‘Once Smitten, Twice Shy’ is the third book in the Wilmot sisters series by Chloe Liese. It’s finally the turn of Bea’s sister Jules to be the romantic heroine… after leaving a bad relationship, being diagnosed with a chronic illness and learning a lot about herself, she’s ready to love again. Enter Will, an introverted red-headed giant who decides he needs to practise being a paramour if he’s ever to find a wife!

Both Jules and Will were loveable and relatable, with so much to admire, multitudes of green flags, and some flaws which made them well-rounded and interesting. I was rooting for them from their very first encounter. Puck, the elderly cat, was wonderful, and I loved the scenes around the solar eclipse. Liese writes incredibly sensual moments so well while staying true to the characters she has created.

I wasn’t quite sure why the two characters couldn’t just communicate well and date initially, which made the tale feel a little contrived! But the dual POV narrative was great!

Overall, this gets four stars from me… I absolutely adored both characters and loved all of the references back to the previous instalments of the series, but the plot wasn’t as strong (or true to the Shakespearean source material) for me as the other two. I’d still very much recommend it for the sweetness, spice and sisterly support.

I received an advance Digital Review Copy of this book from the publisher Little, Brown Book Group UK via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Anything she writes, I'll read!

Juliet is afraid to start dating again after the implosion of her last relationship. Will is looking for a wife, but experience has taught him he's just not lovable. They decide to be each other's platonic training wheels... I think we all know how that'll end.

I love Chloe Liese. Her Bergman Brothers series gave me a safe space to process things when I realised I may be a tad neurodivergent myself, and her books continue to do that. This book is a funny, cheesy comfort read in all the best ways. In a shocking turn of events, it also has NO 3RD ACT BREAK-UP.

The plot itself is fairly uneventful. There are no major dramatic events to make things difficult (those happen in book #1 of the series. While this can be read as a stand alone I do recommend starting there). It is just 2 people slowly working through their own issues as they fall in love, and because of that it's a lot more introspective than most romance novels. That won't work for everyone, but it definitely works for me - it's lovely and warm and kind and for a few hours it made me feel like all is right in the world.

Many thanks to Little, Brown book group and netgalley for letting me read an ARC of this book. It was just what I needed.