Once Ghosted, Twice Shy by Alyssa Cole Series: Reluctant Royals #2.5
Published by Avon Impulse Genres: Contemporary Romance
Format: Kindle or ebook
Source: purchased
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Alyssa Cole returns with a fun, sexy romance novella in the Reluctant Royals series!
While 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.
Review
Once Ghosted, Twice Shy is a charming, second-chance F/F romance. I loved both Fab and Likotsi, who are different in so many ways, but perfect for each other; I found myself rooting for them to get back together from the first scene. The story unfolds in both current time and a series of extensive flashbacks to their first whirlwind romance and the events that cut it short. Ms. Cole expertly conveys the heady excitement of their first dates as well as the love, longing, and pain both characters are feeling in the present. Her vivid descriptions of various scenes and settings ground the book in a realistic New York, with all its contrasts and contradictions.
The novella also piqued my interest in the other novels in the series. I tried reading book #2 a year or two ago, and couldn’t quite get into it, but I think I was just in the wrong mood at the time. I look forward to reading book #1, A Princess in Theory; I want to know more about events and people who are referred to in this book. I also really want to read Ms. Cole’s Loyal League series, since historical romance and historical fiction are right up my alley.
Counts toward the COYER Quarrantine Challenge – Black Publishing Power readathon; the Diversity Reading Challenge; and the POPSUGAR Reading Challenge (#32: A book by a WOC)
About Alyssa Cole
Alyssa Cole is an award-winning author of historical, contemporary, and sci-fi romance. Her Civil War-set espionage romance An Extraordinary Union was the RT Reviewers’ Choice Award’s Best Book of 2017 and the American Library Association’s RUSA Best Romance for 2018, and A Princess in Theory was one of the New York Times’ 100 Notable Books of 2018. She’s contributed to publications including Bustle, Shondaland, The Toast, Vulture, RT Book Reviews, and Heroes and Heartbreakers, and her books have received critical acclaim from The New York Times, Library Journal, BuzzFeed, Kirkus, Booklist, Jezebel, Vulture, Book Riot, Entertainment Weekly, and various other outlets. When she’s not working, she can usually be found watching anime or wrangling her pets.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- COYER Quarantine Edition (2020)
- Diversity Reading Challenge 2020
- POPSUGAR Reading Challenge 2020
