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 … 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.
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Very sweet and uplifting novella about Likotsi, a character from A Princess in Theory, rekindling a relationship with a former fling. All of Alyssa Cole’s books just make me feel happy and hopeful!
I’m a big fan of Alyssa Cole’s Reluctant Royals series. I mean, royals are my jam in general, but her voice is so fresh and her characters and their stories so addicting. I also love the diversity she brings to the table with her characters. I’ve not read many lesbian romance stories because they don’t seem to be all that common, but if you can point out more that are as good as Once Ghosted, Twice Shy I’m here for them.
I loved the setup for this book. I have a bit of a “thing” for stories where characters are basically “expiration dating”. Add to that the other half of this book, which is the second chance for Likotsi and Fab and I was all in. These ladies had amazing chemistry. I really enjoyed the way the story unfolded, too, where we flipped back and forth between present and past. When done well, as it was here, I love the format.
It was so easy to root for Likotsi and Fab — both in the present and the past. Their chemistry was strong, their connection very real and it all gave me swoony feels. That type of connection is rare and I so wanted them to figure out a way to work things out. I breezed through Once Ghosted, Twice Shy in a matter of a little over an hour. Once I started reading, I couldn’t put it down. It was the perfect novella with the perfect balance of swoons, sexy times and substance. Now I’m all the more excited to read the next full-length installment in the Reluctant Royals series.
Favorite Quotes:
“Um. Has this all been an elaborate plan to steal one of my organs? I should warn you that they’re currently being used and I won’t part with them lightly.”
“I’ve thought about you every day, but I didn’t realize how much I’d missed you until I saw you on the train and felt like I couldn’t breathe.”
“Finding a sexual partner is easy. Finding someone that makes you need to know more about them is not.”
“Who falls in love in, like, three days? Who gets so fucking caught up in someone they barely know?”
4.5 Stars I’ve finally completed the Reluctant Royals series with this sweet but angsty novella centered around the advisor to the Prince in book 1. After swiping and connecting with Fabiola during a stay in New York, Likotsi is hurt when Fab breaks contact. But some months later they reconnect and they love they shared in that short time comes back full force and then some. This isn’t all fluff or steam. It deals with some pretty heavy topics regarding immigration and it was (IMO) handled really well. Need more sapphic books in my life.
Loved this second chance romance novella!! I’m completely new to the series and I could follow the story pretty well. So yes, you can read this as a standalone.
The writing is vivid and descriptive which makes everything easily imaginable. Fabiola and Likotsi had off-the-charts chemistry and I loved how we get both the present day and their past meeting.
It’s written in dual POV and if you love an adorable and cute f/f romance with second chance, I’d highly recommend Once Ghosted, Twice Shy.
“Out of all the train cars in all the world you had to walk into mine.”
Likotsi has been such a scene-stealer in the other books of this series, so I was really looking forward to reading her novella and seeing her get a well-earned HEA.
Thankfully, her story absolutely delivered on that promise! I love how her character combines a ruthlessly logical outlook on so many things, but still has a true appreciation for beauty and love in unexpected places. In that way, Fab was such an inspired choice for her – she’s practical about her dreams and has admirable fortitude in life, but she folds that into a pretty, spontaneous package.
These ladies were magic together, while also connecting in really grounded ways.
I never doubted for a second that they had what it took to stick together, and I hope they’ll have lots more appearances in future novels!
Female/Female romance. This was sweet, had heat and lovely romantic tenderness.
I loved the storyline and the setup, but this felt a tad incomplete. Add on 200 more pages of details and plot development and it would be a 5 star read for me. I wanted more back story or character development for the first and secondary characters. The secondary characters felt thrown in just to have something to base the story around.
The cover is absolutely stunning. What a cute couple and the colors of their clothes are like royalty. I really like how the theme of royalty continues throughout the series, makes sense with it being a part of the RELUCTANT ROYALS series. I’ve read book 1, this says it is book 2.5, I’m unsure if book 2 would help me out any but I’d be willing to check it out. The books with .5 after them are side-stories that I feel may not be as competed as the full numbered books, if that makes any sense. I think I’ll be checking out her later books to see if they are longer or more developed.
I participated in a ten-day read-a-thon with the challenges being PRIDE (LGBQT+ Rep) and books by BLACK AUTHORS, this book fits both those descriptions. With the world up in flames right now, it has been my goal to read more books by authors of color.
Much gratitude to the Goodreads Giveaway Program for the early e-book copy I won. I was under no obligation to write a review, my honest opinion is freely given.
