The Wilmot Sisters, Book 3
From the publisher:
Star-crossed lovers learn that practicing romance leads to the perfect happy ending in this steamy reimagining of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night.
Since heartbreak entered the scene, Juliet Wilmot, once a hopeless romantic, has sworn off love. But when she’s presented with the chance to revisit romance—purely for practice—with the gorgeous, off-limits guy she keeps serendipitously running into, it feels like a sign from the universe.
Quiet, shy Will Orsino knows happily-ever-after isn’t on his horizon. Problem is, for the sake of the family business, marriage is. Resigned to the inevitable, but with no confidence he can woo a wife, he can hardly say no when fate hands him the alluring, unattainable woman he keeps crossing paths with, offering to help him learn the ropes of romance.
Neither of them looking for love, Jules and Will agree they’re the perfect pair to practice romance. Except that practicing to perfection leads to an irresistible attraction. Their once smitten hearts, though still twice shy, might have happily-ever-after written in the stars for them, after all.AN INSTANT USA TODAY BESTSELLER!
“Liese continues her brilliantly conceived, wryly witty Wilmot Sisters series with a beguiling romance inspired by Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night….Liese writes with thoughtful insight about living with a chronic disease and neurodiversity.”—Booklist
This was an unusual romance in that the main protagonists never have a crisis or breakup of any kind. Instead, it’s a friends-to-lovers, slow-burn romance with interesting characters that we really get to know.
Jules has a debilitating illness that causes her pain and weakness at times, but that’s not her real problem. Her more significant issue is that she had a nasty breakup and has become extremely guarded and protective of her heart. Will is on the spectrum and doesn’t pick up on social cues, so he has difficulty dating. They meet briefly in Scotland when Jules is hiding out there, mending her broken heart. She knows she is in no position to start a new relationship, no matter how attractive she finds Will.
Will lives on his family’s farm and runs their distillery, but his sister schmoozes the customers, so at least he doesn’t have to socialize. He visits his best friend in the States and falls asleep in the greenhouse next door. He awakens to Jules attacking him, thinking he is stalking her. They eventually figure out that Jules’s next-door neighbor and good friend (who treats her like a sister) is Will’s best friend, and it’s smooth sailing after that. As they get to know one another, they each admit to their weaknesses with dating and are determined to help one another by pretend dating and practicing romance so they can be more comfortable with it. Will needs a wife who will be able to help him with his business but has no expectations of any kind of love story. Jules wants the romance but is afraid of getting hurt again.
The more time they spend together, the more they enjoy each other’s company, but Jules wants true love and is afraid Will isn’t looking for it. Eventually, they realize they are both exactly what the other needs, and they get their happy ever after.
This is a sweet romance with a bit of heat, but it’s the romance that truly carries the story. I loved Will’s habit of inadvertently saying his thoughts aloud; it added some lightness. This is the third book of a series that I haven’t read, and as far as I can tell, it stands alone beautifully. Happily, I have the first two books in the series on my Kindle.
2/2025 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch
ONCE SMITTEN, TWICE SHY by Chloe Liese. Berkley (January 14, 2025). ISBN: 978-0593441541. 384p.
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[…] actually read the third book in this series, Once Smitten, Twice Shy, and loved it, so I hunted down the first book, and I’m very glad I did. This is a […]