Review: Once Ghosted, Twice Shy by Alyssa Cole

Once Ghosted, Twice Shy by Alyssa Cole
Contemporary romance novellas released by Avon on January 8, 2019

Once Ghosted, Twice Shy by Alyssa Cole book coverWhile her boss the prince was busy wooing his betrothed, Likotsi had her own love affair after swiping right on a dating app. But her romance had ended in heartbreak, and now, back in NYC again, she’s determined to rediscover her joy—so of course she runs into the woman who broke her heart.

When Likotsi and Fabiola meet again on a stalled subway train months later, Fab asks for just one cup of tea. Likotsi, hoping to know why she was unceremoniously dumped, agrees. Tea and food soon leads to them exploring the city together, and their past, with Fab slowly revealing why she let Likotsi go, and both of them wondering if they can turn this second chance into a happily ever after.

This is a lovely novella in the world of the Reluctant Royals series. It’s a second chance romance between Likotsi and Fabiola. They find each other again unexpectedly when they both have a day off and end up spending the day together in New York City. The story alternates between present day (their day together in NYC) and when they were together before. It’s adorable and broke my heart a few times.

Confession: I started A Princess in Theory but haven’t finished it yet. I have A Duke by Default but haven’t read it (insert shame-faced emojis here). This is absolutely a personal source of embarrassment (for a couple reasons one being I got a friend hooked on romance by giving her a copy of A Princess in Theory which she read in like two days) and this will be rectified in the coming months ahead of the release of A Prince on Paper. But good news for anyone who might be in the same situation—I enjoyed this novella not knowing all the details of how Ledi and Prince Thabiso from A Princess in Theory got together. Likotsi is introduced in their book but I didn’t need to know all the details to appreciate Likotsi and Fab’s romance.

Likotsi and Fab had a short, intense relationship that ended unexpectedly. I love the “oh, it’s just sex” or “it’s just a one night stand; it can’t turn in to more” setup that’s never “just” anything. Their first chance started as that but was of course almost instantly more. Fab ended things abruptly and it’s haunted Likotsi for seven months. They meet back up unexpectedly and Fab joins Likotsi as she sees the sites in NYC.

Y’all. I felt so much with this story. Fab’s regret, Likotsi’s confusion about what happened seven months ago and what does it mean that they’re spending the day together, disappointment, and sadness. Could Likotsi trust Fab? Could they trust their feelings? When I read the title of Likotsi’s list of sites to see and why Fab “ghosted”, my heart broke. Then there were the lovely flashbacks to when they first met each other and connected and then re-connecting during their day out in NYC. They made my heart happy. This story made my heart happy. A few quotes from the story that resonated with me:

“Likotsi adored things that took time and care to produce results that weren’t entirely necessary but added something special to the world.” (Fab takes Likotsi somewhere not on her list)

“How it had felt as if a late-spring storm had blanketed the verdant field of her relationship with Fab with a deep, heavy snow, blotting it out as if it had never existed.” (Likotsi thinking about how she felt when Fab ended things)

“…refusing to believe that she couldn’t have this heat and happiness all the time because of something so small as thousands of miles of ocean and various large land masses.” (Likotsi determined to make it work)

Excellent story, great characters, lovely writing. And don’t skip the covers on this series. If you haven’t checked them out, correct that immediately. They’re gorgeous. The cover for Once Ghosted, Twice Shy is super cute. I definitely recommend this book.

Grade: B+

You can buy a copy here.

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