I loved this book. It’s the second Alyssa Cole book to make me teary-eyed at a happy ending. Such a wonderful, beautiful and steamy second chance romance.
I adored the characters. They drew me into their story. My heart broke for them in places.
Just loved this one.
I devoured this sweet and sexy F/F novella yesterday and was in love the entire time. I was so swept up in Fabiola and Likotsi’s love story!
We first meet Likotsi in A Princess in Theory as the personal assistant to Prince Thesolo. In that novel, Likotski finds a connection with Fabiola, an accountant and Instagram personality who wants to turn her jewelry-making side-hustle into her main hustle. However, things end abruptly, leaving Likotsi with a broken heart.
Fast forward nearly a year later, Likotsi takes a vacation in New York City with the intention of exploring the city, but also of letting go of the memory of her time with Fabiola. However, the Goddess has other plans. On a broken down train, Fabiola sees Likotski again and persuades her to allow her to accompany her as she wanders the city. This encounter sets off the events of that take place in Once Ghosted, Twice Shy.
This novella has a prominent place on my keeper shelf for multiple reasons. First, it’s just so damned well-written. The second-chance romance (as well as the friends-to-lovers and enemies-to-lovers tropes) work really well for the novella format because the hard work of creating a connection is already done at the start of the novella. This is important in a short form in which stories often come off rushed when not executed well. Cole capitalizes on the shared history of Litkosi and Fabiola, providing the reader with efficient narrative short-hands to convey that connection without showing every moment leading up to it. You arrive at the conclusion with the feeling that you’ve read a fully-developed romance even if brevity is the nature of the genre.
In addition to the skillful use of structure is the on-point characterization. One of the most frustrating things as a reader in a multi-POV narrative is the inability to distinguish the speaker. The problem is nonexistent in this novella. Cole does a skillful job characterizing both Fabiola and Litkosi, making it clear that these are two distinct individuals, down to the language and physical descriptions.
Finally, the representation is authentic, illustrating the power of an own voices narrative. Fabiola is bisexual, a fact that is not minimized in her characterization, while Litkosi is a lesbian who relishes her relationships with other women. In addition, Fabiola is the daughter of Haitian immigrants, and the issue of immigration does play a pivotal role in the plot without overpowering the love story. Litkosi, is the definition of competence. If competence porn is your thing, Litkosi is your romantic lead. She’s just so smart and in possession of herself, you can’t help but fall a little in love with her as well.
In many romances, royalty is strongly associated with white monarchies, and I love that Cole has carved out a space with her Reluctant Royals series within this subgenre of romance. Similar to what The Black Panther did for the largely monochromatic Marvel Movie Universe – she’s broadened that representation and it’s what writers of diverse representations all aspire to do.
As an aside, I also recommend This Could Be Enough, a gorgeously wrought historical novella in the category of f/f romances. In every category, Cole’s blacklist is a treasure trove of brilliant writing.
https://serataino.com/pride-recs-f-f-romance-once-ghosted-twice-shy-by-alyssa-cole-reluctant-royals-2-5/
I was thrilled to discover Likotsi had her own story, since she was my favourite character in A Princess in Theory. In that, we learn she met someone, fell in love and had her heart broken. (PS. You don’t need to have read A Princess in Theory to understand or enjoy this, but you’ll probably enjoy this more if you’ve already met Likotsi in book 1)
Once Ghosted Twice Shy sort of picks up from there. Likotsi is back in NYC and has a systematic plan to help her forget about the woman who broke her heart – Fabiola (Fab). Here plans get altered when she runs into the very person she’d trying to forget. Through their journey of rediscovery, we learn about the events from their first meeting and the reason behind their break-up. Fab turned out to be a fun character, whose personality complemented Likotsi’s well.
The story is told in two parts, switching between their first meeting “last Spring” (told in Fab’s POV) and their present meeting in “Winter” (told in Likotsi’s POV). Some readers might find this confusing or off-putting, but I thought it was a good way of showing what transpired before and how Likosti could have had her heart broken by someone she spent just a few days with – especially for those who read A Princess in Theory. I’d love to see more of them in their HEA in future books in the series.
As an African, one thing I’ve enjoyed about the series so far (with this book and A Princess in Theory) is that it isn’t the Africans being ‘rescued’ as is often the case with books featuring African characters.
An interesting piece of trivia I’ve learnt is that the cover models are a real-life couple. How cute is that!
When it comes to diversity, this book represents strongly, being an f/f romance between two WOC with one MC being bi-sexual. The story also deals with real-life issues facing immigrants in America as represented by Fab whose family are Haitian-American.
