Until he meets sweet but struggling single dad, Ollie Snow.
Following the tragic death of his sister and her husband two years earlier, Ollie became the legal guardian of their two young sons—much to the horror of the boys’ conservative grandparents. They think Ollie’s too young and too gay to raise their grandsons. So to prove them wrong, Ollie’s determined to parent the boys without anyone’s help.
Until he meets reserved but caring teacher, Joel Morgan.
As the only two men in the school’s Parent-Teacher Association, Joel and Ollie are thrown together over a series of fundraising events and somewhere between the Beach Fun Run and the Christmas Market they fall in love. But Ollie has another reason for moving to New Milton—a reason he’s keeping close to his chest—and Joel’s wounded heart won’t trust a man with secrets. Dare they hope for a future together, or will their past hurts keep them apart forever?
I'm so SOOOOOOO happy I found this series; it's like slipping into my coziest slippers and jim jams then having a cup of hot chocolate with Malcolm providing the perfect book to round out the picture of bliss. I just know it's going to be enjoyable. I thank everyone on Goodreads who pushed Perfect Day, Love Around the Corner and Between the Lines through my feed, enticing me because the quaint little town of New Milton has rapidly become a favorite place to visit.
I've come to count on Malcolm to give little updates of previous and recurrent characters, something I find extremely comforting. While reading Twice Shy I found myself thinking, 'I can't wait to catch up with Joel and Ollie in the future'. Though it's not entirely necessary to read the previous books... why would you not? Perfect Day continues to be one of my all time faves. You don't want to miss that one!
Without fail I become invested in her characters and these two were no different. Hurt/comfort is certainly in her wheelhouse with on point characterizations and genuine emotion that creates dimension and depth. Both Joel and Ollie are hurting and in desperate need of copious amounts of comfort.
Luckily they bump into each other at a PTA meeting and spark which proceeds to grow into something more little by little. Their age difference, at face value, seems slight but those eight years were significant ones for Joel.
Joel's marriage imploded four years ago due in large part to his coming out to his wife as bisexual. She was vicious to the point of his deciding to move and change careers in an effort to put distance between himself and that life. I found his reluctance to out himself authentic but be forewarned there are numerous fits and starts between them and some may tire of Joel's closetedness.
Whereas Ollie at 24 has become the parent of his sister's two young boys after she and her husband were killed suddenly in an auto accident. It's been a struggle in more ways than one for him but he tries SO HARD to be the best dad he can be to Luis and Rory. He does a fantastic job in my opinion but he does not have an abundance of confidence in his parenting skills which resonated with me and made me want to hug him.
The loneliness they feel permeates their unique perspectives but they are also gun-shy of being rejected. That honest vulnerability made their journey to HEA both hard-earned and rewarding as a reader. Another bonus in their favor was the sexiness factor which was turn up a notch or three in this installment. Chemistry is not in short supply.
As I said to a friend recently, bottom line, I like the way Malcolm's writing makes me feel. It's smart, emotively saturated, accessible and I daresay conveys a homey anachronism all of which have vaulted her to rarified auto-buy status.
Recommended!
An ARC was provided in exchange for an honest review.
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