Review: Twice Shy by Sally Malcolm

Title: Twice Shy

Series: New Milton: Book Three

Author: Sally Malcolm

Length: 381 Pages

Category: Contemporary Romance

At a Glance: Twice Shy is a lovely, second-chance romance that’s a perfect weekend read. One minor irritation aside, I enjoyed the story very much, and absolutely loved the ending.

Reviewed By: Jules

Blurb: The last thing Joel Morgan wants is to fall in love again. Scarred by his failed marriage, Joel’s determined to keep his life emotionally stable—which means taking a job teaching fourth grade, fixing up his house on weekends, and avoiding absolutely all romantic entanglements. And he’s doing great.

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 unreliable 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 Fall Festival 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 pain keep them apart forever?

Review: If you’ve not visited the lovely, fictional town of New Milton yet, you’re missing out, folks. Sally Malcolm has created the most picturesque place, with the most delightful and colorful people…I’m absolutely charmed every time I go there. 😊 The newest book in the series, Twice Shy, is technically the fourth story in the New Milton universe, so the MCs from the other books do make appearances, but it can certainly also be read as a standalone. Just be prepared to want to read all the other books, too!

In Twice Shy we meet resident schoolteacher Joel Morgan, and new-in-town, young single dad, Ollie Snow. At first glance, Joel appears to be Ollie’s total opposite. Where Joel is reserved, Ollie is open and fun-loving. Where Joel is all about order, and keeping his life as regimented as possible, Ollie’s life is chaotic and sometimes messy. In many ways Joel seems much older than his thirty-two years, whereas Ollie is every bit as frazzled as you would expect someone who was thrust into full-time single parenting at twenty-two to be. But, somehow, when they get thrown together at a PTA committee fundraiser, they seem to just click.

Joel’s divorce four years ago completely rocked his world. However, regular therapy sessions and his aforementioned regimented life have kept him stable. He is off his meds, only goes to see his therapist when he really needs to check in, and feels like he is finally over all the hurt and anger he felt after splitting up with his wife. He’d even thought he’d gotten over the massive disappointment of giving up his dream of having a family, but then Bam! Ollie Snow shows up in New Milton.

Ollie moved to New Milton with the boys for a change of scenery. After all they’d been through in the past two years, he felt they deserved a fresh start. Ending up in New Milton specifically was no accident, though. Ollie has an ulterior motive for picking this particular small town, one that involves one of the residents, whom he is hoping is going to make their lives better.

I absolutely adored everything about Ollie. His attitude is incredible, and his love for his nephews shines so brightly. He sacrificed going to school for his master’s degree and uprooted his whole life to take care of the boys, but hasn’t regretted it for a single day. And, even though it’s extremely hard for him to accept help, even help that is gladly and freely given, he’ll do it if it means getting to keep his family together. So, when a car accident leaves him without a way to get to work, or get the boys to and from school, he accepts Mr. Morgan’s incredibly generous offer of unlimited use of his car. A gift which is everything to Ollie. And one that makes Joel feel truly useful and needed for the first time in four years.

I also loved how much Joel clearly admired and respected Ollie. This bit from a conversation with his therapist was so genuine and sweet:

“…There’s just something about him that gets to me. He’s doing a great job in difficult circumstances, but he’s kind of uncertain of himself—like, he thinks he’s always being graded or something. Or that people are judging him. But he’s still upbeat and fun, getting involved with stuff, trying to be a good dad. It’s admirable, you know? And, he’s on his own here, I guess. He’s…I guess he’s just kinda…charming. I’m charmed.”

And, not only did Joel feel that way inside, but he also did everything he could outwardly to let Ollie know he thought he was amazing, and to make him feel better on the occasions where he felt like a hot mess and a fraud.

The problem I had with Joel in the book, and that made me want to kick him in the shins so many times, was that he didn’t trust his gut, and allowed his baggage to get the better of him. He desperately wants a family and can see himself so clearly with Ollie and the boys, being a part of their lives, but he’s also terrified of coming out again and being rejected by the town like he was by his wife. Yes, Joel was hurt by his wife’s bigotry and betrayal. Yes, openly being with Ollie would take a leap of faith. But I felt like he should have had more trust, both in Ollie, and in the town. At one point in the book he refers to himself as “ridiculous and overdramatic” when it came to relationships, and boy was that the truth. His dramatics created the “big misunderstanding”, which was the only part of the story I wish would have played out differently.

That minor irritation aside, I enjoyed the story very much, and absolutely loved the ending. Malcolm did a nice job of redeeming Joel, and of allowing the PTA Committee to do a wonderful thing for Ollie. And, she also did a nice job of tying up the storyline of the real reason Ollie chose New Milton as his new place to put down roots, which I don’t want to spoil here. 😉 All said, Twice Shy is a lovely, second-chance romance that’s a perfect weekend read. It ticked quite a few boxes for me: small-town, single dad, schoolteacher, holidays…I could probably go on. Pick this one up, guys! If nothing else, I know you’ll fall in love with Ollie and be so glad you read it.

You can buy Twice Shy here:
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