This is my first f/f romance read (ever), and I have to admit I bought it mainly because it was part of the reluctant royals series. So I feel I should say this to fans of the series, who aren’t necessarily readers of f/f romance: don’t skip this one just because it’s f/f.
*heart eyes*
Sometimes you just need a novella to get you back into the habit of reading. This one has two nuanced heroines who’ve both got extraordinary commitments but can’t help falling in love.
I liked Likotsi when she first appeared in “A Princess in Theory” and was interested when I saw she had a novella where she was the primary character. The story shows the relationship backstory and feelings of both Likotsi and Fabiola and there is a racy sex scene. I thought it was interesting that the author had the friends and relatives of both persons be fully supportive of their lifestyle choices so the focus was on the relationship and the challenges that life was presenting them and how they would solve them, just like a heterosexual couple. The lesbian aspect is presented as given and its all about how the two people fall in love and start a new life together. Its the first LGBT romance I have read and I like that the focus is the relationship and the struggle for lifestyle acceptance does no appear (for such a short work it would seriously have impeded them from reaching a resolution in such a satisfying way).
I loved Likotsi and Fabiola. They were so cute together. I loved how real their relationship was. From the moment Likotsi runs into Fabiola again and all the feelings she felt and hurt comes rushing back to her. Even though this book was a short novella, I liked that Cole still included what Likotsi and Fabs date was and why Fab ended up ending things with her. Seeing them together again after all that was bittersweet. It was clear they both still had strong feelings for each other and neither wanted to let this second chance past them by and it was everything. I couldn’t get enough of it. I loved Fabiola’s carefully put together self take control and Likotski letting go of it and giving in to Fab. So damn sexy. I only wish it was longer.
Loved to pieces!
I LOVED this! So good! When I first read A Princess in Theory I was hoping we’d get a book for Liktosi, AND WE DID! AND I AM SO HAPPY! All caps serious.
Let’s be real, I will read anything Alyssa Cole writes. She has the unique ability to not only transport the reader into a story but also to make the reader feel like they actually ARE the characters. Likotsi and Fabiola pine for each other in this novel and it made my heart ache for both of them.
One of my favorite part about this story was finding out about Fab. We have met Likotsi in previous novels, and we love her, but Fab stole the show for me. Fab, a new character in the series, has depth and character growth in the page limits of a novella. I think she is absolutely refreshing and I see why Likotsi couldn’t resist her even after being hurt the first time.
Writing a novella is difficult. While I think Alyssa Cole wrote a beautiful story, many details probably should have been left out so we could have gotten more of the actual, present day, interactions. I liked the flashbacks, but I wanted to learn more about Likotsi and Fab’s time together in the present.
Overall, this is a lovely novella with well fleshed out characters. I could see them in my mind, I wanted to be their friend, and I felt their soul-deep connection throughout the story.
**I received an ARC of this book in order to provide an honest review**
Likotsi gets her second chance at the love she left behind (from book one). We get to see another side of Likotsi. She still polished, sophisticated, dedicated, but this time around she gets a second chance. She finally learns why things happened the way they did when she was in New York last. We get to see the woman that dimmed the light that had Likotsi shined brightly before she left New York. The meeting of Fab at the beginning was different and interesting. I found depth to the levels she showed and the way she was revealed to the reader.
I found this to be a wonderful addition to the entire series. It help to fill in a few blanks and maybe gave a few hints of more to come. I’m excited to get to the next book of this series. I found the included first chapter to be very alluring. I want to see the next adventure of the circle of friends and family.
After reading “A Princess In Theory” I always wondered what happened with Likosti and her mystery date. So it’s pretty much safe to say how excited I was to read this book!
“Finding a sexual partner is easy,” Likotsi replied. “Finding someone that makes you need to know more about them is not.”
The story was told in past and present tense which I really enjoyed. It’s nice to have a backstory and be “there” when the couple fall for each other. I loved the banter and chemistry between Likosti and Fabiola. They come from different worlds but they make it work.
With novellas it’s usually hard for me to feel a connection but Cole did an excellent job and I feel the attraction. I haven’t read that many f/f novels before and this wasn’t bad at all. I think I will start to branch out more in this area. I loved the fact that the novella didn’t have over the top drama and when everything unfolded it pertained to certain issues going on in the world right now.
I’m usually not a fan of novellas but this was a well written one that I was so sad to see end. I hope we see more of Likosti and Fabiola in “A Prince On Paper” and I can’t wait to catch up with the other characters as well!!