Once Ghosted, Twice Shy: A Fun, Sexy Reluctant Royals WLW Romance – Love in NYC

Read the e-book (a novella of 168 pages) through the Libby app and had to own a copy for myself. Plain and simple. Such an excellent read. The slow burn, the tension, the hurt, the love, the forgiveness and the passion between both characters is described so beautifully. This is my first read from the author, but I enjoyed the novella so much that I am now reading the prequel in the series, “The Princess in Theory,” just to learn more about the main character from this book, Lokotsi. To read of a gentle, yet expansive love between two Black, queer characters was a treat! And so very relatable. I appreciate that this book exists. The author did a great job.

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…