, sent to me to read and review, I feel that I should do so.

The "teaser" for this book was a blurb about a hunky marine and his exploits in Rio investigating a woman's commercial/financial interests in a construction venture she is involved in there "in the shadow of Cristo Redentor" and the exploits of three men who are supposedly at least somewhat entangled, etc. There was also reference made to "Jack and the Beanstalk" in the teaser, and so, given these reference points, I must say I really expected this to be an interesting and lively story. Not so!

This is a sequel to a previous book by Mr. Nolan, which I have not read, and will not be, as there are so many great reads out there to explore.

In this particular book, I personally feel the character development to be lacking, and everyone populating the book is at best 2-dimensional. I found them totally uninteresting and thoroughly not engaging. The action seems to be rather lethargic (the story literally seems to be "flat" and sort of jumps here and there, never building much genuine interest or feeling for the characters. Also, there just seem to be too many funny "wrinkles" or twists to the plot that just do not come across as plausible or remotely believable, which distanced me even further from caring about the characters or their situation(s). The sexual encounters were just not engaging, nor believable--what I would call luke-warm at best.

The key action point in Rio is truly horrific and absolutely and grotesquely non-believable. (You'll know it when you get to it if you do read this book). And the denouement of the aunt of the marine's ward blows all believability out of the end of the story.

While reading I kept thinking "this has to pick up and get better", but it did not, and I found myself continually checking how many more pages there were left to read before I would finish the book. Truthfully I have to say that I never came to care anything about the characters, nor did I really feel remotely "caught up" in the plot, which was just not plausible.

It's hard for me to really put a description to it, but it seems as if this story is sort of semi-transparent, or like a photo that is not fully developed....2-dimensional, as I said above.

Sorry to be negative, but I did not find this book to be interesting or entertaining and thus do not recommend it. Other reviewers here, as you will read, are really enthused with it, while others (like myself) find it lacking.

When I read Nick Nolan's "No Strings Attached," I found it to be an entertaining, if slight, enough diversion. The romantic coming-of-age story mixed with a more seamy mystery was intriguing and diverting. Superficial and fun, it seems to have struck a chord with readers looking for a lightly amusing tale of gay adolescence--albeit one with a fairly conventional back story and adhering to routine thriller conventions. But despite its limitations, it was a breezy entertainment. The allusions to Pinocchio, in my opinion, were by far the most interesting aspect of its narrative.

Nolan draws on Jack and The Beanstalk for its sequel "Double Bound" with decidedly mixed results. For one, the fairy tale connections are more of a stretch. By making the sequel bigger in every aspect--the ludicrous plotting takes away from some of the previous novel's smaller charms. No one can accuse this novel of being subtle. Every emotion is blown up into soap operatic proportions and the thriller aspects have been ramped up beyond any level of believability. International kidnapping schemes and human sacrifice have replaced high school parties and spring break! If you liked Jeremy, Carlo, and Arthur in Nolan's previous effort--they again take center stage. Arthur, in particular, steps up as the leading man as the trio head to Brazil to check on a resort investment and encounter some pretty unsettling goings-on. But don't worry, there's still time for romance as the multi-generational attraction between Arthur and Jeremy moves to the next level despite the other unpleasantness.

Once again, those looking for an alternative beach read entertainment might enjoy the excesses of this adventure. It's certainly an easy and fast read. I think it might be helpful to have your expectations in check, however. This is entertainment for the sake of entertainment. There certainly isn't anything wrong with that! I think that "Double Bound" will appeal to a certain demographic, but its ultimately too superficial and too over-the-top to be considered anything more than a fairly engaging read. KGHarris, 8/10.

In this, the follow up to Nolan's "Strings Attached", we have Jeremy and his lover, Carlo jetting off to Brazil to check on a hotel/resort complex that has a large amount of Tyler Inc. money invested. His aunt Katherine, ever the nosy and controlling one, has insisted that Arthur, their ex-Marine, ex-FBI agent, butler/bodyguard go along with them to ensure their safety- and they are sure to need it.

While "Strings Attached" was tamer and more mild, this new novel, "Double Bound" raises the bar considerably. Jeremy and Carlo make no hiding their feelings for each other, and Arthur is tortured because of his like for Jeremy as well- despite the 14 year age difference. Along the way, we meet a rather unsavory cast of characters and deep, dark plot that whips the city of Rio de Janerio into a frenzy each September- and it isn't Carnival.

Tightly plotted, with a great amount of suspense- this novel deserves to be pushed to the mainstream, but its subject matter and frank treatment of homosexuality keeps it forever pushed to the background and a piece of "gay" fiction. Its too say, really because Nolan is a talent writer who can write believable characters, great dialogue, and come up with some of the best villains, plots, lies, and double-crosses.

Jeremy, as a character, has matured and is more three dimensional this time- not just the riff-raff plucked from the slums an set atop a seaside cliff in an opulent palace. We learn more about Arthur and his past, his heartbreak, and his conflicting desires of keeping Jeremy at arm length and wanting him close. We see deeper into the twisted psyche of Katherine and realize just how unscrupulous and depraved she really is.

All in all, this book is a great read- the subject matter and treatment of sexuality and sexual situations will be a turn-off for some- that's for sure. If so, then just stay away. If you can get past that- (as a straight man, I did.) then the book is a good read with a wonderful plot and a tightly controlled climax. I have a feeling this is a trilogy and I will gladly be picking up the next installment in the series.

"Double Bound" is not the type of book I usually read- for a variety of reasons- but I am pleased that I took a chance on this series and found a wonderfully talented writer who has skirted the literary fringes for too long.

I found Double Bound a fun, predictable read. The characters were fleshed out, so to speak, and the plot moved at a quick pace, although for me there were no unexpected turns, other than maybe the very end. The dialogue was good and mostly believable. I found this better than your average gay fiction and good for a rainy day read.